Sermon -- Advent Vespers: Week 2 (December 7, 2022)

LUKE 1:26-56

THAT YOU MAY BE CERTAIN ABOUT THE THINGS YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT.

Certain You Have The Savior You Need.

In the name + of Jesus.

     When the angel Gabriel spoke to Zechariah in the temple and announced that his wife would conceive and give birth to a son, Zechariah replied, “How shall I know this” (Luke 1:18)?  Another way to understand Zechariah’s question is this: “How can this be?”  Zechariah questioned God’s ability to produce a child through his elderly wife.  But it is not like God had never done this before.  The Bible is familiar with matters of infertility.  There was Hannah, the mother of Samuel, Rebekah, who waited decades for the birth of her twins, and of course, Sarah.  Like Elizabeth, Sarah had been barren her whole life.  Nevertheless, God had promised that through her, Abraham would have a son, and that son would be the one through whom the promise would continue.  In addition, Sarah was an old woman.  She gave birth at age 90.  So, God is capable of granting a child through elderly parents if he chooses, and especially when he says so.

     When the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary in Nazareth and announced that she would conceive and give birth to a son, Mary replied not, “How can this be?” but “How will this be” (Luke 1:34, emphasis added)?  Mary did not challenge God’s ability to do what he had said.  Mary’s question revealed confusion.  Yes, God could let an elderly, married couple experience a pregnancy, but a woman who does not have intimate relations with a man cannot.  Zechariah could recall what God had done before with Abraham and Sarah.  Mary had no such precedent.  Nevertheles, she did not reject the word of the Lord.  She asked, “How will this be” (Luke 1:34)?  And she concluded Gabriel’s visit, willingly accepting her role, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

     Mary was not the only one confused by Gabriel’s announcement.  Theologians have pondered the mystery of the virgin birth, the incarnation of our Lord, and the two natures of Jesus for centuries.  Some of those theologians have decided that a virgin birth is not possible, that God cannot be man, and that Jesus is the product of Mary being raped by a Roman soldier.  They deny the Scriptures.  While Zechariah scoffed, “How can this be?” some scholars assert, “This can’t be!”  They don’t merely doubt God; they call him a liar.

     But that you may be certain of the things you have been taught, St. Luke records everything that occurred.  At the very beginning of his Gospel, Luke spoke about “those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:2).  Luke had investigated matters, and it seems likely that he spoke with the Virgin Mary about her part in the coming of the Christ.   She was able to relate to St. Luke exactly what had happened in that home in Nazareth.  Who else could have known this?  But through Mary, and then through St. Luke, it has been made known to you, so that you can be certain of the things you have been taught, and so that you can be certain that you have the Savior you need.

     When Mary heard Gabriel’s announcement, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31), she wondered, “How will this be, since I am a virgin” (Luke 1:34)?  Mary knew how babies are made.  She had not been with a man to do that.  The angel revealed how God would work this miraculous conception: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).  St. Luke records this so you can know what truly occurred.  This is a miraculous event, but that does not mean it isn’t real.  God produces miracles when he chooses.  But that does not mean we should always expect them.

     The people of Nazareth did not assume that a miracle had occurred and that the impregnated Mary had remained chaste.  Even Joseph, her betrothed, reasoned that Mary cheated on him.  After all, Joseph knew how babies are made, too.  Why would he conclude anything differently?  St. Matthew tells us that an angel appeared to Joseph to clue him in as to what was really going on: Mary was still virgin pure; the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit; and the boy to be born was God in the flesh.  This had to be revealed because there was no other way he could have known it.  And now God has made it known to you, too, so that you can be certain of the things you have been taught, and certain that you have the Savior you need.

     Now I suppose you might wonder, “Did it really have to be this hard?  Did God really need to resort to the miraculous to bring us the Savior we need?”  And the answer is, “Yes.  Yes, he did.”  The Savior could not have been conceived in the usual way.  Man had originally been made in the image of God, that is, pure and in perfect harmony with God’s will.  But that image was lost when Adam sinned against God.  The Bible records that when Adam fathered a son, he was born in Adam’s image, that is, sinful.  And since all come from Adam’s seed, all bear his image.  St. Paul wrote, “Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).  The sinful nature is passed along as children are fathered in Adam’s image.

     This sin affects you, too.  It affects all people.  While it is true that children are cute, they are not innocent.  Anyone who has a toddler knows it.  No one has to teach a child how to be selfish.  We do have to teach them to say, “Please,” and, “Thank you.”  No one instructs a child how backtalk works.  Rather, we have to explain that backtalk is unacceptable.  And then they follow it up with an eyeroll.  The older we get, the more crude we become.  And we learn to scheme so that we can get away with our sins. 

     But God knows everything—what you mutter under your breath, what you do behind closed doors, what you fantasize about.  God knows even if you promise yourself you will not act on your fantasies, even if you never tell anyone else about them.  Being secretive or clever about your wickedness does not erase the wickedness.  No one can fool God.  No sacrifice or service on our part can make up for sins.  Whatever we would offer is corrupt, and God cannot reward what is stained with sin.

     To avoid being condemned for your sin, you need a Savior to come for you.  That you may be certain that you have the Savior you need, St. Luke reveals how Jesus Christ entered into our world.  A corrupt person cannot please God, but a holy person can.  Therefore, the one who comes to redeem mankind must come without a sinful nature.  And if he is to be a man, he must enter the world as all people do.  While Gabriel could suddenly appear to Mary and speak to her, the Savior cannot suddenly appear as an adult because that is not how people enter the world.  If he is a real flesh and blood human being, he must be conceived, born of a woman, and grow through years of infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.  If he does not do this, he is not really a human being.  If he is not a human being, human beings cannot be reconciled to God.  That which is does not become, he cannot redeem. 

     How does the Savior enter the world as a pure and perfect human being without sin?  The angel Gabriel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).  The Church confesses this in the Athanasian Creed: “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting” (www.bookofconcord.org).  Since he is conceived by the Holy Spirit, he enters this world without a sinful nature. 

     That you may be certain you have the Savior you need, St. Luke reveals that God took on a human nature.  He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary as a male, Jewish baby.  And that you may be certain of the things you have been taught, St. Luke recorded the events for us so that we don’t put our faith in fancy ideas, but in historical facts. 

     So, why do we need our Savior to be a man?  Because God gave his Commandments for people to obey.  God declared that people must keep the Commandments or suffer death.  We die because we have not done it.  So, Jesus came as a human being to keep the Commandments.  He lived in perfect and willing obedience.  So now, a man has kept the Commandments.  Jesus has met God’s demands and satisfied him with perfect obedience. 

     Why do we need our Savior to be God?  Because this is what the Lord says: “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit” (Psalm 49:7-9).  If he is only a man, Jesus cannot save you.  But if he is God, then Jesus can give his life for all people.  His obedience to the Law counts for all.  And since he is the Son of God, his death under the condemnation of the Law counts for all.  Jesus took up the sins of all mankind and suffered the cursed death that all people deserve.  He had to be a man so he could suffer death for us.  And in Jesus, we have a man who has conquered death, assuring us that the grave must give people back when Jesus comes again.  If this man rose from the dead and dwells with the Father in heaven, so will you.

     So, Jesus is the Savior we need.  He is true man so that he can be a substitute for man.  He is true God so that his work counts for all mankind.  What’s more, since Jesus is a body-and-blood Savior, he is able to give himself to you in the Lord’s Supper.  He took the humanity into God, and the attributes of God have been given to the man, Jesus.  That means that Jesus is able to give his body and blood to Christians all over the world.  He gives us the very substance that won forgiveness, that opens heaven, and that lives victorious over death.  St. Luke recorded this promise too, so that you can be certain that you eat and drink the body and blood of Christ for life immortal.  He delivers the salvation you need.

     St. Luke recorded Gabriel’s announcement so that you can be certain you have the Savior you need, and so that you can be certain of the things you have been taught.  We do not believe in myths or fairy tales.  They may be cute, but they don’t save.  You have been blessed with the Savior who does, Jesus Christ.  And you can be certain of it.

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