80

Eighty.  That is how old my mother is today.

You'd never guess it based on how she looks and gets around.  Okay, now I think she sleeps in until perhaps 6:30 AM instead of all those 5:30 AM mornings from my younger days.  (Was it that early?  Who knows?  She was the only one up.)

I could not possibly sum up all the things she has done for me and my family over the years--laundry, meals, driving me to and from practices and games, clean up around the house, tending the garden, eventually getting a job as secretary for the water utility, parents' groups, etc....  Rarely do I recall a time when she said that something was going to be inconvenient for her.  It would probably make her tired to recall everything.  No wonder she always fell asleep when we put in a movie for the whole family to watch.

I teach my catechism class that they will never truly appreciate how much their parents have done for them until they are doing it for their own children.  After 20+ years of being a parent myself, I think I am starting to get some idea on how much both my parents have done for us.  It was usually taken for granted.  It isn't anymore.

For what it is worth, I think I can say I truly appreciate what they have done for me for all of those years.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday of Advent (December 14, 2014)

LUKE 3:7-18

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD WITH FRUITS OF REPENTANCE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     As pilgrims traveling to and from the festivals in Jerusalem, they would have heard a fiery preacher.  John the Baptist was in the wilderness by the Jordan, calling everyone to repentance in stern and even violent terms.  “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  … Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.  Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:7,9) 

     Remember that John was not preaching to unabashed heathen.  John preached to Israelites, sons of the covenant who were attending the Lord’s prescribed festivals.  John called these people a brood of vipers, offspring of Satan.  John warned these church-going people that the ax was ready to swing on them and that the fires were being stoked for them unless they would repent. 

     St. Peter preaches a similar message to you and me.  He declares: For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?  And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:17-18)  Just as being children of Abraham did not save the Israelites, neither will a confirmation certificate save you.  Do not get comfortable, thinking that we can mindlessly coast on our way into Paradise.  The Lord judges his own first.  The Lord still seeks fruits of repentance from us.  Even the wicked expect as much.  If you bear the name “Christian,” the wicked expect your lives to reflect that.  And they are right.  You are expected to be righteous, and you should expect it of yourself as well.  Therefore, we do well to examine ourselves and prune from our lives whatever is sinful.  Prepare the way of the Lord with fruits of repentance.

     Rather than write John the Baptist off as a nut-job, the people were cut to the heart by John’s preaching.  They felt God’s fiery judgment.  Though they may have been religious, they were still sinners and they knew it.  One by one, groups of people begged to know: “What should we do?” 

     Each group was more surprising than the last.  After the general crowds came the tax collectors.  You could imagine the crowds thinking, “You thieves?  You think there is hope for you?!”  John did not tell the tax collectors to quit their jobs; he told them to quit being thieves.  Then Roman soldiers asked, “And we, what shall we do?”  At least the tax collectors were fellow Jews.  They may have been slimy, but they were at least sons of the covenant.  But Roman soldiers?  Surely there was no hope and no place for them!  John the Baptist did not tell them to quit being Roman or soldiers; he told them to quit being thugs.  Never look upon someone else and think that there is no place or no hope for them.  Nor look upon your own sins and think that you are too wicked for the kingdom of God.  As despicable as anyone might seem, to the Lord Jesus all are people for whom he came to suffer and die.  All are called to repent.  Prepare the way of the Lord with fruits of repentance.

     The crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”  And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”  Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”  And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.”  Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?”  And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” (Luke 3:10-14)

     When John told the people to repent, he did not tell them to quit their jobs and move into the desert.  They were not commanded to abandon their families or their communities.  They were told to go home.  They were called to quit their sins and to love their neighbors.  If you will be a tax collector, be an honest tax collector.  If you will be a soldier, be a noble soldier.  If you will be a father or mother, then serve your children with love and nurture them with discipline.  If you will be an employee, then show up on time and put in an honest day’s work.  If you will open your mouth, then be sure what comes out of it is kind and true.  The Lord does not ask you to leave the world, but to serve faithfully, diligently, and honestly in it.  The fruits of your repentance are borne in whatever task God has given you to do.  Put away sins and all excuses for them.  Devote yourself to what God declares to be good and right.  Prepare the way of the Lord with fruits of repentance.

     So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. (Luke 3:18)  John’s message does not sound like much good news.  We know that we should repent of our sins and not return to them.  Yet, we have never stopped sinning—not even when the threat of hellfire is presented.  Such is the sinful nature.  There is no good news in this.

     John’s job was to prepare the way for the Lord.  John’s preaching makes it clear that you need this Savior.  If you do not care about your sin and guilt, you will not care to be saved from them.  All your efforts to root out sin only show you how bad your condition is.  This is why John warns that the blade of the ax is sharp and that the fires of judgment are burning.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it is wise to take the Lord seriously and to fear his wrath.

       But fearing God’s wrath does not take away your sins.  It only shows that you need to be saved from them.  John prepares the way for salvation; but Jesus IS the way for salvation.  Jesus comes to deliver you from your sins and to work true repentance in you.  Jesus first delivers you from the curse so that the ax will not come down upon you.  Jesus has taken the blow in your place, suffering and dying for you.  Jesus has spared you from the wrath of God because God’s wrath was poured upon Jesus in your place.  He is the Lamb of God who was roasted in the fires of hell in your place.  He let death consume him before he consumed death by his resurrection. 

     Jesus has saved you from sin so that sin no longer owns or damns you.  Jesus also has worked repentance in you so that you will never be owned by sin again.  He baptizes you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  Jesus has driven out the unclean spirit in you and grants you his Holy Spirit in its place.  He creates in you a clean heart and gives you a right spirit.  He has converted you so that you are in agreement with God.  You acknowledge that your sins are evil because God has assessed them to be so.  The Lord also baptizes you with fire, refining you like gold.  He continues to purge your sins from you.  He has you bear a cross so that you put your sins to death.  Even though you still commit sins, you are frustrated and disgusted with yourself for them.  This is good, for then you stop taking pride in how good you have been, and you are compelled to rely on Jesus alone to save you.  This is good; for salvation comes only through Jesus. 

     Prepare the way of the Lord with fruits of repentance.  What should we do?  John the Baptist tells you.  Serve the Lord and your neighbor with lives and words and thoughts which are both wholesome and helpful.  But be sure you notice where John is pointing—to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Jesus is the one who works in you to will and to do the works of God.  Jesus promises, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” (John 15:5)  Jesus cleanses you from all wickedness, and Jesus works all good within you.  Jesus is your salvation. 

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

Sermon -- Advent Vespers, Week 2 (December 10, 2014)

LUKE 1:46-49,54-55

MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD.

He Remembers His Mercy.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Day 150.  Still on the ark.  The torrential rains ceased about three months ago, but we are still adrift.  There is no land anywhere.  We live with the continual sounds of the animals snoring or lowing or clucking.  And the waves.  The endless sound of the waters pounding every side of the ark, making it bounce in every direction, making all the timbers creek.  Does God know that we are still here?  Does God remember us at all?

     You could imagine Noah’s diary reading like this.  It was at just this time, Day 150, that we read these words in Genesis: But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark.  And God made a wind blow over the whole earth, and the waters subsided. (Genesis 8:1-2) 

     Surveying the Old Testament, we notice that there are a number of times that the Lord remembers his people—either individuals such as Sarah who was without child, or the entire nation of Israel as they languished in slavery under Pharaoh.  It is not as though the Lord had forgotten these people.  The Lord knew that Noah was on the ark, that Sarah was barren, and that the Israelites were being brutally treated by their oppressors.  The Lord also knew that he had made promises to these people—that he would deliver Noah from the Flood, that Sarah would have a son, and that Israel had a Promised Land awaiting them.  The Lord did not forget.  But to these people who were waiting…and waiting…for God to fulfill his promises, each must have wondered, “Has the Lord forgotten me?”

     But then the Lord remembered.  At that particular time, the Lord was pleased to act and to keep his promises.  When God remembers, he does not only have mercy for that moment.  The Lord acts especially to advance his promise of a Savior.  He remembers his mercy.  Therefore, God remembered Noah and delivered him from death so that, many centuries later, Noah’s offspring would deliver the world from death.  God remembered Sarah and gave her a son, the seed of Abraham, so that the true Seed of Abraham would come through whom all nations would be blessed.  And God remembered Israel and delivered them out of slavery and death by the blood of the Lamb so that through that nation the Lamb of God would finally come whose blood delivers us from the slavery to sin and from death.  He remembers his covenant forever. (Psalm 105:8)

     These were not the only times God’s people had to wait for God’s mercy.  God had spoken to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring that salvation come.  Through this Savior, all nations would be blessed.  Through Him, the curse of sin would be removed.  Through Him, we would be delivered from fear and frustration, death and decay.  Abraham did not see the fulfillment of God’s promise; nor did Isaac, nor Jacob.  Nor David.  Nor Isaiah.  Nor Malachi.  For centuries, God’s people waited for his mercy.  For centuries, God’s people wondered, “Does God know that we are still here?  Does God remember us at all?”

     It is a hard thing to wait for the Lord.  God’s people still wonder, “Does God know that I am here?  Does God know that I struggle?  Is he aware that I am hurting?  Does God know how hard this is?  How wicked this world is?  How bitter this life can be?  Does he care?  Does God remember me at all?”  Even though we are the ones who are helpless, even though we struggle with temptations and fail, we still think that God is the one with the problem.  We are upset that God does not love us as much as WE love us.  We get sick of waiting for God.  Satan sends liars who promise us easy answers and quick solutions.  Those voices sound much more attractive than our Lord’s call to wait.  He even convinces us that drunkenness and debauchery are better solutions than patience, perseverance, and prayer.  Because we do not believe that God is faithful, we become unfaithful.  Because we do not like the way God is acting, we act out against him.  However, this never takes away our struggles, and it only adds to our sins.  Repent.

     [The Lord] remembers his covenant forever. (Psalm 105:8)  You should too.  For God has never promised to deliver Paradise to this sin-corrupted world.  His promise is to deliver us out of this sin-corrupted world to his blessed Paradise.  The Lord promised Adam and Eve that he would save mankind from our deserved and damnable fate while the smell of the fruit was still on their breath.  He promised his mercy to Abraham, and David, and through Isaiah and Malachi.  If the Lord was pleased to repeat his promises, surely the Lord remembers that he made them.  And the Lord is faithful.  He remembers his covenant forever. (Psalm 105:8) 

     Fast forward 2,000 years after Abraham—though the years hardly seemed fast.  The Lord remembered his mercy.  He sent the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to tell her that he was pleased at that time, in that place, and in her womb to fulfill all that he had foretold.  The Savior was now to come into the world.  Salvation would no longer be a prophecy.  Salvation was to be fulfilled.  He remembers his covenant forever. (Psalm 105:8) 

     And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46-47,54-55)  The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world because the Lord remembered his mercy and was faithful in delivering it.  Jesus has demonstrated God’s mercy to us.  He does not treat us as our sins deserve.  Rather, he chose to be treated as we deserved to be treated.  He is the son of Abraham who was sacrificed instead of Isaac.  He is the Lamb who was slain so that we would not be.  He has saved us through baptism so that, like Noah, we are lifted up above death and destruction.  Therefore, you are not condemned for your impatience with the Lord.  He, instead, has been patient with you.  He is merciful, daily forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.  When you sin, remember that he is merciful.  Then confess your sins to him; for, he remembers his mercy.  And flee to his altar where the blood of the Lamb once again marks you so that death shall pass over you.  He remembers his covenant forever. (Psalm 105:8) 

     My soul magnifies the Lord.  He remembers his mercy.  Our Lord Jesus Christ has suffered, died, and is risen.  He ascended into heaven, leaving us with the promise that he will come again to take us to be with him in everlasting peace and joy and life.  Fast forward 2,000 years since then.  He still has not returned.  The world has not gotten better.  We still struggle and suffer.  We still endure fear and frustration.  Does the Lord know that we are still hurting?  That we are still waiting?  Does the Lord remember us at all?

     Dear Christian, do not grow weary or impatient.  He remembers his covenant forever. (Psalm 105:8)  And he remembers that you have been marked as a child of his covenant.  The Lord who suffered and died for you will not forget you.  The one who came to redeem you will not forget to deliver you to the mansions he is preparing for you.  And yes, the one who loves you and cares for you and counts the hairs on your head also knows your problems and your pains.  His mercy is not made known by delivering you from your problems for a moment, but in delivering you from them forever.  He came in mercy to redeem you.  He will come again in mercy to receive you.  My soul magnifies the Lord: for he remembers his mercy, and his mercy endures forever. 

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

Feeling nostalgic

For whatever reason, I have been feeling somewhat nostalgic recently.  Perhaps it is the Christmas carols, some of which resonate from my childhood.  Maybe it was having all the kids home for Thanksgiving and soon again for Christmas, recognizing that these days of having everyone home at once will be harder and harder to pull off.

Anyway, a strange wave of nostalgia came over me on I-696 this morning.  I was noticing the license plate of a car next to me.  It was a Michigan plate, mainly blue, green, and white, which featured the Mackinac Bridge.  While the plates in Michigan, and there are numerous versions, are nice looking, somehow I was drawn back to the solid blue plates with the white lettering.

Hardly as pretty, but somehow still homey to me.  Those are the plates that every car in Michigan had for years and years.  If you played the road trip game of checking off plates from as many states as possible, that Michigan one was easy to pick out.  In fact, people who make pop art out of old license plates usually work with those blue plates.  It is a classic look.


For that matter, I was even reflecting on the Wisconsin plates the same way.  When I was young, for the most part, Wisconsin had what was not-so-affectionately called the bumble-bee plates, solid yellow with black lettering.  Certainly, there is nothing endearing about the look.  The police must have loved them since they were so easy to read.  If you were out of state, the locals could recognize you were from Wisconsin in a heartbeat.  Perhaps ugly, but still unmistakable.  I suppose hardly anyone would want to go back to those license plates, but today I kind of missed them.

Sermon -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 7, 2014)

LUKE 3:1-6

PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD BY REPENTANCE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     It was not once upon a time.  It was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea. (Luke 3:1)  I guess you could argue that it was in a land far, far away.  But that’s not to say it was in Neverland or Narnia.  It was in the wilderness at the Jordan River.  And it was not among hobbits or klingons.  The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 3:2-3)  A real God called a true prophet to go and preach a serious message to people who desperately needed it. 

    His message was not simply that people should learn to behave themselves and clean up their act.  That much was true, but it was more.  Some 400 years prior, Malachi had proclaimed the word of the Lord: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.  And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come….  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?  For he is like a refiner's fire… (Malachi 3:1-2)  John the Baptist came in fulfillment to prepare people for their coming Messiah, for their God.   

     John the Baptist was a real prophet who was sent to call people to true repentance.  For God would soon enter history.  God would come to them in the flesh, and they did not want to be caught merrily going on in their sinful rebellion against him.  Their sins were real, just as yours are.  If you don’t think your sins are real, ask the people whom you sin against.  Ask the spouse who has to pick up the slack because, in your selfishness, you didn’t feel like getting out of your chair to help out.  Ask the driver you cut off because your schedule was more important than his presence.  Ask the girl you are sweet to just so you can take advantage of her.  Ask the coworker you brushed off again because he is incompetent, not that brushing him off will help him become competent.  All our sins are very real and very harmful.  Even if you insist that your sins are harming nobody, that is a lie.  Ask the parents whose teen just committed suicide if his sin effected only him.  Even if you claim that you should be granted your freedom to do what you want, your sins are an offense to God whose word you reject in favor of your whims.  Sins are real.  They are really harmful.  And they are really damnable.

     The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come…  But who can endure the day of his coming?  Who can stand when he appears? (Malachi 3:1-2)  Your conscience tells you that this is no game.  Your guilt is real because you really must give an answer to God for everything.  Just as your sins are not mythical, neither is God’s judgment against them. That is why John the Baptist was sent to preach repentance.  And that is why the message remains the same.

     Prepare the way for the Lord by repentance.  “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Luke 3:4-5)  By repentance, you put away your sins which would hinder the Lord from coming to you.  By repentance, you recognize that you are lacking in righteousness.  By repentance, you remember that your sin is an obstacle that stands between you and God.  You realize that you have gone your own way and that your path has been crooked.  We all are guilty of sins, but we multiply our guilt when we make excuses for them.  Prepare the way for the Lord by repentance.

     John the Baptist was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” (Luke 3:4)  Of course, simply recognizing your problem does not fix the problem.  Michigan residents understand what poor roads are like.  We serve to avoid the potholes.  We even amuse ourselves with contests for where the biggest pothole is.  But the driver who hits that pothole and has to pay for a new suspension is not amused.  We all recognize the problem.  I am willing to bet that every politician in Lansing recognizes the problem, too.  The issue is always about where the money is going to come from to the fix the problem.  Likewise, you may recognize your sins.  You may hope that others can steer around your faults and not suffer on account of them.  You may even been sorry for the damage you’ve done to others because of your sins, but that does not take them away.

     Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Luke 3:5,6, emphasis added)  You will notice that fixing the problem is not something you do.  On the contrary, the Lord tells you that it is something that will be done.  Repentance is not only that you see that your sins are a destructive and damnable problem, repentance is also seeing that you cannot fix it.  Repentance is not only feeling sorry, it is also trusting in your Savior’s mercy to restore all things.  Therefore, you shall see the salvation of God.  God comes in the flesh to fix everything for you.

     You shall not soothe your conscience with some mythical forgiveness.  There is no theoretical divine pass for real sins.  Mythical forgiveness is no forgiveness at all.  Instead, all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:6)  God comes in the flesh for all people.  He comes to fill in the holes for you.  God comes in the flesh to remove the obstacles for you.  God comes to straighten out everything that has gone crooked.

     Jesus Christ is the man who fills in everything that is lacking.  He does not say it is okay if you did not do the good God demands.  Jesus just does the good for you.  He loves his neighbor—not just the theoretical neighbor whom he can afford to love because he will never have to deal with him.  Jesus loved the disciples who tried his patience when they did not understand his teachings.  Jesus loved the sick and the sorrowful when they begged for his time and his attention.  Jesus loved the Pharisees even as they were plotting his death.  And Jesus loves you, even though you have let him down by falling back into your sin ways again.  Jesus has loved you by answering God’s commandments for you.  Jesus completely fills everything in so that you have no gaps.  The path is smooth.  You are not lacking in righteousness.  Jesus is the way. 

     Jesus also removes every obstacle for you.  He takes away all your sins.  You see your salvation by the way Jesus has dealt with your iniquities.  Jesus paid a real price for your sins by brutal suffering, profuse bleeding, and dying in shame hanging naked from a cross.  He endured true, divine wrath from his Father.  This is what sins deserve, and this is what Jesus received in order to grant you a full pardon for all of your sins.  Just as Jesus’ sufferings and death were real, so your forgiveness is real.  Just as Jesus’ resurrection is cemented in history, so your hope for the resurrection to everlasting life is set in cement.  The obstacle that had stood between you and God has been removed.  Your sins are taken away.  The crooked path is straight.  Your death has been swept away.  The road to heaven has been cleared.  Jesus is the way.

     And still, John the Baptist cries out: Prepare the way for the Lord by repentance.  Satan does not leave you alone.  Your own sinful flesh has not conceded the battle.  You are still drawn to your sins over and over again.  And so, repentance goes on day after day.  In the season of Advent, we give special attention to repentance; for we are preparing for the coming of Jesus.  But we do not prepare in a spirit of dread, as if Jesus is coming for a surprise inspection, trying to catch us doing something crooked.  Rather, we prepare in a spirit of anticipation, knowing that Jesus is coming with our salvation.  His first coming secured a real peace that comes from his forgiveness, and his second coming means a real and eternal peace that brings us to the blessings of heaven.  Prepare for the Lord with repentance.  Your Lord is coming, and you will see his salvation.

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

For Your Amusement: Bob Williams and Louie

Never has a dog doing nothing been so funny.

This is a clip from the Hollywood Palace Christmas Show, 1965.  It lasts 7:46, but is pure entertainment.  Line up the kids to see it too.  Great family entertainment.  Enjoy!

Sermon -- Advent Vespers, Week 1 (December 3, 2014)

LUKE 1:46-52

MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD.

He Raises Up The Lowly.

In the name + of Jesus.

     A young peasant girl from Nazareth was going about her humble life, but things were about to change.  You see, she had been betrothed to a man in the same city named Joseph.  Mary was soon to leave her parents’ home and make a new home with her betrothed Joseph.  If Mary was following the same cultural practice of her day, she was likely in her mid to late teens.  She would be vaulted quickly from childhood to adulthood by her marriage.  Things were going to change a lot for this young, peasant girl.

     But the angel Gabriel was sent to Mary to let her know that her life was about to change in a far more drastic way.  He said to her, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31)  Before she could even enjoy the wedding feast, consummate her marriage with her husband, and settle into the routine of married life, Mary learned that she had conceived a boy in her womb. 

     The Lord had not sent Gabriel to seek volunteers or to week through potential candidates for this task.  God chose Mary.  Gabriel appeared to her and announced to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:30-31) 

     Mary reacted two times to this news.  The first was in that room in Nazareth: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)  The second reaction was a number of days later in the hill country of Judea.  There, in the presence of Elizabeth, Mary broke out in song.  And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.  For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46-49)

     You can make a strong argument that Mary’s lowly estate took a few steps down.  After all, Mary had not asked for this.  Mary had not asked to be the object of gossip and slander among the residents of Nazareth.  Mary had not asked to have her reputation sullied before her parents or her betrothed.  Mary did not want to be the subject of a legal debate about whether or not she should be stoned to death for adultery.  This was a lot to put on a teenage girl.  We would not have been surprised if Mary had broken down in tears at Elizabeth’s doorstep.  Or perhaps that she would have broken out in a rage.  Mary’s voice did not cry out with anguish or with anger.  Mary broke out in a song of praise and joy.

     Mary’s joy was not because she felt like she had finally earned some reward from God for being noble and humble.  Mary acknowledged her lowly estate, which is no different and no worse than yours or mine.  We are all sinful beings.  We are victims of gossip and slander.  Our reputations are sullied.  But then we also victimize and sully others with our sins.  Our lowly estate is our own doing.  All have sinned.  All are low.  In addition to this, we also face the pains, sorrows, and disappointments of life.  Finally, we will die.  You might want to cry out, “I did not ask for all this.”  Nevertheless, God has you endure it.  It is the price of sinful rebellion.  There is nothing about it that God should honor or pity.  But God also has you endure it because it leads you to recognize your lowly estate, to repent of your sin, and to long for a Savior.

     Mary does not out in anger or in anguish.  Mary rejoices because God has not despise us in our lowly estate.  She sings, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:47)  My soul magnifies the Lord, because he raises up the lowly.  To raise us up from our lowly estate, Jesus humbled himself to our lowly estate.  God Almighty took on weak and frail flesh.  God, who had good reason to despise and disown us, because God with us.  He submitted himself to the hatred and scorn of Pharisees, to the mockery and brutality of Roman soldiers, to his reputation being sullied by false witnesses, to being condemned because of trumped up charges and popular demand.  They crucified him despite the lack of any evidence against him.  Jesus knows what it is to be victimized by sin and shame.

     Nevertheless, Jesus submitted himself to such humiliation and shame in order to deliver us from our lowly and wretched estate.  He exposed his back to the scourge.  He put his shoulder under the cross.  He stepped beneath God’s curse.  All the while, Jesus did not cry out, “I didn’t ask for this!”  Instead, he sought this.  He came from heaven to earth to be born for this.  Mary sang, “My soul rejoices in God, my Savior.” (Luke 1:47)  He is your Savior, too.  He rescues you from the depths of death and despair.  He removes all your disgrace.  My soul magnifies the Lord because he raises up the lowly. 

     Mary’s song continued: “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate…” (Luke 1:51-52)  God showed the strength of his arm by working salvation for us.  Nevertheless, we still like to flex our own muscles.  We like propping ourselves up and claiming to be better than we are.  It is usually at the expense of someone else.  We are proud in the thoughts of our hearts, crediting ourselves for how good we are…or meant to be.  And we assume that even God is in agreement with us.  Mary’s song warns us against such self-praise.    Those who exalt themselves do not want mercy, but bragging rights.  The Lord has nothing for those who exalt themselves.  He scatters the proud and casts down those who prop themselves up.

     Do not try to find ways to convince God that you are better than you are.  It takes too much energy, and God knows it is a lie anyway.  In the same way, you do not have to invent ways to humble yourself.  The Lord has taught you simply to acknowledge yourself for what you are—lowly, sinful, and fully dependent upon God’s mercy.  Therefore, you confess: I am by nature sinful.  I have done what is evil, and I have failed to do what is good.  God have mercy on me, a poor, sinful being.  It is honest, and it is true.

     A broken and contrite heart God does not despise.  That is why you can sing along with Mary, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.  For behold, … he has … exalted those of humble estate…” (Luke 1:46-48,52)  The Lord your God has been pleased to raise you up from your lowly estate, and he has changed your title, “sinner,” to a title that is greater than any other title in the world.  Now, you are children of the Most High God. 

     This has been a drastic change to your life and to your future.  Jesus has saved you from the depths of hell and the grave.  Jesus has removed every sin and all shame from you.  You are no longer sullied, but saved.  Though you may still appear lowly to those who are in this world, the Lord has exalted you greatly.  You are heirs of heavenly glory in his everlasting kingdom.  Even anger and anguish shall be turned into joy.  And it is why Mary and the Church rejoice and sing. 

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