YouTube -- 4th Sunday of Advent (December 22, 2024)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, December 22, 2024.

Sermon -- 4th Sunday of Advent (December 22, 2024)

MICAH 5:2-5a

THIS ONE WILL BE THEIR PEACE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     When the Lord first promised a Savior, he was pretty vague about how we would know him.  The Lord spoke of the seed of the woman, which could have been anyone.  He narrowed the scope just a little bit when the Lord referred to the seed of the woman as “he.”  But that only limited the possibilities to a male child.  The Savior could come from anyone in half of the world’s population.  But this one, whoever he might be, would be their peace.  As time went by, the Lord continued to narrow the scope.  The Lord promised Abraham that the Savior would come through him.  The scope was further refined when it was revealed that the Savior would be the Son of David.  Later, the prophet Micah limited the scope even more. 

     Micah declared this word from the Lord: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, from you, will go out the one who will be the ruler for me in Israel” (Micah 5:2).  Since Bethlehem is a small town, that limits significantly the number of people who would qualify as the Savior of the world—a boy, from the line of David, born in Bethlehem.  Still unnamed to the people of the Old Testament, this one would be their peace.

     The Savior would have a birthday and a birthplace.  However, Micah also declared, “His goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity” (Micah 5:2).  Micah prophesied about 700 BC, seven centuries before the Christ would be born in Bethlehem.  Yet, Micah tells us that this ruler who would come to Israel had his origins long before Micah was born.  He goes back to the beginning of all things, in fact, into eternity.  Therefore, the baby to be born in Bethlehem is eternal.  And if he is eternal, he is God.  The eternal God would enter our world at a specific time and place.  And this one would be their peace.

     Micah told us where the Savior would enter the world.  He also gave us a hint at the timing of his coming.  He said, “The Lord will give them up, until the time when the woman who is in labor bears a child” (Micah 5:3).  And who does the Lord give up?  The rulers from Judah.  God would allow their reign to come to an end.  This happened when Herod the Great assumed power as King of the Jews.  Up to that point in time, the people of Israel were always ruled by a fellow Israelite.  His power may have been insignificant, but it was always an Israelite who ruled over Israel.  Herod the Great was no Israelite.  He was from the nation of Edom.  Jacob’s yoke had finally been broken off of Esau’s neck (cf. Genesis 27:40).  The throne of David, powerless as it was, had finally expired.  But at that time, the woman who was in labor would bear a child, the Savior.  This birth would take place in Bethlehem.  Despite the small size of Bethlehem, someone great would come forth from there.  This one would be their peace.

     Micah helps us identify the Savior.  And when you consider all the other Old Testament prophecies, Jesus is the only one who could be the Savior.  Only Jesus has fulfilled every prophecy foretold and every promise sworn.  Besides identifying where and when he will enter the world, Micah also tells us what he will do.  “He will stand and shepherd with the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  They will dwell securely, for at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth.  This one will be their peace” (Micah 5:3-5).  

     It is no small thing when Micah says that the Savior will allow his people to dwell securely.  The Promised Land has always been a hotbed of conflict.  The Promised Land was a crossroads between Asia, Africa, and Europe.  Besides traders, many armies travelled the roads through Israel.  Sometimes they passed through, although not without helping themselves to materials and supplies.  Other times, they came to kill, to conquer, and to make Israel a source of revenue for themselves.  In the days of Micah, the Assyrian nation came and took into exile the tribes of the north.  The people of Judea also suffered at the hands of the Assyrians until the Lord provided a miraculous deliverance.  But the violence and warfare have never stopped.  To this day, this plot of land in the Middle East remains a land of blood, currently with Israel and Lebanon and Gaza battling each other.  A ruler who would ensure peace would be welcomed and celebrated when he came.

     And wouldn’t such a ruler be welcomed and celebrated now, too?  The entire world is in chaos.  Jesus warned us it would be this way until his return.  He alerted us, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not alarmed, because all these things must happen; but that is not yet the end.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  But all these things are only the beginning of birth pains.  … Then many will fall away from faith.  They will betray each other and hate each other.  Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:6-8,10-12).  It isn’t a rosy picture, is it?  But we see it unfold in front of us day by day, year after year.  The pundits may sing, “All we are saying is give peace a chance,” but according to Jesus, you won’t find it here.  It is not that we favor war and chaos; it is that we should not be surprised by it.

     Perhaps your tragedies are more personal.  Sin makes itself evident in many ways.  Sometimes it is family strife.  This is the time of year when families are supposed to get together and to enjoy one another’s company.  But sin produces feuds, divisions, and divorces.  Often, the problems are self-inflicted.  Perhaps you are the one who caused the rift with some poorly chosen words.  Or you are the one who bears the grudge, preferring your pride to forgiveness.  The holidays accentuate these family problems and underscore loneliness.  We use words like “dysfunctional” and “blended” and “broken” to describe families and homes.  This is not what God has intended, but it is what sin has produced. 

     Sin also makes itself evident from the anxiety we endure.  We get anxious about our health, the economy, job security, politics, elections, our popularity, and the expectations of other people.  We even get anxious about scenarios that we dream up in our minds which never happen.  And why the anxiety?  Because nothing in this world is secure.  As a result, people become depressed or angry or even suicidal.  Some choose to cope with life’s problems with intoxication.  But the problems don’t go away.  For as much as people talk about peace during the Christmas season, it is often elusive.  Life remains chaotic.  The world is still broken.  And people still seek hope and peace.

     The prophet Micah preached to troubled people at a troubled time.  His words still bring comfort to us today.  Micah promised us a Savior.  He said, “He will stand and shepherd with the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  They will dwell securely, for at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth.  This one will be their peace” (Micah 5:3-5).  

     Listen carefully to Micah’s words.  He does not promise that the world will be at peace.  He said, “This one will be their peace” (Micah 5:5, emphasis added).  Jesus himself is the peace that you long for.  He delivers what nothing in the world will bring you.  The everlasting God comes into the world to bring everlasting hope and peace to people.  It’s not necessarily that he will make your world better.  It is that he will deliver you to a better world.  Only in the kingdom of heaven will you get life without war and crime, without pain and loss, without mental and emotional distress.  If this is what you long for, then cling to Jesus.  This one will be your peace.

     Jesus Christ makes promises that he has backed up with his very life.  He has taken care of the sins that have plagued you.  Jesus assures you that all your sins have been wiped out.  The Bible declares, “As distant as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our rebellious acts from us” (Psalm 103:12).  When the eternal God removes sins from you, they are taken away forever.  Therefore, you do not need to live with guilt or regret.  And this is nothing you have to wait for.  The payment for your sins has been made at Jesus’ crucifixion.  In his word and sacraments, Jesus delivers you this forgiveness now.  So, if you want your conscience to be at rest, this one will be your peace.

     Jesus also puts you at ease regarding your death.  Death will come; that is the wages of sin.  But Jesus delivers you from the terrors of death.  He went into death for you.  The flesh-and-blood Savior who came from Bethlehem had his body placed in a grave after he died to pay for your sins.  But the grave could not hold him.  Your flesh-and-blood Savior departed from the grave.  He rose with a glorified body, and assures you that, since you are his, you too will rise with a glorified body.  These bodies suffer all kinds of health problems.  We see that with the need for glasses, hearing aids, prescription medication, and intensive care units.  As you get older, the problems will increase in frequency and intensity.  All of that will be done forever.  Death will be undone.  The frailty of this flesh will be rectified.  No matter what difficulties you have now Jesus will fix.  You will be renewed and robust forever.  This one will be your peace.

     The world is still a troubled and troubling place.  Even after Micah declared that the ruler from the little town of Bethlehem would enable his people to live securely, Israel was invaded.  Its temple was destroyed.  Its people were taken into exile.  Life in the world was not any easier.  You should not expect it to be any different for you.  Wars and rumors of wars will not cease.  Natural disasters will not subside.  The world will still deceive and discourage you.  There is no peace, not in a world that has been marred by sin. 

     But Jesus Christ allows you to dwell securely in the knowledge that your eternal salvation is set.  That is the goal, and Jesus secures it.  This one, Jesus Christ, will be your peace.  The struggles in this world may be painful, but they are temporary.  The glories of heaven are eternal.  Nothing in this world can compare with them, and nothing in this world can take them from you.  All who believe in Jesus are safely preserved unto eternal life.  This peace stands in the midst of distress, disease, and death.  Our God is eternal.  His kingdom endures.  His love is steadfast.  And his peace is unending.

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

YouTube -- 4th Sunday of Advent (December 24, 2023)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, December 24 (10:00 AM -- still Advent!).

Sermon -- 4th Sunday in Advent (December 24, 2023)

LUKE 1:26-38

HOW WILL THIS BE?

In the name + of Jesus.

     The angel Gabriel told Mary many amazing things about the baby whom she would birth.  Here is a brief summary.  His name would be Jesus.  That is the Greek version of his name.  It means Savior.  The Aramaic version of his name, which is almost certainly what Gabriel said to her, is Yeshua.  That means “the Lord saves.”  It would be both his identity and his job description.  He is the Lord who saves.  Gabriel also said that he would be the Son of the Most High.  Gabriel did not suggest that this child would be something less than God.  God is one, and there is no other.  Therefore, this child is God—God the Son, but now also Mary’s Son.  Gabriel added this: He would be given the throne of David.  So, he would be a king.  More than that, Gabriel said that he would reign forever.  This child would be an everlasting king who reigns for the glory and for the good of God’s people.

     Several times, St. Luke mentioned that Mary pondered all these things in her heart.  I am sure that she pondered Gabriel’s words for a long time.  It’s a lot to ponder.  Mary did not doubt the angel’s words, nor did she resist what Gabriel gave her to do—which, by the way, was no small matter.  Mary would be the mother of God.  The Lord became flesh in her womb.  She would nurse him, change him, and bathe him.  She would teach him to walk, to speak, and to feed himself.  She would have to endure people scoffing at the idea that her child was special—aren’t they all?  But hers is divine!  Her child is God.  Don’t mess up raising him.  No pressure, right?

     It is amazing, therefore, that Mary had only one question for Gabriel.  That question had nothing to do with what responsibilities she bore in raising him so that he would fulfill what Gabriel said he would be.  But she was confused about one issue: “Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin’” (Luke 1:34)?  And note how she asked.  When Zechariah was told that his aged wife, Elizabeth, would conceive and give birth to John the Baptist, he thought the word from the Lord was foolish.  In essence, Zechariah said, “Elizabeth?!  She’s too old.  How can this be?”  Mary asked, “How will this be” (Luke 1:34, emphasis added)?  She did not doubt that God could do this, but she was curious how.

     This was not the first miraculous conception and birth in the Bible.  Abraham was told that his elderly, barren wife, Sarah, would give birth to a son.  And she did.  Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, had infertility issues.  So did Jacob’s wife, Rachel.  Hannah was barren, but later gave birth to Samuel.  And we heard about Zechariah.  But the difference, and Mary knew it, was this: All these women had husbands.  They may have been old.  They may have been barren.  But they all had husbands.  Mary did not.  “Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin’” (Luke 1:34). 

     In all of human history, there has never been a birth like this.  But that’s because in all of human history, there has never been a child like this.  Mary asked, “How will this be?”  The angel Gabriel gave her an answer.  Despite his answer, it still remains a mystery to us.  Gabriel said, “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 Holy Spirit comes through the word of God.  He does not zap people into the kingdom of God.  The Bible reminds us, “‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).  The Holy Spirit inspired the words of the Scriptures, and he comes through those words to create and to sustain faith.  The Holy Spirit never works apart from the word.  So, as the angel Gabriel spoke the word of the Lord to Mary, the Holy Spirit came to her.  The Son of God was conceived in her.  He is and remains God; for God does not change.  But then God takes the humanity into himself through the Virgin Mary.  Being conceived by the Holy Spirit, he remains sinless.  Being conceived in the Virgin Mary, he becomes a man to make himself one with us.

     Now, all of this is deep theology.  And maybe it seems like there is nothing practical here.  But if you have mourned the loss of a loved one, if you have ever been cheated, if you have been haunted by regrets, if you have ever felt helpless or hopeless or lonely, then you may have wondered, “Does God understand what I am going through?  Does God care about me and my problems and my tears?  Does God know what it is like to feel pain, to suffer mockery, to bury loved ones, to have stress, or to be the victim of injustice?  Does God understand my plight?  Does he care?  Will he help?

     Sometimes, people try to understand the plight of others by putting themselves in their shoes.  Some have taken a mission trip to Haiti and assist people who live in poverty and are trying to recover from a hurricane.  I remember hearing about a movie star who wanted to experience homelessness.  So, he went out to sleep on a street somewhere in a cardboard box.  After his night out on the street (and maybe it was a few nights, I don’t remember), he went back to his Beverly Hills home.  Did he really know what it was like to be homeless?  Does a visit to Haiti for a week really show you what it is like to live in poverty and squalor when you know there is a flight back home?  You may gain empathy, which is sorrow over someone else’s suffering.  But you cannot claim to really have sympathy, which is to suffer what they suffer—not when you know you can go right back to comfort and safety.

     The angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary, and St. Luke has recorded it so that you will know it: God knows and understands and now feels exactly what all these things are like.  How will this be?  God becomes one of us.  God entered our world and took his place among sinners.  There was no escape clause.  There was no ejector button.  In fact, Jesus did not get out of the experience alive.  He experienced pain, sorrow, and loss.  He was a victim of mockery, betrayal, and injustice.  He witnessed sickness, disaster, and death.  He himself was beaten, spit upon, and lashed.  He was crucified, died, and was buried.  God has taken on humanity and invested himself in everything we know except for sin.  So, when you are pouring out your frustrations in prayer, God knows what you are going through.  He can sympathize because he has been there.

     But God’s sympathies go beyond sharing the human experience.  God chose to experience the curse of sin that all people deserve and to endure the torment of hell that you and I have earned.  God chose to die.  How will this be?  For, God cannot die.  God’s very nature is that he is immortal.  But man is mortal.  Therefore, God became a man to suffer the curse that we all have brought upon ourselves by our sins.  St. Paul wrote, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).  How will this be?  How could this be?  God became a man so that he could suffer die for all. 

     How will this be?  The immortal one dies?  The almighty suffers in weakness?  The blessed one is cursed?  The holy one is guilty?  The heavenly one endures hell?  The angel Gabriel told Mary how it will be: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son…  The child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:31,35).  So, in Jesus Christ, God dies.  In Jesus Christ, God pays for the sins of the world.  In Jesus Christ, a man rises from the grave to overpower death.  In Jesus Christ, a man enters heaven to dwell with God the Father forever.  And if you share the confusion of Zechariah and ask, “How can this be?” do not fear.  It is a mystery.  It is revealed by the Holy Spirit, but we still marvel at it.  It’s a lot to ponder.  But rest assured that the word of the Lord is true.  And it guarantees your redemption and your place in the heavenly kingdom.

     “Greetings, O favored ones, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28).  The Lord has become one with you.  He does not merely offer you sympathy and commiserate with you that life is hard and full of troubles.  The Lord Jesus Christ has acted to deliver you out of your troubles.  He may not take away your troubles right now.  After all, this is a sinful world and bad things are going to happen in it.  When you pray for an end to your troubles, God’s answer may be, “Dear child, have patience.”  But in the end, God’s answer will be, “Yes.  I will grant you relief completely and eternally.”  But no matter what, the Lord remains with you. 

     “Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30).  The favor of God has been revealed through the Son of Mary.  It comes from the God who became body and blood for you.  It comes through the body and blood which are given to you to eat and to drink.  The Holy Supper is also a mystery.  In Greek, it is called a mysterion / musteriwn (1 Corinthians 4:1); in Latin, it is called a sacramentum.  The mystery is that bread and wine conceal the body and blood which have won forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation.  Some have scoffed at the sacrament and asked, “How can this be?  We see, feel, taste, and smell bread and wine.  How can the infinite God be contained by bread and wine?”  By trying to make the mystery logical, they have forfeited what it is.  Why not ask, “How can the infinite God be contained in a womb?”  But just as Mary did not try to unravel the mystery of the incarnation, we do not try to unravel the mystery of the sacrament.  We let Jesus’ words stand when he tells us, ‘This is my body.  This is my blood.”  Jesus gives us his crucified and risen body and blood.  Through it, he gives the gifts he won—forgiveness and eternal life.  Through it, he sustains us in his divine mercy until he will set us forever free from the evils that plague us.

     Mary did not contest God’s word.  She accepted what God had given her.  She responded to Gabriel, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).  We don’t know what cross the Lord may have us bear, but we do know the promises he has made.  Jesus has guaranteed his mercy to us all.  Therefore, each one of us can also pledge, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”  And—God be praised!—it will be.

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

YouTube -- 4th Sunday of Advent (December 18, 2022)

Here is the service from Sunday, December 18, 2022.

Sermon -- 4th Sunday of Advent (December 18, 2022)

ISAIAH 7:10-14

THE SAVIOR IS REVEALED BY AN UNMISTAKABLE SIGN.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Throughout Jesus’ ministry, the scribes and Pharisees opposed Jesus.  They spied on him to find fault with his words.  They accused him of being lawless in his actions.  They plied him with trap questions in order to charge him with either rebellion against Moses or rebellion against Caesar.  They even accused Jesus of being in league with the devil.  But the one challenge which will always leave me dumbfounded is this one.  “Some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you’” (Matthew 12:38).  After all the miracles Jesus had done—including miracles that the scribes and Pharisees had witnessed and acknowledged!—they came to Jesus and asked to see a miraculous sign from him!?  That is unbelievable.  Jesus refused to grant their request.  He came to proclaim, not to perform.

     Jesus usually replied to such demands this way: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign” (Matthew 12:39).  If they would not believe what he taught, they would not be converted by a miracle either.  Nevertheless, to this day, people look to God for a sign.   The sign often grants people permission to do something God clearly forbids.  Or, perhaps, the sign is proof that one can believe what the Bible does not teach.  When we look for signs rather than turning to the Scriptures, we are willingly deceiving ourselves.  Anything can be interpreted as a sign if you want it to, but God’s word stands unmistakably clear.  Therefore, Jesus’ condemnation stands: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign” (Matthew 12:39). 

     In the days of Isaiah, we have the opposite.  Ahaz was king in Jerusalem, and the nation of Syria banded together with the northern tribes of Israel to attack his kingdom.  Isaiah wrote that “the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind” (Isaiah 7:2).  Syria and the northern tribes had planned to overthrow David’s throne and to replace King Ahaz with some stooge who would serve Syria.  King Ahaz was understandably concerned about defending himself and his kingdom.  The Lord, rather, was concerned about defending the Promise of the Messiah.

     Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz to declare that God would defend and protect Jerusalem.  God would even cast away the northern tribes so that they would never pose a threat again.  The Lord had declared, “Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people” (Isaiah 7:8).  Then he warned King Ahaz, “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all” (Isaiah 7:9).

     Now, these are a lot of big promises for a tense time.  In fact, the promises seemed too good to be true.  Jerusalem was outmatched and overpowered by their enemy.  Isaiah merely gave him words to believe.  How would they stand up against the swords, the soldiers, and the horses from Syria?  So, to back up his words, the Lord offered to give King Ahaz a sign.  “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: ‘Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven’” (Isaiah 7:10-11).  Note this: King Ahaz did not demand a sign from God.  God told him to ask for one. 

     Suddenly, King Ahaz began to act more pious than he really was.  Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test” (Isaiah 7:12).  Oh, how noble Ahaz pretended to be!  It sounds like he was saying what Jesus said when the devil tempted him.  Jesus replied, “It is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:7).  But King Ahaz did not believe the word of the Lord when it was preached to him, so he rejected the miraculous sign that God wanted to give him, too.  He would not believe by faith, nor would he believe by the sight of a miraculous sign. 

     The Lord gave him a sign anyway.  God would act no matter what King Ahaz thought.  Isaiah “said, ‘Hear then, O house of David!  Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel’” (Isaiah 7:13-14).  The prophecy went on to declare that within two years, the enemies who were threatening Jerusalem would be overthrown.  This would be the Lord’s doing, even if King Ahaz considered it impossible.

     The miraculous sign was a sign of judgment against King Ahaz.  God’s will would be done not because of Ahaz, but despite him.  King Ahaz was powerless to save himself no matter what political tactics he tried.  That’s why God had to step in.  God would produce salvation.  Sadly, it was a salvation that King Ahaz did not even want to hear about.

     Just as King Ahaz did not have the power to withstand his enemies, neither do we.  We do not have the power to overcome our sins.  Oftentimes, we choose not to put off our sins.  The man who gives more attention to video games than to his family does it because he is annoyed by his responsibility as a father.  Women gossip because they like it and because they don’t like the people they gossip about.  Rather than just love our fellow man, we calculate the risks of loving our fellow man and justify ourselves when we withhold our patience, our charity, or our forgiveness.  Our sins have seized us, and we cannot overcome them.  Sin marks us for death, and we cannot overcome that either.  We are helpless, and just having regrets will not save us. 

     Because we cannot overcome our enemies, God must act.  The Savior is revealed by a miraculous sign: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).  This is the Savior who was promised from the first moment when people were overcome by sin, death, and the devil.  God promised that the Seed of the woman could come to crush the serpent’s head.  Now, women don’t have seeds; women have eggs.  Men have seeds.  But the Savior would come from a woman.  The virgin would conceive and produce a Savior without a human father.  The Savior is revealed by a miraculous sign.

     Of course, when the virgin Mary became pregnant, her betrothed, Joseph, felt betrayed.  What other conclusion should he draw?  Joseph knew where babies come from.  If you heard about a teen pregnancy today, you would not assume that God is working miracles again.  You would deduce that someone fathered a child.  So did Joseph.  Therefore, the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to let him know what God had done.  “‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:20-23). 

     The Savior is revealed by a miraculous sign.  Joseph was not the father of Jesus.  Of course, Joseph knew that.  What had to be revealed to Joseph is that the baby in Mary’s womb had no earthly father.  What had to be revealed is that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  What had to be made known is that his father is God, and in fact he is God himself.   He is Immanuel, God with us.  And he is God with us so that he would overcome sin, death, and the devil for all of us.

     Jesus has come to overcome our enemies for us.  Jesus has come for those who are pretending to be more holy than they are so that they can stop pretending.  Rather than pretend we have done better than we have, we can rely on Jesus whose holy life is what we need to be saved.  Jesus has come for those who are so crushed by their sins that they fear they are too far gone to be saved.  Rather than be destroyed by guilt, we can see how Jesus has taken up the guilt of all people and was condemned and crucified for us.  Jesus does not merely put up with us.  Jesus became one of us.  He is Immanuel, which means he is God, but he is God with us.  God as one of us.  God sent to save all of us.  And he does.  To pay for your sins, Jesus died for you.  To deliver you from death, Jesus rose from the grave for you.  To assure you of a heavenly home, Jesus ascended to heaven and prepares a place for you. 

     The Savior is revealed by a miraculous sign.  And it is not only his virgin birth that is the miraculous sign.  Jesus gave one other sign.  Jesus’ enemies pestered him for a miraculous sign.  Even though Jesus charged them with being “an evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:39), he did give them a sign after all.  He said, “No sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:39-40).  Just as Jonah returned alive out of the great fish on the third day, so Jesus returned alive out of the grave on the third day.  Now, this could not be faked.  The Romans were exceptional at crucifying people.  No one survived it.  Jesus’ death was well attested to, and so was his resurrection.  Since Jesus died and rose from the dead, your sins have been fully paid for.  Death has been completely overpowered.  And the devil lies crushed under Jesus’ feet.  Your enemies have been overcome.  Your Savior lives, and you are free.

     The Savior is revealed by a miraculous sign.  And now he comes with one more sign, or rather, a sacrament.  When Jesus rose from the dead, he did not stop being a man.  But now, all of the attributes of God are employed by this man.  No longer does Jesus live in humility.  Now he is full of all glory.  So, when he promises to be with you always to the very end of the age, it means he is still Immanuel.  He is still God with us.  And since he is omnipresent, it means that he gives you his body and blood on this altar just as he is does from altars all over the world.  He gives to you what has paid for your sins.  He gives you to what has overcome death.  He gives you to eternal life.

     If you want to know about God’s love for you, you don’t have to demand a sign.  God gives you one.  The Savior is revealed by a miraculous sign, and that sign is revealed to you in the word of God.  Even if King Ahaz would not believe it and the whole world thinks it is foolish and stupid, God’s word reveals to you that his salvation is real and his forgiveness is true.  Immanuel has come, and he is still with us to save us. 

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

YouTube -- 4th Sunday in Advent (December 19, 2021)

Here is the service from Sunday, December 19, 2021.

Sermon -- 4th Sunday in Advent

HEBREWS 10:5-10

HE GIVES HIS BODY TO SANCTIFY YOU.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Quiz question: What was the first shedding of blood in the Bible?  If you are thinking of Cain’s murder of Abel, you are close, but off by one chapter.  Right after the fall into sin, we read that “the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21).  Fig leaves were not a permanent solution.  So, the Lord put to death animals for them.  They shed their blood so that Adam and Eve could be clothed in their skins and have their shame covered.  It foreshadowed what Jesus would later do—shed his blood so that he would cover sin with his righteousness.  Jesus would give his body to sanctify you.

     The second shedding of blood mentioned in the Bible is for worship.  We never hear of any instructions, but God must have given a command about proper worship.  Abel shed the blood of an animal for an offering.  Abel honored the principle which continued throughout the worship conducted by Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22).  It was always understood by the patriarchs that a body would be slain and blood would be shed.  A sacrificial death was essential to the worship of God—a substitute given on behalf of the sinner.  It proclaimed what the Lord would eventually do for all sinners: “This one dies for me.”

     When the Lord gave details about worship through Moses, he again gave direction for blood sacrifices.  The bodies of bulls, rams, goats, and sheep would be consumed by fire.  The blood of beasts would atone for the sins of the people with whole burnt offerings, sin offerings, peace offerings, and so forth.  Every day, morning and evening sacrifices would be offered.  The animal’s blood would be spilled at the altar.  The animal’s body would be turned to smoke from the altar.  The smoke was a continual sign that the Lord accepted the sacrifices and did not count the people’s sins against them. 

     The offerings needed to be repeated daily, monthly, annually—for centuries.  No matter how much blood was spilled, no matter how many animals were slain, they did not take away the sins of the people.  The writer of the Hebrews quotes Psalm 40 where King David—one thousand years before Jesus—acknowledged that these offerings were not the answer.  “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, …in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure” (Hebrews 10:5; Psalm 40:6).  How could God be pleased with offerings that do not remove sin?  It was never the bare act of slaughtering a ram that forgave sins.  People were saved by faith in God’s promises.  God attached his promises to the sacrifices.  Only faith made their worship of any benefit.  But every sacrifice confessed the promises.  Every sacrifice pointed to what the Savior would finally do.  Abel, Noah, Abraham, and centuries of Israel’s priests made the same confession: The Savior would make the one, perfect sacrifice that would make the full payment for sins, once and for all.  He would give his body to sanctify you.

     “Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, … ‘a body have you prepared for me’” (Hebrews 10:5).  It is not the sacrifice of a bull, a goat, or a ram that serves as a substitute for mankind.  It is not even another man who can stand in for all mankind.  It is God who comes for all mankind.  But to be a true substitute for mankind, God had to become a man.  So, a body was prepared for him, as we heard in our Gospel lesson.  The Holy Spirit implanted our Lord in the womb of the blessed Virgin.  He was conceived and went through nine months of gestation.  He was born, grew up, and presented his body as the sacrifice which once and for all made the payment for the sins of the world.  It is not a lamb, but the Lamb of God, which was slain for sinners.  He gives his body to sanctify you.

     “Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, … ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book’” (Hebrews 10:5,7).  Jesus came to do God’s will in two ways.  First, this one lived for you.  He became a man to submit to the Commandments that we must keep.  He had to do this because we have not.

     Our confession is correct: We are by nature sinful.  We cannot turn that off.  It makes itself evident in our thoughts, words, and actions.  We know what God expects of us, and we know that God’s standards are good.  Nothing is ever gained by jealousy, anger, sarcasm, obscenity, adultery, name-calling, or cruelty.  These things are destructive for you and for others.  Yet, the devil convinces us that we benefit from embracing them.  Our thoughts scheme evil against others.  Our words cut people down.  We act to get praise from others, and we get upset when we don’t get it.  We are guilty of the evil God has told us not to do.  And so, we have offended God and hurt our neighbor.  We have failed to do the good God has commanded.  And so, we have grieved God and proved unhelpful to our neighbor.  This is nothing to boast about, much less trying to convince God that we have been good.

     “Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, … ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:5,7).  Jesus lived for you.  Here is a man who did all that God commands, and he delighted in doing it!  For it is not the bare act of obedience which pleases God, but the heart and will of the person must be pure to please God.  The devil tempted Jesus to think that abusing his divine power would serve him well.  Jesus despised self-promotion and self-glorification.  The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.  Miraculous healings were one way Jesus served others, but far better were the teaching and preaching of Jesus.  He preached what Mary sang about.  He told us that we ought not exalt ourselves before God, as if we are saved by impressing him.  Even so, we are not saved by our humility.  We humble ourselves because we are sinners.  Jesus, however, saved us by humbly obeying every word of God.  We hunger and thirst for righteousness which only Jesus has.  And Jesus is pleased to fill us with good things—his own righteousness.  The holy life Jesus lived he lived for you.  And through baptism, he has covered over your shame with his innocence just as he covered Adam and Eve with the skins of animals.  He gives his body to sanctify you. 

     “When Christ came into the world, he said, … ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:5,7)–not only in his life, but also in his death.  Jesus bore in his body the guilt of all your sins, and then he made his life a sin offering for you.  The body that was prepared for Jesus was destined for the cross.  There he made the one sacrifice which would satisfy God’s wrath and remove God’s curse.  This one dies for you.  His blood was spilled at the cross.  His body was consumed by God’s fiery wrath.  His holy, precious blood pays for your guilt.  His innocent sufferings and death secure your pardon and peace.  Behold, he has done God’s will!  He lived in innocence for you.  He died accursed for you.  He gives his body to sanctify you.

     “When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.’  He does away with the first in order to establish the second.  And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:8-10).  By doing away with the sacrifices, Jesus relieves you of doubts that you have done enough for God’s salvation.  He takes away the fear of wondering if you ever could do enough.  Salvation does not come by making deals with God or by promising God that you will perform some heroic act for him.  You can’t buy God’s grace; it must be given for free.  And it is!  We do not come to church to do a favor for God.  Rather, we come so that God can deliver his good gifts to us.  It is God’s will that Jesus would do all the work to save you.  “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).  In Christ, you have been sanctified, that is, you have been set apart as his saints.   

     He gives his body to sanctify you.  The Lord took on a human body in order to exalt our humanity.  Your body is God’s creation.  It is a precious gift.  But because of sin, our bodies grow weak, sick, and will die.  Jesus has corrected that.  Jesus united himself to you by taking on a body.  He gave his body into death to pay for sins.  He had his body placed in a grave in order to burst forth from it.  Jesus rose from the dead with a body that is glorified and will never die again.  Jesus has prepared such a body for you.  These bodies will die and decay.  But they will burst forth from the grave at the command of our Lord.  And just like Jesus’ risen body, your body will be exalted, glorified, and perfected.  Every problem you suffer with your body now is the result of sin.  But Jesus has atoned for your sin, and he will restore your body and exalt you to what God had intended you to be.  He gives his body to sanctify you.

     Jesus became your body and blood Savior to serve you in yet another way.  He does not summon us like Abel to sacrifice the body of a lamb on an altar or to shed its blood.  Instead, it is the Lord who gives his body and blood for you.  Like Abel, we are saved by faith in a promise.  For Abel, God attached his promise to a sacrifice.  But the Lord has put aside the first covenant to establish a new covenant.  Now he attaches his promise to the word and the sacraments.  We still have an altar, and there is still body and blood on it.  But the sacrament is not what you do for God.  It is what God gives to you.  The body which has borne your sins is here for you.  The blood which was shed to atone for guilt is here for you.  The Savior who has overcome death is delivered to you. 

     Here, God delivers to you the gifts which take away sin, which strengthen faith, and which overcome death.  Here, you get to feast upon the living body and blood of Jesus by which you are sanctified and sustained in God’s kingdom.  He gives his body to sanctify you—not figuratively, but truly.  Your sins are not figurative, so neither is Jesus’ forgiveness.  It is the body and blood of Jesus Christ which saves, and here he gives it to you.  Jesus gives his body and blood in a manner that you can taste, smell, touch, and consume for your highest good.  Here, the holy things are given to the holy ones.  Here, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are satisfied.  Here, the humble are exalted.

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

Sermon -- 4th Sunday in Advent (December 20, 2020)

2 SAMUEL 7:8-16

THE SON OF DAVID SHALL REIGN FOREVER.

 In the name + of Jesus.

       When the angel Gabriel told Mary about the child she would give birth to, he told her, “The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)  Gabriel referred to a Messianic hope that all Israel had.  The hope of Israel was that the Son of David would take up again the throne of David.  There were different ideas about what that would look like by the time Jesus came, and most of those ideas were wrong.  That is the main reason Jesus did not want his disciples telling anyone that he is the Christ.  But the hope of Israel and the proclamation of Gabriel both have their roots in the promises of God.  Proclaimed by Gabriel to Mary, prophesied by Nathan to David, the word of the Lord is this: The Son of David shall reign forever.

     The kingdom of David was the golden age of Israel.  David had subdued the nations around Israel.  David seized the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites and established it as his capital.  He built a palace and reigned there for over three decades.  Despite his faults, David is credited as being a man after God’s own heart.  This became apparent when David decided to build a temple for the Lord.  While David dwelt in a palace, the ark of the covenant sat beneath a tent.  David was determined to give the ark a more suitable residence.  The dwelling place of God should be glorious, not humble.

     David’s intentions were good, but the Lord told David that it was not right for him to build the temple.  David was a warrior king.  He had a lot of blood on his hands.  The temple of the Lord would not be built by a man of violence.  It would not be David, but his son, who would build a temple and who, in fact, would establish a kingdom which endures forever.

     This prophecy was fulfilled in part by Solomon.  Solomon enjoyed an era of peace.  While David had made extensive preparations and plans for the temple, it was Solomon who orchestrated its construction.  And it was Solomon who dedicated the temple where the Lord had put his name and where the Lord would dwell with his people.

     But if you know the history of Israel, you also know that David’s kingdom did not endure.  Although some kings in David’s line were faithful, many were not.  Finally, the Lord’s patience ran out.  The kingdom of David was overthrown, and the throne of David was destroyed.

     From all appearances, it looked like God’s promises were not kept.  This is what the Lord had told David: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13)  At the time of the Babylonian Captivity, and for several centuries that followed, it appeared that this prophecy was a failure.  It was reasonable to conclude that.  Or reason could have concluded that God did not mean forever when he said “forever.”  Or reason could have concluded that the prophecy was about Solomon, but that God exaggerated about his kingdom.  The promise was clear: The Son of David would reign forever.  But reason, history, and circumstances would conclude that it was wrong.

     Nathan’s prophecy teaches us a lesson about the role our reason has in interpreting Scripture.  On the one hand, we use our reason to understand it.  God does not speak gibberish or in code.  The Holy Spirit uses intelligible words and rules of grammar to communicate what he wants us to know.  But when it comes to the miraculous and mysterious, human reason must take a back seat.  If we use our reason, we explain away divine decrees that we don’t fit our pleasures or preferences.  Since our reason is corrupted by sin, we reject what God says and confess our own ideas.  We end up crediting ourselves with righteousness that we do not have, denying that we are guilty of sins that God clearly condemns, or dismissing the mighty works of God as fables and myths.

     For example, one of the most fundamental teachings of the Bible is how we are saved.  What does reason tell you?  It tells you that you are supposed to be a good person.  It tells you that good people are rewarded for what they do.  It tells you that bad people deserve to be punished.  This is reasonable.  This is why people insist they are good people and present evidence for it.  We might boast of our church attendance, our morals, or our Bible knowledge.  We know that such things are important, so it seems reasonable to assume that God rewards us for them.  If this defines you, then you expect Jesus to reward you, not to save you.  Repent.  My reason will always choose my side, even choosing my conclusions over divine decrees.   

     It is by elevating our corrupted reason and our self-centered motives above God’s word that we end up believing in a Messiah that is more like Santa Claus than Jesus.  If reason rules, we end up rejecting the Bible’s teachings of a six-day creation, the virgin birth, and the resurrection of all flesh.  For, reason demands that everything be observed and measured to be true.  If reason rules, God’s word is ultimately rejected because it seems like nonsense.  But God does not wait for our reason to assent to him.  The Son of David shall reign forever whether it seems reasonable or not.

     When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she had conceived a child not by a physical encounter but by a spoken word, Mary was understandably confused.  Gabriel gave the explanation for how this would be.  It still insults our reason because it is both miraculous and mysterious.  But rather than try to unravel the mystery or explain away the miracle, the Virgin Mary simply submitted to the word of the Lord.  Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)  Mary submitted her reason to the word of the Lord.  It did not matter if it did not make sense to her, Mary trusted that God does not lie and that God can do what he says.  Therefore, she believed what Gabriel had said.  Never mind that the throne of David had not been around for some 600 years, the word of the Lord was true regarding the holy embryo in her womb: “The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)  The Son of David shall reign forever.

     Now when we subject our reason and logic to the word of the Lord, we can appreciate what the prophet Nathan said about the Son of David.  This is what the Lord said to David: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.” (2 Samuel 7:12)  Therefore, the one to come is truly a Son of David.  And what will he do?  The Lord continued, “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:13)  This could refer to Solomon building the temple, but neither his temple nor his throne endured.  Therefore, the promise looks for another fulfillment.  The Lord continued, fine-tuning our focus: “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” (2 Samuel 7:14)  The Son of David will be the Son of God, and the Son of David shall reign forever.  But notice what his kingdom is. 

     “When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him.” (2 Samuel 7:14-15)  Reason might question how this prophecy refers to Jesus.  How can God the Father find Jesus guilty of iniquity when Jesus remained innocent and holy his whole life long?  Submit your reason to the word of God, and you will see clearly how this is fulfilled.  While Jesus was continually sinless; Jesus also came to bear our sin.  Therefore, Scripture says, “(God) made him who knew no sin to be sin for us.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Therefore, when Christ took upon himself our sin, he endured the rods of the soldiers and received the stripes on his back from the scourging.  His bruised and bloody body was nailed to the cross where God’s full wrath was poured out on Jesus.  The Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all, and by his stripes we are healed.  The Son of David carried out justice; for in him, all guilt received its due punishment.  But the Son of David is most merciful to you; for through him all your sins are pardoned.

     Even though the Son of David suffered the rod, the stripes, the death, and the damnation for iniquity, God the Father did not remove his steadfast love from him.  Even though the Son of David had his life cut off at the cross, God’s word still holds true: “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.  Your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16)  For Jesus Christ has risen from the dead.  The Son of David lives and reigns forever—a king who pardons sinners, declares unending peace, and grants to you a life sentence to eternal glory.  The Son of David reigns forever; therefore no one can take away your salvation, nullify your forgiveness, or put an end to eternal life.

     Is this reasonable?  To faith it is.  For, faith does not try to unravel mysteries or explain away miracles.  Faith simply takes God at his word.  God’s people rejoice that God is truthful in what he says and faithful to what he says.  The Son of David shall reign forever.  Blessed are the subjects in his kingdom and the objects of his mercy.

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

Sermon -- 4th Sunday in Advent (December 22, 2019)

MATTHEW 1:18-25

THE SAVIOR COMES: 

RECOGNIZE WHO HE IS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     We have all been guilty of romanticizing the Christmas story, almost to the point of making it unrecognizable.  Some of the blame goes to the songs we sing about it.  Silent night?  Says who?  The little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes?  Why not?  That's what babies do.  Snow on snow had fallen in the bleak midwinter?  Not likely in Bethlehem.  The ox and lamb kept time, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum?  No.  Just, no.  And what about that evil inn-keeper who refuses to take in a woman in full-blown labor?  Read through the story again: There is no innkeeper.  These ideas have crept into the Christmas narrative over the years from various sources and for various reasons.  Thankfully, they have not destroyed the core of the Christmas message: The Savior has come.  But if we romanticize the story, we lose the significance of how God works.
     The events in Matthew's account occurred in Nazareth and are all quite normal.  Joseph had been betrothed to a young virgin, likely in her late teens.  Eventually, he discovered that Mary was pregnant.  Joseph's reaction was both reasonable and noble.  “Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19)  Joseph knew that the child Mary was carrying was not his.  Joseph was not a fool that he would concoct some crazy explanation for Mary's pregnancy.  No one today would say, “Yes, that girl is pregnant; but rest assured: God did it.”  And if anyone did say it, he would get laughed at.  So Joseph was going to call the marriage off.  He was not driven by any sense of revenge that would publicly humiliate Mary.  Nevertheless, Joseph was not going to make himself responsible for someone else's adultery.
     The Lord, however, sent word to Joseph to reveal what was really going on.  Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  (Matthew 1:20-21)  The Savior comes: Recognize who he is.  But to recognize him, God has to reveal it.  So God told Joseph, “Do not be afraid.  Your betrothed is still faithful to you.  In fact, she is still virgin pure.  For the child in her is from any man; he is conceived by the Holy Spirit.  He is God the Son, now become a human being.” 
     The Savior comes: Recognize who he is.  If this is just a story about a young couple who has a baby in rough circumstances, we might find it endearing, but not comforting.  The Lord reveals what we need to know: The Savior comes: Recognize him.  He is Immanuel, God with us.  God has become a man and has united himself to mankind!
     Once again, our familiarity to the story causes us to lose our sense of amazement.  To appreciate what it means that God unites himself to mankind, consider this.  Take the most despicable person in town.  You can make him reprehensible however you choose, whatever offenses disgust you most.  Now, imagine saying to that person, “I would like you to come and live with me and my family.”  You'd never do this.  This is the kind of person you tell your kids, “Stay away from that guy.  He's nothing but trouble.”  Now, you and I are sinners.  We have turned our noses up at God's word and turned away from his commands.  When God has told us to love our neighbor, to help the needy, to remain chaste in words and deeds, we may have said, “Oh, yes, that's right.  We should do that,” but then we didn't.  Either our words were lies, or we are incapable of doing the good we are supposed to do.  Either way, we are guilty.  Why would God join himself to rebels?  Rebels deserve death, not reward.  Why wouldn't he reject us and stay far away from us?
     He could have, but he did not.  The Savior comes: Recognize who he is.  He is God with us, Immanuel.  He is the Lord, now made man.  And he comes because he loves us.  He does not want to banish us; he wants to save us.  He wants us to be his dear children.  The angel had told Joseph: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)  The name Jesus means the Lord who saves.  It is who he is.  It is what he does. 
     The Savior comes: Recognize who he is.  He is the Lord who saves you.  He comes in a common way so that common people will know he comes for them.  He does not come radiating in glory so that you would flee from his holiness.  He is not born in a palace so that you would think he comes only for the elite or special people.  His birth and life are as common and normal as anyone's because he comes for everyone.
     The Savior comes: Recognize who he is.  He is the Lord who saves.  He saves you from your sins, from death, and from the devil.  He saves you from your sins by taking them from you.  He accepts the charges of rebellion and suffers the consequences.  He saves you from death by dying under God's curse in your place.  We have also romanticized Jesus' death on the cross.  Rest assured, it was a gory, brutal death—the kind that people hide their faces from.  Jesus looked like some poor man, beaten to a pulp, and caught in unjust circumstances.  But we treasure it because God has revealed what was going on there.  This is the payment for your sins.  This is how much God loves you.  Jesus died and was buried, but he is risen to deliver you from death.  He will raise you up to live in glory forever.  And even though the devil will try to convince you that you are not really saved because you still feel guilty from time to time, rest assured that the devil is a liar.  Jesus is the Lord who saves, and he has saved you completely.
     The Savior comes: Recognize who he is.  He is the Lord in the flesh.  His birth and life were so common that most did not believe him to be the Lord.  So God reveals to you what is really going on.  Jesus is the Lord who saves us from our sins.  He is Immanuel, God who came to live with us so that, when our time on earth is done, we will go to live with him.  God has revealed this to you so that you will be comforted and confident of your salvation.  This is how God loves the world.  He gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

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