Sermon -- 1st Sunday after Christmas (December 31, 2023)

LUKE 2:22-40

GOD PRESENTS THE ONE WHO LETS US LIVE AND DIE IN PEACE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Although the Bible does not specifically say that Simeon was an old man, the joy and relief he expressed at seeing the baby Jesus strongly suggest he is.  St. Luke pairs Simeon with the prophetess Anna who we are told specifically is an old woman.  So, it makes sense that Simeon’s age is similar to hers.  Both Simeon and Anna had been blessed with many years.  Perhaps they were good years; perhaps they were hard years.  Anna’s hardship we know, as she was a widow for a long time.  Both Simeon and Anna knew that their remaining time on earth was short.  Death was near at hand.

     Simeon, however, had been given a promise.  While many in Israel knew the Messiah was coming, “it had been revealed to (Simeon) by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ” (Luke 2:26).  The coming of the Christ was imminent for Simeon, even more imminent than his death!  Hope was coupled with excitement.  God’s promise would be fulfilled, and he would see it for himself.

     “(Simeon) came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God” (Luke 2:27-28).  This was not a dumb-luck meeting; it was divinely arranged.  Just how Simeon recognized the Christ is hard to say.  We have no reason to think that Simeon knew Mary and Joseph, or that if he heard their names he would say, “Hey, you’re the parents of the Messiah, aren’t you?”  Did he approach everyone in the temple who had a baby?  Was Simeon the priest who aided Mary and Joseph with their sacrifice?  Maybe. 

     How he found Jesus is not as important as what he found in Jesus.  Simeon blessed God for fulfilling his promises—both the promise of the Savior and the promise that Simeon would see him.  Simeon declared, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples” (Luke 2:29-31).  In other words, Simeon was ready to die.  God had presented the one who let him live and die in peace.

     What would take for you to live and die in peace?  For Simeon, it was one thing—he got to see the Lord’s Christ; but that did not mean it had been an easy life for him.  Who knows what burdens made his life short on peace?  Anna was an elderly woman with a devout faith, but her life turned out differently than planned.  Perhaps her devotion to prayer and fasting in the temple was partly to fill up hours of loneliness.  I’m sure that you have had challenges and hardships which have robbed you of peace.  In a sinful world, no one is immune from them.

     What would take for you to live and die in peace?  Some have taken up the practice of writing their own obituary.  This enables people to set their priorities so they can strive for a full, purposeful life.  This way, they could be at peace with what their life would be when ends.  Maybe you do that on a smaller scale with a New Year’s resolution.  You resolve to fix or improve some facet of your life.  To make your life better would grant you peace, right?  But this is what the Lord says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).  Plans get derailed by responsibilities God drops in your lap.  Dreams go unfulfilled when circumstances redirect your life.  For instance, I’m sure Anna had planned to be married longer than seven years; and then her husband died.  If your peace comes by having your life go according to your plans, you will find your peace shattered easily.

     If peace in life is elusive, peace when dying is impossible.  Those who have lost loved ones are filled with regrets.  “If only I had called more.  If only I had treater her better.  If only we could have had one more visit together.  If only we could have put an end to our grudge.”  For the person who is dying, how much can be rectified before you draw your final breath?  What words from the past will come back to haunt you?  No obituary about world travel or unique hobbies will bring peace when you remember the sins of the past.  “There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked.” (Isaiah 48:22).  If your conscience testifies about the wickedness on your record, you will be consumed by terror, feverishly trying to come up with reasons why you deserve to be excused for your sins, why God’s judgment is not real, or that it won’t be really bad.  If you know death is imminent, you will also feel the pressure to make these arguments convincing.  No time will be long enough.  No argument will be good enough.

     Now you can understand why Simeon and Anna were so overjoyed to greet Jesus.  Anna “began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).  Anna did not have to worry about buying her way into heavenly glory.  She had a Redeemer who would pay the price for her.  She gave thanks to God for presenting the one who let her live and die in peace, and she proclaimed this peace to everyone in earshot.  Simeon “took (Jesus) up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word’” (Luke 2:28-29).  Simeon took up the one who had come to take up his sins.

     When we are dying, the devil puts us on trial.  He presents the evidence that convicts us of sin, that condemns us before God, and that consumes us in guilt and fear.  But God has presented the one who lets us live and die in peace.  Jesus has come to stand on trial in our place.  When Jesus stood on trial before his accusers, he did not attempt to refute any of the charges against him.  Although Jesus’ accusers could not prove their charges, Jesus accepted them all anyway.  He accepted the guilt of all sinners and let himself be judged accordingly.  The baby held by Simeon grew up to suffer the indignities and shame and torment which sinners deserve.  The punishment which brings us peace rested upon Jesus. 

     God presents the one who lets us live and die in peace.  Simeon had been waiting for “the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25).  This is Jesus.  He consoles your heart and mind from the terrors of conscience.  Jesus consoles you by speaking up as your Advocate.  He presents his wounds as the evidence that all your sins have been paid for.  He shows the gash in his side out of which flowed the blood and water which have purified you in baptism and in holy communion.  Jesus issues the final verdict: Your sins are forgiven.  Even if your conscience objects, Jesus overrules it.  The devil’s accusations do not stick.  The grave does not get the last word.  The Christ lives victorious over sin, death, and the devil.  Jesus lets you live in peace, assuring you that God’s favor rests upon you.  Jesus lets you die in peace, assuring you that there is no condemnation for those who believe in him.  When you to close your eyes in death, you will open them again to see Jesus.  So, we confess with aged Simeon, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29-30).

     God presents the one who lets us live and die in peace.  But that does not mean that Jesus is a pushover or harmless.  In fact, Jesus produces a divide that cannot be bridged by any human effort.  Simeon explained it: “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed…, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).  Since Jesus is the judge of the living and the dead, he cannot be avoided.  Even if he is ignored during one’s life, he will have to be faced in the end.  All people will be divided—either with Jesus or against him.

     Jesus is appointed for the falling and rising of everyone.  Before him, everyone must fall.  The truth is that all people are fallen.  All have sinned and continue to fall short of the glory of God.  God’s word reveals the thoughts of our hearts.  It shows us that we are turned in on ourselves.  We don’t love anything as much as we love ourselves.  We cannot fix our sinfulness, so neither can we escape the death and judgment that sin deserves and demands.  Before Jesus, everyone falls.

     We may try to elevate ourselves.  This goes back to making arguments with God about how we are not as bad as he says we are.  You may boast that your works are good, or at least that your intentions are good.  You may believe that it is enough to be nice or humble or generous.  If so, you don’t want a Savior; you want a reward.  But nice people, generous people, and humble people are still fallen people.  Sinners cannot raise themselves up to holiness, and the dead cannot raise themselves back to life.

     Therefore, we fall before Jesus now.  We confess our sins, knowing that Jesus is also appointed for the rising of many.  Jesus raises people up from sin and death by his redeeming work.  He alone does the work to save.  Rather than asking God for the credit we deserve, we rely on Jesus who credits us with all we need, credit which only Jesus can supply.  We need a holy life for God to be pleased with us; Jesus gives us credit for his.  We need to be rescued from a condemning judgment; Jesus has taken away all our sin.  We need the grave to be overpowered so that it does not hold us forever; Jesus has done that by his resurrection from the dead.  We need to be renewed so that we do not fall right back to the wretched condition we have been brought out of.  Jesus has sent us his Holy Spirit who makes us a new creation, eager to hear God’s word and zealous to do it.  The Holy Spirit raises us up to the good and noble purposes for which we have been created.  And he will raise us up at the Last Day to the glory Jesus has won for us.

     God has presented the one who lets us live and die in peace.  We do not have the pressure of trying to earn God’s favor.  We have the peace of knowing that God’s favor is upon us through life and through death.  Like Simeon and Anna, we will depart from this life in peace according to God’s word.  For we have seen his salvation delivered to us in the words of Scripture, in the waters of baptism, and in the body and blood of Jesus hidden under the bread and wine—just as Simeon saw the Lord hidden under infant flesh.  Whether you are granted many years or few, whether the path of life has been rocky or smooth, whether death is imminent or comes unexpectedly, the peace of the Lord will be with you always. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- 1st Sunday after Christmas (December 29, 2019)

MATTHEW 2:13-15,19-23

THE SAVIOR WAS DESPISED BY THOSE HE CAME TO SAVE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The prophet Isaiah had spoken of our Lord Jesus when he said, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3)  This verse and the whole chapter it comes from speak specifically about the Suffering Servant who was despised by those he came to save, but who nonetheless was given by God to bear our guilt and to die as a sin offering for us.  There is no denying that Jesus was despised by the religious leaders of his day who plotted his death and rallied before Pontius Pilate to give the order for his crucifixion.  However, Jesus was despised long before this.
     As soon as Jesus entered the world as an infant, he was despised.  King Herod the Great was told that the King of the Jews was born.  Herod was a man who was zealous for his power and his throne.  He had no problem killing his own children when he felt threatened by them.  To hear that another had come as King was met with rage.  To ensure that no newborn boy in Bethlehem would live to rival him, Herod gave the order to have every boy in Bethlehem, two and under, slaughtered.  Herod had no room for Jesus in his heart or on the earth.
     Herod's despising of Jesus seems senseless to us.  Jesus was fully dependent upon Mary and Joseph for everything.  What could he do as an infant?  But Herod was on to something about Jesus.  If Jesus is King, then others are answerable to him.  Even in his infancy, Jesus was still God Almighty.  As God, he has expectations of Herod and you and all people.  Since Jesus is God, all are accountable to him.  Jesus had come to uphold all of God's Commandments.  He is the embodiment of the word of God.  He is love personified, and the main focus of his love is the Lord and his word.  Anyone who does not render due obedience to those Commandments must answer to him.  Anything outside of that he will not praise or bless or tolerate.
     The Commandments of God start with this: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)  In the same way, the longest Psalm in the Old Testament, Psalm 119, confesses in each and every verse how we are to love God's word.  If we love the Lord and his word, our love for our fellow man will follow without fail.  Putting God's word first also means that we will despise whatever is opposed to it.  This does not mean you have license to despise other people.  It means you begin with yourself.  Disobedience is not excused because you meant well or because doing right was too costly.  Sins are not different because your children are doing them.  The word of the Lord is always true—in all places, in all circumstances, for all people, for all time.  If we refuse to call sin what God calls sin, then we call God a liar.  God cannot be despised more than when we call him a liar.  If Jesus tells us what is good and we reject it or tells us what is wicked and we do it anyway, we cannot truly call him “Lord.”  We may not become as violent as Herod, but we have the same sinful, stubborn heart, as do all men.
     This rebellious heart is nothing new.  When the Lord acted to save the people of Israel by bringing them out of Egypt, their gratitude did not last long at all.  They grumbled against God's plan and rebelled against God's will.  They even groaned that serving Egyptian gods would be better because at least their bellies were well fed.  At the foot of Mt. Sinai, they gave way to their perverted desires around the golden calf, and called it worship.  These were God's children, but they did not live as the children of God.  And for them, for Herod, for you: God sent a Savior.  The Savior was despised by those he came to save, but he came to save nonetheless.
     Jesus came to give the obedience that we have not.  He proved himself to be God's true Son as he kept the Law and fulfilled God's word.  Like the Israelites, Jesus also went to Egypt.  But unlike the Israelites, when God called his Son out of Egypt, Jesus did not grumble or complain about God's will.  He remained a dutiful Son throughout his whole life.  For all of Herod's rage against Jesus, it did not benefit him at all.  Herod died in hateful rebellion.  Jesus remained King.  And if we persist in our sins, despising to order our lives according to God's word, we will not benefit either.  We will perish.  Jesus will remain King.
     Jesus' glorious reign, however, did not take place until he rose from the dead.  Throughout his life, he was a servant who was obligated to obey all of God's Commandments.  And so, he submitted to the slanderous words of others, to the mockery of friends, and to the attitudes of people who think it laughable that they owe God anything.  But Jesus did not respond with violence, vengeance, or bloodshed.  He came to be the Savior even for people who despised him. 
     Jesus also had to face the heinous plotting of violent men.  By means of Joseph's protection and by other means, Jesus was delivered from a violent end until his hour had come.  When it was his hour, Jesus willingly endured the violence of those who sought to kill him.  He willingly subjected himself to the accusations and assaults of those who despised him.  He willingly submitted to bloodshed, making himself the sinless sacrifice on behalf of all sinners.  The Savior was despised by those he came to save.  But he did not base his love for mankind on how much mankind loved him.  He loved us perfectly and sought only our good.  Therefore, he gave himself up to take away our sins.  He covers us in his innocence.  He converts our hearts so that we do not despise his word, but rejoice in it. 
     From the very beginning of his life, Jesus was committed to humble, obedient service to God's word.  “Out of Egypt I called my Son,” (Matthew 2:15) declares the Lord.  And this Son was fully obedient to the Father.  After he came back from Egypt, the Lord directed Joseph in a dream to go to Galilee.  St. Matthew noted, “And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” (Matthew 2:23) 
     Although Matthew stated that Jesus' dwelling in Nazareth fulfills the words of the prophets, there does not seem to be any clear reference to which prophet said this.  Perhaps it is a prophecy that was never recorded in the Old Testament, but it seems strange that Matthew would refer to a message we can't confirm.  What we do know about Jesus' residence in Nazareth is that it resulted in people further despising him.  The apostle Nathanael summed up the reputation of Nazareth with the question: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)
     The Savior was despised by those he came to save.  He has saved you, and he has made you the people of God.  Now, what God's people are in danger of despising most is likely his grace.  Consider this: We are convinced we know why Herod was damned—because he was evil.  By contrast, why are we saved?  Because we are better.  Herod did what was bad; but God chose us, it is supposed, because he knew we would not reject him.  If this is true, then we don't view salvation as a gift.  It is what we are owed, at least in part.  We believe some are worthy of salvation; others are not.  This is what it means that we despise grace. 
     The Savior is despised by those he came to save, and that includes us.  We have been neither perfect servants nor perfect students of God's word.  There is only one Son who is perfectly obedient to God—the Nazarene who is despised and rejected by men.  And while he would have good reason to despise us, he does not.  He does not tolerate our sins; he atones for them.  He does not overlook our faults; he covers them with his own holiness.  He does not care if we are better or worse; he judges us blameless based on his own perfect life and innocent death on our behalf. 
     God be praised that his love does not depend upon us!  He is a faithful Savior whose love endures forever.  He does not despise what he has created, but he has reconciled us to himself so that he will forever be our loving God, and we will forever be his beloved children.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Sermon -- 1st Sunday after Christmas (December 29, 2013)

LUKE 2:25-38

O LORD, YOU LET US DEPART IN PEACE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The older you get in life, the more you long for the life to come.  While you certainly enjoy the blessings that come with every stage of life, you also have your share of griefs pile up too.  You are able to enjoy the blessings less.  You feel the aches, pains, and weaknesses more.  Your body does not work as hard and move as well as it used to.  And when it does work hard, it does not rebound like it used to.  You attend more funerals and visit more doctor’s offices.  And the laughter of youth is eventually replaced by the loneliness of old age.  A friend of mine summed it up succinctly: “It stinks getting old.”  If you are not there yet, your day will come. 

     Even though the elderly may long for the world to come, that does not mean they always face it with confidence or peace.  If you live for a good number of decades, then you also have decades’ worth of guilt or regret.  And if you have time to reflect upon your years, the devil will plague you with the sins of the past.  No matter how distant in the past, they still haunt, and they still hurt.  Your sins leave you wondering about your judgment.  For, your conscience testifies that you are guilty.  God has you dead to rights.  You can’t escape your sins, and they will not let you go.

     In our gospel, we have two elderly people who knew that their days on earth were short.  They were longing for the life to come, but first they were longing to see the one who would save them from the sins that haunted them.  The prophetess Anna had lived a long, hard life.  She laid her husband to rest after only seven years of marriage.  For the decades that followed, she remained a widow.  Who knows if she ever sought another suitor or if another suitor had ever sought her?  In any case, she spent her days praying and fasting at the temple.  With more than eight decades behind her, she looked forward to the life that has no end.  But first, she was able to see the one who would win that place for her.  And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:38)  Her long awaited Redeemer had finally come.  God had been faithful to his promises.  Salvation was at hand.  The Lord would let this servant depart in peace.

     We also hear of another aged believer, Simeon.  While we do not hear of any special promises made to Anna, it had been revealed to (Simeon) by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. (Luke 2:26)  The Holy Spirit stirred Simeon to enter the temple on the very day that Jesus was brought there for his dedication and for the purification of Mary.  Like Anna, Simeon also prophesied about Jesus.  Unlike Anna’s, Simeon’s prophecy is recorded for us. 

     You are familiar with Simeon’s words which we sing at the conclusion of the Lord’s Supper: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)  It is one thing to hear God’s promise of salvation.  It is another to behold its fulfillment.  Patriarchs and prophets had heard the promises and trusted in them.  They were gathered to their rest still waiting, still hoping.  Simeon, however, would depart from the temple and from this life having seen and held in his arms the Lord’s Anointed.  The one who had delivered Israel in the past had come in the flesh to deliver all mankind.  He is the Savior of the Gentiles.  He is the one for whom Israel was chosen.  He is the one who consoles Israel, the one who redeems Jerusalem, and the one who takes away the sins of the world.  If he has come, then all that haunts us and hurts us comes to an end.  O Lord, you let your servant depart in peace.

     For that reason, we sing the Song of Simeon after we have partaken in the Lord’s Supper.  For, once again, the Lord comes to us in a way that we can see and feel and smell.  He gives himself to us in bread and wine and says, “Take, eat and drink.  This is my body, given for you.  This is my blood, shed, for you.”  And if he comes to us, then all that haunts us and hurts us comes to an end.  O Lord, you let your servant depart in peace.

     But Jesus’ coming is not always well received.  Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed … so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35)  Jesus does not always bring peace to people.  While it is true that all are sinners, it is also true that many will not repent of their sins.  And while it is true that Jesus suffers and dies to take away the sins of the world, many are not interested in such a Savior. 

     Jesus reveals the hearts of all people.  People either despise themselves for the sins they have done and flee to Jesus for repentance, or they despise Jesus.  Jesus reveals the thoughts of your heart, too.  He shows you that you are still more interested in being right than acknowledging God is right.  He reveals that you still love your own voice more than God’s voice.   You would still rather defend your sins than repent of them.  They are always someone else’s fault.  Someone had it coming.  They deserved it.  Dear Christian, do not exalt yourself before God.  Your sins are nothing to be proud of.  Those who persist in them will fall and will perish in them. 

     But those who humble themselves in repentance and confession will find a merciful Redeemer.  When you acknowledge that you are nothing, Jesus grants remission for all your sins and raises you up as a child of God.  For, he has borne your iniquity.  He has consumed God’s wrath for you.  He takes away your sin, your curse, and your death.  Now, there is nothing to fear for you.  You need not fear your judgment; for, you know your verdict.  You are pardoned.  You need not fear your grave; for, it has been rendered powerless.  Jesus has defeated death by his resurrection, and you, too, will rise to an everlasting life.  You need not even fear the taunting or the threats of the devil or any other enemy.  Their words have no power.  And their accusations do not matter.  Jesus lifts you up and exalts you with a word that no one can overturn.  You are saints.  You are saved.

     Therefore, O Lord, you let your servant depart in peace.  We depart in peace from this house of worship; for here we have heard his divine decree of forgiveness.  We have seen the Lord’s salvation.  We have received from the altar our Lord’s body and blood, as surely as Simeon held the flesh and blood Jesus in his arms.  We have partaken in his redemption.  We have been consoled by his infinite mercy.

     And when our last day comes, O Lord, you let your servant depart in peace.  And we will bid farewell to this world without regret or complaint.  Whether we are old, middle-age, or teen-aged when we depart, we know that we depart for an eternal life with our Savior.  He will raise us up to a life that is free from grief and pain, and endures forever with blessings.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- 1st Sunday after Christmas (December 30, 2012)

LUKE 2:41-52

JESUS IS INTO HIS FATHER’S THINGS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     There has often been a lament that we hear next to nothing about Jesus’ childhood, his teen years, and his early adulthood from the Gospels.  It is not a new complaint.  The eagerness to hear such stories is one of the reasons Christians are curious about the Gnostic Gospels.  In the Gospel of Thomas, for example, we hear of some of the alleged miracles that Jesus performed as a child.  One of those miracles was that Jesus killed another child who had run into him while they were playing.  The early Church recognized that these writings were fraudulent.  While they did not suppress them, they did condemn them.  But that leaves us right where we were.  We have almost no information about Jesus from age 2 until age 30.  The twelve verses we heard in our Gospel are it. 

     St. John tells us that Jesus’ first miracle was the changing of water into wine at the wedding of Cana, so we should not expect any writer to uncover any infant miracles of Jesus.  The amazing thing about Jesus is not that he could do miracles.  (Moses and even Pharaoh’s priests did too.)  The amazing thing about Jesus is that he is God in the flesh.  Therefore, this one account of Jesus gives us much to marvel at and much to ponder on.  Already at twelve years old, Jesus testifies that he is into his Father’s things.

     It was at age 12 that Jesus was first under the obligation of the Law to journey to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.  Jews from all over the world traveled to Jerusalem to remember God’s mercy and God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt.  There, they rejoiced before God and praised him that, through the blood of an unblemished lamb, the Lord delivered the Israelites from death.  The Israelites ate of the lamb’s body and unleavened bread.  They drank wine from the cup.  They feasted.  Then they departed in peace.

     As they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. (Luke 2:43)  As Jesus later explained to his parents, this was no act of rebellion.  Jesus knew what he was doing by staying in Jerusalem and by going to the temple.  He talked with the priests who presided over the sacrifices.  He plied with questions the scribes who had copied the sacred words for the new scrolls.  He studied the rabbis who taught in the synagogues.  What do the Scriptures say concerning the Christ?  How does he fulfill the Passover?  The sacrifices?  The priestly office?  Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all testify of the Christ.  How will he fulfill these words?  What does the Father promise that his Son will be?  What does the Father say that his Son will do?  The boy Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem.  Jesus was into his Father’s things.

     Meanwhile, you can imagine the panic that filled Joseph and Mary when they could not find Jesus in their caravan.  When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.  After three days they found him in the temple…  And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so?  Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” (Luke 2:45-46,48)  You can just as easily imagine Jesus’ stunned innocence as he replies, “Why were you looking for me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) 

     The phrase Jesus spoke is more literally “It is necessary that I be in the things of my Father.”  Yes, that means the Temple.  But it also means the sacrifices, the Scriptures, the priests, the prophets, the festivals, and the fulfillment.  It was necessary that Jesus would be here.  All things in Israel’s religion pointed to Jesus; and Jesus came to fulfill all these things.  That is still the way it is.  Everything in the Church is still about Jesus—whether Christmas, or hymns, or ceremonies, or architecture.  It all points to Jesus, because that is what reveals the Father’s mercy to us.  Jesus is into his Father’s things so that he can give us the Father’s things. 

     Mary and Joseph were frantically looking for Jesus.  Jesus chastised them.  They should have known where to find him.  He could only be in his Father’s things.  This is also the only place you will find the peace, hope, and security you long for.  Your life is filled with angst and worry and grief.  You continue to trust in things that are not trustworthy.  You lean on things that are not stable.  Your money can’t save you.  Your job gives you no guarantees.  Your friends can fail you.  Your family disappoints you.  You remember the security and peace of the good ol’ days and you wish you could have that back.  But as you get older, you realize more and more that all the traditions, all the customs, and even all the people you had enjoyed and relied upon are taken from you.  They change.  They die.  They are lost.  Everything in life is unstable and unreliable. 

     When Jesus went to the Passover, it was not to try to relive the good ol’ days when God paid attention to his people and acted for their good.  God had come to earth because he was mindful of your plight.  He came to act for your good.  The reason Jesus came was to be into his Father’s things.  It is the Father’s business to have mercy on sinners.  That is why he sent his Son for you. 

     The only peace and hope and security you are ever going to find is in Jesus Christ.  He is into his Father’s things and did his Father’s work.  He delivers peace to you by taking all guilt and torment and death and hell from you.  He is the Lamb slain for you.  His blood covers you.  Death passes over you.  God is merciful.  And Jesus grants you the security you crave.  His forgiveness is no momentary or fragile thing.  His compassion does not change.  Therefore, your salvation is not something that can be swept away by the next disaster.  God’s goodness which was revealed in Jesus long ago is delivered to you here and now through the word and sacraments.  You do not have to long for what was, because God delivers his mercy to you in what is here.

     That is the only place you will find Jesus.  He is in his Father’s house where the word is preached.  He is the sacrifice slain for sinners.  He is the body and the unleavened bread upon which you feast in the joy of forgiveness.  He is the curtain which was torn in half to grant you access to the Holy of Holies.  He is the one who made the good ol’ days good, granting you those blessings brought peace and security.  He is the one who makes your future eternally peaceful and secure.  And he is the one who will bless and sustain you in God’s mercy until you enter your heavenly home.

     St. Luke sums up Jesus’ early years rather succinctly: And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them….  And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:51-52)  Jesus was into his Father’s things.  This sums up Jesus’ life from infancy to when he began his public ministry at age 30.  He did not check in to be your Savior and substitute when he felt like it.  He lived for you from his conception through his crucifixion. 

     Jesus is into his Father’s things.  Where else would you expect him to be found?  Mary and Joseph needed that reminder that Jesus was not just God’s gift to them.  Jesus is the Son of God who has come to be the Savior of the world.  For, God so loved the world that he gave his Son for you.  Jesus devoted himself to his Father’s things, so that he could give the Father’s things to you.  Like Mary, we take all this to heart and ponder it.  That is our marvel.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.