December 2, 2012 at Calvary
Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA
The arrival of a King is the
theme of Advent. But not just any King is coming. He is upright and just; He is
powerful and mighty; He is benevolent and merciful. Such descriptions sound
similar to how monarchs in the past had described themselves. Yet the King
spoken of is different than those who have ascended to the many thrones of the
world’s empires and kingdoms. This King is who arrives is unique: He has been
promised and foretold for centuries; He has been raised up by the Lord; He has come down from heaven.
That is what the readings which
start the Advent Season, this new Church Year, convey to you. You are to
anticipate the arrival of this unique King. To prepare for this, you heard the
retelling of a divine promise made to His people. You heard the prophet’s
words: “Behold, the days are coming,
declares the Lord, when I will
fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
Not only does the Lord state that
He had made a promise, He tells you what the promised action is: “In those days and at that time I will cause
a Righteous Branch to spring up for David, and He shall execute justice and
righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will
dwell securely.” This is the King that is to be anticipated, the King who
is arriving.
This King foretold in the
promise is the Messiah, the One anointed by the Lord.
Some of the promises about Him sound like what other rulers claimed to be. What
ruler wouldn’t want to execute justice and righteousness…or at least make their
rule appear to be fair and equitable? What emperor wouldn’t want their capital
city to exist in safety and security? What monarch wouldn’t want to be known as
a great deliverer and protector of his people? But a difference about the
Promised King begins to be noted when He arrives.
The arrival of this Promised King
was told to you. It took place according to promise of old that had been made.
Jerusalem, the capital city, was about to have Him appear: “When Jesus had said these things, He went on ahead, going up to
Jerusalem.” He selects a mode of transit that had been described centuries
before: “When He drew near to Bethphage
and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples,
saying, ‘Go in to the village that is in front of you, where on entering you
will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it
here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” you shall say this: “The
Lord has need of it.”’” And riding into the city, Jesus is acclaimed by the
crowds: “And as He rode along, they
spread their cloaks on the road. As
He was drawing near—already down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His
disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty
works that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of
the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’”
Jesus enters Jerusalem as the
Messiah. This is what He had been destined to do for eternity. His arrival is a
bit odd for a monarch who comes to take his spot on the throne: most would not choose
to ride into the capital city on a young colt with only the coats of followers
adorning it. Yet, this unique arrival leads to the people’s recognition of
Jesus’ identity. He shows up as the prophets declared. So they spread their
cloaks on the road, rolling out the proverbial red carpet for Jesus. They
praise God for what the mighty works that Jesus had done. And in their
statement of praise, the crowds allude to the true uniqueness of this arriving
King.
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in
heaven and glory in the highest!” The crowds’ statement of praise
refers to the authority that Jesus bears and the divine sanction that had been
granted Him. Jesus comes to Jerusalem as King, a monarch that the Lord had established. No foreign
occupiers of Jerusalem could claim such status. The previous kings of Israel
and Judah could state that they had the Lord’s
power delegated to them. But this time, it is not just someone with divine
approval who comes to Jerusalem; the Lord
Himself enters the city. Recall what was said earlier: the Lord had need of the colt; it is the Lord who rides it.
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in
heaven and glory in the highest!” The crowds’ statement also
reveals the greater agenda that this King executes. Jerusalem had seen plenty
of rulers who came with war and strife. Many lived in luxury and opulence. Occasionally,
there were some who both brought concord to the region and displayed
magnificence. Solomon was clothed in splendor and ruled as a prince of peace. Caesar
Augustus wore his purple robes and enacted his Pax Romana. But Jesus’ arrival brings peace in heaven. He comes
with the glory found in the highest heavens. This is what He was going to
accomplish in Jerusalem through His death and resurrection. And this is how the
ancient words about that city would be fulfilled: “And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”
The arrival of this King is what
you also anticipate. That is what the Advent Season is meant to accomplish for
you. Yes, the Promised Messiah has already come in the past. Just 23 days from
now, you will specifically acknowledge and celebrate the Messiah’s Nativity,
the birth of that King. But there is a promise made to you about another
arrival, one that is prefigured by Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and foretold in
the ancient promises about Jerusalem’s salvation and safety.
“In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely.” That
was part of the Promised Messiah’s agenda. Yet, what is seen in those places?
Again this year there have been wars and conflicts. And what about your lives?
Are you safe and secure? Are there no threats or hazards around you? No, you
live in the midst of perils to body and soul. “Change and decay in all around I
see,” one hymnist wrote. Another puts it bluntly: “I walk in danger all the way….
I pass through trials all the way…. And death pursues me all the way….” The
threats of Satan are around. The grave looms near. The opponents of the King
are active and present. It was so when Jesus entered Jerusalem: “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to
Him, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’” Jesus’ experience in Bethany
included the death of His friend Lazarus, as well as one of His disciples
beginning the road of betrayal.
But what Jesus accomplishes is
the beginning of the salvation and security that will be brought to you. He
does not leave the treats of Satan unchecked, but overcomes them and grants His
protection to you. He does not leave death undealt with, but answers it with
His resurrection and the promise of your own. He does not leave sin untreated,
but gives you the remedy of His righteousness for it. This is how you receive
the benefits of what this King gives to you. It is what He brings with His
arrival that takes place today for you.
You prayed this morning: “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 might deliverance.” Even
now, He arrives to you and brings His justice and righteousness to you in the
midst of this land of guilt and iniquity. Even now, you are made to reflect the
truth of the name that His people bear: “The
Lord is our righteousness.” Even
now, you are saved by what this Promised Messiah has done for you by achieving
peace in heaven through His atoning work for you. Even now, the Promised
Messiah comes down to you in humility. He comes in word, water, wine—the
preaching of the Gospel and reception of the sacraments.
Yet, there is an even greater
arrival of the King that you anticipate. There is another glorious arrival of
the Messiah promised to take place. It has been looked forward to from the
first generation of the Church: “the
coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” You are looking for the
resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come. You are looking for
the time when Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.
You are looking for the full participation in His kingdom that has no end. You
are anticipating the fulfillment of every promise about what the King will do.
The arrival that you look
forward will be another descending of Jesus to you. But it will not be on an
unridden colt borrowed from some friends. It will not be walking on the cloaks
of people strewn on the road. No, it will be as you heard last Sunday: “they will see the Son of Man coming in
clouds with great power and glory.” Then the fullness of what the Messiah
has done for you will be made yours. Then you and all of the Lord’s people—the house of Israel and
the house of Judah, all the saints—will have the divine promises fulfilled. You
will be saved. You will dwell securely. You will join in the worship that all
creation will give to Jesus, even the words of acknowledgement that will flow
from the mouths of those who first rejected Him. You and all His believers will
praise Him, saying: “Blessed is the King
who comes in name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
This is your fate because the
Promised King has first arrived in time and made atonement for you and your
sins. The Promised King arrives now and delivers His benefits of that work to
you. The Promised King will arrive again, removing all the shame and perils
that you endure, not letting your enemies exult over you. These are the mighty
works that the King—the Incarnate Lord—does
for you. And so you will gladly say: “The
Lord is our righteousness.”
+ In the Name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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