Here is the Divine Service from Christmas Day, 2024.
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Sermon -- Christmas Day
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| o logos is Greek for "the Word" |
WHAT IS CHRISTMAS ALL ABOUT?
In the name + of Jesus.
What is Christmas all about? That question gets a myriad of answers. You would think if Christmas had one main focus, there would only be one answer. If you asked someone what Monopoly was all about, you would get one basic answer like “gaining control of all the properties.” That would give you a monopoly, which is the name of the game. But with Christmas, we get all kinds of answers.
Some say, “Christmas is all about giving.” But does that mean presents? Or charity?
Or volunteerism? Who is
giving? What are they giving? And to whom are they giving it? Is it Christmas shoes, like the song says?
Others say, “Christmas is all about
family.” I would think that other days
would be all about family, too—like Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Labor
Day weekend, birthdays, weddings, and so on.
If Christmas is all about family, you certainly don’t need to be here
for it, or to be a Christian to celebrate it.
Much of the world agrees with that.
Others might insist, “Christmas is all
about a festive spirit.” What are the festivities,
and what is that spirit? Maybe it is a
feeling of home. Maybe it is a party
with lots of food. Maybe it’s alcohol.
Other answers are just bizarre. Maybe Christmas is all about sitting in front
of the TV to watch the NBA, or drinking eggnog, or getting 30% off winter tires.
So many people make claims about what
Christmas is all about, but few are in agreement. This is what happens when people tell God what
his festival is about.
What is Christmas all about? I suppose there are a lot of ways that
Christians might express it, but it comes down to this: Jesus. God the Father has sent his Son into the world
to deliver mankind from an aimless life, filled with pain and sorrow, which
marches on to an unavoidable death. For
many, that’s all life is; so, they fill it with distractions to keep themselves
amused until there is nothing amusing about life anymore. But there is good news of great joy for
you. And it is for all the people. A Savior has been born for you.
What is Christmas all about? One of the ways we answer is this: “God so
loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It is about the love God the Father has for
you and for all people. God the Father
is the Maker of heaven and earth. God
took great delight in what he had made. Repeatedly,
God assessed his creation and saw that it was good. Even though sin has corrupted everything and
everyone, the Father never stopped loving his creation. So, this is how God loved the world: He sent
his only-begotten Son to redeem it.
What is Christmas all about? It is to show us that the Lord is
merciful. Your conscience tells you that
God has no reason to be merciful toward you.
You might be able to hide your sinful thoughts from others. You can limit your unkind words to a
sympathetic audience. But your conscience
does not let you off the hook. It
accuses you of wickedness and sentences you as guilty. Now, if you are guilty, you are accountable
to God for your guilt. And your conscience
assures you that God’s judgment of you will be just. The guilty must pay the price.
However, Jesus reveals to you that God is
not only just. He is merciful. St. John wrote, “No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, who is close
to the Father’s side, has made him known” (John 1:18). What Jesus makes known about God is that he does
not take pleasure in the death of anyone.
Jesus makes known the Father’s love.
And he does not just talk about it.
Jesus demonstrates it.
Even though he
is all-glorious, Jesus came into the world with his glory hidden. St. John wrote, “The Word became flesh and
dwelled among us” (John 1:14). God the
Son, here called the Word, became flesh.
To become flesh, he was conceived in the womb of his mother. He was born into this world as all people are
because he became a human being. He made
himself one of us to take up our cause, that is, to answer for our guilt.
That infant
flesh would one day be flogged, pinned to a cross, run through with a spear,
and die. The death would be by crucifixion,
but the sentence would be guilty on all counts for all sinners on earth. Jesus became a man to die on behalf of
mankind, bearing the curse that all men deserve. Therefore, justice was done. The guilty one paid the price. As true God, his life and death count for everyone. God so loved the world that no one in the world
should have to perish for his sins. This
is what Jesus has made known about God the Father. This is the good news proclaimed to the shepherds
which is for all people. This is the
glory which the angels sang about. God’s
good will toward men has been made known through Jesus.
What is
Christmas all about? The very name
should tell you that. It is about
Christ. He is the light which shines in
the darkness of a sinful world. He
enlightens us to see the glory of God—that God loves sinners, that God has
acted to redeem sinners, that God who created us for himself has redeemed us so
that we can be his beloved people forever.
Christmas is all about Christ. St.
John wrote, “We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten
from the Father, full of grace and truth. … For out of his fullness we
have all received grace upon grace” (John 1:14,16).
God is
most gracious to all he has made. He provides
us with innumerable blessings. This is
why we can enjoy the blessings of family, music, presents, chocolates, and twinkling
lights. But God adds to his grace
through Jesus Christ. In Jesus, we have
a God whose mercies are new every morning.
He does not disown us when we must confess our sins to him again and
again. He does not tire of pardoning
us. Jesus Christ has poured out his blood
as the eternal payment for all our sins.
The grace of God never runs out.
Out of the fullness of Jesus’ love and from the completeness of his atoning
sacrifice, we have grace on top of grace.
His mercy endures forever.
What is
Christmas all about? The very name
should tell you that. It is about
Christ, but it is also about the Mass. The
real feast for today comes from this altar.
For, here is the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Word became flesh to unite himself with
us. The Word made flesh gave his flesh
into death in order to pay for all our sins.
The innocent blood of Christ purifies us from all unrighteousness. The body and blood of Christ are not dead
relics though. Jesus rose from the dead
as a glorified body-and-blood man. Jesus
now lives and reigns at the right hand of God the Father. The right hand of God is wherever God is at
work, particularly for the salvation of his people. Since God is at work everywhere, Jesus’ body
and blood can be on this altar as well as on every Christian altar in the
world. Therefore, we can feast Sunday after
Sunday, festival after festival, from this altar. “Out of his fullness we have all received
grace upon grace” (John 1:16). This
is Christ’s Mass where we feast on the living body and blood of Jesus for our
own eternal benefit.
Do you want
to say that Christmas is all about giving?
You can say that if you confess that Christmas is all about the Father
giving his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish
but have everlasting life. You can say
that if you confess that it is about Jesus Christ giving himself into death to
redeem you and to set you apart as a new creation for God’s glory. You can say that if you confess that it is about
your Lord giving you his body and blood to strengthen and preserve you in the
one true faith unto life everlasting.
Do you
want to say that Christmas is all about family?
You can say that if you take to heart the words of the Apostle John: “To
all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God” (John 1:12-13).
Thanks be to Jesus, you are all children of God. The Lord has adopted you into his family, and
he has given you all the benefits of dwelling in the household of God. For now, you bear family name, Christian. You have been exalted to the status of
saints. You get to feast at the family
table. And if you are children of God,
then you are heirs of eternal life.
Do you want
to say that Christmas is all about a festive spirit? You can, if you recognize that the Holy
Spirit has enlightened you to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ. You can say that if you acknowledge
that by the Holy Spirit you have been born again “not of blood, or of the
desire of the flesh, or of a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13). Thanks to the Holy Spirit, your life is not
an aimless march to an unavoidable death.
Rather, it is a life of honoring God, loving your neighbor, and
anticipating endless glory with the Lord.
As people
who are in Christ, you get to enjoy not only the Christmas season, but every
season. For, “through (the Son) everything
was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made” (John
1:3). All that he has made he made
for you. Therefore, you can receive all
good things and make use of them with gratitude. You get to enjoy the presents under the tree,
a second helping of eggnog, a bunch of Christmas carols, an NFL contest, or a
long winter’s nap. These are not mere
distractions; they are gifts from God. And
even if they are taken away, the Christmas joy remains. And even if the season is not as merry and bright
as you would have hoped, the light of Christ still shines. Jesus bestows upon you the mercy which
endures through sorrow and loss and even death.
So, what is Christmas all about? The Church has named it properly. It is about Christ. It is about the Mass. It is about the love of the Father, revealed by Jesus Christ, grace upon grace, which is poured out upon you abundantly and endlessly.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Sermon -- Christmas Eve Candlelight Service (December 24, 2024)
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Our Christmas Eve service at Good Shepherd follows the Service of Lessons and Carols. There are nine lessons. A short devotion was given for eight of them. Three of those devotions are below.
2nd Lesson Genesis 22:15-18
God never
lies. His word is always trustworthy and
true. And yet, God intensified his
promise by saying, “I have sworn by myself.” There is no higher authority to swear by, so
the Lord swore by himself to Abraham. “I
have sworn by myself, declares the Lord… In your seed all the nations of the earth will
be blessed.” God would send a Savior
into the world. The Savior comes for the
whole world. God stakes his reputation
and his very being on it. “In your
seed,” God promised—no, God swore—"all the nations of the
earth will be blessed.”
God had
tested Abraham, commanding him to offer up his beloved son as a sacrifice. Abraham did not understand why, but he obeyed
the word of the Lord. He was prepared to
offer up Isaac as a burnt offering, even having the knife drawn and ready to kill. The Lord stepped in. He called a halt to the sacrifice. The death of Isaac would save no one. Abraham’s faith and obedience had been proved
genuine. In place of Isaac, the Lord
provided a ram whose horns were stuck in a thicket. The ram was a substitute. It was slain instead of Isaac.
Abraham’s
son, Isaac, foreshadowed the future Son of Abraham. The Seed of Abraham would do what Isaac could
not. He would be slain to appease
God. God the Son, the only begotten Son
of the Father, the Son whom he loved, would shed his blood to atone for the
sins of all the world. When he would be slain,
the Father would not put a stop to it. There
would be no substitution, and there would be no mercy. The Son would die. His body would be consumed in God’s fiery
wrath. The Seed of Abraham would be the
substitute, slain for you.
God has
sworn by himself: All the people of the world would be blessed. The Seed of Abraham takes away the sin of the
world.
4th Lesson Micah 5:2-5a
When God
created the world, he called all things into being out of nothing. That is how God works: He takes what is
nothing and makes it into something with which he is pleased.
The
cities and troops of Israel were organized in groups of thousands, and each was
summoned by name to serve the Lord.
Though Bethlehem was among the towns of Judah, they were too
insignificant to be listed among the thousands.
Bethlehem was little, obscure, unrecognized—like a small town with a
blinking stop light at its one cross road.
The
Lord, however, takes what is nothing and makes it into something. Out of little, insignificant Bethlehem comes
a great king. His origins are from of
old, from ancient times. If he exists long
before the promise is even made, that means he is eternal.
Out of Bethlehem
comes a king who is the eternal God. He
comes to shepherd his people. He will
provide for all his people’s needs. He
will protect his people from all that would destroy them. The lion prowls around looking for someone to
devour, but the Shepherd-King will fend him off. The sheep tend to go astray, but he will
search for them, put them up on his shoulders, and bring them back.
Out of
Bethlehem comes one who will shepherd his people—a Good Shepherd. He will guide his sheep by the words of his
mouth. He will encourage and instruct so
that we walk the paths that are good and safe.
He proclaims words of comfort, admonition, and peace. The sheep who hear his words and take them to
heart live securely. The prowling lion
cannot have them.
There
are many today who consider it an insult to be called a sheep. They believe sheep to be gullible creatures
that follow anyone. But they don’t. The sheep follow the shepherd they know. We know our Good Shepherd. He does not lead us to slaughter, but to
pleasant pastures. Some may regard sheep
as nothing, but they are the ones with whom God is pleased. For he takes what is nothing and makes it
something good, something beloved, something precious. He does that for you; for that is how God
works.
8th Lesson Matthew 2:1-12 The Magi worship the newborn King
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The Magi sought their king. They already had a king in their homeland. They met another king in Jerusalem. But that’s not what they wanted. They did not need a king who flexed his military muscle to demonstrate his power and to strike fear. They needed a king who was rich in mercy and soothed fears.
The Magi found their
king. They did not care that he was an
infant—at the time totally dependent upon Mary and Joseph for everything, at
the time hated by Herod and later hunted by him, at the time years from
fulfilling all that he had come to do.
They knew he was king, and they bowed down before him.
The Magi praised their
king. Even though Jesus had come for
their good, they presented him with their goods. They thanked him for work he had not yet
done. They paid homage to him even
though he was not yet in his glory. They
rejoiced that their Savior had come.
The Magi confessed their
king. Their journey to Bethlehem was no
small feat. But Jesus mattered enough to
them to put forth the time and effort.
They made it a priority to see him.
The Magi were saved by
their king; for that is why he came.
This king still
comes. He comes veiled in word and
sacrament to give his gifts of forgiveness, new life, and salvation. If you would be wise for salvation, then it
is wise to put forth time and effort and priority to come and worship him. We do not come to God’s house for his good;
rather, we come to receive his goods. It
is here that our Lord Jesus Christ continues to prepare us for death, to
comfort us through life, and to sustain us in the saving faith. It is good, right, and salutary to seek him
and to confess him so that you would live under him in his kingdom and serve
him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness—just as he has
risen from death and lives and rules eternally.
This is most certainly true.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Christmas 2025
Christmas Schedule at Good Shepherd
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Christmas Eve
Candlelight Service
Tuesday, December 24,
7:00 PM
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Christmas Day
Festival Service
Wednesday, December 25,
10:00 AM
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
YouTube -- Christmas Eve (December 24, 2023)
Here is the service from Christmas Eve -- A Service of Lessons and Carols.
Monday, December 25, 2023
Sermon -- The Nativity of our Lord (December 25, 2023)
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| o logoV is "the Word", St. John's name for God the Son, the second person of the Trinity |
WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY.
In
the name + of Jesus.
In writing his Gospel about Jesus Christ, St. John seems to have all the apostles in mind when he states, “We have seen his glory” (John 1:14). What glory is he thinking about? It could be Jesus’ miracles. That is the glory which was praised by the crowds throughout Palestine, from Galilee down to Judea. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, that was the reason the crowds were praising him. “As he was drawing near … 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” (Luke 19:37). John also commented about Jesus’ miraculous signs, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book” (John 20:30). “Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). Jesus’ miracles are certainly a reason to marvel and to praise him. They revealed Jesus’ divine identity and power. But that is not the glory John focuses on.
What is the glory which John and the apostles
witnessed? To marvel at the glory of Jesus,
John peers all the way back to eternity, before the creation of the
universe. John’s Gospel begins the same
way that Genesis begins, “In the beginning” (John 1:1; Genesis 1:1). This is the beginning of all things—matter,
energy, time, and whatever exists. Prior
to the beginning, there was only God.
And Jesus was there—not on the flesh, that would come later. But since he is God, he was there at the
beginning, prior to the creation of the heavens and the earth. “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” (John 1:1-3).
On the front of the bulletin, you see the
Greek words, o logoV. John calls
God the Son “the Word.” That is how God deals
with mankind, through words. When God
created all things, he summoned everything into existence through his
word. When God revealed his will to
mankind, he did it through words—whether on stone tablets, by prophetic preaching,
or on scrolls and parchments. False
prophets relied on consulting the dead, on dreams which would not be verified,
and on omens which could be interpreted according to one’s whims. But God gives us a firm word to hold on to.
We also use words to communicate. While body language and tone of voice convey
information, our words are the most important part of communication. If you had to choose between losing your hearing
and your sight, you might choose to lose your hearing because you want to see
where you are going. But what if you
were given these options? You can have an
I-pad which enables you to always see your loved ones, or you can have a phone
to hear your loved ones speak to you.
Almost everyone would want to hear his or her loved one’s voice because that
is how we communicate. We connect and
bond through words.
God has always communicated with the human
race through words. This is how we know
his will, his commandments, his threats, and his promises. God has not hidden himself so completely that
we cannot know him. But the connection
with humanity became much more glorious when Jesus entered the world. Jesus is the Word, God the Son, begotten of the
Father from eternity. And what happens
at Christmas? “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” (John 1:14). God communicates to us through his word, but
now the Word has become a man. Now God
enters the world to deal with us in person—not only to be heard, but to be
seen, to be touched, and to have him touch others. St. John marveled at this in his first epistle
as well. He wrote, “That which was from the
beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands,
concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen
it” (1 John 1:1-2). We have seen his glory.
At various times in the Old Testament, the Lord revealed his glory to
people, but never in his bare glory. No
person can see that and live. God’s
glory was always hidden behind something.
But even when God hid his glory, the people who saw it were terrified. When the Lord called Moses to deliver God’s
people out of Egypt, the glory of the Lord was hidden in the fire of a burning bush. Moses quickly pulled up his cloak and hid his face. When Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord in
heaven, he described only the Lord’s throne and the train of his robe. Seeing just that, he was convinced that he
was going to die. St. Luke recorded that,
when the angel appeared to the shepherds in the field, “the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were filled with great fear” (Luke 2:9). The
angel was not God, but he reflected God’s holiness. That was enough to terrify the shepherds.
We seldom think what
it would be like to stand before the Lord.
Perhaps we are pleased enough with ourselves to presume that God would
find no fault with us. So, we dismiss
any idea that we have reason to fear the Lord, despite repeated testimony in the
Bible that teaches us that we should.
What does produce fear in us, then?
We are afraid when we are at the mercy of something much stronger than
ourselves that we cannot control, such as a tornado or a thunderstorm. We are afraid of something that can take our
lives or the lives of our loved ones, such as a car accident, a virus, a rattlesnake,
or war. We know that we are helpless
against such things.
And yet, our Lord
is far superior to any worldly power. He
controls the winds and the waves; therefore, he is stronger than the winds and
the waves. The Lord is in control of the
events that take our lives and the lives of our loved ones. The Bible teaches us to confess to God, “My
times are in your hand” (Psalm 31:15).
Therefore, the Lord is greater than the events which take life. So, if we fear thunderstorms, viruses, and
war, how much greater should we fear the Lord!
Jesus teaches us, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew
10:28). This is why we feel terror
when we let our minds rest from daily activity and ponder death and
eternity. We become acutely aware of our
sins, and we feel the justice of God striking our hearts. It is one thing to fear death which can only
send us to the grave; it is another thing to fear the judgment which can send
us to hell for endless torment. The day
will come when we will stand before God in his full glory. We will have to answer for our lives. He will deal with us according to his word of
judgment which is final and eternally binding.
If you claim that you have never been struck by fear over these things,
I have to believe you are lying.
Since we cannot stand before God, God has chosen to come to us. And since we cannot see him in his glory, he
hides it under infant flesh so that it produces no terror. Mary and Joseph do not run away from their
newborn child. They embrace him. But they know his glory. He is the Son of God. This is the Word made flesh who has come to
dwell with us. When he becomes a
full-grown man, he gathers disciples to himself. They do not cover their faces or hide behind
trees. They follow him. They listen to him. He is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus knows the truth; he knows our sins. But Jesus is full of grace: He has come to soothe
our consciences and to remove our fears.
He has come to rescue us from the terrors of judgment and from the iniquities
which condemn us. His words are full of
grace and peace because he comes to save us.
We have seen his glory. His divine glory is hidden under human flesh,
but the glory of God is revealed in all that he says and does. St. John wrote, “No one has ever seen God;
the only God who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18). Jesus has made the Father known to you. He shows you a loving and merciful Father who
does not delight in the death of anyone.
Actually, the Father does delight in the death of one—Jesus. The Father was pleased to send Jesus to be a
sin offering for us all. The iniquities which
scar our minds and hearts are taken from us.
They have scarred and marked Jesus instead. Jesus bears the scars for our sins, and his
holy, precious blood is the salve which heals our wounds and brings the cure for
our curse. The judgment which produces
terror has been diverted from us and has crushed Jesus. The grave which mocks us by telling us it has
a place reserved for us has been filled by Jesus. And then Jesus emptied his grave to show us
that death’s door opens both ways. It
may close us in, but it will open again to release us to live again. The Word became flesh so that his flesh could
be nailed to a cross and die there. And
the flesh and blood Savior lives to ensure new and eternal life for us.
This is the glory of God. God’s love for you is revealed in the divine
wrath which Jesus absorbed for you. The
sweetness of God is seen in Jesus’ bitter sufferings for you. The Lord’s compassion is made known by Jesus’
passion. Salvation has been won for you
by the Word, and it is delivered to you by words. The word of God is preached so that your gracious
God will be made known to you. The word
is joined to the waters of baptism where you have been cleansed in Jesus’ holy
innocence. The word is added to the
bread and the wine so that the body and blood of your God are given to
you. The Word became flesh to unite
himself to you, and in the sacrament he strengthens that unity even more.
Although his glory is hidden in Jesus, his glory, his grace, and his truth are revealed in Jesus. His glory is now hidden in you, as well. For “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). You are the children of God. And God does not just love you in theory; he loves you in person, as a person—for, the Word became flesh. And he professes his love again and again. God continues to speak to you through the words of the Bible. God speaks his eternal, unchanging word so that you know his love is constant, and the glory that was once hidden will be seen by you and in you when Jesus comes again.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sermon -- Christmas Eve (December 24, 2023)
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3rd Lesson Isaiah 11:1-10
Our
righteous ruler shall bring an everlasting peace.
God so
loved the world. He loves his whole
creation. God was pleased with all that
he had made, and he called it very good.
He is not pleased, however, that it has become corrupt. He is not pleased with the sins of people. He did not create animals to be predator and
prey. He did not intend the earth to
destroy by quakes and landslides and volcanoes and hurricanes. He did not design plants to prick or to
poison. But sin entered the world
through one man. That sin did not just
affect people, it brought a curse upon all creation. It is not just that our minds are warped and
our hearts that are turned in on ourselves, it is also that the entire creation
has been corrupted and subjected to death and decay.
Nevertheless,
God loved the world. Rather than toss it
in the trash bucket, he sent a Savior to reclaim all creation for himself and to
restore all creation back to perfection.
The Savior comes to redeem everything.
This
righteous King brings back righteousness to you. His own righteousness is put upon you in holy
baptism. By baptism, all that Jesus has
achieved is given to you. His innocent
life answers for yours. His sacrificial
death is where he dealt with your sins.
His resurrection brings about your eternal life. Though Jesus, you are declared innocent, righteous,
and an heir of the eternal kingdom.
Isaiah
declared the perfection of that eternal kingdom. This world remains broken and corrupt. Disorder, destruction, death, and decay rule
in a world of sin. But when Jesus comes
again, Eden will be restored. Mortal
enemies will live in peace. Deadly
threats will be extinct. For, where there is no sin, there is no curse. Where everything has been restored, there is no corruption.
No more let sin and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found. Let heaven and nature sing. For God so loves the world.
The angel Gabriel visits Joseph in a dream.
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Joseph was a righteous man. He took the word of the Lord seriously. If you page through the Scriptures, you will discover that Joseph never says a word. He has no lines. But he is outstanding at listening to the word of the Lord and obeying it.
Joseph was
betrothed to Mary. Betrothal was more binding
than an engagement. It was legally recognized
by a ceremony. The consummation of the marriage
would take place a year later, but the bride and groom would rarely see each during
that year.
So, when
Joseph learned that his betrothed was pregnant, he knew that the child was not
his. How disappointed, even devastated,
he was! She must love another if she
carries his child. What other conclusion
should Joseph have drawn?
Joseph
was a righteous man. He was not out for
revenge. He did not seek to shame the
young woman. “Let her go to the man she
loves,” he reasoned; and he resolved to divorce her quietly. But before he could do that, the Lord
revealed to Joseph what was really going on.
The angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to let him know what he could
never have known unless God revealed it.
What was revealed to Joseph has also been recorded for us so that we
will know it too: “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”
(Matthew 1:20-21).
So, Joseph
learned that Mary was not only faithful to him, but was also virgin pure. The child who was conceived was not fathered
by another man, but by God. Therefore,
the child is Immanuel, “God with us.” And
since he takes on humanity in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the child is not
only God with us, but God who has become one of us. In this way, God binds himself to
humanity. He becomes God for us who will
save his people from their sins.
We hear not a word from Joseph, but we see that Joseph knew how to listen to the word of the Lord. Perhaps he did not understand it. Surely, he marveled at it. But Joseph certainly believed it. The Lord God would come through the Virgin Mary, but he comes for all of us.
Friday, December 15, 2023
Christmas -- 2024
Christmas Schedule at Good Shepherd
Christmas Eve
Candlelight Service
Sunday, December 24,
7:00 PM
Christmas Day
Festival Service
Monday, December 25,
10:00 AM
Friday, December 8, 2023
A Lutheran Satire Christmas -- Updated
I suppose this is as close as it gets for a box set of Lutheran Satire Christmas. Here is a string of Lutheran Satire videos which maintain a Christmas theme. Two of them feature Horus, and the third one gives a nod to him.
After Horus is shown that all efforts to discredit the veracity of the Christmas accounts in the Bible are based on lies, he is stunned to learn how many Christians have rejected the Biblical confession for the sake of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Then you get to hear why Lutheran Christmas hymns are to be preferred to more shallow efforts (even if those shallow efforts have greater popularity).
NOTE: I concur with the plug for The Word Endures with Pastor Will Weedon.
I, regretfully, omitted this video about various Nativity sets.
Bonus material: Horus reads the internet.
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Sermon -- Christmas Day (December 25, 2022)
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MARVEL AT THE WORDS WHICH DESCRIBE THE WORD MADE FLESH.
In the name + of Jesus.
When St. John introduces his Gospel, he
piles up the words to reveal who Jesus is.
They include: the Word, God, life, light, glory, grace, and truth. In just a few verses, St. John is telling us
that Jesus is not merely someone special.
In fact, there is nothing on earth or even in heaven which is like
Jesus. He is the man who is God, and he
is God who is now a man. John calls him the
Word. (In the clip art on the left, you
see o logos, the Greek term for “the Word,”.) The Word is the second person of the Trinity,
God the Son. So, he is God—uncreated,
eternal, almighty, and so on.
God the Son shows up throughout the Old
Testament because God deals with us in words.
St. John wrote, “All things were made through him,
and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). When we read in Genesis the phrase,
“And God said,” that is the Word at work. All things that were made by God the Father
were made through the God the Son. Marvel at the words which describe
the Word made flesh. He is life,
light, glory, grace, and truth.
Now, of those words, each has its opposite. Jesus Christ is life. He is the source of all living things. The only reason anything comes to life is
because he commands it to be so. When he
chooses, he withdraws his sustaining word from us, and we die. When he created Adam and Eve, he made them living
beings. He intended them and everyone
who would descend from them to live forever.
God never designed us to be disposable.
He put us on earth to serve and to work.
Work provides purpose for us and benefit for others. For Adam and Eve, God gave the opportunity to
demonstrate loving obedience to him. He
gave them two trees by which he would bless them. One was the Tree of Life. The other tree had this command attached to
it: “Of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of
it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). To depart from the word meant death. It still does. With God, there is life. Apart from God there is only death. Jesus came to deliver us out of the reign of
death and to give us a life that has its purpose restored and that endures
forever. For, God did not create you to
be disposable, but to live in joy now and forever. Marvel at the words
which describe the Word made flesh.
The next word is
light. Its opposite is darkness. Many people live in a dark place. They don’t know where they are going. Some don’t even know why they are here. Navigating any place in the dark can be
frightening and frustrating, whether it is your bedroom, a cave, or in
life. The devil has darkened the minds
of people so that we do not know what is good or true. Everyone makes up his own mind about what is
good and true. And that sounds fine,
until someone else’s truth attacks you. So,
you might think that someone telling a lie to get ahead in life is no big deal,
but is it okay if that person tells lies about you? You might think that someone cheating a large
company is justified, but is it okay when that person cheats you? Then you acknowledge that there has to be a
standard of truth that applies to everyone.
That standard is
God’s word. God’s word shows us what is
good and true, but it also highlights that we are not. When the light of Jesus shines upon you, it is
not to shame you, but to save you. He is
the light that reveals all that is good and true. He is the light that shows you that God is
not out to get you, but is merciful to you.
Jesus rescues you from a dark and dismal existence and shows you where
you can find peace and comfort. He enlightens
you to see that life is not pointless, but a gift. Marvel at the words which describe the Word made flesh.
That brings us to
the next word: grace. Grace is the
opposite of merit. It might seem sensible
that God would judge people according to their merits. We want God to uphold justice upon the wicked. They should get what they deserve. Often times, the wicked in this world seem to
get away with everything. They benefit
from their money, their friends, their power, and their prestige.
The problem,
however, is not how God will judge the wicked.
Our problem is that we think we should be rewarded because we are
better. If that is what we want, we will
get it—but that is not good news. We are
all guilty of sinning against strangers and loved ones. We have been short on patience. Our kindness comes with strings
attached. We have hurt people with harsh
words. We have withheld mercy from those
who need it. We have merited God’s
punishment. And there is little consolation
that others have merited a worse hell.
But Jesus came full
of grace. He came to save us from our
sinful condition. He came and to give us
gifts that we have neither earned nor deserved.
Jesus’ perfect life has merited God’s favor. For, Jesus did everything that God demands of
us faultlessly. But what Jesus has
earned he has given to us. The Bible
reminds us, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). So, you have received this precious gift—cleansing
from all your sins. Jesus, on the other
hand, has received what you and I deserve.
He made himself accountable for our sins and was put to death for them—because
that is what sins deserve. Jesus suffered
the torments of hell when he died on the cross.
He was judged for our merits, and we have been credited for Jesus’
merits. That is God’s grace, that he
gives us forgiveness we don’t deserve, and that he gives us a future of
heavenly glory that we have not earned.
He who is full of grace has poured that grace out upon us.
This grace is what makes us children of
God. St. John wrote, “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” (John 1:12-13). By grace, you are now part of God’s family. He loves you dearly. You are not just his creation (which you are),
but now you are beloved child of God—redeemed, restored, and reconciled to him
through the blood of Jesus. Just as you
and I have not earned God’s favor by our doing, neither have we merited our place
in God’s family. It is not our natural
right. It is not our decision. It is not our work. Rather, God has brought us in because he is
full of grace.
Now, if we are
the children of God, then we are heirs of his glorious kingdom. We are children of the resurrection to life everlasting
where there is perfect peace and endless joy.
It is far more than the joy of Christmas where the presents can break
and where there are tensions in the family.
Instead, it is perfect harmony with God and with all others. This is God’s gift to you, given by the Holy
Spirit through the words of the Word made flesh. Marvel at the words which describe the Word made
flesh.
Jesus is not only full of grace, he is
also full of truth. In fact, Jesus says
of himself that it IS truth. What a
blessing to know this! You and I have
been taught many things throughout our lives—math, reading, science, and so on. We have been taught what is acceptable and what
is offensive. The media report stories about
social and moral issues. From those
stories, we make judgments about other people and events.
How disturbing it is to discover that we
can’t always trust what we’ve been told and taught! For decades, scientists have taught that the
universe was formed by the Big Bang. You
were considered a backward thinking imbecile if you did not accept that as
fact. Now images from the James Webb
telescope have scientists reconsidering that theory. Science updates its truths often. In society, what is considered acceptable or
offensive changes regularly. What is acceptable
or offensive can even get reversed! Updated
news reports cause us to change our opinions.
New information reveals that someone was not as noble or as terrible as
we first thought. Truth in our world is
adjustable, which means it is unreliable.
And what good is truth if it keeps changing?
Jesus Christ, however, is
truth. His word does not change with the
times, with the culture, or with the company he keeps. That does not mean everyone likes what Jesus
has to say. Many despise Jesus and
prefer their fabricated truths which continue to be adjusted with each new
cause. But Jesus Christ is God who does
not change, who is pure, who tells us what is good, and who will vindicate
every word he has spoken. Jesus teaches
you what a good and godly life is. It is
love for God above all things, which means hearing his word, holding to his
word, and putting it to action in your life.
It is also loving your neighbor and seeking his good as God defines
good.
Above all, it is trusting that God’s favor
rests upon you. You will have many times
when you wonder if you matter to God.
You will face fears about God’s anger and doubts that God can be trusted. God’s love for you does not mean you won’t
have struggles or problems or pain or sorrow.
In a sinful world, these are bound to occur. But these are no proof of God’s love or
anger. If you want to be sure of God’s
love and care, then listen to Jesus. He
tells you the truth because he is full of truth. He IS truth.
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. “The Word became
flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This is how God shows us love to you. God the Son became flesh so that he could give
his life to redeem yours. Since God does
not change, his love for you remains constant.
You can be sure of it because he tells you, and his word is true. Marvel at the words which describe the Word made
flesh.
The final word we will consider is glory. St. John wrote, “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” (John 1:14). Everything about God is glorious—his power,
his holiness, his omniscience, his wisdom, and so on—but his greatest glory is
his that he loves sinners and saves them.
That is the glory which is revealed in Jesus Christ whose birth we celebrate
today. God the Son has become one of us
to live for us, to die for us, and to conquer death for us. Because he has done this, we live for his
glory in this world, and we will live with him in glory in the world to
come.
Marvel at the words which describe the Word made flesh. Those words reveal who Jesus is. They reveal what Jesus does. And they show you that it is all done for you. This is the only Christmas gift that truly matters; for, it is the only gift that produces light, life, grace, truth, and glory.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Sermon -- Christmas Eve (December 24, 2022)
Good Shepherd observes the Service of Lessons and Carols for its Christmas Eve services. After all but one of the lessons, there is a brief address. Here are a few of them.
Jesse was
the father of David who became King of Israel.
David was anointed to take the throne, and God sustained David’s line
for many generations. But, since the
kings of Jerusalem continually turned away from the Lord, the Lord lost his
patience. God had sent prophets again
and again to urge Israel to repent and turn back to the Lord. Their message was treated with disdain. The prophets were met with derision. Some were put to death. So, the Lord brought the kingdom to an
end. David’s line was cut off—like a
tree reduced to a lifeless stump.
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When the
Lord entered the world, he did not come down from heaven at age 30, appearing
out of nowhere. He came into the world
in the common way. He was conceived in
Mary’s womb and gestated there for nine months.
She gave birth to a baby boy. It
was her first, so that was special, but it was not amazing.
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What was witnessed at the manger was unspectacular. But a spectacle of angels revealed what was really going on. A great heavenly mystery is hidden behind a common, earthly birth. God’s glory was hidden in the flesh of Jesus.
The 3rd Lesson -- Isaiah 11:1-9
But that
lifeless stump would see life again. After
centuries of dormancy, a branch sprang up.
The Son of David came forth who would take up a throne and reign.
Unlike
many of Israel’s kings, he would be faithful to the Lord. His kingdom would be established and endure forever. He would judge all people accurately, neither
persuaded nor deceived by flattering words or phony people. The guilty will be exposed for their sins and
judged accordingly.
But his
kingdom will not be established by the slaughter of others. It will not be known for violence and destruction. His kingdom is established by him being
slaughtered for the sins committed against him.
His reign is known by mercy upon those who deserve to perish. He forgives sins and proclaims peace. But he will not force anyone to believe in him
and be part of his kingdom. Those who
want no part of him will get their way.
They will get neither forgiveness nor peace. They will perish forever.
But for you
who believe in him, you will be delivered into Paradise, into a perfect kingdom
of peace where there is no war, violence, hatred, or anger. A Branch has sprung up from the stump of Jesse. The Son of David reigns over a kingdom of
grace and peace.
The 6th Lesson -- Luke 2:1-7
We might
get the idea that the moment Mary passed the city limits of Bethlehem she went
into full blown labor. We may also
envision some wicked hotel manager who banished a pregnant woman. We might even think of house after house in
Bethlehem refusing shelter to Mary as she was panting in pain and the baby’s
head was crowning. All of that would
make for a great movie, but the Bible does not record anything that dramatic.
There is
a tradition that Jesus was born in a cave.
Or maybe it was in a stable. The
Bible does not really say that, either. It
says that Jesus was laid in a manger, in other words, a feeding trough. We keep our animals in barns. Some are kept in caves. The word translated “inn” would be better
translated “guest room,” which was an upper room in someone’s house. So, whether Jesus was born in a cave, a
stable, or a house is irrelevant. What
is relevant is that God came to earth in the flesh of a baby boy.
Christ
the Lord is born, and he came into the world in unspectacular fashion. Mary gave birth and wrapped her newborn in
strips of cloth, like any other peasant would have. But that is the point. He was a commoner, and he came for common people. He is like us in every way, but without
sin. We would not be able to approach
him in his bare glory, so he hides it in humble human flesh. Veiled in flesh the God-head see. True God, hidden under lowly, infant flesh.
What was
visible was common, ordinary, and earthly.
What was truly going on had to be revealed, and that is truly
amazing. We will hear about that next.
The 7th Lesson -- Luke 2:8-20
What was witnessed at the manger was unspectacular. But a spectacle of angels revealed what was really going on. A great heavenly mystery is hidden behind a common, earthly birth. God’s glory was hidden in the flesh of Jesus.
Mary
knew what was going on. The angel had
told her nine months earlier: The child to be born is God Most High. Joseph knew, too. The angel had revealed: Mary’s child is
Immanuel, God with us. Now the angel
told the shepherds in the fields: “Unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” So
much is packed into that sentence. We
will work backwards.
He is the
Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He
is the one who divided the Red Sea and led Israel through the wilderness to the
Promised Land. He is the one who put his
name on the Temple and dwelt there with his people. The one born in Bethlehem is the Lord.
And he
is the Christ, the Messiah, the Lord’s Anointed. Those who were anointed were given an office
to fill. Aaron had been anointed as High
Priest. David had been anointed as King. Elisha had been anointed as Prophet. Jesus is all three. As Prophet, Jesus proclaims the word of the
Lord to you. As King, he goes out to
conquer your enemies—sin, death, and the devil—for you. As High Priest, he comes to make a sacrifice
for you. In fact, he IS the sacrifice
made for you to atone for your sins.
He is the
Savior. If he is the Savior, that means
you need to be saved. Jesus delivers you
from sin by taking your sin away from you.
Jesus saves you from the grave by conquering death for you by his resurrection. Jesus destroyed the work of the devil and
snatched you away from him.
But perhaps the most important words of the angel are these: “Unto you.” Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph, but he has come for you. He is Lord for you. He is the Christ for you. He is the Savior for you. Glory to God in the highest, and peace from God for you.
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