YouTube -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 7, 2025)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, December 7, 2025.

Sermon -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 7, 2025)

A RIGHTEOUS JUDGE WILL PRODUCE A HOME OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

ISAIAH 11:1-10.

In the name + of Jesus.

    When John the Baptist foretold the coming of the Messiah, it was more of a warning than a reason to rejoice.  John said, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance! …  Already the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees.  So every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:8,10).  John prepares the way for the Lord.  Part of that preparation means removing from our lives everything that our Lord would find offensive and contrary to his commands.  It is getting rid of the bad.  That’s the “repent” part.  But it is also replacing the bad with the good.  That is the “produce fruit” part.  The Lord created us in his own image.  We are to be a reflection of the goodness of God. 

     John the Baptist warned that we will be judged when the Lord comes.  The judgment will be stern, just, and final.  “Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10).  If we reflect a different image than our Lord’s, then we are not what God created us to be.  If our behavior is rotten, then we will be cast away like rotten fruit or cut down like a diseased tree.  The cry, “Repent!” still goes out today for that reason.

     When Jesus first came, he did not come slaying sinners or laying waste to cities.  John the Baptist was not wrong, he just had an issue with depth perception.  The Messiah, the righteous judge, will come to judge the living and the dead, but first he came to redeem sinners.  The Lord would rather not cut people down and throw them into eternal hellfire.  Jesus’ goal is to convert sinners into saints so that our delight comes not from gratifying any and all desires, but our delight comes from living as God desires.  Our Lord’s desire is to restore everything from corruption to perfection so that everything again reflects the goodness of God.  The righteous judge will produce a home of righteousness. 

     John the Baptist did not preach a new message.  Seven centuries before John, Isaiah had foretold what the Messiah would do: “He will be delighted with the fear of the LORD.  He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, nor will he render decisions based on what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness he will judge” (Isaiah 11:3-4).  At first glance, this sounds terrible.  The Lord “will not judge by what he sees with his eyes or render decisions based on what he hears with his ears”?!  How else can someone gather the evidence for a proper judgment?

     When people take the witness stand, they are to report what they had seen and heard.  They can identify suspects.  They can repeat conversations they heard.  Based on what was presented at trial, the jury gets to pass a judgment—either “guilty” or “not guilty.”  They are not allowed to convict a man just because they think he is crude or looks scary.  They are not allowed to acquit him just because he comes with a hard-luck story.  The jury is to judge him based on the law and the facts presented.  Why would the Lord do things differently?

     We do not see and hear everything.  How many people get angry because they only heard part of a conversation?  We also draw wrong conclusions when we don’t hear everything.  I remember a conversation with my wife when we uttered the phrase, “Disney World.”  One of our children ran excitedly to the others and said, “Mom and Dad are taking us to Disney World!”  We can be deceived by things we hear.  We are also deceived by the things we see.  If someone posts photos on social media, you might falsely conclude that their life is more glamorous and exciting than yours is.  People usually hide their struggles, their hardships, and their pain.  We also try to hide our sins.  We have cover-up stories or try to make our guilt someone else’s fault.  We rarely know the full story.  We buy into the story people choose to share, or we choose to believe the version we want.  That’s why we do not make sound judgments. 

     But not so with the Lord.  He goes beyond what can be seen with the eyes.  He knows more than what he hears with his ears.  “Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD—how much more human hearts” (Proverbs 15:11)!  There are no secrets before God.  Your social media posts may impress some, but God knows every little thing.  Your heart lies open before the Lord. 

     “With righteousness he will judge…” (Isaiah 11:4).  The righteous judge will not be fooled, swayed, or biased in his judgment.  “With the breath from his lips he will put the wicked to death” (Isaiah 11:4).  The Lord will utter the sentence, and the wicked will get what they deserve.  They will be condemned eternally.  Is that good or bad?  It is only good if you are righteous.  It is terrifying when you realize that your heart lies open before the Lord. 

     God be praised that the Lord also lays open his heart to you!  This is what the Lord says: “Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD.  Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow.  Though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).  Yes, Jesus will judge, but he is more eager to save.  Yes, Jesus will condemn the guilty, but he is more eager to cover over our guilt with his own righteousness. 

     The Lord Jesus shed his innocent blood to pay for the sins of the world.  Then he washed away every stain of sin by applying that blood to you in your baptism.  Isaiah described it this way: “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord.  My soul will celebrate because of my God, for he has clothed me in garments of salvation.  With a robe of righteousness he covered me” (Isaiah 61:10).  What’s more, Jesus continues to cleanse you with his body and blood in holy communion.  If you crave Jesus’ righteousness, come to the altar where he delivers it.

     Now, if Jesus has paid for your sin by his death, then the Lord will not issue a condemning sentence a second time for sins already paid for.  If Jesus has clothed you with a robe of righteousness, then a righteous judgment must declare you “not guilty.”  God is pleased with you; for he delights in what is good.  Through Jesus, you are without blame before God.  The righteous judge will welcome you to a home of righteousness.  This is proper justice displayed in divine mercy. 

     As God was creating the heavens and the earth and everything in them, he would assess his work throughout the process.  Five times, we hear, “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10,12,18,21,25).  After God had completed all his work, he gave his final assessment: “Indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).  God’s creation was a reflection of God’s own goodness.  Because the creation has been spoiled by sin, Jesus  will restore his creation to its perfect state and make it a new home for those who are declared righteous.  The righteous judge will produce a home of righteousness.

     Isaiah described it: “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together, and a little child will lead them.  The cow and the bear will graze together, and their young ones will lie down together.  The lion will eat straw like the cattle.  The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand into a viper’s den.  They will not hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9). 

     Every bit of wickedness, bitterness, animosity, and rivalry will be gone.  If we let a wolf anywhere near a lamb right now, the lamb would become lunch meat.  If parents let a child play with cobras and vipers, the child would either be killed by the snakes or taken away from his parents.  Just recently, a 19-year-old man climbed into a lions’ den at a zoo in Brazil.  It is said that his ambition was to be a lion tamer.  He was mauled to death by a lioness.  The lioness was not tame, and he could not tame her.  This mauling was both unfortunate and predictable in a world of sin.  Even domesticated animals bite, scratch, and attack. 

     But in the home of righteousness, everything will be made right.  All that God had declared to be good will be made good once again.  All creatures will live in harmony, and the world itself will be free from any disasters.  For, Jesus will purify the world from anything which has been corrupted by sin.  The righteous judge will produce a home of righteousness.    

     It will be wonderful to live in a world where we don’t have to be afraid of snakes and spiders, black ice, white-out conditions, and cold and flu season.  But if the Lord fills this new heaven and earth with sinners, it cannot remain a home of righteousness for long.  Even if the climate is perfect, hearts would still grow cold; words would still get heated.  Even if the animals did not devour one another, people would still make biting comments and argue and fight with each other.  What good is a perfect world if people are still wicked?  But that is not how it will be.  The righteous judge will produce a home of righteousness.  It is not just that the world is made right.  All the people who dwell there will be righteous, too. 

     John the Baptist urged, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8)!  In this world, we will continue to do that.  We will put to death our sins and strive to do the good God desires.  Our Lord has already worked in us the desire to do what is good.  And here, we struggle to do these good works.  But the Lord who will raise us up on the Last Day will restore not just the world.  He will raise us up with perfected bodies and hearts and minds.  We will be righteous when we enter the home of righteousness.  We will be confirmed in holiness so that nothing wicked will ever enter there again.

     The righteous judge will produce a home of righteousness.  “They will not hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).  All things will be right forever.  We will know the Lord and his will.  We will delight in God’s goodness and reflect it.  We will be restored to what God has created us to be.  God will produce it.  We will see it.  And indeed, it will be very good.

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

YouTube -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 8, 2024)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, December 8, 2024.

Sermon -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 8, 2024)

LUKE 3:1-6

THE LORD SENDS REAL HOPE FOR REAL SINNERS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     There are many religions throughout the world.  They generally have two things in common.  The first is this: They all acknowledge that there is a God.  They don’t agree on who God is, what he is like, or what he wants.  But all the religions acknowledge that there is a God.  The second thing all religions agree on is that we should be good.  Exactly how one defines “good” may vary from religion to religion.  But this emphasis on being good is a reflection upon who God is.  God himself is good, and he expects us to be as well.  Because of these two points, many conclude that all religions are the same.

     One of the places Christianity differs from other religions is that the Bible is firmly placed within the events of human history.  Works of fiction are often placed in fabricated worlds.  Superman comes from the planet Krypton.  Star Trek has encounters with Vulcans, Klingons, and Romulans.  Even if the settings are real places, the people and events are made up.  They come with a disclaimer: Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.  

     The Bible is not fiction.  It records the names of real people, many of whom are well known.  It is set in real places, most of which can be found on a map or visited in person.  It records real events, many of which can be corroborated in secular histories.  And it often establishes a date for the people and events it records.  Other religions are more philosophies rather than histories.  The Bible is a record of history, but it is more.  It is the record of God working in history to bring salvation to a world of problems.  The Lord sends real hope for real sinners.

     Today’s Gospel might seem like a boring introduction to the ministry of John the Baptist.  But it is actually the precise work of a historian.  St. Luke pinpoints the life and ministry of John the Baptist to a specific time and place—during the reign of a world leader, of regional governors, and of local dignitaries. 

     “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene—during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness” (Luke 3:1-2).  A tetrarch was one of four rulers who governed his assigned territory.  If you count it up, Luke only mentions three.  Secular history informs us that Herod Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great, had been tetrarch of Judea.  But he proved to be a poor leader, so the Romans came in and took over.  That’s what puts the Roman governor Pontius Pilate over Judea.  Luke did not record that for us, but his original audience would have known the story.  Luke did not waste paragraphs of Scripture explaining what everyone knew.  Luke is remarkably detailed and accurate about these things.  So, why should you care?  Because he is remarkably detailed and accurate about matters of your salvation.  John the Baptist is not a fictional character.  He is a real man who lived in a real world.  And he urged sinners to deal with the reality of their sins.  The Lord sends real hope for real sinners.

     While Luke plants John the Baptist in history, he is more interested in the message of John than in the politics of the day.  “The word of God came to John … in the wilderness.  He went into the whole region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:2-3).  The Lord sent John to prepare the way for the Savior.  In order for people to be eager to receive the Savior, they must recognize their need for that Savior.

     John declared, “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:3)!  The Lord was coming.  The only question is whether he would come in wrath or in mercy, to destroy or to save.  If the Lord were coming to judge and to destroy, they would want to set up barricades and strengthen their defenses.  But Isaiah foretold that when the Lord came, “Everyone will see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6).  Therefore, John preached: “Prepare the way of the Lord!  Make his paths straight.  Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low.  The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth” (Luke 3:4-5).  If the Lord was going to save his people, the people would not want anything to suggest he was not welcome.  To welcome the Savior, they should be sure that nothing would hinder his coming. 

     But the Lord is not usually welcomed by sinners.  Sinners are convinced that God’s Law is bad because it makes us feel bad.  It restricts beliefs and behaviors.  It threatens punishment on all who transgress it.  We might even think that the Law brings death.  But the Law of God is good.  Yes, it threatens punishment on wickedness, but that’s because disobedience to God’s Law is a rejection of God who is good, and it is destructive to your neighbor and to yourself.  Yes, God’s Law is restrictive, but that is to maintain good order.  It is like traffic laws.  Complete freedom would mean you could drive your car wherever you want and however you want.  But laws restrict driving to roads and direct you to obey stop signs and speed limits.  This is for the good of drivers and pedestrians.  And yes, God’s Law limits your beliefs and judges your behavior.  The government does not care if you hate your neighbor as long as you don’t beat him.  God cares if you harbor hatred in your heart for anyone who is created in God’s image.  And God cares if you give the honor due him to anything else.

     The Lord takes an honest look at your heart, and he sees the sin that dwells there.  The Lord declares, “The heart is more deceitful than anything.  It is beyond cure.  Who can understand it?  I, the Lord, am the one who searches the heart and examines the mind, to reward a man according to what he has done, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:9-10).  If you take an honest look at your heart and compare it to God’s Law, you will see that it is not a good heart.  It harbors bitterness, jealousy, lust, and greed.  It resents God because he holds you accountable.  Repent.

     God’s Law reflects God’s goodness.  Our failure to keep the Law reveals our sinfulness.  To insist that we are good enough and nice enough for heaven is to believe fiction.  God’s Law shows our reality—we are guilty before the Lord.  We have earned God’s wrath.  God’s Law can make us feel bad.  It might even make us commit to doing better.  But God’s Law does not change what we are.  And feeling bad about our sins does not take them away.  The Lord, therefore, sends real hope for real sinners. 

     Giving careful attention to God’s commandments allows us to make an honest assessment about ourselves, and there is a blessed relief to that.  Rather than come up with reasons why our sins are not that bad, we can be honest and confess reality: “I am a poor, miserable sinner.  Lord, have mercy upon me.”  The Lord sends real hope for real sinners. 

     John came “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3).  God works repentance in us when his Law crushes our hearts.  But “a broken and crushed heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17).  Those with broken hearts seek relief from guilt.  They will rejoice in John the Baptist’s message.  John prepares the way.  Jesus comes for sinners.  And “everyone will see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6).  The Lord sends real hope for real sinners.

     The Lord does not ignore your sins.  He pays for them.  Jesus Christ does not suspend the punishment for your sins.  He suffered the punishment for you.  Jesus’ torturous and cursed death was no fiction.  Real Roman nails pierced his true flesh to a real wooden cross.  He bore a real curse on behalf of real sinners.  Therefore, the wrath of God and penalty for sins have been dealt with in the death of Jesus Christ.  You receive a full pardon for every offense.  So, you can freely confess that you are a real sinner.  For, you have been given a real hope—forgiveness of sins, new life in God’s kingdom and under God’s tender care, and eternal salvation.  Your guilt has really been removed.  Your death has really been overcome.  Your Savior is really risen and lives.

     When John proclaimed baptism, he was pointing you away from yourself.  John could have declared, “You need to do better.  Prepare the way.  Stop your sinning.  Strive for more decent behavior.  Be kinder to people.”  He wouldn’t have been wrong.  Everyone can admit that they should be better.  And, in fact, all religions teach this.  But where is your hope?  Where is your peace if you try harder and still aren’t any better?  Where is your comfort when God’s Law still shows you are failing to do the good God demands?  John points you away from yourself.  He proclaims a baptism for the forgiveness of sins. 

     The Lord sends real hope for real sinners.  And there is real hope for you in your baptism.  Your hope is not found in what you are doing for God.  It is found in what God has done for you and gives to you.  Jesus Christ has won your salvation, and he gives you the benefits of this salvation in Holy Baptism.  There, he washes away your sins and purifies you from all unrighteousness.  There he cloaks you in his own innocence.  There he creates in you a clean heart and renews in you a right spirit. 

     This right spirit is strengthened by God’s word.  The Holy Spirit causes you to love God’s Law, having convinced you that it is good, right, and beneficial to others.  The Lord continues to sustain you in the true faith and guides you to live according to it.  He continues to foster in you a penitential spirit which puts away sin and strives for holiness.  The Holy Spirit also directs you to rely on Jesus alone for hope and salvation.  He is the only real hope sinners have.

     The Lord sent John the Baptist to preach in a real world of real problems among real sinners.  The Lord did not pretend that things weren’t that bad.  He knows they are.  So, he acted to bring a real rescue from sin and all the problems that come with it.  Jesus Christ has supplied that.  No one else has, will, or can.  Other religions may tell you to be good.  Jesus Christ provides his holiness to you.  He bestows God’s favor upon you.  He opens heaven to you.  There is real hope for real sinners—a real Savior who brings a real salvation, real comfort, and real peace.

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

YouTube -- 2nd Sunday in Advent (December 10, 2023)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, December 10, 2023.

Sermon -- 2nd Sunday in Advent (December 10, 2023)

ISAIAH 40:1-11

GOD SENDS A VOICE TO COMFORT HIS PEOPLE.

In the name + of Jesus.

      Three times a voice cries out in our reading from Isaiah.  The overriding emphasis of this reading is found in the first verses.  “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem” (Isaiah 40:1-2).  But what Isaiah cries out the first two times does not really bring any comfort.  Our Gospel reading reminds us that these verses find their fulfillment in John the Baptist.  He is the voice crying in the wilderness.  But it does not sound like John is comforting people with cries of “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).  Those sound like ominous words, not comforting words. 

     The voice in the wilderness prepares for the Word made flesh.  The first time the voice cries out is to prepare the way.  If you know a dignitary is coming to your home, you will make sure that you don’t have dirty dishes piled up in the sink, toys or magazines scattered on the floor, and unfolded laundry sitting out.  You will make sure your home clean and orderly. 

     The voice cries out to proclaim that the Lord is coming.  At first, the voice does not say why the Lord would come.  Is it an inspection?  Are we to expect punishment?  A blessing?  We don’t know.  What we do know is that the Lord is coming, and we want to be sure that nothing would offend him.  Nothing should stand in the way.  So, the voice urges, “Prepare the way” (Isaiah 40:3).  Let the hills be shaved down and the valleys filled in so that the road is easy to traverse. 

     What would make the Lord’s coming to us unpleasant?  It would be unpleasant if it looks like he is not welcome.  This is why John the Baptist cries out for us to repent.  Repentance is not merely saying you are sorry.  It is also putting off your sins and amending your life accordingly.  St. Paul wrote, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28).  So, repentance is more than just stopping the evil, that is, the thievery.  It is also pursuing what is good, that is, being productive and contributing as one can. 

     That is why we confess both sins of commission and sins of omission.  We admit that we have done the evil God forbids.  We have actively committed sins.  We also have not done the good God demands.  We have omitted good deeds which benefit our neighbor.  When our Lord comes, this is what he expects to see.  Therefore, to prepare the way for the Lord, we clear out what is opposed to God’s word.  Just like we keep taking the trash to the curb so that it does not make our house stink, so also we cast off every day our sins so that they do not fester in our hearts.

     Again, the voice cries out: “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.  The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it…” (Isaiah 40:6-7).  All flesh is grass.  All men are mortal.  Nothing lasts forever.  As Moses had observed, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).  When you are young, those seventy to eighty years seem like forever.  The older you get, 80 years does not seem that long.  Life is, indeed, short.

     We try to make our mark on the world, hoping to leave behind some kind of legacy, some kind of achievement which will remind people we were here.  For most people, the grave marker is as permanent as you will get.  After only a few generations, even your family will forget you.  You will be a name in a family history, but that will be it.  All our glory, whatever we accumulate or achieve, is like the flowers of the field.  Their brilliance and beauty last only for a season, and then they are gone—faded, withered, and reduced to compost.

     Perhaps this makes life seem useless.  Many have wondered, “What’s the point?  You live.  You die.  What’s the point?”  The point is what Isaiah preaches.  He is a voice sent by God to comfort.  “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1).  God says to you, “You are my people.”  Your life matters because God has created you.  Your life has meaning because God factored you in his plans.  He brought you into his world and blessed you with particular interests, skills, and abilities.  He has placed you in the family, the city, and the era he wanted you to live in.  All the people you encounter may seem like chance meetings.  In reality, it is by God’s design.  He gives you the opportunity to love and to benefit the people you meet.  Your glory in this world may not last, but that does not make it useless.  No one despises the beauty of the flowers when they are in bloom.  Do not despise your life on earth even if it is short.

     But the voice goes on to proclaim greater comfort to God’s people.  In fact, it is boundless comfort.  The third time the voice cries out: “Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”  Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him” (Isaiah 40:9-10).  Here we learn the reason why the Lord comes.  It is to bless and to save.

     Isaiah foretold that the Lord will come with reward and with recompense.  The reason this is good news is because the Lord is not coming to give us what we deserve.  He is coming with his reward and his recompense.  In other words, he is coming to give us what he has earned.

     God sends a voice to comfort his people.  The voice cries out the first time to prepare the way so that we are eager to receive our God.  The voice cries out the second time to remind us that no earthly gain or glory will last.  The voice cries out the third time to proclaim the good news: God comes to bring his people great reward—a reward and a glory that last forever.  God sends a voice to comfort his people.

     “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2).  The voice decrees God’s peace.  The hostilities have come to an end.  Although, it is not that God had declared war on mankind.  God never stopped loving what he had created.  It is people who have turned away from God.  Many today presume to speak for God, saying what God thinks or wants from us based on their own opinions.  They declare, “My God would never do this or that.”  This is idolatry.  No one gets to craft his own god.  Besides, hasn’t God spoken for himself in the Bible?  Even if people admit he has, they claim that we have progressed beyond it.  A new day calls for a new understanding of what God really meant, they say.  This is a war on God and his clear word.  None of us has become immune to these hostilities, though.  Even we bristle when God’s word calls for generosity, forgiveness, and loving our enemies.  So, it is not that God has been hostile to us; it is that we have been hostile to him.

     But now Jesus comes to reconcile us to God the Father.  He delivers God’s peace to us.  The Lord declares, “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sin” (Isaiah 40:2).  Jesus delivers to you the double blessing.  First, he bestows his mercy.  Mercy is that you do not get what you deserve.  A spy who is captured may beg to be spared.  Captured spies know they should be killed.  But his captors may show him mercy and refrain from taking his life.  It’s not that the spy deserved it.  He was shown mercy.

     The Lord Jesus has shown us mercy by not condemning us for our sins.  But sins must be punished, or God would not be serious about his Law.  Therefore, Jesus stands in our place.  He takes up our sin and its punishment.  He is executed so that justice can be done.  But you and I receive mercy.  We do not get the hell our sins have earned us.  We are not treated as our sins deserve.

     And he gives us double blessing.  Besides being merciful, he is also gracious.  This means that we get what we do not deserve.  It would be like the spy, instead of being executed, gets escorted to a plane where he is flown home to be with his family again.  That kind of favor is inexplicable.  And that is what Jesus has done for us.  He does not banish us to hell.  He does not exterminate us so that we go out of existence.  Instead, he delivers us out of death and opens to us the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus Christ has pardoned our iniquities because he paid for them.  He has secured our resurrection to glory and life everlasting.  So, we receive double blessing—mercy and grace. 

     The voice of God still comforts his people.  You have been reconciled to God the Father—which not only means that God the Father delights in you, it also means that you delight in him.  He is the source of love and the giver of every good and perfect gift.  He pours out boundless mercy and endless grace.  Nevertheless, we still struggle.  We are weak.  We falter, and it makes us fear that God will grow impatient with us or be ashamed of us. 

     Therefore, our Lord continues to speak tenderly to us.  The voice of God still comforts his people.  He knows that we are dust and breath.  So the Lord guides us and cares for us accordingly.  Isaiah said, “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11).  Even if the Lord leads us through difficulties and we are painfully limping along, he does not drive us into the ground or tell us that a true disciple would not have such problems.  Rather, he reassures us that his love endures, that he is faithful to his promises, and that our strength and hope always depend upon him.

     As if once wasn’t enough, he says it twice, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1).  You are his people, bought with the blood of Jesus.  He is your God, bestowing the double-blessing of mercy and grace, of pardon and peace, of a place in his kingdom now and forever.  All our glory here may be like the grass of the field which lives for a moment and then withers away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.  So will those who trust in it.

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

YouTube -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 4, 2022)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, December 4, 2022.

Sermon -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 4, 2022)

MATTHEW 3:1-12

A REPENTANT HEART REJOICES AT JESUS’ COMING.

In the name + of Jesus.

     John the Baptist preached with all the subtlety of a bull horn: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).  He was not polite or winsome or funny.  I doubt John the Baptist had any idea how short his ministry would be, but he preached like he knew.  He did not waste any time in getting the message out.  He was straight to the point, and sometimes that point pricked hard.  John the Baptist knew his role.  “This is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight”’” (Matthew 3:3).  In preparing way for the Lord, John wanted the people to be able to receive the Lord with joy, not terror.  So, he preached repentance.  A repentant heart rejoices at Jesus’ coming.

     John lived in the wilderness, not in the city where all the people were.  Amazingly, all the people came to him.  It is hard to know how he had become so popular.  Perhaps his first audiences were the pilgrims who were traveling to Jerusalem for various festivals.  His appearance was shocking.  His message was strong.  And it took effect.  “Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins” (Matthew 3:5-6).  God’s word stirred the people to feel the weight of their sins and to repent of them.  In this way, they would be eager to welcome the one who would take their sins away.  A repentant heart rejoices at Jesus’ coming.

     John the Baptist had gained so much attention that the religious leaders felt compelled to see him for themselves.  The Pharisees were the rabbis.  They taught and enforced the traditions which were supposed to keep people from abandoning God’s Law.  These traditions ended up being more important to them than the word of God.  By enforcing their traditions—and good luck keeping them all straight—the Pharisees caused many to bear heavy and unnecessary burdens.  The Sadducees were the temple priests.  They were more politicians than priests.  Their main intent was to retain the status quo, which meant that they retained their wealth and power.  The Pharisees and Sadducees wanted to know what John was all about.  Was he friend or foe? 

     Surprise, surprise—John had a pointed message for the religious powers in Jerusalem.  “He said to them, ‘You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruit in keeping with repentance’” (Matthew 3:7).  John did not care about sensitivities.  He called the priests and rabbis a bunch of snakes, children of the devil.  If the people were shocked to hear John say this, the Pharisees and Sadducees were stunned all the more.  They had set themselves up as the moral examples for people to follow.  But their religion was all for show.  They may have said the right words.  They may have been morally upright.  They may have been ritually diligent, but their hearts were directed inward.  Their worship was for themselves.

     The Pharisees and Sadducees basked in the praise they got from other people.  Their deeds were not done to honor God, but to receive honor from others.  They cared about others only insofar as what others thought of them.  Their deeds were not done for the sake of mercy, but for the sake of glory.  Others may have been impressed, but John was not.  John was not fooled by appearances, and John did not pander to reputations.  “You brood of vipers!” (Matthew 3:7)” he said to them.  They should have known better, so John’s message pricked them harder.

     We should take heed that John the Baptist called the religious people to repent, because that’s us.  Every heart is wicked and turned in on itself, including our own.  Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, we are often motivated by what other people think of us.  If we do what is right, we want to be sure others saw it or know about it.  We calculate our words based on the company we are in.  We may change our morals based on what company we are in.  We are seeking approval either of those who respect decency or of those who celebrate debauchery.  We are far more concerned about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.  Repent.

     A repentant heart rejoices at Jesus’ coming, because a repentant heart longs for the mercy that Jesus brings.  But if you do not think you need mercy, then Jesus’ coming will mean little to you.  In fact, you will find it an intrusion and an annoyance.  It would be like the telemarketer who calls you about changing your phone service or wanting to sell you life insurance.  It does not matter how great of a deal he can offer you.  You don’t care.  You are annoyed that he interrupted what you were doing, and you hang up on him.  You don’t even care if you are rude about it.  He bothered you.  Now, if you are not bothered by your sins, you will give Jesus the same treatment.  If you don’t recognize that you need mercy, you will not crave it.  Then the word of the Lord becomes an annoyance, and Jesus’ presence is unwelcome.

     We often picture Jesus as one who does not get that upset about sins.  Maybe he is disappointed in you, but he would never disown you, right?  Do not mistake Jesus’ mercy for tolerance—or worse, permission.  Jesus is true God.  He upholds every word of God.  He does not relax even one syllable of God’s Commandments.  He is also the judge of all mankind, and he will enforce every letter of God’s Law.  John the Baptist warned, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:11-12).

     You have been baptized with the Holy Spirit when he was given to you at your baptism.  There, you were set apart as God’s child and for God’s glory.  But then there is the baptism with fire.  St. Paul wrote, “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.  If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.  If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). 

     Everything we invest in outside of Jesus will be purged from us.  Nothing outside of Jesus, and certainly nothing opposed to him, will endure.  This is a warning for us, lest we get the idea that the way we live doesn’t matter.  Sins hurt other people and offend God.  God has created us for good works and for humble service to our fellow man.  We are turn from what is evil and to do what is good.  This is what John meant when he exhorted, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8).  Repentance is not mere sorrow over sin.  Repentance is a complete change of mind.  It is a turning away from sins and a commitment to doing what God has designed us for.  It is also a turning away from ourselves—our egos, our pride, and our need for praise from others.  It is a turning to God for mercy, for hope, and for favor. 

     A repentant heart rejoices at Jesus’ coming.  Jesus’ coming does not mean he suspends the judgment upon sinners.  It means that he stood in for sinners and took your judgment for you.  Jesus has come because you have no hope to escape the fiery judgment without him.  He took up your sins and was consumed in God’s fiery judgment for you.  Sin corrupted humanity, so God became a man to die for all humanity.  Sins hurt other people, so Jesus was tormented by a cursed death on the cross.  Sins are offensive to God, so the fierce wrath of God was poured out upon Jesus.  Jesus died without being shown mercy because that is the judgment sinners deserve. 

     But in dying for you, Jesus has done the ultimate good for you.  You do not need to fear the final judgment because all condemnation was taken by Jesus.  You do not need to wonder about God’s love for you because all his wrath has been poured out upon Jesus.  Jesus saves you from the guilt of sin and the curse of death.  Those who are bothered by their sins rejoice in the relief and hope Jesus brings.  A repentant heart rejoices at Jesus’ coming.  Rejoice, because Jesus has come for you.

     Jesus not only delivers you from the status of one who is cursed for sins, he has also given you the Holy Spirit to restore you to the image of God, which means that you are eager to be what God created you to be.  This is the fruit you bear in keeping with repentance.  The Holy Spirit has changed your heart and mind so that you delight in God’s word and strive to put it into practice in your life.  And even if God should reward you for this as St. Paul said, you do not follow God’s word to seek reward.  The reward has already been given; for eternal life is yours.  You do not live a godly life to gain God’s approval; for God’s favor already rests upon you.  You do good works not to win praise from others (even if they do praise you for it).  You do this out of love for others, seeking the good of others, and showing mercy to others.  You regard them as God’s creation, whether they are bold or timid, popular or lonely, kind or mean, hurtful or helpful.  God loves because of God’s loving nature, not because of your worthiness.  That’s just who God is.  And that is what he has made you.  We love because God first loved us.  We love as God has loved us, and so our love is given whether it is appreciated or despised.  In the midst of a wicked world, we are committed to doing good.  And in a world that cannot give hope and peace, we yearn for Jesus who is the only one that supplies them.  A repentant heart rejoices at Jesus’ coming.

     John the Baptist’s voice cried out in the wilderness.  The consciences of many were pricked.  The only salve that can remedy a pricked conscience is the blood of Jesus Christ.  He pours that upon you in Holy Baptism.  He coats your inner being in Holy Communion.  Rather than taking an axe to you to cut you down, he prunes from you the branches that do not bear fruit so that you might become more fruitful.  In other words, he changes you so that you flee from your sins.  He spurs you to flee to Jesus for pardon and peace.  And then he works in you to will and to act according to his good will.  This is what repentance does.  And a repentant heart rejoices at Jesus’ coming, because a repentant heart knows Jesus is the only one who can save and heal and nurture.

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

YouTube -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 6, 2020)

 Here is the service from December 6, 2020.

Sermon -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 6, 2020)

MARK 1:1-8

PREPARE THE WAY WITH REPENTANCE.

In the name + of Jesus.

      “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1) starts with John the Baptist.  If you happen to find John's preaching heart-warming, it is only because you know what John's purpose is.  He was sent to prepare the way for the Lord.   John's message is harsh, but it is necessary.  Some people might think that John needs to attend sensitivity training, but he will not go.  He is not interested in being polite or sparing feelings.  He does not waste time with small talk.  John was given a message to proclaim, and it does not seem John is interested in anything else—not in his appearance, not in diet, not in community gatherings, or family meals.  John prepares the way for the Lord; and this John does passionately.  John preaches without a filter.  He does not turn a blind eye to sin, and he does not sugar coat the wrath of God.  John prepares the way of the Lord with repentance.

     It is not that John is into insulting people.  He is no shock-jock who blasts people with venom just to get notoriety.  John preaches the harsh truth and exposes people—all people, whether peasants or rabbis or kings—as sinners.  “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4)  John calls all people to repent so that, when the Messiah does come, we will rejoice and eagerly receive all of the gifts he brings.  If we do not repent, we will welcome Jesus only as a teacher of morals.  And ultimately, we don't need Jesus for that.  Most people know what is right and how they are supposed to behave.  Aesop taught morals.  Aristotle taught courage and virtues.  Miss Manners teaches you to be polite, and Dear Abby will chide you when you are rude or selfish.  The problem is not that we don't know the standard or have one; the problem is that we do not live up to it.

     Prepare the way with repentance.  The people of Judah and Jerusalem heard John's words, and they took them to heart.  St. Mark wrote, “All the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” (Mark 1:5)  To confess means to say the same thing.  So, by confessing their sins, the people were acknowledging that God's word was right and that they were wrong.  They acknowledged the standard of God's Law was true, and they admitted that they did not live up to it. 

     Among the people who came out to hear John were the Pharisees.  They were the teachers of God's word among the people.  They were examples of morality.  The were the judges of virtue.  We often think of the Pharisees as wicked men because Jesus exposed their hypocrisy.  But their sins were not brazen acts of crime or violence.  Their sins were hidden deep within their hearts.  They took pride in their office as teachers, in their acts of charity, in their religious practices, and in the respect they were shown for the example they gave to the community.  Their sin was not that they acted wickedly; their sin is that they were convinced they were good.

     Prepare the way with repentance.  That is more than a sheepish acknowledgment that there are some moments we would like to forget.  Anyone can say that.  Repentance is much more.  Yes, it is an admission of your faults; it is also an admission that your very being is faulty.  Our hearts, our minds, our emotions, and our dreams are all corrupted by sin.  This is true not just for the sins we have done; it is even true for the good we have done.  

     Prepare the way with repentance.  It is forsaking whatever sins you practice, and it is forsaking any confidence you have in the good works you do.  I am not discouraging the good works; I am discouraging finding any reason at all to boast in them.  Jesus had his disciples consider this: “Does [the master] thank the servant because he did what was commanded?  So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'” (Luke 17:9-10)  To boast of our good works is to reject grace to seek a wage.

     Since our hearts, our minds, our emotions, and our dreams are all corrupted by sin, the works that flow out of our hearts, minds, emotions, and dreams are also corrupt.  As we heard from Isaiah last week, “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isaiah 64:6)  Therefore, repent.  Repent of your every wicked motive and movement.  And repent of thinking your better moments gain you something.  We come before God as beggars—we have nothing, and we are nothing.  We only have something when God gives it to us.  John shows you that.  Prepare the way with repentance.

     For as bold and blunt as John the Baptist's preaching was, we should not get the idea that John was arrogant.  He knew has place.  “He preached, saying, 'After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.'” (Mark 1:7)  In a day when sandal-wearing people walked everywhere on dirty and dusty trails, it was a common courtesy to wash the feet of the guest who came to your house.  It not only provided relief to the weary traveler, it also removed the stench which would have perfumed the household.  So, who do you suppose got the job of stooping down to unlatch the smelly leather and to scrub the dirty feet?  The lowest slave in the house, that's who.  

     Jesus had called to John as more than a prophet and the greatest one born of women (Matthew 11).  John had a different opinion of himself.  John did not feel worthy to be the lowest slave for the Messiah.  Like you and me, John was a beggar.  He had nothing to present to God that God should honor or reward.  John preached repentance and he practiced it.  And so it is with you.  Prepare the way with repentant.  Renounce all boasting.  Do not consider your background, your heritage, your status, your popularity, or your financial means.  Do not ask God to consider who you are or what you have been.  Don't ask God to take into account what you promise to do in the future.  Do not take price because you are better than some, and do not despair because you are worse than others.  Repent of all of these things.  Your judgment does not depend upon you.  It is only in the one whom John proclaims.

     The people who came to hear John preach confessed their sins.  They said the same thing as God's word.  But Jesus gives us another confession—a confession of faith.  Once again, we say the same thing as God's word.  But now, we say what Jesus has done to save sinners.  Jesus is mightier than John the Baptist and does a far greater work than John.  John could only point to your need for a Savior; he could not save.  But John could—and literally did!—point to the Savior, declaring Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  John prepared the way with repentance, and Jesus fulfilled everything that was promised from the very first prophet right up to the last prophet of the Old Testament, John.  

     Jesus has done the mighty work of carrying the sins of the world to the cross.  Jesus has done the mighty work of overcoming the devil's temptations.  Jesus has done the mighty work of absorbing the full wrath of God and the condemnation for every sinner.  Jesus' mighty work, however, was accomplished in weakness, as he willingly suffered at the hands of wicked men and willingly died for the wickedness of all.  Into his battered and bruised body, Jesus has taken your unrighteousness.  By his holy bloodshed, he has atoned for all sins.  And then Jesus performed the mightiest work by overcoming the grave at his resurrection from the dead.  This opens up heaven to us all.  It delivers us from death into life everlasting.  Whoever believes and is baptized into Jesus receives all the benefits that Jesus has won through his life, death, and resurrection.  It does not come to us because we did something worth remembering, and it is not withdrawn from us because we did something we wish everyone would forget.  It comes as a gift—from a gracious God and Savior.  He is not hostile to sinners, only to unbelievers.  So, prepare the way with repentance.

     John said, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8)  John came with a baptism of repentance that looked forward to the forgiveness that Jesus would deliver.  Jesus actually delivers the forgiveness of your sins through baptism.  John came to wash away the past, but Jesus comes to cleanse you for all eternity.  John poured water upon the penitent; Jesus pours his Holy Spirit into the penitent to mark you as redeemed children of God.  God the Holy Spirit now dwells in you to creates in you a clean heart and to renew in you a right spirit.  In other words, he works the repentance that John calls you to have.  As you continue in God's word, the Holy Spirit continues to keep you penitent, faithful, and watchful.

     Prepare the way with repentance.  John the Baptist delivers a message which is unfiltered, but necessary.  Aesop, Aristotle, Miss Manners, and Dear Abby can instruct you to be a nice and decent person, but they know nothing of salvation.  John does, and he tells you with brutal honesty.  John knows that you need Jesus.  Only Jesus takes away sins, delivers from death, and opens heaven.  Therefore, prepare the way with repentance.  When you divest yourself of all hope, you will long for the one who guarantees the hope of life everlasting.  Only Jesus can.  And he does.  For you.

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

Sermon -- 2nd Sunday in Advent (December 8, 2019)

MATTHEW 3:1-12

THE SAVIOR COMES: REPENT.

In the name + of Jesus.

     I don't know if you would ever want John the Baptist to be your pastor or not.  John was not a lot of laughs.  He had no time for small talk.  He was not subtle.  God sent him into the world to prepare the way for the Lord and to make his paths straight.  As Scripture records John's ministry, he did that very well.  In fact, it seems that he didn't do anything else.  John preached with blunt force and was unapologetically direct.  John the Baptist is like the coach who rarely gives you a compliment, but is quick to tell you what you are doing wrong.  If you are seeking praise, you will hate him.  If you recognize you need to be corrected, you will welcome his blunt words.  You might wish he were nicer, but you know he's not wrong.
     John's message was this: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)  The reign of God was going to come upon earth.  You and I usually think in terms of us being taken up to heaven.  John the Baptist speaks in the exact opposite direction.  It is not that we will go up to God; it is that God will come down here to us!  And when John proclaims that the reign of God comes to us, he speaks in terms of judgment and even hellfire.  For this is what John says: “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.” (Matthew 3:10)  
     Our holy God wants to see holy people.  That is why he looks for good fruit and will destroy those in whom he does not find it.  The Psalms would have us ponder: “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?  And who shall stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.  He will receive blessing from the LORD.” (Psalm 24:3-5)  If our hearts and hands are not clean, then our works will not be clean either.  This is why John calls us to repent before our holy God.
     If there is one thing that makes people uneasy about God, it is that he is holy.  God has no sin in himself, and does not tolerate sin in any other.  In order to make God seem less threatening, many churches have adapted their worship to be more pleasing to people.  It presents God as one who need not be feared.  No one kneels before him; God bends to the way man wants to approach him.  God is proclaimed as a guy who enjoys a good time like the rest of us.  There is no need to get too uptight about this God.  He's cool, and all.
     This is NOT the God whom John the Baptist proclaimed or whom Scripture reveals.  The prophet Moses hid his face from God.  The apostle Peter was terrified in the Lord's presence and begged him to go away.  The prophet Isaiah testified that he was a dead man in the presence of God.  St. John fell at the Lord's feet as though dead.  If that is how the prophets and apostles reacted before God, what do you make of the God who is chummy and entertaining?  John the Baptist's message to repent doesn't really fit there.  John told us what God coming to earth would bring: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)  That which does not bear the fruit God is looking for will be cast away into the fire that never goes out.  The punishment is everlasting.  Therefore, John declares: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)  
     John's most scathing remarks come at the expense of the religious leaders of his day.  The Pharisees were the rabbis who taught in all the synagogues in Judea and Galilee.  The Sadducees were the upper crust of Jerusalem who worked in the temple.  They were admired by the people, but they were not admired by John.  He says why: “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.  And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” (Matthew 3:7-9)  John did not rebuke them because they were religious or clergy, as if that were bad.  John rebuked them because of what they trusted in.  They did not see any need to repent.  They did not sense any real need for a Savior.  They believed they had a good standing before God.  To tell them to repent was insulting to them.
     The Savior is coming: Repent.  It is not insulting for us to hear the call to repent.  For, you and I still have sins with which we are comfortable or sins which we are prone to.  We know that we should repent of these things, but repentance that remains theoretical is useless.  If a child tells his parents, “I know I should obey your rules,” but then disobeys anyway, his parents will not credit him saying, “Well, at least he knew what we wanted.”  Or tell your boss, “I will always show up to work on time,” and then don't.  You will not be praised for knowing his expectations if you don't do them.  Knowing you should do something and not doing it is both useless and insulting.  How much more when it is before the Lord!  “Lord, I know I should control my anger.  Lord, I know I shouldn't gossip.  I know I should pray and ponder God's word.”  This is not repentance at all.  Sins are to be rooted out and fought against.  And yes, that is a struggle; even a battle.  But this is life in the Church Militant.  We all are called to fight against sin as it brings wrath from God and harm to our neighbor.  Just as sin is not bad only in theory, so also we do not repent only in theory.
     The Savior comes: Repent!  John the Baptist tells us that God seeks true repentance when he says, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8)  If you know God is seeking this, you might recognize just how weak you are in it.  And this is precisely why even religious people still need a Savior.  You know that Jesus has come to deliver you from sin and judgment.  You know that Jesus took your sin and died under your judgment; and yet you still fall prey to sins and fear God's judgment.  You know that  in baptism the Lord set you apart from a curse and set you apart for a godly life.  And yet your godly life is still not what it could be and should be.  You know that Jesus rose from the dead and lives and reigns to assure you victory over Satan, the Accuser.  And yet, Satan still seduces you with temptations and then accuses you when you do what he tempted you to do. 
     Somehow, the mere knowledge of Jesus' sufferings, death, and resurrection is not enough.  And it isn't.  You are not saved by knowledge of facts; even the devil has that.  You are saved by faith, and faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)  Faith in the word of Christ means genuine repentance which despises sin, which takes God's promises to heart, and which seeks to do the good that God desires.  Faith means that God works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)  You are saved by faith in Jesus whose pierced hands and heart cleanse you from all wickedness and produce in you all that is good.  Therefore, if you abide in Christ and he abides in you, you bear much fruit. (John 15:5)
     The Savior comes: Repent!  The life of a Christian is one of continual repentance.  Satan will always tempt us.  The world with its ungodly attitudes will always urge us to join in its rebellion or at least to agree with them that it is good or funny.  Our own sinful flesh delights in its sins and gets lazy and tired in the fight against temptations.  We cannot stand on our own.  But we have a Savior.  He has ransomed you from the devil; the price he paid to set you free was his own sacred life.  He has set you apart from the world.  So if the world despises you or mocks you because you are different, it is because you are.  You do not go along with the likes of Pharisees or Sadducees who take pride in how good they are.  Nor do you follow the world which delights in drunkenness, lust, and greed.  You are saints living in a sinful world.  Jesus has even delivered you from yourself.  Jesus has made you a new creation which recognizes that love is devoted to the will of God and to the good of others, not to the glory of oneself. 
     The Savior comes.  The very fruits of repentance that God seeks in you Jesus produces in you.  Both repentance and good works are worked in you as you remain devoted to the word.  Jesus produces them in you as you partake of the body and blood which have redeemed you from sin and death.  If you want to be free from judgment and hellfire, then flee to the one who alone delivers you from them.  John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the one who takes away the sin of the world.  And Jesus delivers his salvation to you through word and sacrament.  This is where you find deliverance from judgment.  This is where God cleanses you and makes you fruitful.  This is how your Savior comes today.  And this is where the repentant find peace and hope.

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