Minister of Mechanicsburg

LSB Epiphany 2B Sermon -- John 1:43-51

2012-01-15T20:46:00.000-05:00

January 15, 2012 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’”

The call to follow Jesus is the central focus of His early ministry. It begins soon after Jesus’ Baptism and His forty-day stay in the wilderness. At His return to the region around Bethany—where John the Baptizer had been preaching and baptizing—Jesus takes the baton from His forerunner. The Baptizer’s job was to prepare the way for Jesus. With Jesus’ appearance, that duty is fulfilled. So John directs his disciples to Jesus. It happened for Andrew, the first of Jesus’ followers. Andrew, in turn, brings his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, telling him: “Come and see.”

Today, you heard how the movement of Jesus continues. Jesus determines to leave Bethany beyond the Jordan and go to His home region: “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.” But before He reaches Galilee, Jesus calls others to be His disciples. He calls some who had come from Galilee to hear John’s preaching and receive John’s baptism and takes them back to Galilee. This is what the Gospel Writer records for us: “He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow Me.’” The detail about Philip’s background is given: “Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.” And so Philip is added to the group of those who had followed John the Baptizer and who have seen the fulfillment of his message: the arrival of Jesus, the Christ.

This experience for Philip leads him to action. He is led to bring another to know Jesus, just as Andrew brought Simon Peter once he had been told by John the Baptizer that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…the Son of God.” Back in Galilee as a disciple of Jesus, Philip speaks to someone he knew: “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Philip wants Nathanael to have the same knowledge about Jesus, to welcome the Promised Christ. Philip desires Nathanael—whose name means “gift of God”—to receive the true gift that comes from above.

But how does Nathanael react? What is his reply to Philip’s statement? It is negative: “Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’” Nathanael shows disbelief at what Philip has told him. Nazareth is no place from which the Messiah should come. It’s an insignificant town in an insignificant region. The venue is completely wrong. But Philip is insistent. He draws Nathanael to Jesus by simply stating: “Come and see.” Philip’s actions will not bring Nathanael to belief. But the encounter with Jesus will. Hearing Jesus will. Seeing Jesus will. That is what must happen. And so Philip plays the role that he must: “Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’”

As you heard John’s account of this, you saw how Nathanael is brought to faith in Jesus’ identity as the Christ, the Promised Messiah: “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’” Jesus’ statements to Nathanael display His power and ability. Divine action is taking place. That is how Nathanael becomes a believer in Jesus, despite all the earthly appearances that are all wrong: “Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered him, ‘Because I said to you, “I saw you under the fig tree,” do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’” Jesus’ exercise of divine ability brings Nathanael to faith. But that is not the limit to what Nathanael is meant to experience. He is meant for greater things: “And [Jesus] said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’”

This record of Philip and Nathanael’s calls to follow Jesus resembles what He does for you. It is what takes place in the Church today. In the Church, the call to discipleship is made. People are brought into fellowship and communion with Jesus in order to receive the benefits of His work. They are led to the confession of truth about Jesus’ identity: that He is the One foretold by the prophecies found in the Old Testament Scriptures; that He is the Son of God, the King of Israel; that He is the Redeemer of sinful humanity who brings forgiveness, life, and salvation to them by dying and rising from the dead. The end result of this confession of Jesus’ identity is the ability to see heaven opened and the full glory of the Son of Man that occurs at the end of the age.

But how does this call to discipleship unfold in this world? There are those who simply have the call to discipleship bounce right off of them and receive none of it. However, we can speak about those who are brought to faith. Some are like Philip: they hear the Gospel of Jesus and the call to follow, and they do. It’s simple, almost automatic. That has happened often in the Church. So it is for many of you who have been disciples of Jesus for years. And yet, there can be no doubting that divine action has taken place. It is the divine voice that calls you to follow. The Lord is acting, even if there is no external appearance of greatness. The Lord’s actions lead to the confession of faith that is made: “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

But others are like Nathanael. Believers speak to them. They tell these people that they know the Son of God, that they know where salvation is found. But then the reaction comes: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Well, maybe not those words now, but some like them: “Can anything good come out of the Church? It’s not impressive. It’s full of scandal and hypocrisy. The Church is an oppressor throughout history. The Church claims to be special and holy, but it’s not. It’s nothing but a social group or club or a political entity like others in society. In the past the Church was important, but not now.” Maybe that was the case for some of you here today. Those “Nathanael reactions” take place. And yet, like Philip, someone said to you: “Come and see.”

But what is meant to be seen in the Church? Occasionally, there are some spectacular and dramatic happenings. Perhaps it’s the radical transformation of life that some Christians experience, such as people taken from lives of fully manifest sin and brought to discipleship. Or maybe it’s the miraculous that touches earthly life, such as healing of illness being given. These are analogous to what Nathanael experienced when Jesus said: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

And yet, that isn’t really the end goal of being called to follow Jesus. Remember how Jesus told Nathanael: “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” Even experiencing the spectacular and dramatic in this life is not a true purpose in itself. The end goal is greater. The point is to lead people to the confession of Jesus’ identity, to be brought to the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, that He is the One spoken of in the Scriptures who brings redemption. That is what both Philip and Nathanael received, despite the different external appearances of their being called to discipleship.

The end goal of being called as a disciple of Jesus is to receive the forgiveness, life, and salvation that He has earned that comes with the true confession of His identity. Whether this is accompanied with dramatic and spectacular events or by ways that seem more mundane, the end goal needs to be reached. Ultimately, one must be made a disciple as He has prescribed: baptizing in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that He commanded. That is what brings knowledge of the Lord and His Word. That is what makes a person the Lord’s possession. That is what makes them a temple of the Holy Spirit. That is what the Church invites people to “come and see.”

This is what has been given to you. You have been brought the confession of faith about Jesus’ identity that leads to eternal life. You have the merits of Jesus’ death and resurrection applied to you, so that you are “bought with a price.” You are made participants in the truly spectacular and dramatic that has already taken place and is yet to happen: “God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.” It is accomplished through means, as the Holy Spirit works through the Church’s baptizing, through the Church’s preaching and teaching, through the Church’s confessing the true identity of Jesus and all His works.

By receiving the divine work done through the Church, you have received the call from Jesus that Philip received: “Follow Me.” By receiving the divine work done through the Church, you have received the invitation made to Nathanael: “Come and see.” And for all you who have received it, you will see what Jesus promises to His disciples: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” So it is promised to you who have come and seen and have been led to make the true confession of Jesus’ identity: “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism of Our Lord (B) Sermon -- Mark 1:4-11

2012-01-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

January 8, 2012 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”

The Lord has a thing about water. Throughout the Scriptures, numerous events have divine action connected with water: the Great Deluge, the Red Sea Crossing, the parting of the Jordan River, the washing away of Naaman’s leprosy, Jonah and the Great Fish, and so on. The Psalmist notes this when he speaks of the Lord’s glory: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters…. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.” That was certainly true in the Old Testament events. It was even so at the first of those events, the beginning of creation, as you heard this morning from the Creation Narrative: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

Those words tell us that at the beginning of the earth’s existence, the Lord was present over the waters. His glory thundered over them, causing the cosmos to come into existence. Each time the Lord’s voice rang out, something happened. Light appeared. Waters were separated. Dry land and vegetation arose. Sun, moon, and stars were put into place. Birds filled the air and fish filled the seas. Animals began to roam. This is what the God of glory brought about through His voice that sounded over the waters. His will was made known and enacted. What the Lord desired, He made so. And as the Creation Narrative tells us: all was very good.

But what the Lord did in days of old would be brought to a new level in these last days, with the presence of Jesus. That is what you began to hear of with Mark’s account of His Baptism. You heard the lead up to that event: “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.” John marks the end of the Old Testament era. He is present with a purpose, as you heard in part today and heard more clearly in the Advent Season. John’s purpose was to prepare the people for the Christ’s arrival, to herald the presence of the promised Deliverer: “After me comes He who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John’s purpose was fulfilled with the appearance of Jesus. He is the One that John foretold. He is the Lord who took human nature and became part of the creation, in order to reverse the chaos and disorder that the sin of Adam and his descendants had caused. He is the Redeemer who takes the creation that had lost its goodness and restores it to being very good. So when the Lord was present to initiate that regeneration and renewal of the fallen creation, He once again is present over the waters. This is seen at the Baptism of Jesus.

The Gospel Writer tells us of the happenings that took place at Jesus’ baptism. In Mark’s typical fashion, there is the summary statement: “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” But he reports the odd things that occurred: “And when He came up out of the water, immediately He saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a Voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.” The uniqueness of this event is seen in these details. As Jesus stands in the Jordan, an epiphany takes place: revelation about His identity is made. A theophany is happening in the Judean wilderness: an appearance of the Lord occurs. Those unique happenings point you and all hearers back to what the Lord did in ancient days, the time of the Creation.

Just like in the Creation Narrative, the Spirit of God is present above the waters: “the Spirit descending on Him like a dove.” Just like in the Creation Narrative, the voice of the Lord thunders: “A voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son….” Just like in the Creation Narrative, a divine declaration of goodness is made: “…with You I am well pleased.” Why does this take place? To reveal Jesus’ identity, to tell about who He is and what He will do. In these events, you see Jesus as the source of new life, new creation, new order. He is present with a purpose: the task of redeeming and renewing the cosmos, especially sinful humanity. He is in the world to put an end to the rebellion of sin, to reverse the ill effects that the creation’s revolution against the Creator has wrought, to bring life into the domain of death.

So when Jesus begins to take up this task, He is shown as the Christ by the events at His baptism. His baptism shows His unique identity. It is a strange thing to happen. The Greater One receives baptism from a lesser person. The holy Lord is numbered among sinners. The One through whom the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds is baptized by water. The Redeemer undergoes a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All of this is part of Jesus’ humiliation, the way that He falls under the Law in order to redeem you who are under the Law’s curse. And as this mystery of the incarnation unfolds with the Baptism of Jesus, the theophany occurs: the Lord appears over the waters. The heavenly events happen at Jesus’ baptism so that you will recognize Him not just as a Man, but as the Christ, the Promised Deliverer, the One who tears open the heavens for you, the Incarnate Lord.

The redemption and renewal that Jesus brings is made to be yours. It happens as the Lord is once again present above the waters, acting for His creation. The Apostle Paul tells you of this, as you heard in today’s Epistle Reading: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.”

The God of glory and the voice of the Lord are present above baptismal waters, even those of your own baptism. Through that act of being washed with water that is not just plain water, but water joined with the Lord’s word, you are brought into union with Him. You are connected with Jesus’ death and resurrection. You are made to participate in the act through which Jesus brought redemption and renewal to the cosmos. You share in the new life that Jesus brings. That’s what the apostle wants you to know.

The rebellion of sin and creation’s revolution against the Creator had brought turmoil and chaos to you. But Jesus has come to bring you back to the good will of the Lord and the perfect order that He desires His creation to share. Jesus’ death and resurrection are the foundational acts for that good will and order to be made yours. And this is what has effect in you, as you are joined to His death and resurrection through Holy Baptism: “We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” That is what the powerful voice of the Lord that is present in the baptismal waters causes for you. It is His desire to give it to you, as His Word declares. And what the Lord speaks comes to pass. His Word created life, and now it is yours: “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we also will live with Him.”

You are restored. You are renewed. You are alive. That is what baptism has brought to you. Through baptism, what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection is now your possession. Since you have died and risen with Jesus, the Father does not see you as worthy of condemnation. Instead, He sees you through the prism of His Son, saying: “...with you I am well pleased.” Since you have been baptized, you are no longer without form and void. Instead, the Spirit of God hovers over you, dwells within you, brings life to you. Since you have died to sin and are alive to God in Christ Jesus, you are no longer eternally banished from Paradise. Instead, the heavens are torn open so that you may enter into life everlasting.

Even now, “the voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.” In your day, “the voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters.” It was so at the earth’s beginning. It was so at the River Jordan when Jesus stepped into it. And it is so in the baptismal fonts of Christ’s Church, where He baptizes you and all His disciples with His Holy Spirit.

You have heard that powerful voice of the Lord, what it declares about Himself and what He causes for you: that you are a new creation established by His dying and rising. Trust in what He has done for you. Live in the Spirit-given life that is made to be yours. And you shall have the eternal inheritance that belongs to His beloved children, those with whom He is now well pleased.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Epiphany of Our Lord Sermon -- Matthew 2:1-12

2012-01-06T21:37:00.001-05:00

January 6, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“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.’”

Tonight, Christmastide, the time that marks Christ’s nativity, comes to its close. Tonight, Epiphanytide, the time that marks Christ’s revelation, begins. You have heard the prophecies foretelling the Christ. You have heard the announcement made to Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of the Most High. You have heard the herald angels declare that the Savior has been born for you in the city of David. You have heard how the Babe of Bethlehem was named Jesus, just as directed from on high. And now you have heard of visitors who come to worship the One born king of the Jews. All of these events show how the presence of the Redeemer sent to the world was revealed.

This revelation of the Redeemer’s presence is the way that the light that Jesus brought into the world overcame darkness. The hymn you sang this evening speaks of darkness being overcome: “The people that in darkness sat a glorious light have seen; the light has shined on them who long in shades of death have been.” Light shines and people come to it. That is what the Lord had promised He would accomplish. The Prophet Isaiah spoke that divine promise: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” This light is what the Christ brings. He is the Lord’s glory seen in the world, as John’s Gospel heard on Christmas Day made known: “We have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

But who is meant to see this light and glory? Is it to be concealed, like a lamp under a bushel? Is it set to be like a spotlight that shines only on one particular area? The Lord’s declaration tells you that this light and glory that the Christ brings is to be like a beacon, something that draws and attracts people: “And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” People of other ethnic groups will be pulled by the light that shines in Israel. Foreign nobles will be drawn to its brightness. That is what the Lord promises with some detail: “Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.”

The appearance of the Magi, the wise men in Israel marks the fulfilling of this promise. The world’s Redeemer had come, as foretold. His presence would be noted, as prophesied. So the Gospel Writer tells us: “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.’” A star proclaims the king is here; it had revealed the Christ’s presence. So the Magi come looking for Him. They come to behold His glory and to worship Him. The wealth of the Gentile nations is brought, as the wise men give Jesus their gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They do as the Psalm exhorts: “May desert tribes bow down before Him and His enemies lick the dust! May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render Him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before Him, all nations serve Him!”

In that moment, the true identity of the Babe of Bethlehem is revealed. This is no ordinary Boy, but the Incarnate God. This is no heir of a carpenter, but the descendant of David who is to rule and be recognized by the nations. These visitors from the East are the first of many from the nations who worship Jesus and call Him Lord. The star brought them to the One born king of the Jews. But He is also to be crowned and have dominion over all things, to possess all authority in heaven and earth.

The Magi come to the light and glory of Christ, so they can be redeemed by it. They are to be partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus, to be recipients of the salvation that He brings not just for people of Hebrew descent, but to the world. The beacon of light and glory that shined in the Christ has attracted generations of others from the nations. Jesus’ birth drew the Magi to Bethlehem to witness and worship Him. Jesus’ death would draw all people to Himself. And in His resurrection, Jesus would send out His light and glory to the nations, incorporating countless numbers of individuals into His kingdom of grace. Emanating from ancient Palestine, the light and glory of Christ has become your beacon of salvation, so that you can rightly call Him Lord and become His subjects, worshiping and serving Him.

This is what you hear from one who was sent to carry that light and glory as an apostle: “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of His power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Christ’s light and glory shines through His Church. Carrying His authority into the world, the ability to speak the words that effect forgiveness, life, and salvation, the apostles and their successors have brought people of all nations into Christ’s kingdom.

So you have been made to see Jesus as your Redeemer, your King, your Lord. You receive Him as the One sent to overcome the darkness of your guilt, your mortality, and your frailty. The light and glory of Jesus has come to you, borne by those sent to carry it out to you. Hearing the Gospel accounts of who the Babe of Bethlehem was and what He accomplished as an adult, you recognize Him as your Savior. He answers the pleas spoken by you and others as prayed in the Psalm: “May He judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice!… May He defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!” That is what the Christ does for you: He gives you His righteousness; He defends you from all evil; He redeems you from the curse of sin; He overcomes your Adversary, Satan.

But none of this is known by nature. None of this is built into the heart, soul, or mind of people at birth. No, this is what is revealed to you. This is what the light and glory of Christ brings to you. Without that, you would still be covered in darkness, ignorant of who Jesus is or what He has done. But the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ have taken place. He has sent out His beacons to enlighten you. What the Prophet Isaiah said has become your truth: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” The Lord’s glory has been visited upon you, so that you are children of light. Now you stand as beacons of that light for others to see and receive, as you proclaim the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel that you have heard.

This Epiphany Season is about revelation of that promise according to the Father’s purpose that He has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. It is the promise that comes from Jesus’ fulfillment of the prophecies of old. Those prophecies of old have been applied to you, so that you are fellow heirs with all who are recipients of His grace and truth. That grace and truth is carried to the nations, to you and all nations far away from Bethlehem. So you can worship Jesus here and now. You confess Him as Lord here and now. You recognize His light and glory present in His Word and Sacraments here and now. And when the Christ returns and reveals Himself as King to all, you will join the Magi and all others who received and worshipped Him for eternity.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Naming of Jesus Sermon -- Luke 2:21

2012-01-02T13:32:00.003-05:00

January 1, 2012 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.”

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” So the Psalmist begins his praise of the Lord in today’s psalm. The majesty of the Lord’s name is connected to the glory that He possesses. The poetic verses of the psalm expound on that divine glory. It speaks of His supremacy: “You have set Your glory above the heavens.” The act of creation reveals the power that the Lord has; the psalmist speaks of the celestial beings as the Lord’s handiwork: “I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place….” That supreme power of creation, the divine glory set above all things, and every other divine characteristic is brought to mind when the Lord’s Name is spoken.

This helps to explain the significance of what the Lord directed Aaron and his sons to do when blessing the Exodus people and their descendants. During the trek from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Lord had given orders about how the Levitical priests were to bless His people: “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.’ So shall they put My name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

The Lord’s people were to have His name placed on them as a seal. He who created the heavens and the earth would be their protector. The Lord would use His power and glory to benefit His people. Hearing the Lord’s name and the actions that He was accomplishing for them—blessing, keeping, showing graciousness, giving peace—the people would have their hearts, minds, and souls turned to Him. They would remember the Covenant made with them and all the promises that it contained. Their status as the people who belong to the Lord and depend on Him would be reconfirmed. The Lord’s name, His characteristics, and His acts of deliverance would be brought to mind each time that blessing was spoken.

This morning, the Church recalls that divine name. But it is recalled in connection with more than the commands given to the Levitical priests of the Old Testament. There is focus on the divine name that is borne by the Son of Mary born in Bethlehem. January 1 is set apart for the celebration of when Jesus was circumcised and named. You heard the Gospel account of that, the shortest Gospel Reading in the lectionary: “And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.”

Why is this event in Jesus’ life remembered? It is more than just recognizing something that happened eight days after His birth. That single verse from Luke’s Gospel testifies about Jesus, revealing significant things about Him. The first is that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law in detail. Even the little things were kept by Him: “at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised….” The divine requirement of circumcising male children at eight days of age was met by Jesus. He underwent the procedure that marked Him as one of the Lord’s Covenant people. True man, born of the Virgin Mary, Jesus was a faithful participant in the Covenant made with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

That keeping of the Covenant is important to note. It is essential to Jesus’ role as a substitute for Adam and his progeny. Where man disobeyed, Jesus obeyed. Where man fell short, Jesus was perfect. Where man sinned, Jesus was present with holiness. Keeping the Law in every detail is how Jesus was a worthy substitute for you. That point is illustrated in Paul’s statement found in today’s Epistle Reading: “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the Law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the Law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” Every divine command that you had broken stood as an imprisoning guard against you. But your salvation was accomplished by receiving the benefits of Jesus’ work, including His thorough obedience: “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

The second part of the Gospel Reading brings forward the second significant item about Jesus’ identity. Remember what it said: “He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.” That statement takes your minds back to what happened at the Annunciation. This year, you heard the details of that event on the Fourth Sunday in Advent. You heard what the angel spoke to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus.”

But the Gospel Writer does not only want you to remember the name given. No, the reminder of what the angel had said brings to mind what else was disclosed about the Son that Mary bore: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Jesus’ origin was also included in the statement made by the angel: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

The focus on the name Jesus given to the Holy Child is to make His identity known to you. Here the mystery of the incarnation begins to be unfolded. True God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, the Infant Jesus shares all the divine power and glory that His Father possesses. The name Lord belongs to Him, even at eight days of age. The Lord who “set [His] glory above the heavens” is carried in the arms of Mary. The Psalmist said about the Lord: “Out of the mouth of babes and infants, You have established strength because of Your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” His divine strength is found in the Babe of Bethlehem, the One who would crush the Ancient Serpent’s head and bring to conclusion the divide between God and man. Such are the statements that can be made when talking about the Lord in the flesh.

All this is disclosed in the name of Jesus (Yeshua) that means “the Lord saves.” The Lord saves: that is what Jesus does. Remember the directions given to Aaron and his sons about pronouncing blessing. Six actions were spoken in that formula given to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” These are all actions through which the Lord saves, how He gives salvation. But those actions are also what Jesus Himself does.

“The Lord bless you”: Jesus is the One who was foretold to Abraham, the Descendant through whom all nations would be blessed. “The Lord keep you”: Jesus protects and is present with His people always, even to the end of the age. “The Lord make His face to shine upon you”: Jesus brings the divine light of righteousness to mankind entrapped in sin and does not ignore their plight. “The Lord be gracious to you”: Jesus’ life was full of compassion, acting for the benefit of others, putting their welfare at the fore. “The Lord lift up His countenance upon you”: through Jesus’ work, sinful humanity has the divine face set on them for good instead of eternally receiving an angry glare. “The Lord give you peace”: Jesus’ death and resurrection brings the war between mankind and God to an end, leaving guilt buried in His tomb and extending pardon to those who receive Him. What the Lord spoke through the Levitical priesthood was actualized in what He Himself did as an incarnate man born in Bethlehem.

The Lord declared about the prescribed blessing: “So they shall put My name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” You also have had His name placed on you, marking you as His covenant people. It was not done by circumcision on the eighth day. But it is what transpired as you received Holy Baptism. In that act, you were recipients of the power and glory that His name bears. That is what Paul alludes to in the Epistle Reading: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” A new identity has been given to you: you belong to Christ as you bear His name. You are His people, the Lord’s people. So you share in the blessing that He brings to those who have His majestic name put on them. You receive sonship in the divine household through what Jesus, the Son of the Most High God and Son of Mary, has accomplished for you.

This is why the Lord is mindful of you. It is how you have been crowned with glory and honor. Being made in the Lord’s image and likeness, you had a status beyond all other creatures. But not only did you share in that, now you also bear His name. That name recalls His majesty and glory, what He used to redeem you. So as you hear of the circumcision of Jesus this day, remember how He fulfilled the Law for you. As you hear of the naming of Jesus this day, know that He is the Lord who saved you. And as you hear the divine blessing at the close of service, be reminded of every characteristic that the Lord possesses and that He acts for your benefit. That is what He discloses to you, so that you can say: “O Lord, our Lord [Jesus], how majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Christmas Day Sermon -- John 1:1-18

2011-12-26T08:54:00.000-05:00

December 25, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

John’s words about the Word are put before your ears again this Christmas Day. They take you to the reason for celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord. The heart of this day is found in what the Gospel Writer says about the Word: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Christmas Day is a time to celebrate life. Not celebrating everything that is done while living, but life itself, especially the life that has been restored to humanity.

John’s words that start his gospel account take us back to the beginning, the Creation Account. The Gospel Writer starts with the same phrase that gave us the first statements about God’s existence and ours. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” So the Creation Account begins. So John states about the Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” This Word that became flesh and dwelt among us was before the start of time. He was present at the creation of the cosmos. He was the source of life at the very beginning.

But the same Creation Account tells us about the darkness that came into the world. The Lord’s creation that was full of life became full of death. Death was established as the curse for disobedience. It was so for the first humans who defied the Lord’s command. The same is so for you and your own transgressions. Every sin, great or little, is answered by the curse of death. And so you experience it all around in this creation. It is what you are forced to observe, forced to encounter, forced to mourn.

But what do you hear this morning? “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” What happens in this creation with its darkness of death? Light shines in it. Light is given to you, the children of man. But it is not a light that comes from you; the light emanates from another and falls upon you. The light is from God Himself, is God Himself. The light comes from the life that is in God, the life that comes to this world with the nativity of Jesus.

That is what the Gospel Writer wants you to know. He tells you about this Word that is made flesh and dwells among you: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” The life of Jesus is the light of men. It can enlighten all, everything that was created by Him. His life can enlighten you—you who are benighted by sin, shrouded by death, lingering in the shadows of evil. This is given by the Man Jesus, but only because that same Jesus born in Bethlehem of Virgin Mother is also “begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God.” The true light that Jesus brings to you, the life that He carries is due to what the Epistle Writer disclosed about His identity: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.”

John’s words about the Word take you back again to the beginning. But this time, there is a new beginning, a restarting, a rebooting. The creation that has fallen is graced again with life. That is what starts with the Nativity, why this day is a time to celebrate life. Just like in the beginning, a Man is once again created. He is not born of Adam, but has God as His eternal Father. He does not bear the flaw of sin. He is not corrupt like you and I. No, this is a pure source of life for the creation: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth…. And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” This grace includes the life that Jesus brings into the world victimized by sin and death.

Grace and truth are given by this Word become flesh. “Grace and truth”: How different those words sound to what this world puts forward! Revenge and retribution, lies and deception: those are words that we know well. They are words that mankind has seemingly known forever. They are what you deal with everyday. You experience all sorts of examples of them throughout your life: from children’s arguments over playthings to betrayals of confidence in the high school hallways to the vindictive natures of co-workers to the frauds that are attempted against senior citizens. Everywhere the opposite of grace and truth are seen. But grace and truth is what Jesus brings. And He makes it known to you.

John’s words about the Word tell you: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.” The Word become flesh has made God known; He has made Himself known. That is the light that He brings to the darkness. You know man. You know his lack of grace and truth. But the Word-become-flesh has made God known to you, including the grace and truth that leads to your salvation. What was lost after mankind followed lies and deceptions has been restored by Jesus. The identity of God as a source of grace and goodness has been made known by Him. Instead of only knowing God as a Supreme Being that needs to be appeased lest He smite you, you have Jesus showing Him as the source of blessing and good.

The graciousness and steadfastness of God is displayed in the Nativity of Our Lord. The birth of Jesus shows that God does not leave you helpless. He does not abandon you only to what your sin deserves. No, you are given to see the radiance of God’s glory and to see it used for your benefit. Jesus’ birth demonstrates that the promises made by God are certain and true. His words are not like those around you that are soon forgotten or broken. What He says will come to pass.

At the heart of this divine graciousness and steadfastness is what Jesus brings to you. John tells you about it: “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” The restarting, the new beginning of creation is given to you. You have a new origin. You are rebooted. You are not only children of Adam; you have been made children of God. Life is made to be yours, as you are born of God, born from above, born again. The divine grace and truth are made your possessions. The divine light that is the life of men is shined on you. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The darkness of your sinfulness, your mortality, your own evil does not overcome the light that Jesus brings. Rather, His light overcomes your darkness. His light makes you children of the light. You have the life of men that Jesus has brought.

This is what the Church celebrates on this day. Life—the life of the newborn Jesus and the life that His Nativity brings—is celebrated. The joyous songs and carols ring out because of it. You are given to participate in the celebration. The birth of Jesus is remembered, the time when the Lord was once again with His people. What the prophets foretold has happened: “The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” This is what the birth of Jesus has brought to pass.

In Jesus is found your life. In Him is your joy. That is what the grace and truth that Jesus brings has given to you. His Nativity marks the start of your new birth. The beginning of His life marks the start of your new life. And so you can celebrate life this day, the life that Jesus brings by being part of His creation, by becoming man, by being the Word-become-flesh. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Thanks be to God the Father that His Son was born and brought grace and truth, so that you also could become children of God.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Vigil of Christmas Sermon -- Matthew 1:1-25

2011-12-26T08:52:00.001-05:00

December 24, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.”

The Evangelist sets the Messiah’s birth in the long line of Israel’s history. It is the culmination of what the Lord had promised through the generations. The promise had been made and handed down from Abraham to his descendants. You heard the listing of the names incorporated and involved in the promise. Some are quite familiar to you, names of people that you have learned about: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon. Some are a little less familiar, names that sound familiar but you can’t quite place them: Boaz, Judah, Rehoboam, Hezekiah, Josiah. Then there are the unfamiliar names: Zerah, Obed, Abijah, Jechoniah, Eliakim. But each one has his place in this long line of individuals. In each generation, the promise of the Messiah was reaffirmed.

The Lord had declared from the beginning: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” The promise had been set, spoken by One whose word cannot be broken. The offspring of Eve would have their fates reversed. The curse spoken against her and her husband would come to and end. And the promise was told that the One to end that affliction, the One who would wreak vengeance against the Serpent that deceived her would be her descendant.

Through the generations, the Lord reaffirmed His promise. Despite the sins committed by Eve’s offspring, another generation of them appeared. The line of humanity did not end. Fratricide, adulterous affairs, family feuds raged throughout these generations. Even worse, some did not believe in the promise that the Lord had made. Each father named in the list had his faults. Some have nothing really good to be said about them. Yet, another son would be born who would beget his own offspring. The Messianic Line had further names added to it.

Not only were names added to the Messianic Line, more details of the promise were added with them. The Lord disclosed these details through His prophets, men sent to speak to His people. You have heard these details about the Messiah and the Line from which He came:

“The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

“Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.”

“There shall come forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

“O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

This is the One eternally elected to be the Serpent-Crusher, the Reverser of Curses, the Restorer of Eve’s offspring. Generation after generation waited for this to occur. Those of faith believed that the promise would be fulfilled, despite the long wait. This is what Matthew reminds us: “So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.” Forty-two generations, each one standing after the other in expectation of the Promised One. Forty-two generations, each one clinging to the promise in the peaks and valleys of their line’s history.

So now, the day of the Messiah’s arrival is remembered. Matthew tells us: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’” Even at the Messiah’s arrival, the people in His Line had to be reminded of what had been promised, of what the Lord was going to do.

But Matthew tells us that it occurred, just as the Lord had determined: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a Son. And he called His name Jesus.” All took place to fulfill what the Lord had said. The long wait was over. The Messiah had arrived. Eve’s long sought for Descendant had appeared.

On this night, your place in this line of people is also reaffirmed. You are Eve’s offspring. The Lord’s promise from the beginning was made to you. And He has fulfilled it. The Serpent’s head has been crushed for you by Him who is the Son of God and the Son of Mary. He has done so by death and resurrection. You are meant to receive this fullness of God’s love, as John testifies: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” The long Messianic Line that passed through names familiar and unfamiliar, faithful and unfaithful shows just how wide that love of God is. His promise is fulfilled, despite all that may attempt to thwart it.

You are added to this line of people who belong to the Lord: “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God abides in him, and he in God.” He does so despite your doubts and failures. He is present for you in the peaks and valleys of your lives. He is here now, bringing your generation and the one that will follow into fellowship with Him. That is what we remember in this Vigil of Christmas. It is what the readings of the promises and the record of the Messiah’s birth make known to you again. The culmination of what the Lord had promised through the generations has taken place. So give thanks for the fulfillment of the divine plan formed long ago that opened the way of salvation for you. Watch for the day when that promised salvation is fully made yours at the Messiah’s promised return. Faithfully trust the Lord’s statements of promise until you see your Redeemer with your own eyes. For all shall take place to fulfill what the Lord has spoken, the One who truly keeps His word.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

St. Thomas Day Sermon -- John 20:24-29

2011-12-22T12:24:00.001-05:00

December 21, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.’”

“Pictures or it didn’t happen.” That phrase has entered into modern usage. There is a demand for evidence for every extreme, extraordinary claim. You had dinner with the President? Pictures or it didn’t happen. You sat next to a supermodel/actor on an airplane? Pictures or it didn’t happen. You shot a 12-point buck, were introduced on the floor of Congress, drove a Lamborghini, etc? Pictures or it didn’t happen.

But this demand for evidence, for proof, is not a modern phenomenon. The demand for visible signs goes much further back, into the pre-modern, even ancient times. Tonight, as the Festival Day of St. Thomas is kept in the Church, his demand for proof is also heard. You know about this demand for proof quite well. It is read on every Second Sunday of Easter. But hear the words again: “Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.’”

The apostles’ claim seemed exaggerated: they had seen Jesus who had died alive again. Not only one individual claimed it, but all ten. That doesn’t even include Mary Magdalene and the other women who had witnessed the Risen Jesus. The claim is extreme, though it is not the first time that the apostles and others had seen a resurrection. You will recall that Thomas himself was the one anxious to go to Bethany where Lazarus was raised after four days in the tomb. But when the claim was made that the crucified Jesus was alive, Thomas wants proof: “Unless I see…,” he says. It’s kind of a 1^st Century “Pictures or it didn’t happen.”

As you also heard this evening, there have been others who made the same demand. The Old Testament figure Gideon was put in front of you again. He had been told something extraordinary: the Lord would use him, a farmer, to bring Israel out from under the oppression of the Midianites and Amalekites. Gideon had seen the angel of the Lord. He had been told explicitly what would occur.

But the Lord’s statement seemed unbelievable. How would a farmer take up such a task? How could he lead a group of people much weaker than their enemies to victory? So Gideon wanted a sign, something he could see to bring proof of the claim: “Then Gideon said to God, ‘If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.’” Yet even when that took place, Gideon still wanted more: “Let not Your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and all the ground let there be dew.” And once again, the sign is given.

Only after receiving such proof did Gideon take up the mantle of leadership. Only then did he accept the statement that the Lord had made to him, that he would be the one by whose hand Israel would be saved. It is very similar to what took place with Thomas: “Eight days later, His disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’” Like Gideon’s demand, Thomas’ desired sign is given. And it leads to his confession of faith: “My Lord and My God!” Now Thomas would take up his role as an apostle, a witness to the Risen Jesus, one through whose hand the accomplishments of Jesus’ death and resurrection would save His people.

The demand for proof is what we desire. The examples of Gideon and Thomas show that we are not alone in this. But ultimately, it is a desire that comes from frailty, from sin, from imperfection. For us, it is not enough simply have the Lord declare something and believe it. Instead, there is want for experience, evidence, something empirical. But that is not how faith works. Belief in something not seen, hope in something not yet in your possession: those are the concepts of faith. There is a trust in what a trustworthy one says.

Jesus’ response to Thomas illustrates the blessedness that comes to those with such trust: “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And yet, the Lord still condescends to our level. The words of the psalm spoke of His character: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.” The steadfast love that the Lord had for Gideon, for Thomas, and even for you causes Him to act mercifully for you despite your frailty, sin, and imperfection. Signs are given with His Word, so that your body may cling to something tangible, while believing His statements. So it is with Christ’s Sacraments, where something visible accompanies what can’t be seen. You can’t touch Jesus’ hands and side, but you do have Him present with you in water, bread and wine. Something for your senses is given, even as His words are spoken to your souls.

The Collect for this festival day confirms that: “Almighty and ever-living God, You strengthened Your apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in the resurrection of Your Son. Grant us such faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, that we may never be found wanting in Your sight….” Thomas was given true faith in Jesus and His resurrection. It even allowed him to face his own martyrdom because of his role as an apostle. His testimony about Jesus—“My Lord and my God”—did not waver. We pray for the same faith. We pray not that can have whatever sign that we might demand, but that we would receive from our Lord what He desires to give to bolster our fear, love, and trust in Him.

As that fear, love, and trust is created in you by the words and signs that the Risen Jesus gives, you are also led to the right confession about Him. You make the same statement as Thomas did: “My Lord and my God.” With that confession of faith comes the promise of your own resurrection. Then what Thomas demanded will be made to be yours: seeing with your own eyes and touching with your own fingers the Savior who died and rose for your salvation. Jesus’ words and signs are given now through the hands that He uses to dole out His salvation, so that Thomas’ experience will be yours in the future. Such is Jesus’ steadfast love to answer your frailty, imperfection, and sin.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Advent 4B Sermon -- Luke 1:26-38

2011-12-20T11:41:00.000-05:00

December 18, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

“Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy….” Power and might. That is what the Church prays for Jesus to use. Power and might to lift the sins that weigh us down. It is a prayer that has been offered throughout human history, from the moment of Adam’s sin to now. The burden of sin is known, known too well. It is the burden that you suffer under: the burden that you add to everyday and have others pile on, as well. The prayer is for deliverance from this burden, deliverance that is only possible by divine action done for you.

Divine action being done for the burden of sin to be lifted is what the Church begins to hear about on this Fourth Sunday in Advent. As the calendar has turned to this last Sunday prior to Christmas, the focus of the readings has changed. The focus is not on the glorious return of Jesus. Neither is it on the preaching of repentance, so that you may be made ready for Christ to appear. No, the focus is on the appearance of the Son of God in time, the arrival of Jesus to be the Deliverer from sin, the Fulfiller of the promise of salvation. God is acting: that is what the readings for this day tell us. And His action is with power and might to lift up the sins that weigh you down.

In the Old Testament Reading, you heard a promise made by the Lord to David, the King of Israel. Before the Lord made that promise to David, the king had desired to do something for the Lord: “Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.’And Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.’” David wanted to build a dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant, a house for where the localized presence of the Lord could reside. This desire came after the Lord had given David victory over his enemies, an act of divine power that took place for this King of Israel. The Lord’s power and might had brought deliverance to the people of Israel: the Hittites, Philistines, and Amalekites were no longer great threats. Israel lived in the safety that the Lord provided for them.

But the Lord’s provision was to be more than that temporal peace. Though David had wanted to build a dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant, the Lord’s will was to perform an even greater action for David and all who would follow in his line, those who were bound to the Lord by an eternal covenant. So a promise was made to the monarch. Power and might would be used to bring a great benefit, something even more than David and Israel experienced: “I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house…. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever.”

Eternal security and safety, an everlasting household and throne: those were the promised ends that the Lord disclosed to David. They would come as He acted for the king and the people. What was promised could only come about as the Lord accomplished it. Just as He had exalted David from the sheep herds to the throne of Israel, so the Lord would exalt all His people, bringing deliverance and salvation down from heaven.

The fulfillment of the Lord’s promise was not immediate. It did not come with the coronation of Solomon after David’s death. David’s grandsons Jeroboam and Rehoboam would bring anything but peace and security to the nation. Further generations of Israelite and Judahite monarchs would experience war and exile. The royal house of David appeared to be ready to die off. But it was precisely then that the Lord exercised His power and might, stirring them up to bring His promises to fulfillment.

This morning, you heard the words that announced the beginning of the promise’s fulfillment: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’” The annunciation to Mary revealed that she was the object of divine favor. The Lord was with her, just as He had been with David a millennium before. Something great would be done through her: “And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Gabriel’s words to Mary hearken back to the promise that had been made to David. The Lord had promised acts of power and might to be done for David’s heirs and people. Eternal peace was to be given. An everlasting house was to be established. Divine favor was to be shown to a particular group of people. The angel’s appearance in Nazareth revealed that the time for those promises to be fulfilled had arrived.

But note how Mary responded to that announcement: “And Mary said, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’” The question points out the obvious: How can a child be born when the chosen mother had not taken part in the acts that lead to conception and birth? But the question leads to the revelation that what was to take place, beginning in Nazareth, was not a matter of human origin. Instead, the Lord was going to act, using His power and might to benefit His people: “And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’”

“Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy….” That is what the Lord did in Nazareth. Divine power and might were used, so that a virgin could conceive and bear a Son. Divine power and might were exercised, so that an eternal kingdom could be established through God becoming human. Divine power and might were stirred up, so that the Son of God could bring salvation, delivering people from their sins, just as His name Jesus disclosed. Divine power and might caused a maiden in a small Galilean town to be called “God’s favored one” by all generations.

Centuries had passed since the promise had been made to David. But in the fullness of time, the Lord determined that the promise was to be fulfilled in His own chosen way. He selects Mary to be the vessel through which His power and might would take flesh. David had wanted to build a dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant. But the Lord’s desire was to make a maiden the dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant where His glory would dwell, as He took flesh and became man. Born of her, the promised Descendant of David would come and fulfill all that had been sworn and pledged from on high. And Mary’s response to this was the same as David’s response when first hearing the promise made to him: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your word.”

In Jesus, divine power and might have been employed to benefit you. The promise was made that the Lord would give a great name, appoint a place for His people, bring everlasting peace, and establish an eternal house. That is what Jesus has achieved. By His dying and rising from death, He has gained authority over all things in heaven and earth. His ascension has opened Paradise for you and appointed it as the place where His people will dwell. He has routed all the enemies that haunt you: His obedience has overcome sin, His resurrection has overcome death, His perfection has overcome Satan and his deceptions. Jesus has established a divine household that stands for eternity, as He makes you to be children of God, heirs of everlasting life. All that had been promised to David is fulfilled in his Descendant, Jesus.

That is what the Scriptures reveal to you this day. As they are proclaimed to your hearing, “the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, brings about the obedience of faith” in you. The preaching of Jesus Christ’s words and works cause you to make the same statement that Mary did in Nazareth: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your word.” Your desire is to have what Jesus has accomplished—every promise that His actions have fulfilled and established for you. So when you hear that baptism into Jesus’ death and resurrection brings you life, you want what His word declares. When you hear that what hung on Calvary’s cross to atone for your sins is present on the altar now, you want what His word declares. When you hear that there are people who speak Jesus’ statements of pardon, you want what His word declares. You know that this is how divine power and might is put into action for your salvation.

What took place in Nazareth was the exercise of divine power and might for the benefit of all who trusted that the promise made to David would come to fulfillment. That is how the Lord has acted for you who first did not know what that promise was but now have had that mystery revealed to you. The appearance of the Son of God in time has brought that promise to fulfillment. Now you wait for the promise to be applied in full to you. You have been made part of the household that lasts forever. You have a King who sits on a throne to rule for eternity. A place where His subjects will dwell in security from all your foes has been designated for you. That is what Jesus has accomplished for you.

So you look forward to receiving all that has been promised. You anticipate receiving what Jesus has earned for you. Sins weigh you down and burden your souls, but they are sins that Jesus has atoned. Enemies threaten and harass, but they are adversaries that Jesus has defeated. The people of this world find you strange, but Jesus has established an ending date for your exile. All that He has accomplished to fulfill the promises made to David will be made yours when He returns. It is what awaits you when Jesus will stir up His divine power and might once again to deliver you. Looking toward that day, you pray that Fourth Collect of Advent: “Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy….” And as you are the Lord’s servants, His favored ones who believe His promise, your prayer will be answered according to His word.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

St. Lucy Day Sermon -- Psalm 45

2011-12-17T15:54:00.001-05:00

December 14, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him.”

December 13 is when the Church commemorates St. Lucy, a martyr of Christ. Like many of the saints of old, not much is known of her. The records of time tell us that a young, unmarried woman named Lucy was executed for her faith in the Sicilian city of Syracuse in AD 304. A disappointed suitor reported her identity as a Christian to the governing authorities. This took place during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, an avowed enemy of the faith and Christ’s Church.

The acts of martyrs that have passed down through the centuries fill in some more details about Lucy’s fate. It is said that Lucy’s father had died and that her mother attempted to arrange a marriage for her, even having a man selected to become her husband. But Lucy’s desire was to be totally devoted to Jesus, even forsaking marriage to be so, especially marriage to an unbelieving husband. Instead of using the dowry money that had been saved to facilitate a marriage, Lucy convinced her mother to allow her to distribute it to the poor. Such giving away of wealth gave the appearance to her suitor that Lucy was rich. When told of her refusal to marry that meant none of the money would become his, the pagan suitor informed the authorities that Lucy was a Christian. That led to her martyrdom.

Other details have been added to Lucy’s story, including some of the gory details of her torture and demise. While some of these cannot be determined and some appear simply legendary, the death of people because of the faith is not a matter of dramatic fiction. It does happen. Likewise, the devotion to Christ exemplified by Lucy and the other martyrs is not just a tall tale. Many who will go nameless through time have suffered the same. But they did so, knowing like Lucy that they had a greater treasure than all the dowry money in the world. They held to the words of Jesus that you heard this evening: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” The laying down of one’s life for the sake of the faith can certainly be described as selling all that one has.

There is another aspect of Lucy’s life that illustrates another truth of Jesus’ identity and work. Remember how Lucy spoke of being totally devoted to Jesus, so that she was not united in marriage to an unbeliever. Lucy’s action helps to depict the connection that Jesus has to His followers. The paradigm of husband and wife is used in the Scriptures to speak of Jesus and the Church: Jesus being the groom and the Church being the bride. It is a comparison also used in the Old Testament to describe the relationship between the Lord and His people Israel. Sometimes it is used positively to speak of the bond that Jesus has with believers; other times its used negatively when speaking about the Lord’s people being unfaithful, an adulterous wife.

Tonight, let us focus on the positive aspect. You heard Paul’s description of the Corinthian Church this evening: “I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.” This is the way Paul speaks of the followers of Jesus. He has arranged a marriage for them. They are to be bound forever to Jesus. But this husband is not like the suitor that Lucy was betrothed to. He is not interested in obtaining wealth or status from them. This is not a marriage of convenience or an attempt to marry up. No, you and all believers in Jesus have been brought into a relationship where He bestows you with all that is good. A new life has been given to you, so that all the faults and failures of your sin are removed and you are presented as pure to your groom Jesus. That is the way that the Lord considers you and acts for you.

The Psalm prayed this evening extends that same paradigm. In it, a picture of Christ, the Church’s husband is given to you: “You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty. In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.” This goes beyond the fairy tales and their descriptions of Prince Charming. You are united to a husband who has more than just chiseled features or a striking appearance. Christ’s virtue and abilities go beyond that. His words speak grace to you. His cause is for truth and meekness and righteousness, a cause that He fulfills for your benefit by dying and rising again. He strives and fights against His Father’s enemies, those who would do you harm, and He is victorious against them.

This is the true husband to whom Lucy and you have been betrothed. So the Psalm takes uses the picture of a wedding to describe you: “Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him. The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of people. All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her. With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.” That depiction does not describe what you are in your own nature, your own selves. But this is what the Lord makes you to be. It is the honor and status bestowed to you, as you are made righteous by the work of the bridegroom Jesus.

Betrothed and united to Jesus, you are given an identity greater than all the brides on earth. What has been given to Lucy and you is a truly royal wedding, something that no dowry could purchase. Instead, it has been divinely arranged and accomplished. It is purchased by the death and resurrection of God Himself. The groom has placed the finest of rings on His bride’s finger. The greatest of gifts—the pearl of great price—is granted to her. This union does not last until death does them part, but goes beyond it.

That is what you have been given as Jesus’ betrothed. So when you hear of your Bridegroom’s arrival during this Advent Season, you have great reason to rejoice. With Lucy and all the patient saints who bear cross and sufferings now, you will stand with Christ, your groom, before the altar of God the Father. Eternally you shall be with Him as the promised end spoken of in the Psalm comes to pass: “I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.” That is certainly worth being totally devoted to your husband Jesus, faithfully awaiting His arrival.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Advent 3B Sermon -- John 1:6-8, 19-28

2011-12-11T16:18:00.001-05:00

December 11, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”

“Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation….” The Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent speaks of a light that will dispel darkness. But this is not the darkness from a lack of sunshine or a failure of the power grid. The darkness spoken of in the prayer is much worse. It is sinister. This darkness is the gloom and shadows that come from death. This darkness is the blindness that sin causes in humanity. This darkness is the curtain that hangs over the world that is frustrated and bound by evil.

But the Gospel Writer tells us of something that has happened to dispel this darkness. A light comes to shine in this world. And a witness has been appointed to make this known: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” This is what John the Baptizer came to do. He was present to bear witness about the light that the Lord was bringing to the darkened world. It was his divinely-appointed role. Even from before his birth, John’s identity had been set. His father, Zechariah, prophesied this at John’s birth: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; when the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in the darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

So John came bearing witness about this light from the Lord. While bearing witness about the light, John did not confuse his role with that of the Light-Bringer. You heard this from the statements that John gave when he was questioned by the religious leaders of Israel: “And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’” When pressed by these leaders, John reveals his identity: “So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We need to give answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ 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.’”

John points out that he is a herald, a messenger, a witness. He is present to bring testimony about what the Lord will do when His Christ appears. But he is not the one who accomplishes these actions. No, there is someone greater than he who will fulfill the divine promises. John simply is the one who fulfills the promise of being a messenger: “I baptize with water, but among you stands One you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” The visitation of the Christ was beginning to take place. And John has revealed that the time is now.

John’s role is to bear witness. He is the one who points to Jesus. That is why he has been often depicted in Christian art as a figure with an outstretched arm and an elongated finger. “He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” But such a role as a witness is not unimportant. Those who suffer from the shadow of death, the blindness of sin, the oppression of Satan and evil must hear about the light that comes to them. They must be directed to the light that visits them from on high. This is stated so well by the Gospel Writer: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.” John’s work brings people to belief. The belief is in him as a witness. But more importantly, the belief is in subject of his testimony—the Promised Christ.

John’s work points people back to what the Lord had promised would occur. You heard one of the great promises about the Christ in the Old Testament Reading for this morning. Hear what was said about the Anointed One, the Christ: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

The Lord’s promise is lengthy. It seems to go on and on and on. But it is so because of the darkness that has befallen upon His creation and His people. He promises that His Christ will dispel this darkness, that He will remove the shadow and gloom. So the Lord speaks of all the different aspects of it: poverty, brokenheartedness, captivity, imprisonment, and mourning. All of these are the results of the darkness that sin has brought. They are what you suffer from as victims of sin—whether it be the wrongful deeds done by other against you or the self-inflicted wounds that your own faults, imperfections, and transgressions have brought. The fullness of the darkness is dealt with by the even greater fullness of the Lord’s light. This is what the Anointed One, He who carries the Spirit of the Lord, the Christ brings. It is the work that the One who came after John accomplishes.

Blow by blow, the results of the Christ’s work are disclosed. The poor hear good news: Christ brings the riches of heaven to them. The brokenhearted are bound up: their wounds of sorrow are bandaged by the joy that Christ brings. The captive and imprisoned are given a declaration of liberty: the Christ sets them free from bondage. Those who suffer wrong have their scores settled: the Christ declares that they shall have the Lord’s favor and that the day of retribution against their enemies is coming. Mourners and grievers are comforted: the Christ removes their ashes and gives them a garment of praise and joy. This is all the Christ’s work, the effect of the light that comes into the world.

So John and others bear witness about the light that the Christ brings. The testimony is not about themselves, but about what He has done. The witness is given, so that all might believe in Christ through what they proclaim about Him. That witness is not just about the results of the Christ’s work, but what His work was. It includes the great message that all the benefits that the Christ brings to those in the darkness is due to His being both victim and conqueror of that same darkness. He has brought reversal of what all the negative things that you endure by Himself suffering through them. He restores the Lord’s order by experiencing the disorder and chaos of sin.

Think again of that list of the promised benefits that the Christ would bring: reversal of poverty, brokenheartedness, captivity, imprisonment, and mourning. This is what Christ experienced. He had no place to lay His head and was dependent on others to supply His earthly needs. Seeing the effects of physical illness and spiritual death, He had His own heartache. To set in motion the great act of atoning for sin, Christ was arrested and bound by the Temple Guard and Roman soldiers. Christ was a Man of sorrows, including His mourning over Lazarus’ death and Jerusalem’s failure to listen to Him. These are all His experiences in this world where His gracious visitation took place. And yet, they are what He reverses through His resurrection, through His perfect life of obedience, through His miraculous deeds, through His assaults on Satan and the demonic. “The light has shined in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.”

The results of Christ’s work are to be made yours. It is why there are people like John who bear witness about the light that Christ has brought into the world. That witness goes out to you, so that you may receive the benefits that Christ brings. So it was promised of old about the Christ’s work: “For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring that the Lord has blessed…. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.” The prophecy speaks of you. You have an everlasting covenant made by the Lord. You are the offspring of the faithful whom the Lord has blessed. Righteousness and praise sprouts up from you, even in this world still plagued by darkness. This is what the Lord’s Christ has wrought in you.

Because you believe in the testimony of John and others, because you believe the promises that have been made by the Lord to you, you make the same statements as the psalmist did: “The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev.” You trust the results of what has been done for you by the Christ: “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” These statements of faith are made, even as you still see darkness around you. They are made because you know of what awaits in the future that the Christ has secured for you.

This is why you pray the Third Collect of Advent: “Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation….” You wish to have the Christ’s visitation that He brings now: His words of forgiveness and comfort and salvation that are spoken to your souls. They bring what He has accomplished to deal with your poverty, brokenheartedness, captivity, imprisonment, and mourning. And you look forward to what is yet to be: the visitation that comes with the Christ’s glorious return. Then you shall have the fullness of what He has done for you in the age when there will be no darkness, not even one bit of shadow of sin to hover over you.

Until that day, pray that Third Collect of Advent. Receive the testimony of John and others who bear witness of the Christ’s light. Trust in what the Lord’s Christ has done: His suffering the same as you do and His overcoming it. Anticipate the fulfillment of all His promises. The sinister darkness will come to an end. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

St. Ambrose Day Sermon -- 2 Timothy 4:1-8

2011-12-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

December 7, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

The apostle’s words are fitting for this day when we commemorate St. Ambrose, one of the Four Doctors of the Latin Church. What Paul charged Timothy to do is a task that has been taken up by others in later generations, including Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan in the late 4^th Century. There is much known of his background: he was born into a Roman Christian family, the son of a government official in Gaul. He was trained in literature, law, and rhetoric. His initial vocation was in public administration, becoming governor in northern Italy over the region that included the great city of Milan. As governor, Ambrose oversaw the citizens who also had become Christian with the religion having official sanction in the Empire.

In 374, the bishop of Milan died and had to be replaced. Ambrose’s reputation as an administrator and one who could bring harmony among the different factions of Christians led to his being chosen to be bishop on December 7, 374. Despite his desire not to take up that role and the fact that he had not yet been baptized a Christian, Ambrose became bishop by the people’s acclamation. He was baptized, ordained, and consecrated all in the same week. In his new position, Ambrose’s background in civil administration would prove quite useful. Yet, that would not prepare him to be a teacher. Instead, that would come by adhering to the teachings passed down from the apostles to the Church.

This is where Paul’s words to Timothy show their great applicability on this day. His instruction to one who would take up the role of bishop is to “preach the word”. What word? Not the word of humanity, but the word that had been handed down from Jesus to His apostles and carried out to the world. That is the word to be used as the bishop “reproves, rebukes, and exhorts, with complete patience and teaching.” It would need to be so, especially as people want to deviate from it. That is what Paul warns Timothy: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

One of the great issues that faced Ambrose and the Church in which he was bishop was the question of the Son of God’s identity. Was the Son of God a creature, the first entity made by God, as the Arians were teaching? Or did the Son of God have an eternal existence, begotten from the Father, but not made, as the orthodox teachers confessed? Ambrose was a vigorous confessor and defender of the orthodox teaching about the Son of God. He worked to convince the Emperors to forbid the teaching of the Arian heresy in their lands. Writing hymns that contained the truth, including “Savior of the Nations, Come”, was a way that Ambrose taught the Christian faith. Ambrose’s learning and eloquent teaching based in that word of the apostles would bring him a pupil named Augustine, who himself would become Bishop of Hippo and another of the Four Doctors of the Latin Church.

What is seen in Ambrose’s life and work is the power that Jesus grants to His Church. There is something different and unique that the Church possesses. It is the wisdom that He has revealed and made known by His words and works. Jesus makes people wise to salvation by showing what God the Father’s will is toward them. If one wants to see the steadfast love of God the Father, one need only look at Jesus’ life. If one wants to know how God the Father considers you, one need only look at what Jesus has done and taught. This is not found in any other. There is no other source of it. And it has been given to the Church to be its possession and instrument in this world.

While others may be like Ambrose, intelligent and educated in the wisdom of the world, only the wisdom that Jesus gives brings the full truth about God and humanity. That is what needs to be known for salvation. In the disputes over the identity of God the Son, it would not matter what Ambrose could quote from ancient writers or the codex of Imperial Law or the great philosophers. The matter could only be settled by adhering to the word, faithfully speaking it and employing it to reprove, rebuke, and exhort.

Jesus’ words that you heard this evening also state that truth. Speaking about His disciples, the Church, Jesus says: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” If the Church loses what Jesus has given to be its possession, there is nothing that can replace it. The salt that loses its saltiness and the light that is hidden under the basket both fail to perform the role that it is meant to fulfill. So it is when the Church abandons, neglects, or ignores the word that Jesus has given to it.

Jesus also states the truth about what His people are to proclaim and teach: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” When the Church does not preach that Jesus has fulfilled the Law and the Prophets or when it decides to delete or overlook what Jesus has instructed, then it fails in its role. Its identity is lost.

But when the Church and its leaders do what is instructed—when they permeate the world with the salt of the Gospel, when they shine their light in the darkness with their good works, when they teach all that Jesus has done—then they are indeed great. It is why Ambrose is commemorated and called great by the Church now, some 1700 years after his death. It is why we give honor to doctors and teachers of the Church. It is why even honorary titles are given in recognition of faithfulness in service. The greatness is not found in the individual or organization itself, but in what Jesus has bestowed to it. The greatness is in being given the wisdom that comes from above, that which brings salvation to its adherents.

That greatness is yours, even if you will not remembered by believers a generation or two later. What Jesus gives is eternal. And when He comes to judge the living and the dead, the greatness of receiving His wisdom will be confirmed in the resurrection to everlasting life. In Jesus’ coming kingdom, Ambrose and others like him will be recognized as great. But you also will be there, participating in the salvation that Jesus has granted to you, as you heard the preached word and were reproved, rebuked, and exhorted by it. Not turning away from listening to the truth and not wandering off into myths, the fullness of what Jesus has accomplished will be yours.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Advent 2B Sermon -- Mark 1:1-8

2011-12-04T20:01:00.000-05:00

December 4, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight,”’ John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

“Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds….” The Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent puts forward the theme of preparation, making something ready. It’s a theme that seems to fit this time of year. But this Advent prayer about preparation isn’t talking about the house that you have to red up for holiday guests. Hearts and minds need to be stirred up and prepared for the Lord’s presence.

Stirring of people’s hearts is what the prophet Isaiah spoke of in the Old Testament Reading for today. Words are spoken to individuals who were downtrodden, oppressed, exiled. They had been afflicted, suffering the consequences of their apostasy and abandonment of the Covenant. Hearts and minds were downcast, and rightly so. But a message comes from the Lord to them: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”

But the Lord’s message doesn’t end there. He promises action, something that will lift up the hearts and minds of His people: “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’” A messenger cries out, declaring that the Lord is coming. Be ready, the voice says: “Stir up those hearts. Prepare the way for the Lord’s arrival. Get ready to serve Him and no other ruler or deity.” That is the message for the people of Jerusalem to hear.

And the message continues: what Jerusalem hears, she is to repeat. The Lord declares to Jerusalem: “Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’ Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and His arm rules for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” Not only are the hearts of Jerusalem to be stirred up, but all those who are connected with the Lord. The Lord’s arrival is going to be an event of blessing for His people: “His reward is with Him.” But it will be a time of dread for those opposed to Him: “His recompense is before Him.” So the message of the Lord’s impending arrival is to go out for all to be made ready for it.

That making ready, stirring up of hearts, and preparation is the task that John the Baptizer took up. The words of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning a messenger were particularly about him. His role as the Forerunner of the Christ was foretold centuries before it was fulfilled. The record of John’s work as the Forerunner of Christ is how Mark begins his gospel account. He takes people out to the Judean wilderness to have their own encounter with John. The gospel-writer shows John’s connection to what was prophesied: “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight,”’ John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

Stirring up hearts to make ready the way of the only-begotten Son: that was the mission statement for John. And he was good at it! Note what is recorded about his work: “And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” The herald’s voice sounded in the wilderness, heard by many. John preached a particular message: “Be baptized. Repent of your sins. Receive forgiveness.” It is a message that is appropriate for all times. But it has an added character when the Lord’s appearance is imminent. Just like the prophet Isaiah spoke of the Lord’s arrival, His bringing reward and recompense, His coming with might, so John also declares the appearance of the Christ: “And he preached, saying, ‘After me comes He who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untied. I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’”

John’s message shows why the people needed their hearts stirred up. They are meant to receive what the Messiah brings at His arrival. But the people who are asleep, distracted, unaware will miss it. They need to be roused from complacency and forgetfulness, raised up from doubt and despair. So John lifted up his voice with strength, telling the people to be ready to behold their God who is coming to them. The Lord’s eternal words of promise are to be fulfilled; get ready for it to be so.

This stirring up of hearts and making ready the way of the only-begotten Son of God is happening here and now among you. You are to be ready for the time when the Lord arrives. You need your own encounter with a herald like John the Baptizer. In fact, that is the role of those who are clergy in Christ’s Church. You must be stirred up, so that you may be enabled to serve the Lord with pure minds by His coming. The time when the Lord comes with His mighty arm and brings His reward and recompense is meant to be a time of joy for you, as it was prophesied to ancient Israel. But for those not ready for it, it will not be so.

Remember what Isaiah declared to the Lord’s people: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” That is His declaration to you. You are no longer at enmity with God. Your sins have been atoned for and absolved. The divine grace and mercy shown to you is exponentially greater than the wrath and anger that you deserve to get. What the Lord has promised has been made yours. This is what the Messiah Jesus has done for you, as He appeared as your champion and substitute. His death and resurrection have brought your enmity with God to an end. He has removed your iniquity. His work for your benefit is the expression of divine grace and mercy that cannot be surpassed. This is the comfort that the Lord declares to you, His people.

The heralds in Christ’s Church direct you to where the Lord’s benefits are given to you. You are directed to the font for the Lord’s cleansing. You are gathered to the pulpit and pews to hear the Lord’s declarations to you. You are summoned together to eat of the Lord’s feast of victory. Here is where you receive the benefits of His work done for you by His Christ. Here the Lord comes to you, so your hearts are to be stirred up to receive Him again, as He makes Himself present in His speaking to you: His words of forgiveness that you hear, His words that make water a life-giving bath, His words that turn bread and wine into a heavenly meal.

But the benefits of the Lord’s work that you receive here and now are not only for this day and age. They have a future focus. There is action to be done, a promise yet to be fulfilled. So as you have received the results of the Lord’s arrival in time—the appearance of the only-begotten Son in Judea—you must also anticipate the benefits that come at the close of the age. Your hearts must be stirred up for that. You must be prepared to serve the Lord with pure minds for the time of His arrival in glory.

Christ’s messengers lift up their voice again for His people to hear and be stirred up. His arrival is imminent, even if it does not immediately occur. The apostle’s words heard in today’s Epistle Reading sound again for you: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” That promise made to you by the Lord, it will come to pass. The One who is mightier than John the Baptizer and infinitely mightier than I comes after me. John wouldn’t even untie His sandals; I wouldn’t dare to dust the dirt off of them.

But as you are made aware of that promised return of the Almighty One, you are to be prepared: “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” There is the stirring up of the hearts taking place! A new heaven and new earth are to be yours. Until that time when the Christ arrives in glory, you are called to be living in holiness and godliness, anticipating the day of God when all His promises to you are fulfilled.

“Be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” That is the herald’s message for today, exhorting you to service of the Lord with pure minds. The prayer offered in the psalm for restoration includes the message that the Lord gives to you: “Show us Your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation. Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly.” The Lord has indeed spoken peace to you: “Comfort, My people. Your warfare is ended. Your iniquity is pardoned. You have received double from Me for all your sins.” He has granted you His salvation. And His desire is for you to receive the fullness of what He is bringing to you at His return: You are to see Him with your own eyes. You are meant to be recipients of His reward, not His recompense. Your future is to be gathered together by Him, as a shepherd gathers up his lambs.

This is what will be yours, as you are prepared for His return. His comforting word of promise is spoken to you. Baptized with His Holy Spirit, the Lord’s power and might is given to you, so that you may live as His people. His righteousness that goes before Him is made to be yours. That is your fate, as you are made ready by hearing and abiding by what the Lord’s heralds declare. So you have asked: “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds….” As you have asked, so the Lord will act for you—both now and when all the voice from heaven declares on the Last Day: “Behold your God!”

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

St. Andrew's Day Sermon -- John 1:35-42a

2011-11-30T22:09:00.001-05:00

November 30, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked to Jesus as He walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus…. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.”

First. That is a claim that many want. It is what they strive for. This makes itself clear in many ways. Competitions drive people. There is a quest for the brass ring, the trophy, the blue ribbon. Of course, the competition doesn’t have to be on the athletic field. It can be the race for the corner office, the next stripe on the uniform sleeve, even the bishop’s chair. Or it can be as juvenile and inane as the Internet comment board posters with their one-word message: “first.”

First. That is a claim that Andrew had. He is the first of Jesus’ disciples. You heard how that happened: “The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked to Jesus as He walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” This is earliest days of Jesus’ public ministry. He had received baptism from John in the Jordan River. The Holy Spirit’s descent upon Him and the Father’s Voice from heaven declared that Jesus was the Beloved Son, the Anointed One. And now John had one more action to fulfill: to direct his listeners, his followers to Jesus. That he does by pointing to Jesus as “the Lamb of God” and sending them after Him.

So Andrew goes: “The two disciples heard [John] say this, and they followed Jesus.” And Jesus notices this: “Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, ‘What are you seeking?’ And they said to Him, ‘Rabbi’ (which means Teacher), ‘where are You staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and you will see.’ So they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.” There it is. Andrew is first.

But is he really first? Can he actually be first? Andrew is the first to follow Jesus. Yet that means that Andrew is not first, but is second. He is not the leader, but the follower. He is not the teacher, but the student. He is not the Christ, but the disciple. That was meant to be for Andrew. His calling was not to be first, but to be second. Even among those who would follow Jesus, Andrew would not be first. Note how he is identified in John’s Gospel that you heard today: “One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus.” Andrew’s identity is not only wrapped up with being a follower of Jesus, but being connected to Simon Peter, his brother.

Being second is Andrew’s place. He is under authority. That is what it means to be a disciple. Under Jesus’ authority, power is given to him. This is what we remember and celebrate on this day. Andrew’s role is as a follower, a student, a disciple, but also an apostle. He is sent with delegated authority like the prophets of old. He stands in a long line of “seconds” whom the Lord has called to do His bidding. Andrew is one who carries authority for the benefit of others like Ezekiel did: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.”

The authority given to Andrew is what he exercised for the benefit of those who were also called to be followers of Jesus. His work began with bringing his own brother to Jesus, as well as Greek people to Jesus on Palm Sunday. Those who were called to be “thirds” and “fourths” and “fifths” by him who were “second” received the same knowledge of Jesus. They got to know who the Messiah is, who the Lamb of God is. They were delivered from the way of death to the way of life. They were taken from a type of life where the goal was to be “first,” to be autonomous and supreme, making their own law to being disciples, followers, people under a rule. This being under the authority of Jesus is what brings salvation.

So it is for you. You are not “first” in your lives. No, you also are under a rule. You have a Lord, a Master. He is benevolent toward you, but He still is superior. Not being first means putting your old self to death. For Andrew, following Jesus would lead to his martyrdom, literally being put to death by crucifixion. But all who follow Jesus take up His cross and put their old selves to death with Him. You have died with Jesus in baptism and have risen with Him to new life. Every day, you put that old self—the old will with its rebellious desire to be its own master—to death by contrition and repentance. And every day, you are raised again to follow in the way that your Master has instituted for you. So you take your place as followers, as those who are always to be second to the First One, Jesus Christ.

As people who have been made disciples of Jesus, who have been given to know Him as the Messiah and the Lamb of God, you cannot be “first”. You cannot be self-governing or autonomous. Any attempt to be so is rebellion and sin. It is what happens when you walk away from the rule and way of life that Jesus has set for you. Every time that occurs, you must return in humility and penitence to be restored. But that is also what Jesus has appointed “seconds” to do. It is the authority that Jesus gave to Andrew and to others who possess the same role and place as he did. So you benefit again from the order that Jesus has established for you.

Remembering Andrew on this day, we can laud and praise Jesus for having such a faithful follower. We give thanks for what Jesus has accomplished through him and others like him: Jesus’ mighty governance and protection of His holy Church, in which the blessed apostles and evangelists proclaimed His divine and saving Gospel. Even now, our remembrance of Andrew, his identity, is wrapped up not in himself, but with whom he is connected. But that is how it is meant to be, for all of us who are gathered to remember Andrew recognize him and ourselves not as “firsts” but as “seconds”. He found the Messiah and brought his brother to Him. And so, the most important part of the Gospel Reading for this St. Andrew’s Day is the statement about the all the “seconds”—John the Baptizer, the apostle, his brother, and us: “they followed Jesus.”

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Advent 1B Sermon -- Mark 11:1-10

2011-11-27T23:33:00.001-05:00

November 27, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“Those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!’”

“Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance.” The words of the first Collect of Advent have been prayed for centuries by the faithful. There is the call for action, not of their doing, but from the Lord. The desire is for His power to be stirred up again, the power that was used in days of old for the blessing of His people. It is needed because of the perils that sin has caused in humanity. Deliverance is required, a deliverance that only the Lord can provide.

This theme of the First Sunday in Advent is found throughout the readings this morning. What the Collect of the Day pleads for is the same petition made by the Lord’s people throughout history. In today’s psalm and today’s Old Testament Reading that both address the same period in Israel’s history, the faithful call for action. You heard the psalmist’s cry: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your might and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved!” Why does the psalmist pray this way? What was happening? The northern areas of Israel had been overrun. The Assyrian Empire was in the process of making these descendants of Jacob their serfs and slaves.

But what was taking place in northern Israel was not simply a matter of happenstance, the natural ebb and flow of political and military power. No, it was a direct punishment of Israel’s unfaithfulness, their sin of idolatry. The Lord’s anger rose up against this abandonment of the Covenant. This is what the psalmist identifies: “O Lord God of hosts, how long will You be angry with Your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure. You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.” There is only one remedy to this: a restoration of the people to the Lord’s grace and favor. And so the psalmist and the people pray: “Restore us, O God of hosts; let Your face shine, that we may be saved!”

The same theme of needed restoration, needed powerful action from the Lord is found in Isaiah’s prophecy. Speaking from the future perspective of the exiled people in Babylon, the prophet summarizes their desire: “Oh that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence—as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—to make Your name known to Your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things that we did not look for, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.” The call is for divine action for the people in exile.

But that call for divine action is accompanied by the people’s recognition of the problem. They know what has brought them to this condition: “You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been in a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon Your name, who rouses himself to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.” The realization of what their sin has brought brings out these statements from the exiled people. Instead of having the Lord’s face shine on them, it has been hidden from them. Their idolatry, false belief, and complacency have led to this.

In both cases, the people need action. They need the Lord to stir up His power and come. They need Him to rescue them from the threatening perils of their sins and to save them by His mighty deliverance. But this is not only a 6^th Century BC problem. It is a situation that you find yourselves in. You are not immune from sin. You are not some greater condition than the Israelites. No, you are of the same mold. Your unrighteous actions—everything that violates the Divine Law—have become a stain on you. You fade away, swept into death because of your transgressions. You have the habit of speaking well of God or praying to Him when matters are good, but doubting whether He is with you when ill befalls you. As you are like the people of old, you offer the same prayers: “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand. Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all Your people.” “Restore us, O God of hosts; let Your face shine, that we may be saved!” Or as the Collect put it: “Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come….”

The Lord has answered that prayer before. It was answered in the appearance of the Messiah, the fulfillment of ancient promises about salvation. Promises were made about the ending of all exiles: the exile of Israel in Assyria, the exile of Judah in Babylon and Persia, the exile of humanity from Paradise. The anger of the Lord would not burn forever. In its place would be His everlasting compassion and favor shown to those who fear, love, and trust in Him. The Lord’s face would shine again on His people. That was done with the arrival of the Christ to bring deliverance and restoration.

This morning, you heard of that arrival. The focus was not on the Christ’s birth—that will be the theme four weeks from now. Instead, the focus was on the Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, the beginning of the series of events that led to His death and resurrection. That is where the Lord’s face would again shine on His people, even as it was turned against Christ in His crucifixion. As He bore the sins and iniquities of the world, Jesus had His Father’s face hidden from Him: the awe-full statement He makes testifies to it, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Yet, this ends not in death alone, but in being raised from it. That is how the Messiah fulfills His role, how He brings the power from heaven above to rescue humanity from the threatening perils of sin and save them.

As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the people recognize Him as that answer to their plight. His identity as the Messiah is confirmed by their actions. The prophecy of a King coming from the Lord riding on a colt is fulfilled: “And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

The jubilant praises from the people reveal what was happening for them. They had asked for deliverance; now they were shouting the words that make that request to heaven above: “Hosanna in the highest!” They had desired action from the God of hosts; now they see Jesus’ appearance as precisely that: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” They wanted restoration of their place, a return from exile, a lifting of oppression; now they see that beginning with Jesus’ arrival: “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” The Lord had stirred up His power and come to deliver them.

This is what you also see in Jesus’ appearance. This is what you believe that He has accomplished for you. His death and resurrection have become the source of your salvation. That is “the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus” which the apostle Paul mentions in his writing to the Corinthian believers. The testimony about Jesus given on Palm Sunday is the same testimony that you give about Him. He has brought you out of Satan’s domain to be His own. He has delivered you from the curse of eternal death. He has bestowed life to you. It is the fulfillment of promises made to humanity from the primordial days. By this, God reveals His character to you: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

But you still await more from the Lord. He has given you promises of action that have yet to take place. The Advent Season carries the theme of reflecting on the Old Testament people’s waiting for the Messiah’s arrival. But it also carries the theme of expectation for Jesus’ return. That has been promise made to you. It has been so since the first generation of New Testament believers. Even Paul writes to the Corinthian believers: “you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Like the Old Testament believers, you also are waiting for the Christ’s appearance—not a first appearance, but His glorious return.

You know that something great awaits you that you do not yet possess. You have been redeemed from sin; yet you still anger the Lord by transgressing His Law. You have been delivered from eternal death; yet you still see the Lord’s people leave this earthly life and you yourself will also. You have been rescued from bondage to Satan; yet you, the Lord’s people, fall victim to deception and temptation. Even now, the Lord’s people live in exile. You are not yet where you are destined to be. You are not yet in full possession of what has been attained for you by Christ’s death and resurrection. So you live in expectation and desire for what is yet to come.

This is why the ancient prayers are contemporary. Even today, they are the petitions that you offer. “Restore us, O God of hosts; let Your face shine, that we may be saved!” Your desire is for the full measure of salvation, the undoing of all that opposes the Lord’s will and the revelation of the Lord’s perfection. You await the day when you no longer have to say: “Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever.” You anticipate the day when the Christ will come with His angels, when He rends the heavens and comes down. Then you also can join in the worship of Jesus with your own hands, seeing Him with your own eyes, and speaking with all His faithful: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

Your expectations and desires are what your faith in the Lord’s actions and promises creates. It comes from trust in His identity and character: “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides You, who acts for those who wait for Him.” So wait for Him during this Advent Season—not only this four-week timeframe, but all the days that will lead up to His return. He is faithful and will sustain you until His return. As you wait, make the first Collect of Advent your own: “Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance.”

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Harvest Festival (Thanksgiving) Sermon -- Luke 12:13-21

2011-11-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

November 23, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Jesus’ parable stands as a warning about placing one’s trust in the earthly possessions. It is given in response to a man who wanted Jesus to serve as a probate judge in an estate matter. You heard abut this man: “Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus], ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’” The man wanted a divine statement directed at his brother, a commandment from Jesus that would lead to receiving property and wealth. The request seems reasonable enough. But note how Jesus answers the man: “But He said to him, ‘Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And He said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”

What is at the heart of Jesus’ statement? Why does He respond so? Jesus’ emphatic teaching and preaching is on what He will provide, something more than an earthly inheritance. He wants all who follow Him to know that He is the source of earthly blessing. But more importantly, Jesus wants them to trust in Him for forgiveness, life, and salvation. There is more to be given by Jesus than house, home, wife, children, land, animals, and all that you own. Even those who recognize the fullness of Divine Providence but do not see what He gives in the spiritual realm will ultimately be poor.

This is what Jesus teaches with the parable that is a warning against covetousness. He gives an example of a man who has benefited much from the good weather, good soil, and good climate that the Lord provides: “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.” The man is going to enjoy the fruits of creation that have been made his. He exults in what he has: “And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”

But in that statement something is revealed about his faith, what he trusts in. Where does he say the confidence for his soul is found? Hear again the man’s words: “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” That is the confession of faith, a creed that the man makes. His faith is in what has been stored up, all the crops filling his new barns. Now his soul can rest secure. Or that is what he thinks.

But Jesus’ statement of judgment about that man shows his folly: “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” The man had put his trust in what had been given to his soul—earthly things. But now the One who has given him all earthly things and who has given him that soul requires it of him. And the man has no fear, love, or trust in Him. His possessions had become his god. He had laid up plenty of treasure for himself, but had no eternal wealth provided by God. On that day when his soul is demanded of him, no barn full of wheat will avail him anything.

Jesus wants His hearers to learn that they must have possession of what He gives in order to have wealth for eternity. It is a similar lesson taught to the ancient Hebrews by Moses. As the Exodus people were about to enter Canaan, the land flowing in milk and honey that the Lord was entrusting to them, they were told about how they should consider what was given to them. When that land would bring forth its fruits, the people were to recognize what the Lord had bestowed to them. It would be done by a thank-offering: “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there.”

But note what the people were to learn from this: “And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.” Their worship would be centered on what they stated about the Lord: “We cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. And He brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” The reason why they had anything good was due to the Lord’s actions done for them. Even the annual harvests were to teach them this dependence on Him and drive them away from trust in their possessions. Each harvest in the Promised Land would remind them of their deliverance from slavery and the covenant promises made to them by the Lord. Their identity as the Lord’s Covenant People who had salvation given to them would be confirmed. That is how they would become rich toward God.

The same is true for you. Like the Hebrews of old, you have received deliverance from the Lord. He attains it by His actions: His obedience, His sacrificial death, His resurrection. His “mighty hand and outstretched arm” has gained a place for you in His kingdom. It is given to you, as He calls you to be His own people. He grants you the wealth of the heavenly realm. His righteousness is given to you. His life is made to be yours. It is planted in you by the Holy Spirit who comes to you through the Gospel. It is what the psalmist described: “Praise is due to You, O God, in Zion, and to You shall vows be performed. O You who hears prayer, to You shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, You atone for our transgressions. Blessed is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple! By awesome deeds You answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation.”

There will be a harvest drawn from this righteousness planted in you, as the apostle writes: “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” What the apostle describes is not a life that finds trust and reliance in earthly goods. It is not a covetousness life that seeks to acquire more and more stuff, never content with the current level of possessions. Rather, it is a life formed in the recognition that whatever you have has been given to you and that trust in the Giver and not the gift is required.

You do not kick up your heels and feel secure because the barns, houses, or storage sheds are full. Your life is not one of hoarding everything and believing that you are set for life. No, you look forward to what the Lord continues to give you here on earth. And you have your minds set on what will be yours for eternity. In the meantime, you look to the interests of others with what earthly possessions have been entrusted to you: “For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.” So you exult in what has been given you: a place in the household of God the Father and the opportunity to use the gifts of His creation as instruments of His generosity.

What is given to you as temporal blessings allow you to reflect that same graciousness to your neighbors: “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” That is quite the difference from the man in Jesus’ parable! Your soul doesn’t dwell secure by putting fear, love, and trust in earthly things. Instead, your soul dwells secure because of Christ’s work for you.

Yet, you do not dwell idly secure. You are called to an active life of faith, working for other’s benefit, just as Jesus did for you. Your submission to the Lord’s will which flows from your confession of the Gospel of Christ will keep you from falling into the error of the man in the parable. That is what the Holy Spirit accomplishes in you. Unlike that foolish man, you will be rich in the treasures that Jesus has prepared for you and has laid up for you to receive when your soul is demanded of you. You will go to the place that He has chosen to be yours for all eternity. But until that time, be what you have prayed for this evening: stewards of the Almighty God’s creation who receive His gifts in humble thankfulness and who share His bounty with those in need.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Proper 29A Sermon -- Matthew 25:31-46

2011-11-20T13:40:00.001-05:00

November 20, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

The past two Sundays, you have heard Jesus tell parables about His return. Now, on the Last Sunday of the Church Year, you hear Him give a detailed description of what will happen at the Last Day. No parable this time; just a straightforward depiction of events. So what does Jesus say about His arrival on the Last Day? He tells you about His appearance, about His actions, and about His declarations.

Jesus’ description of the Last Day begins with a statement about His appearance: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.” This is no arrival of an unimportant individual! No, this is an appearance that rivals and surpasses all the pomp and circumstance of any earthly ruler. Jesus comes with an entourage. But it is not men and women in bespoke suits and sunglasses. Jesus doesn’t have a crowd of adoring people. Instead, He brings His own divine glory with Him. His entourage is the heavenly hosts, the army of angels, the corps of celestial beings. His seat is a throne that overlooks the entire creation.

This appearance of Jesus stands in stark contrast to how you first encountered Him: wrapped in swaddling bands and lying in a manger. This time, you do not see Him riding a donkey colt into Jerusalem. There are no mocking regalia—crown of thorns, purple cape, and scepter of reed. Instead, the full authority that Jesus possesses is on full display. This is the end that the apostle Paul described: “when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.” At that point, Jesus stands over the entirety of creation: “Before Him will be gathered all the nations….”

So what will Jesus do on that day? He tells you about His actions: “He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Jesus’ work on the Last Day is to perform the great sorting, the judging of all individuals. Before that day, all people are intermingled. Jesus Himself told you about that in His parables: weeds and wheat mixed together, only to be separated at the harvest time; bad fish and good fish caught in the same net, only to be divided when the boats reached the shore. But the day will come when there is no longer any mixing of people. Standing over all humanity, Jesus moves them from one side to the other: “He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.” On that day, all is revealed about mankind, just as Jesus’ glory is fully displayed. There is no neutral position, no sitting out the game. Nor is there any hiding or disguising.

Then come the declarations from Jesus’ mouth. Two statements are made by Him concerning the people, pronouncements that are 180 degrees different from each other: “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ … Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” As it was in the two parables of Jesus—about the wise and foolish maidens and about the servants with the talents—two outcomes are brought about on the Last Day: one with eternal benefits, the other with eternal loss.

So what determines the outcome? It is what Jesus decides. But that decision is not rendered for the first time on that Last Day. No, that decision has been years in the making. Consider what Jesus says about the people after He sorts them. He calls those on His right “you who are blessed by My Father”. He states that they had a fate set for them from eternity: “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” What Jesus grants to those on His right is nothing new, but as old as creation itself. Before any of them existed, what they were to receive had been set. It was all part of the divine will from before time began.

But note what else Jesus says about those on His right. He mentions that their involvement in the eternal plan had effects in their earthly lives: “For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.” The actions of those who are blessed by the Father have a particular character; they reflect His character. They are consistent with what He Himself did for them: “I Myself will be the shepherd of My sheep, and I Myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” The actions of compassion that the Lord did for His people culminated in His sending His Son to be the Redeemer of mankind by being the substitute for Adam and his descendants: “For as by a man came death, by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

That same characteristic of graciousness is what drove the actions of the blessed ones. Yet, note what they say about them: “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’” The questions show surprise and unawareness. When did they see Jesus in need? When had they helped Jesus? But His answer explains what happened: “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of My brothers, you did it to Me.’”

Jesus’ statements show what the faith of the blessed ones leads to. Their identity as the righteous people of God had been granted to them. It is a gift. What Jesus accomplished as their substitute is credited to them. It is theirs, as Jesus feeds them the bread of life, gives them the water of eternal life, welcomes them into His household, clothes them with His righteousness, heals their disease of sin, and delivers them from prison of Satan’s oppression.

The same holds true for you. You are made righteous by having the merits of Jesus’ death and resurrection applied to you. You are given what He earned. In fact, you are given a new life and identity. It is not passive, but is full of action. That new life includes the works that are summarized by Jesus in His statements about those blessed by His Father. You are the ones who feed Jesus, quench Jesus, welcome Jesus, clothe Jesus, visit Jesus, and come to Jesus. It is done every time that you do the same to those who are in the Father’s household—your fellow believers. You are a family, brothers and sisters of Jesus. The way you treat the little ones among you is how you treat your Older Brother who also happens to be the Judge of the living and the dead: “As you did it to one of the least of My brothers, you did it to Me.” He is the One who will declare those whose faith and actions are righteous: “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

But all that is lacking in those whom Jesus places on His left. Remember what He says to them: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Why is such condemnation spoken against them? Jesus tells them: “For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.” The judgment is leveled against them, revealing what they did not do, what their actions failed to accomplish. And when they ask about when they had ever offended Jesus, He tells them: “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” Their treatment of the brothers and sisters of Jesus showed what they believed about Him. As they failed to show any concern for those who are of the Father’s household, so they also failed to show any concern about the Judge of the living and the dead.

The condemnation that Jesus speaks against the cursed ones is what He will declare to those who persecute His Church, who despise His Word and the preaching of it, who would rather have none of His people around and nothing of His will come to fulfillment. Those who abuse Jesus’ disciples will receive their just rewards. The curse spoken against their sins will not be lifted by the One who could do so.

But you must also think with some sober thought about what Jesus says of those who end up on His left. The statement that Jesus makes should be jarring: “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” What had they not done? They had not fed, quenched, welcomed, clothed, visited, or come to the disciples of Jesus. There was mistreatment of those who belonged to Jesus. And that is similar to what the Lord God said about some sheep, some who belonged to the people of Israel: “Behold, I, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue My flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.” A warning is given about “sheep-on-sheep crime” committed within the household of God. The mistreatment of Jesus’ disciples, even if done by Jesus’ disciples, is noted, recorded, and acted against.

So you also should consider what you do. How are you treating even the least of Jesus’ brothers? If it is not the way that He intends, then the time for correction is now, so that it will not be judged against at the Last Day. Your fellow believers are brothers and sisters of Jesus. As you behave toward them—whether good or ill—so you behave toward your Older Brother who is the Judge of the living and the dead. And that deserves your utmost attention.

This end of the Church Year brings the reminder that the Last Day will indeed arrive. What Jesus describes will come to pass. So now is the time to repent of what you have done contrary to His will. Now is the time to recognize that you have not been perfect in obedience. Now is the time to note that the blessed and righteous status that you possess has not been achieved by you, but has been given to you. Even the imperfect acts of compassion that you participate in are part of the identity that has been granted to you. They are not a record that you can stick in Jesus’ face, to brag about all your works that you did to Him. They are only what you did as you were regenerated and renewed by Him to reflect His divine character.

Yet, this is what Jesus Himself will praise and commend when He returns and gathers all His people to Himself and sets them on His right hand. Like all the others who will hear the welcome into life everlasting, you will not know all your acts of obedience, all your good works that you have done to Jesus. But that’s the way it’s meant to be, so that you have no pride in yourself, but only fear, love, and trust in Him. Direct your attention to what Jesus has done for you. Put your old self to death and rise in the newness of life that is given through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Act on the new will and desire that faith in Jesus gives to you. Then on the Last Day, as you see His appearance, experience His actions, and hear His statements, you who are “blessed by the Father” will have your place in the “kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Proper 27A Sermon (All Saints Sunday) -- Matthew 25:1-13

2011-11-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

November 6, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.”

The Church Year draws to a close during these next three weeks. As Jesus’ followers reach the culmination of the ecclesiastical calendar, they focus their attention on the culmination of their faith and discipleship. For the next three Sundays, the Church will hear parables of Jesus that speak about His return that ushers in the close of this age and initiates the life of the world to come.

Jesus tells you that the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a wedding feast that will take place. You have already heard Jesus tell a wedding feast parable, a story about a king who holds a banquet for his son who is married. But today, Jesus uses the wedding feast motif in a different way: He does not talk about those who are simply invited to attend, but those who are invited to participate in the bridal party. Ten maidens have been selected to be the welcoming party for the groom who will arrive at the wedding hall. That is their privileged status, to take part in the festive day.

But Jesus tells you something significant about those who have been selected: “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” This will be a problem for some of those invited to take part in the wedding events. All ten of the maidens had been chosen to fulfill a particular role: to be the escorts of the groom. To fulfill that role which had been bestowed to them, they needed their lamps and oil. But what had five of the maidens forgotten to do? “They took no oil with them.”

Jesus’ parable depicts how the folly of the five maidens cost them dearly: “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.”

When the groom arrived, what happened to those foolish maidens who had brought no oil for their lamps? They were unable to fulfill the role that had been assigned to them. They were a complete failure. The groom’s arrival that should have been a time of great joy and delight for them—as it was for the five wise maidens who had brought flasks of oil with them—became a time of great sorrow and doom: “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” They are left outside, abandoned to their folly.

Jesus’ parable is a statement about the Last Day. He teaches about the two aspects that it will have for those who had been invited to be affiliated with Him and to be part of the new age that He will inaugurate. Like the ten maidens, those in the Church on earth have been selected for a particular role. You have been chosen to be in the number of those who will be eternally present with the Risen Lord, just like the saints who have gone before you. You have been called by Jesus for this. You have been given a lamp, denoting your baptismal identity, and you have been provided oil for it, the faith that is created through receiving Jesus’ Gospel in all its forms: attached to water, spoken by ministers, found in the dialogue of believers, connected to bread and wine. Your assigned role is to be brought with Jesus into His eternal wedding feast, when He arrives to judge the living and the dead. So you should anticipate and welcome that day when your Lord will return.

But are you savvy about this? Are you wise, being prepared for when Jesus will come and bring His redemptive work to its culmination? Or have you wandered into folly? In today’s readings, you heard the Prophet Amos speak to Israelites, those who had been invited to participate in the Divine Covenant. But they had abandoned that identity, acting in opposition to the Lord and His ways. Their unfaithfulness led the Lord to say to them: “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” The Lord’s words of judgment are spoken against those who had wandered into the folly of unbelief and unfaithfulness.

But what is even more astonishing about the Israelites in Amos’ time was that they thought that nothing was wrong with them. Their foolishness had deluded them into thinking that all was fine, that all would be well. They desired the Day of the Lord to come, even though it would bring sorrow and doom for them as the groom’s arrival in Jesus’ parable did for the foolish maidens. So Amos warns them: “Woe to you who desire the Day of the Lord! Why would you have the Day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the Day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?” Amos’ description of the Last Day is so for those who are not faithful to the Lord. It is the same eternally negative aspect of Jesus’ return that the foolish maidens experience.

Amos’ warnings are directed, even now, to those who have been invited to be beneficiaries of the Divine Covenant but are not participating in it. His words are spoken to all of you who have been baptized and made part of the Heavenly Father’s household, but who are not living according to His family’s customs and rules. They are declared to you who do not recognize your sin that needs to be forgiven and do not seek out the absolution that Jesus’ Gospel brings. The word of judgment is given for you who are not diligent in receiving the salvation that is delivered to you through the means of grace. Or to rephrase it in a way similar to Jesus’ parable: the warning is stated for you who have lamps, but no oil.

But Amos’ warnings are not the only words spoken about the Day of the Lord. This morning, you have also heard something good about the Last Day. You have heard a second statement about what will occur. Not that you have heard a different account of what will happen, but have heard about the other, positive aspect of Jesus’ return. The Apostle Paul writes to a group of believers about that day: “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” His description of the Last Day is for the Lord’s faithful people.

Paul’s statement of encouragement and gladness is directed, even now, to those who have been invited to be beneficiaries of the Divine Covenant and are participating in it. His words are spoken to all of you who have been baptized and made part of the Heavenly Father’s household and are striving to be obedient and devout children. They are declared to you who recognize your guilt and failures and seek out the absolution that Jesus’ Gospel brings. The word of promise is given to you who are diligent in receiving the salvation that is delivered to you through the means of grace. Or to rephrase it in a way similar to Jesus’ parable: the assurance of eternal joy is stated for you who have been given lamps by Jesus and who are supplied with the oil needed to let them burn.

Jesus’ parable is about being prepared for His return. That is why He says after His parable ends: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Though you have many promises and declarations made about Jesus’ return, you have one aspect of it that you do not know: when it will take place. Your Lord wants you to be ready for His arrival, but since you have no knowledge of when it will be, you must always be prepared. Your role as a participant in the life of the world to come has been assigned to you. If you desire to fulfill that role, you must have what is necessary to do so. You need to have the supply of oil for the lamp. You need the Gospel that brings the forgiveness, life, and salvation that Jesus acquired for you by His dying and rising to life again. That is what allows you to live as faithful people in this life, preparing you to live in the life of the world to come.

So what should you do? Paying no attention to what Jesus says or trying to time when Jesus will return and running out to the oil dealers at the last moment are certainly not the right actions. That was the foolish action of the five maidens in Jesus’ parable. Living as people who are totally unconcerned with doing what is just and right, believing that what is done in this life doesn’t matter a whit, since you’ve been baptized and have your name on a parish register is also not the right action. No, those are the foolish actions of the Israelites who had Amos’ prophetic words spoken against them. Such actions will lead to Jesus’ return being “darkness and not light.”

What should be done is to be regular in receiving Jesus’ gifts delivered through the Gospel. Jesus has called you to be recipients of His benefits, and He has assigned dealers of oil to be among you—His stewards of the mysteries, His ministers of Word and Sacrament. Not only does He put those dealers there, He gives them the instructions to fill the flasks without cost and price. Jesus gives you a constant, gratuitous supply of what you need. You come here to receive it. You say, “Fill the flask.” And it is so. You are forgiven. You are sent out into the world for another week of living as the Lord’s people. Then you come back again for the flask to be filled. And this is done over and over again, so that you will be prepared for Jesus’ return.

As you participate this way as the Lord’s faithful people, you are ready for your role that He has given to you. You will be among those who will rise and “will always be with the Lord.” You will be in the company of all the wise maidens, “those who were ready” and who “went in with [the bridegroom] to the marriage feast”. You will be united with all the saints, all the holy people of God, those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and have received the crown of life that Jesus has won for them. For you, that day will not be “darkness . . . and gloom with no brightness in it.” Instead, it will be the time when “all who seek [the Lord] rejoice and be glad in [Him].”

Prepared by Jesus to participate fully in the role that He has given to you, then you can pray the petition of the faithful that was asked this morning: “Lord God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His Bride, the Church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His wedding feast.” That is the desire of those who have been made wise unto salvation, including you who have received the Gospel of Jesus again this day.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Proper 26A Sermon (Reformation Sunday) -- Matthew 23:1-12

2011-10-31T10:58:00.000-04:00

October 30, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. . . . Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.’”

Once again, we hear Jesus speak with authority in the Temple: “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice.’” Jesus’ words speak judgment against the scribes and Pharisees, those who were the spiritual leaders of the ancient Israelites. Being on the receiving end of such judgment is not where one wants to be. Yet, the judgment is rightly spoken against them. Why does Jesus say these words? The scribes and Pharisees had led the Lord’s people astray by their actions. The way of life that they showed by their deeds contradicted the way of life that the Lord revealed through His Covenant with His people.

What was the Pharisees’ way of life? Jesus describes their actions: “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.” Shows of holiness that brought honor to themselves: that was the piety of the Pharisees. They missed the heart of the Lord’s Covenant disclosed in the Scriptures. They would read what the Lord said, even authoritatively reading it to ordinary people, but not put it into action. So Jesus says: “For they preach, but do not practice.”

Jesus’ words are similar to what the Prophet Micah spoke against the spiritual leaders of the Israelites seven centuries earlier. The problem was the same: those put in charge of the spiritual welfare of the Lord’s people were misleading them. Micah’s words make it clear: “Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead My people astray, who cry ‘Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths. . . . [Israel’s] heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, ‘Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.’” Selling blessings, mercenary preaching, future telling for a price: those were the everyday practices of those false prophets, the practices that distorted the Lord’s Covenant and corrupted the faith of the people.

In both cases, the Lord sends someone to speak against what the errors of the spiritual leaders, those who were going beyond their authority and were setting up a religious system other than what the Lord instituted. At the heart of the Lord’s Covenant was what He Himself was doing for His people. It revealed how He would give forgiveness, life, and salvation to those who are tied to Him and His gracious promises. Belief in His steadfast love and trust in the remedy that He offers for sin: that was the heart of the Covenant.

This is what Jesus points out in His teaching to the crowds and His disciples. After laying out the problem of the Pharisees’ ways, He gives instructions for His followers: “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant.” Jesus prescribes actions opposite of what the Pharisees were doing to achieve honor for themselves. Instead of striving to acquire their own glory, Jesus’ followers are directed to the glory that the Lord gives to His people who find nothing good in themselves. This central point is found in how Jesus concludes His statement: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The focus is removed from what the individual attempts to do and directed towards what the Lord will do for them. Pride in oneself must be removed; humility must be the attitude shown—and this stands true for the common person and the spiritual leader alike. Exaltation is given, not achieved. The Lord lifts up the sinful individual from his guilt and imperfection and restores them to life. This exaltation is done for those who receive the merits of Him who humbled Himself by becoming a servant, living for the benefit of others, and being crucified bearing the sins of all mankind. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus preached and practiced. What Jesus set out for His people is what He Himself did. Humbled in crucifixion, Jesus was exalted in resurrection. By doing so, He becomes the source of exaltation for those who humble themselves, removing all thoughts of goodness and worthiness in them, and seek out what must be received from the Lord.

This central thought of humility and exaltation is found in the teaching documents of the Lutheran Church. As this Sunday also commemorates the Lutheran Reformation, it is good to direct our attention to them. At the heart of our teaching is what is said about Jesus and salvation in the Augsburg Confession, Article 4: “Our churches teach that people cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. By His death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His sight (Romans 3 & 4).”

Concerning our good works, Augsburg Confession, Article 6 states: “Our churches teach that this faith is bound to bring forth good fruit. It is necessary to do good works commanded by God, because of God’s will. We should not rely on those works to merit justification before God. The forgiveness of sins and justification is received through faith. The voice of Christ testifies, ‘So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say: “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty”’ (Luke 17:10). The Fathers teach the same thing. Ambrose says, ‘It is ordained of God that he who believes in Christ is saved, freely receiving forgiveness of sins, without works, through faith alone.”

Luther’s statements in the Small Catechism explaining the Apostles’ Creed continue these thoughts. Noting that God the Father provides what we need for our daily lives, Luther writes: “He does all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.” Speaking about God the Son’s actions of redemption for us, Luther writes about our state: “He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.” Describing how we became a believer, Luther writes about our need for God the Holy Spirit’s work: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”

These chief samples from our Church’s teaching documents echo Jesus’ statement about humility and exaltation: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” We are directed away from placing any trust in ourselves. No reliance is to be set on our actions. There is no talk of seeking one’s own honor. Instead, the statements are made that we are given favor, freely receiving forgiveness, having our sins atoned for by Jesus. But that exaltation is not given to those who do not recognize their sins, who do not believe anything to be wrong with them, who do not know that their attempts to gain favor from the Lord will be in vain. At the end, those people who exalt themselves will be brought low.

It is also important, then, to show humility when speaking about the Lutheran Reformation itself. We can honor Luther and the other Reformers who were like Micah—“filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might”—in order to show the errors of the spiritual leaders of the time, those who were distorting the Lord’s Covenant and corrupting the faith of the people as the false prophets and Pharisees of old did. We honor Luther and the other Reformers, recognizing that the Lord’s work was done through them, so that people could be shown His favor by receiving the merits of Jesus’ death and resurrection. As we have that truth, we should be glad. But as we proclaim that truth, we should also show humility, not arrogance. Only by the Lord’s favor has this been given to us. Without His aid, we would be just as lost as those who know nothing of Him or His actions.

Additionally, we must consider the statements of Micah and Jesus that were spoken against the spiritual leaders of Israel. Their words are not just meant for the Lord’s people in ancient times. They must be applied to our churchbody, our congregation, and to us as individuals. Have we fallen into any similar errors? Do we treat people differently or give different teachings based on their donations? Do we place burdens on others, but not on ourselves? Have our acts of piety and worship become ways to please ourselves, show off our abilities, or feed our pride? If so, then we must repent and change. The hard words of judgment are spoken, so that we can be corrected, aligned by Jesus to His statement: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Lord has granted us a great gift by causing His Word to be spoken in its totality and purity to us. Through that, we have been made His people and brought the benefits that He has worked to achieve for us. We are given what Jesus earned by His dying and rising again for us. Recognizing our situation, that we are dependent upon His aid for all that is good, we should pray for that truth to be given constantly to us. The Psalmist’s words are quite appropriate: “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!” That divine light and truth brings us salvation, delivering the message of what the Lord has done for us, the object of our faith that our souls cling onto: “Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.”

Knowing your sin and imperfections, look to the Lord for your exaltation. Look to Him for deliverance and salvation in the beneficial actions that He has revealed in His Word. Ask for what today’s collect prayed for: “Merciful and gracious Lord, You cause Your Word to be proclaimed in every generation. Stir up our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that we may receive this proclamation with humility and finally be exalted at the coming of Your Son.” Have your hearts turned, so that you seek no exaltation in yourselves, but only in what Jesus has done for you by His death and resurrection. The Humbled and Exalted One declares to you: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” So He has promised, and so He will do for you.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

St. James of Jerusalem Sermon -- Psalm 133

2011-10-23T23:32:00.000-04:00

October 23, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” The Psalmist’s words extol the goodness and pleasantness that unity brings, especially when it is present in a household. From our experiences, we know that such unity does not always exist. All of us have endured family conflicts, whether it be discord between spouses, struggles between parents and children, rivalries among siblings, or feuds with the in-laws. Those who haven’t witnessed that familial disunity need only live a few more years on earth in order to have their own first-hand experiences.

The Psalmist’s words can be extended beyond just the connections of bloodlines. The “brothers” referred to in Psalm 133 also speak about the members of the household of faith, the community of believers. Among those who are the Lord’s people, unity in faith, life, and purpose brings the same goodness and pleasantness as is seen in earthly families. And the disunity which sin brings, especially the sins of unbelief and failure to abide by the way of life set by the Lord for His people, causes great disruption. It is disruption and dissension that our churchbody, our district, and even our parish have experienced firsthand. But in the readings heard this morning, we are given to see that disruption and dissension among the Lord’s people can be traced back to the earliest days of the Church.

On this day that commemorates St. James, the Brother of Jesus, the Church hears about an incident that happened in Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus: “Coming to His hometown, [Jesus] taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all His sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?’ And they took offense at Him.” Jesus’ appearance in Nazareth did not bring unity among the Lord’s people there. Even when He brought them the true wisdom about the Lord and performed mighty works, the people refused to accept Him. Nazareth was divided by Jesus: “They took offense at Him.” There was no belief in Jesus and the message that He brought. All the goodness and pleasantness that Jesus could bring to Nazareth was not to be given because of their refusal to receive Him: “And He did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.”

In response to Nazareth’s rejection of Him, Jesus declared: “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and in his own household.” The proverb stands true: many outside of Nazareth accepted Jesus’ words and works and honored Him as the Messiah. But through the power of His resurrection, Jesus did bring some of His household to faith in Him as the Christ, the promised Redeemer. From His own household, some of Jesus’ brothers became significant disciples of His. That includes James, who would become the leader of the Christians in Jerusalem. Reconciled to Jesus, brought to belief in who his Brother truly is, James experienced the unity that the Psalmist extols: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Not only did James experience it for himself, he would be an instrument for bringing the same reconciliation and unity to the Church in its earliest days.

This morning, you also heard about James’ actions at the Jerusalem Council. The disciples of Jesus were divided. Much had happened in the decade following Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. The Acts of the Apostles records the important events: thousands of people in Jerusalem brought to faith in Jesus, persecution of believers that caused Jesus’ disciples to scatter from Jerusalem, the establishment of congregations in Caesarea and Antioch, new missions in Gentile cities. As these events had taken place, the Church had to deal with a divisive question: What must Gentile believers in Jesus do to be true disciples? Some had insisted that the Gentile believers adopt all the customs of the Old Testament people of the Lord. The 15^th Chapter of Acts states at the beginning: “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostle and the elders about this question.”

What would the Church do? It was experiencing the division and dissension opposite of its desire. So the Council in Jerusalem was held. And chief among the participants was James, the Brother of Jesus. No longer was he one of those who took offense at Jesus, but was a leader of those devoted to Him. At the Council, the question of the Gentile believers was discussed: “And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.” But would the Council follow the example of Nazareth? Would it take offense at the wisdom and mighty works that had been done among the Gentiles who had come to faith in Jesus? Would it take offense at the way of making disciples that Jesus outlined? Would it take offense at the new people who were brought into the household of faith? Would the Church be a band of brothers that dwelt in disunity and division?

James’ action at the Jerusalem Council brought the Church away from schism and split. You heard what James said: “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’” James points out that what was happening among the Gentiles was what the Lord had made known through the prophets. The royal house of David was being restored. It was rebuilt as Jesus, the Descendant of David, the Promised Christ, came. And the regeneration of the Lord’s people took place as they were brought to faith in Jesus, given the Lord’s name through baptism. That is what took place in the cities of Caesarea and Antioch, as well as the other places where Barnabas and Paul went.

So James sets out the action that would ensure the unity of faith that the Lord had graciously given to people of Jewish and Gentile ancestry: “Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” The Gentiles are not required to adopt all the customs of the Old Testament people; those burdens are not placed on them, even if Jewish believers would continue them. But the Gentiles are instructed to abide by a few rules, so that the faith of Jewish people in Jesus would not be hindered. In this way, the way to salvation is made clear: it is through the Lord giving people His Name and calling them to faith in Jesus’ words and works that they are saved, Jew and Gentile alike. That is what unites all the Lord’s people together.

This is the example of reconciliation that James brings to us in the Church today. The unity that the Psalmist extols is only possible as we are united in belief about the identity and actions of Jesus. If any of us take offense at Jesus, like the people of Nazareth did, we will not be in fellowship with Him. We will miss out on all that He provides through His death and resurrection. Faith in Jesus is essential to the unity that He creates between God and mankind. Acknowledgment of who Jesus is and what He has done for the salvation of sinners is a condicio sine qua non for the Church. Without that faith, there is no Church. That is why we confess the Creed each week, stating our belief in God’s identity and what He has accomplished for us.

But the Church is faced with challenges in this world beyond our confession of faith about Jesus’ person and work. At those times, our desire is to have the unity that should be found among the household of God’s people. We want the goodness and pleasantness that such unity brings among the brothers and sisters of Christ. So like James and the others at the Jerusalem Council did, we must engage those challenges by looking to what the Lord has declared about the matter. Then actions can be taken consistent with those divine statements, taking no offense at what our Lord has declared.

What took place at the Jerusalem Council is a good example of what divine wisdom brings. That wisdom is given through the Lord’s words, what He has spoken. Later, James would write about that wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously without reproach, and it will be given to him.” It is a petition that we must frequently offer. Relying on our own fallible minds, we would have nothing but folly that leads to sin and destruction. But God the Father knows that, and so He has provided us the greatest wisdom in His Son, the One of whom the people in Nazareth asked: “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?” As we receive what Jesus gives, we are made wise for salvation. Additionally, we in His Church are given wisdom to deal with the challenges we face, as long as we do not take offense at Jesus, but rely on what He has said and done. Believing that our Heavenly Father will give us wisdom, we ask Him for it. It will be given, as He directs us to what He has said and done, especially through His Son.

Receiving the same wisdom given through Jesus, we will follow James’ example of prayer and reconciliation. Likewise, we will be able to endure the trials that this world brings to us, whether as individual followers of Jesus or as His Church on earth. Relying on what is provided for us through Jesus, we will remain steadfastly faithful in Him, even unto death. We also will receive what His brother James received, as he was turned from taking offense at Jesus to being a devoted disciple: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.” And then we will eternally dwell in unity with all of Jesus’ followers, all who have turned to God and who bear His Name. Jew and Gentile, they and we are made part of the David’s rebuilt household, the line established by Jesus, the Promised Messiah who abides in the celestial Zion: “For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Proper 24A -- Matthew 21:15-22

2011-10-16T23:21:00.000-04:00

October 16, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“Jesus said to them: ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’”

Standing in the Temple and teaching the people, Jesus is confronted with a question. The inquiry comes from the Pharisees, who have the Herodians—the political supporters of King Herod—in tow. They want to trap Jesus, to make Him say something that will lead to His downfall, whether it would come from the governmental authorities’ arresting Him or turning the people against Him: “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle [Jesus] in His talk.” The planned entangling would be through asking Jesus a question that was tricky.

The question posed to Jesus is about the law. Introducing the question, the Pharisees indicate that Jesus has the ability to answer authoritatively: “Teacher, we know that You are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and You do not care about anyone’s opinion, for Your not swayed by appearances.” Then the question is asked: “Tell us, then, what You think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” The question is loaded, since the questioners and audience have two different definitions of lawfulness. For the Pharisees, the law was the Torah, the instructions from the Lord and its accompanying tradition. For the Herodians, the law was the code that came from Rome that they had been appointed to enforce in Palestine. So will Jesus’ answer break the Divine Code or will it result in a treasonous statement against the emperor?

You heard how Jesus answered the question. First He has the questioners dig a coin out of their pockets: “Show Me the coin for the tax.” And when they produce a denarius, Jesus asks them about the coin: “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” After the people state that Caesar’s imprint is on the coin, Jesus tells them to give it back to him: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Jesus’ statement shows that everything has its proper sphere and place. That is how the Lord designed it to be. He is the One who places us in relation to one another, who gives us our stations in life. And as He has so willed it, the Lord delegates His authority to fallible human beings, even unbelievers, when He places them in positions of oversight.

This is why Jesus can rightly answer the question, even when the Pharisees and the Herodians have two different definitions of lawfulness. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Can the Lord’s people pay a tax that indicates that they are subject to a pagan ruler and earthly citizens of a pagan empire? Yes, it is lawful, it is even right so to do, for the Lord has delegated His authority to that earthly ruler, so that order can be kept on earth. Payment of taxes helps to further that purpose: giving the denarius back to Caesar allows the emperor to build roads, raise an army, run a judicial system, even issue more coins. In his sphere of influence that the Lord has delegated to him, Caesar has legitimately stated that the coin has value and he has put his image and signature on it. So if he demands it back for the purpose of fulfilling his duties of exercising authority on earth, you have no right to hold it from him.

Key to understanding this answer is the knowledge about vocation or the stations in life. The emperor has this authority because he occupies an office where the Lord has placed His own authority. The Lord establishes governmental authority to help keep order in His world. Paying the tax recognizes that divine authority behind the emperor’s office. In fact, paying the tax fulfills the second part of Jesus’ answer: “[Render] to God the things that are God’s.” As the earthly authorities are recognized as people who carry the Lord’s authority and the laws that do not contradict God’s moral code are followed, obedience to the Lord is offered. The Fourth Commandment is kept out of fear and love of God Himself, as we do not despise or anger our parents or other authorities.

But the second part of Jesus’ answer is fulfilled in more ways than abiding by the Fourth Commandment. “[Render] to God the things that are God’s” is a directive that has many different aspects to it. What are the things that belong to God? That question has nearly infinite true answers. The Psalter tells us: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” You can think on the instructions given by the psalm prayed this morning: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth!” All glory, honor, and worship are God’s, since He is supreme over everything in the cosmos. True understanding and knowledge of the Lord’s identity belongs to Him, as He prophetically states to Cyrus: “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no God.”

But perhaps there is something that is more specific that should be considered when thinking about Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees’ question. Remember how Jesus asked to be shown a coin, so that He could give an answer. And when the denarius was produced, what question did Jesus ask? “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” Because it was Caesar’s likeness and inscription, the coin was Caesar’s, so it should be given back to him. Now think about this for a moment. What are the things that bear God’s “likeness and inscription”? What things have been given a value because the Lord has placed His image and signature on them? Answer those questions, and you will know some very specific items that should be rendered to God, just as the coins with Caesar’s image should be rendered to him.

What has God’s “likeness and inscription” on them? You do. That is so, because you are human and all humanity bears God’s likeness. Remember the great truth that the Creation Narrative in Genesis states about humanity: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in His own image,  in the image of God He created him;  male and female He created them.” And this truth was repeated at the conclusion of the Flood Narrative in Genesis: “Whoever sheds the blood of man,  by man shall his blood be shed,  for God made man in His own image.”

But not only do you bear God’s likeness, you also have His inscription on you. That is what has been bestowed to you in Holy Baptism. In that act, the Lord inscribed His name upon you, calling you His own people. That calling is similar to what Cyrus received, but even greater. The Lord told Cyrus: “For the sake of My servant Jacob, and Israel My chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know Me.” But you have been called by name, and you know the Lord. That knowledge is what has been given to you when you were brought to faith, when you experienced the same change and conversion as happened to the Christians in Thessalonica: “For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. . . . You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come.”

Faith in the Lord is given to you, as you possess both God’s “likeness and inscription”. You have been given the true knowledge of His identity. And that knowledge includes something very specific about the Person who answered the Pharisees’ question in the Temple. Before you were given the divine inscription in Holy Baptism, there was One who first bore God’s likeness and inscription. That Person is Jesus Himself—the One of the same substance of the Father, the One who is God incarnate, the One who is true God of true God. He had, has, and will ever possess that “likeness and inscription”. Your faith in the Lord includes knowing that Jesus who bore God’s “likeness and inscription” rendered Himself to God through His sacrificial death for your benefit. That is how Jesus “delivered us from the wrath to come.” That truth is what has been bestowed to you, since you have become the Lord’s own people, called by name by Him. That is part of the identity that is given to you through Holy Baptism, as you are joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection and are given the Lord’s name to bear.

Since you bear God’s “likeness and inscription,” you should render yourself to God. This is what an ancient teacher of the Church spoke of to a group of believers like you. Hilary of Poitiers wrote in the 4^th Century: “We are also to render to God things that are God’s: that is, body and soul and will. The coin of Caesar is in gold, on which his image is stamped. But man is God’s coin, on which is the image of God. Therefore, give your money to Caesar; keep for God a blameless conscience.” It is an interesting comment about Jesus’ answer: Caesar’s coins are rendered back to Caesar, but you are God’s coins, God’s things which are to be rendered back to Him. And that is especially so when the Lord directs you with His commandments.

Jesus says: “[Render] to God the things that are God’s.” This is done through faith, as you live the new life given to you in Holy Baptism. The “rendering to God” is done as part of the new obedience that is to be seen in you. The “rendering to God” includes all the actions done in faithful worship of the Lord that only those who have His “likeness and inscription” on them can do. The Thessalonian Christians provide an example of this for you. Paul commends them for their actions: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Those phrases outline what you are called to render to God. The work of faith, the labor of love, the steadfastness of hope: these are manifested as the Holy Spirit dwells in you and brings forth the fruits of true belief.

The fruits of true belief are what you do as you strive to follow the new way of life that the Lord gave to you when He remade you in His likeness and inscribed His Name upon you. That new way of life is laid out in the Ten Commandments that describe the relationship that you are to have with the Lord and with one another. Believing in Him alone, calling upon His name in prayer, gladly hearing His words, honoring those who bear His authority, preserving the life that He creates, loving the spouse that He has joined to you, protecting the property He allows other to possess, defending the reputation of those He has placed around you, being content with His provision—these are all actions that spring up from the faith that is created in you. They are the actions that you do, as you render your entire lives—body, soul, and will—to God whose “likeness and inscription” you bear.

This is your baptismal identity and discipleship calling. It stems from what Jesus rendered to His Father—His atoning sacrifice that purchased salvation for you. So follow Jesus’ command: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” Obey those whom the Lord has appointed as earthly authorities, even when it means filling out the IRS 1040 Forms in April. But also remember to “render to God the things that are God’s.” Be the people in whom the Holy Spirit dwells by connecting yourselves to Jesus’ gospel words. Then follow the new way of life of obedience that has been given to you. Learn from the Thessalonians’ example about how to do so. Like them, you bear the divine likeness and inscription that Holy Baptism brought you, so render yourselves to God again this day, this week, this year, this life.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Proper 23A Sermon -- Matthew 22:1-14

2011-10-09T23:03:00.000-04:00

October 9, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“Again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come . . . .’”

What if God held a party and no one came? That is the situation Jesus describes in the Gospel Reading for today. He tells a parable, comparing the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son . . . .” This is a big event in our day, but it was even bigger in days gone by. Think of how much attention was paid to the Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge held in England. Everyone wanted to know what William and Catherine would wear, but just as important was who would be invited to the parties after the ceremony. In fact, there were two receptions: that is how important their marriage was.

The Scriptures describe a wedding feast that God holds. You heard about that in the prophecy given by Isaiah: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.” That is the wedding feast that Jesus talks about with His parable. He says that this was beginning to take place with His presence in the world and would culminate with what He achieves by His death and resurrection.

Jesus was present to bring people to that banquet. But what does He say about that? The invitations went out for people to participate in the grand expression of divine generosity: “[The king] sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.” Jesus talks about the negative response that God received, but also God’s insistence in having people share in His generosity: “Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’” But instead of people marking their calendars, setting aside the day, making sure that they would be present to share in what God would give, they did the opposite: “They would not come.” Other matters occupied people’s minds: “They paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business. . . .” For some, there was more than refusal to attend, there was outright hostility toward God: “The rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.”

So what should the king do? What does God do? He makes the promise to hold a feast, and He will do so. He promises that people will join in it, and He will ensure that they will. But the participants will not be those who refuse the invitation. No, those who refuse His divine generosity will suffer His wrath, as Jesus describes: “The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” Yet after that, there is an action of giving that takes place: “Then [the king] said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.” That is what God does. His promised feast will take place, and there will be guests brought to it, invited by His servants to take their place at His tables.

What Jesus describes in His parable is God’s fulfillment of promises, even in the midst of rejection. The people of Israel refused the divine generosity. It started with the rejection of the faithful prophets who spoke the divine invitation and the faithful priests who brought the benefits of the divine covenant to the people. Such rejection went on for centuries, as the Israelites wandered off into idolatry, false religions, outright impiety or just plain apathy. Some even killed the prophets and priests. Even when the promised Messiah, Jesus Himself, stood amongst them, directing them to the salvation that God was providing and calling them to take their places at the wedding feast, they refused to do so.

Despite the rejection of Jesus by the Israelites, God’s wedding feast would still take place. The invitation went out for people to participate in what was achieved by Jesus’ death and resurrection. God had promised through His prophet: “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” So He was going to bring people in to receive this generosity. That is described in Jesus’ parable: “Then [the king] said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’” The servants were sent out to deliver the invitation to others. If the first invited guests didn’t want to participate, then so be it. But a group of guests were going to be at the king’s event held for his son.

Hear again what Jesus describes: “And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.” That is what has happened for your benefit. The second set of invitations was sent out, so that you could participate in the wedding feast. The invitations were not sent to just a particular group of people, but as the king said: “Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.” The servants were not to concern themselves with anything about the people they encountered, but just to invite them to the banquet. The king’s instructions were simple: “If you see a person, invite him. If you see ten people, a hundred people, a thousand people, invite all of them. Just get them here to share in my generosity and happiness.”

That is the invitation that has reached your ears. The divine servants have gone out with the message: “Come and receive the generosity that God offers to you. Become one of His people, even His children, through Holy Baptism. Take hold of the salvation that is granted to you because His Son has died in your place and risen again. Receive the forgiveness of every sin that you have ever committed. Have a new way of life that is not just for this world, for the world to come. And not only are you promised to have a place in a new heaven and new earth, but God allows you to have part of what is promised now, as you gather to hear His words and to eat and drink with Him now.” This invitation has been given to you, not because you deserved it, not because you would bring some clout or prestige to the event, but because God wishes to share His generosity with you.

But what do you do with that invitation? Jesus doesn’t specify it in the parable, but the second set of invitations can be rejected just like the first. Remember again what He said about the first group of people invited: “But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.” That same response happens even now, as the divine servants are sent out the second time. Among those along the main roads called to the wedding feast are people who will not heed the invitation. They pay no attention. Or worse, they show hostility to the servants sent with the call to bring people to the banquet.

Such a response is not meant to be yours. But it can indeed happen. It is seen when individuals don’t participate in the gathering together of the Church, where God’s gifts are freely given. It takes place when other matters occupy the mind, so that the ways of the Lord are forgotten or neglected. The refusal of the invitation happens when people mock the words of the Gospel, that the Son of God lived perfectly, died sacrificially, and rose victoriously for the salvation of the world. There also is the rejection of the divine generosity when God’s servants are hated, abused, and even killed. Jesus’ parable warns you about this, so that you would not ignore the invitation, become too busy with worldly matters to act on the invitation, or assail the servants who carry the invitation. The warning is given to you, so that you would not be numbered among those who will suffer the terrible fate at the Last Day: “The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.”

Jesus’ parable warns you, so that you would not miss your place at the banquet that God will generously hold: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” That is what is promised for you. That is what the divine invitation extends to be yours. Despite your sins, despite your imperfections, despite your failures, the invitation has come to you. For many of you, it has come again and again and again. That is how generous God has been for you, the generosity that is shown in His divine, compassionate acts.

But one other warning is given for you at the tail end of Jesus’ parable: “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” This needs to be heard as well, since this tells you about the exclusivity of the divine invitation to share in the heavenly banquet. The invitation was sent out to all people, but its content is very specific. And Jesus wants you to know that well.

Just like the invitations you receive to wedding receptions or other festivities tell you about the location, the time, the dress, and other details, so does the divine invitation to salvation. The invitation that has been extended to you and the world includes the details about how to enter the kingdom of heaven. Entry into the kingdom of heaven depends on receiving the merits of Jesus’ work for you. That dependence includes the proper faith in who He is and what He has done. The wedding garment is the salvation that Jesus brings through His death and resurrection. Holy Baptism is how that wedding garment is given to you, made to be yours, as you are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, joined to His death and resurrection. That dependence also includes continually receiving forgiveness, life, and salvation in the present day through Holy Absolution, Holy Preaching, Holy Supper, Holy Conversation of the people of God—for these are the means through which Jesus’ Gospel is applied again and again to you.

The great news of Jesus’ parable is this: God is holding a party and you will come. You have received all that is necessary to participate in the eternal wedding feast that God the Father holds for His Son, Jesus Christ. It has been provided for you. The invitation has been extended to you, delivered with everything that makes it possible for you to enter the kingdom of heaven. That is the extent of the divine generosity that God shows to you and to the entire world. So do not ignore it. Do not become apathetic about it. Do not hate those who deliver it. Instead, make that invitation the most precious of your possessions. Participate in the foretastes of the feast to come. Treasure all the signs of generosity that God shows to you in the days that lead up to the time of the eternal wedding feast. Then you will be welcomed by God Himself, and you will say: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Proper 22A Sermon -- Matthew 21:33-46

2011-10-02T20:30:00.001-04:00

October 2, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“[Jesus said:] ‘When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to Him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

Vineyards and tenants gone wild: that is the theme of the readings this week. The Lord speaks to His people who had forsaken their identity as His covenant people. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord speaks about His people, using a parable about a vineyard: “My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it. . . .” Everything was set up for the vineyard to be productive. The owner had chosen a good place for his vineyard to be planted. The land was properly prepared. He selected the choicest vines. All that was needed for a successful wine-making venture was there. It was a process that was repeated countless times in Israel and all over the Mediterranean region.

Yet, there was a problem: “And he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.” Instead of finding the fine grapes that the choicest vines should have produced, the owner sees all sorts of wild grapes growing on the vines. These are not what he expected! No, he wants the grapes that his choice vines should bring forth. The owner asks the people to comment: “What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?” So what was wrong? The vineyard had gone wild: it had incorporated other species into it. Cross-pollination had taken place, so that wild grapes were its fruit. Its identity as a vineyard that produces good grapes had been forsaken.

Isaiah mentions whom He is describing with this parable: “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant planting; and He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold an outcry!” This parable is meant to shock the Israelites, especially its rulers, into changing their behavior, to turn from the abandoning of their identity as the Lord’s covenant people and return to Him. They had been brought out of Egypt, made into a nation, given a homeland—all actions done by the Lord for their benefit. But their sins, from the breaking of the Lord’s Law concerning behavior towards the neighbor to the disastrous adoption of foreign worship and religions, became the reason for the Lord’s punishment of Israel.

Like Isaiah of old, Jesus also tells a parable about a vineyard. He does so to show the error of the chief priests and elders: “There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit.” The storyline is straightforward. Nothing is odd about it. That’s the way large farming operations work. Substitute farm for vineyard, silo for winepress, and grain for fruit, and the story would sound just like what the people in my former parishes in Iowa did every year.

But the storyline changes rapidly from normal to unusual: “And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.” The owner’s servants go to collect the harvest fruit from the tenants and they get assaulted, beaten, and killed. This is an arrangement that has gone horribly wrong! The tenants have abandoned their identity as the people who are contracted with the owner: their agreement was to oversee the working of the vineyard and to send the harvest fruits to the owner. But when that contract was to reach its fulfillment, they refuse to do so. They will not abide by the terms of the agreement.

Yet, that is not the end of the storyline. No, Jesus puts something else in it: “Finally [the owner] sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” Now everything has gone off the tracks. Beating and killing servants was an outrage, but to actually kill the son who has the rightful possession of the vineyard? Who in their right mind would do that? This is what completely cuts off the tenants from the owner. Here is the total forsaking of their connection to the owner. They refuse to be under his authority anymore, but want to be the owners of the vineyard themselves. And for that action, they receive punishment.

In both parables—the wildness of the vineyard and the wildness of the vineyard tenants—the owner metes out punishment. Isaiah described the owner’s reaction: “And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.” The hearers’ response to Jesus’ question tells the fate of the tenants who killed the owner’s servants and son: “[The owner] will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” So it was for the ancient Israelites and for the chief priests and elders. The Lord removed His protection from the nation of Israel and Judah and both were overrun by Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon. The Lord took away the oversight of His people from the chief priests and elders who murdered Jesus; in their place, the apostles were appointed to oversee the Lord’s people. The vineyard and the tenants who had forsaken their identities are forsaken by the owner.

But these words of judgment do not simply describe past events. No, they are meant for you to hear, for they speak about what happens whenever people abandon the Lord’s covenant with them. The parables provide warning for pastor and pew-sitter alike: for the judgment is spoken against the tenants, just as it is spoken against the vines themselves. Their sins are different, but the result is the same. Both the tenants and the vines went wild, losing their identity as the Lord’s people. Their forsaking Him was answered by His forsaking of them, and that has eternal consequences!

The great sin that these parables warn you about becomes clear. All the wild grapes produced by the vineyard—worshiping false gods, adopting the piety of other belief systems, refusing to live as the Lord dictates, reveling in evil, coveting roles that have not been given, rebelling against the Lord’s authority, ignoring and assailing those who speak for the Lord—they are all symptomatic of the great sin of unbelief and apostasy. They take place when people who had been given the identity as the Lord’s people forsake that identity. There is a refusal of the way of life that the Lord sets for His people. Instead of abiding by the covenant that He has made with them, the people act contrary to it.

So what is the answer, the remedy to this? What will deliver the vineyard and the tenants from their wretched fates? It is obvious that continuing in their current behaviors will lead to destruction. So a change in that is needed. But even that is not enough. No, there needs to be something done that comes from outside the vineyard and the tenants themselves, a reception of actions done for them. This is what Paul mentions in his writing: “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh I have more. . . . But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” What Paul did would not bring him salvation; it would not bring the true gain. No, he needed something from outside himself: “For [Christ’s] sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

The deliverance needed is what Jesus provides. The problem with the vineyard and the tenants is their forsaking of the identity given to them. That identity needs to be restored, given back. It is granted through faith in Jesus as the Christ, faith that trusts who Jesus is and what He has done. But only the Lord can create that faith by planting His word in the hearts and minds of people. The knowledge of Christ Jesus as Lord is something bestowed to people, not produced by people. To use the vineyard imagery, what needs to happen is the owner to take action—to replant that vine, to rehire tenants.

And here today’s Psalm is very helpful. When the people of Israel understood what was happening to them, as the Lord’s protection was removed from them because of their abandoning the covenant and forsaking their identity as the Lord’s people, the cry of repentance came from them: “Restore us, O God of hosts, let Your face shine, that we may be saved!” The vineyard was in disarray, torn up because of the Lord’s judgment against it. The words of the psalm depict the proper reaction to the divine judgment that came from the people: “Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that Your right hand planted, and for the son whom You made strong for Yourself. They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of Your face!”

The plea is for divine action, divine favor. It is not based on trust in what the people had done. No, their record of actions rightly deserved judgment; there is nothing to take confidence in. Rather, the plea for divine action is based upon the proper understanding about how someone becomes connected to the Lord: that connection is what He chooses to grant them; that identity is given by His work. The psalm’s words acknowledge that: “But let Your hand be on the man of Your right hand, the son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself!” Receiving what the Lord does, restoration of the identity will take place: “Then we shall not turn back from You; give us life, and we will call upon Your name!”

This is what you pray for in your repentance. There is a reminder that the Lord has had made you His people. His name that was placed on you is spoken again: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Through baptism, the identity of belonging to Him was given. That identity came with a way of life. But as you have failed to abide by that way of life, you produced the wild grapes instead of the good grapes. Such action brings divine judgment. But you are made to understand and know that this judgment is rightly spoken against you. So you call out for a restoration of your identity as the Lord’s people, the choice vines that produce the expected harvest: “Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name.” Then as the forgiving words of Jesus’ Gospel are spoken to you—the words that proclaim His death and resurrection for your salvation, the acts that accomplish everlasting life for sinners—that vine is replanted, the identity of being the Lord’s people is restored, life is given again.

So as you consider these two parables about vineyards and tenants gone wild, know that they speak judgment against the sin of abandoning and forsaking the identity that the Lord gives to you. But know also that He has the ability and desire to restore that identity to you, along with all the benefits it brings. Speak the words of the psalm that call for divine action: “Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let Your face shine, that we may be saved!” Knowing and admitting your own sins and failures, but also believing who Jesus is and what He has done for you, His covenant is renewed with you. You are called His people. You are replanted as the choice vines that produce the good grapes of faithful action that the Lord desires to find. And when the day of harvest comes, you will be gathered up to be with Him for eternity.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

LSB Proper 21A Sermon -- Matthew 21:23-32

2011-09-26T23:47:00.004-04:00

September 25, 2011 at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA

“When [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?’”

When someone performs an act that another person disagrees with, it usually brings response. There are questions raised: “Who gave you the right to do that? Who made you king? Who put you in charge?” These are questions rooted in disapproval. They are questions of rebuke. They are meant to force the acting individual to stop, to put an end to his actions.

The chief priests and elders want to put an end to Jesus and His actions. They disapprove of His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem the day before. They disagree with what the crowds believed about Jesus, that He was a prophet and the promised Messiah. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, a radical act of judgment, had rankled them. Then the next day, Jesus was standing in the temple and teaching the people. Just who gave Jesus the right to do that? Who had put Him in charge? So the question is posed to Jesus: “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

Their question is a legitimate one to ask. The drastic actions that Jesus had done do need a foundation of authority. Jesus knows that. In fact, He had mentioned His authority in previous encounters with leaders and rulers. In the past, Jesus had spoken of His heavenly Father, of His charge to seek the lost, of His being a prophet, of His Messianic identity. The question of authority had already been answered: the problem was that the chief priests and elders did not believe what Jesus had said. But this was not the first time that they had refused to heed a messenger sent by the Lord.

So when confronted by the chief priests and elders with a question of authority, Jesus responds by asking them a question on the same topic: “I will also ask you one question, and if you tell Me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” Jesus takes the minds of the chief priests and elders several years back in time. “Remember John,” Jesus is saying, “Think about him and his actions. He went in the wilderness preaching repentance and baptizing. All people from Jerusalem and Judea went out to hear him and confessed their sins. By what authority did he do such things?” The question that Jesus poses is similar to the one asked of Him. It has to do with whether the chief priests and elders receive the Lord’s prophets, even a forerunner of the Messiah.

The discussion that ensues shows that the chief priests and elders understood the point of Jesus’ question: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” They know how either answer will convict them. Jesus’ question was meant to bring the chief priests and elders to repentance, to change their belief, so that they could receive Him as the Messiah. But their response shows that they would not have the Lord’s words change their hearts and minds: “So they answered, ‘We do not know.’” They punt on the question. They will not answer. They plead ignorance, though they had a very specific opinion about John the Baptizer.

What is found in the chief priests and the elders is the obstinacy that impenitence creates in sinners. They will not have anyone correct them. They will not allow the Lord’s words to change their hearts and minds. Even when people who carry the Lord’s authority come in their midst and speak, they will not listen. They are certain, dead certain, that they are right. But actually, they are completely incorrect. Their obstinacy causes them to miss out on what the Lord wants for them, as Jesus’ statement of judgment points out: “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.”

But this is not the first time such an incident had taken place among the chief priests and rulers of Israel. Their forefathers had done the same. You heard how the Lord addressed them through the prophet Ezekiel: “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?” As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel.’” The belief of the ancient Israelites was that the Lord was unjustly punishing them—that they were suffering because of the guilt of their forefathers’ sins. So what does the Lord say to them? He answers their accusations: “Hear now, O house of Israel: Is My way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness that he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”

Yet, that response is not the only thing that the Lord says. He puts forward the way of forgiveness and life that comes after repentance and turning: “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn and live.” But would the people listen? Would they receive what the Lord offers them? Would they hear His words spoken authoritatively by the prophet?

The Scripture record shows that many refused to hear and turn. The Lord’s words just bounced off their hardened hearts and minds, bringing no benefit to them. Yet, there were others who did heed what the Lord said, who did believe His righteous judgment and trust His merciful promise. They did repent. They did receive a new way of life. They did have a new heart and new spirit created in them by the words that the Lord spoke. Throughout time, sinners have heard the convicting judgment that the Lord has spoken, but have also received the promise of forgiveness, life, and salvation that He graciously gives. Even what the tax collectors and prostitutes did in the day of John the Baptizer was not a new phenomenon, but has occurred throughout the history of mankind and continues today.

This incident in Jerusalem’s temple puts forward the same two possibilities for you. That is what Jesus describes with His parable: “A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.” The first son represents those who have the repentance and turning to life take place in them, but the second son represents those who hear the Lord’s word but have no effect happen in them.

You can be like the chief priests and elders who did not receive the Lord’s words, who did not recognize the authority that He bestows to those He calls to speak. That will cause you to miss out on what He desires to give you. What Jesus says about such people stands true even now: “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.” Such is the fate of those who might promise faithfulness to the Father’s will, but who do not actually have it. That is what the obstinacy of impenitence and unbelief brings. Pleading ignorance will not excuse it.

What Jesus desires for you is to be like the tax collectors and prostitutes, to be like the first son who started in disobedience but was led to righteousness. Countless times you have said to the Father in heaven: “I will not obey You. I will not heed Your command. I will not follow Your will for my life.” Even if you have not verbally spoken such things, your actions have proclaimed such a message. That is when the Lord’s words of judgment are spoken through His servants: “Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!” As you hear such words and are led to believe that the Lord’s statement is applicable to you, that you really have broken His Law and His judgment is justly spoken against you, then the response created is to receive the forgiveness and life that He offers.

But where is that forgiveness and life found? It is found where the Lord puts His authority, where He places the benefits that Jesus’ death and resurrection have accomplished—in the preaching of the Gospel, in the baptism that brings spiritual renewal and rebirth, in the absolution of sins, in the eating and drinking in remembrance of what Jesus, the promised Messiah, has done. That is what the Church does, as the Lord authorizes. But if that authority is not seen, not believed, not recognized, then the reaction will be like the chief priests and elders: there will be rejection of what the Lord offers, a rejection that leads to everlasting death.

So even today the question is directed to you: “Why will you die? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” The fate of the chief priests and elders is not meant for you. No, Jesus wishes to dole out forgiveness, life, and salvation to you this morning and all days. From this pulpit, your sins are put in front of you; the Lord’s Law speaks against them. Do you believe that authoritative statement? Your actions say that you do, for you have already declared your sinfulness and your desire for forgiveness. You have received that message of judgment and recognized it to be true. You have said to the Lord, like the psalmist did: “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions.”

From this pulpit, salvation is also put in front of you; the Lord’s Gospel says that because of Jesus’ work, you are forgiven, you are declared righteous, you are made part of God’s kingdom. Do you believe that authoritative statement? If so, then say to the Lord: “Remember Your mercy and Your steadfast love; for they have been from of old.” Count yourselves among the tax collectors and prostitutes that Jesus welcomed as they turned to Him and lived. Then go from here “as children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” On that day, you will be welcomed as those who were given a new heart and spirit, who did the will of the Father, who have been taught the way of life and led in it. For that is what Jesus desires for you and what He works to accomplish.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.