Christmas Day

Preached on December 25, 2015

Introit: Psalm 98 & the Antiphon, Isaiah 9:6

St. John 1:1–18

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –

Why do Christians care so much about the Bible? Of course, we care about the general message of God’s love and salvation. But why all the individual, varied, and sometimes strange, Bible stories? Countless kings, some good, some bad. Obscure prophets and priests and lots of hard names to pronounce. What’s it all got to do with me? Or you? For example, why did we hear about Moses and the Tabernacle on Christmas morning?

The point of all the Bible stories, the reason we care about them so much, is not primarily the example of the people in the stories. Bible stories are not merely helpful lessons for training children to behave. Many of the people in the stories, even the “good guys,” are failures. No, the point is what God does. Again and again, story after story, God is doing marvelous things for people no better than you or me. He does not give up. He insists on doing things His way and that means He does it all Himself. His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. Again and again He has remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness to the House of Israel.

And that is the point of the Tabernacle story as well. Once again, God is doing a marvelous thing. Moses set up a tent, the Tabernacle, a dwelling place, just as God had commanded Him, and then God came and dwelt among His people. He pitched His tent, He “Tabernacled” among them. The glory of the Lord entered the tent. The cloud and fire that led Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness – that was the glorious presence of the Lord God – and that glorious cloud of His presence filled the Tabernacle. The cloud and fire showed that God was present, while it also hid His face from the people. No sinner can see the full glory of God and live. But God dwelt among them, and the blood of the sacrifices offered on the altar shielded them from His holy presence. Indeed, He has done marvelous things.

But the Psalmist tells us to sing to the Lord a NEW song. What’s new about our song? If our song is to be new shouldn’t that mean the Lord has done a new marvelous thing? Christmas answers: Yes and Yes – Amen! Amen! A Savior is born – Christ the Lord! Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things! The very God, eternally begotten Son of the Father, the Word, became flesh and dwelt among us. He once dwelt among His people in fire and cloud, but now He dwells in the very stuff of humanity. The Highest One has a body and soul. The Creator is joined to His creation. His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. And this is not a metaphor – the Word now has a physical arm and hand. He could reach out and close His chubby infant fist around His Mother’s finger. And the glory of the Lord, once veiled with cloud, was seen clearly in a manger. Angels sang this glory to humble shepherds. And the face that no sinner could see and live, was peeping out of the swaddling clothes.

The Word became flesh and pitched His tent, “Tabernacled” among us – dwelling not in a tent of cloth or Temple of stone, but in a tent of human flesh and blood, descended from Adam and Eve, related to us all. The Holy God, the consuming fire, came into our flesh in order to take away sin, and not destroy us. Again I say, His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. His arms were stretched out on the wood of the cross. His hands were pierced with the nails. His blood flowed. He offered Himself – the Word made flesh – as the sacrifice for sin. The Holy God in our flesh makes us sinners holy. He has remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness. Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things.

The new song is not something you have to think up on the spot. The new song is the song about the new things God has done. The new song is the Song of Christ – the Song of the One who makes all things new. Many of our Christmas songs are quite old. Our Hymn of the Day is possibly the oldest song still sung by the Church today, at least 1,600 years old! But all these songs are new – always new – because they sing of Christ.

And what’s all this got to do with me? What does this one more Bible story mean for us? Maybe I’ve already hinted at it, but let’s say it again: The Prophet Isaiah sings it to us in our Introit antiphon, For to US a child is born, to US a son is given. The Christmas angels on Bethlehem’s field tell you: “For unto YOU is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The Christ Child is yours. He came for you. The Lord does not give up. He works salvation by Himself for your benefit. For to US a child is born, to US a son is given, that WE may be HIS.

And all those obscure Bible stories, all those old people and places with strange names – they are yours too. Those stories are your stories, because God is with you. That means He gave you a home with Abraham. He brought you with Israel through the Red Sea. He raised you up to reign with David. And maybe we would’ve liked to actually see some of those old marvelous things. But really, seeing them wouldn’t have done you much good. No plagues can give you the justice you want. No Red Sea Crossing can drown your loneliness. No ark can save you from your tears. No miraculous manna or quail can give you security or fulfillment in this life. No pillar of cloud and fire can guide you to peace with your relatives or to healing for all the hurtful words. Seeing those marvelous things couldn’t help.

But for all your sin and grief and pain, the Lord does new marvelous things. He baptizes you, washing away your sin, giving you His name and Spirit, His death and resurrection, making you His own. He absolves you – He speaks to you with human lips, forgiving all your selfish acts, your rash words, your unspeakable thoughts. He feeds you with His very own body and blood – making you one with Him and nourishing you for life everlasting. All these new marvelous things are for you because the Word became flesh. The Son is yours. The Son is born and given for you and for all. He was born for shepherds and kings, farmers and bankers, police, Congressmen, teachers, and salesmen. He was born for the good and the bad, for the violent and the peaceful, for the faithful and the not-so-faithful. This Son is given for widows and grieving loved ones, for family members fighting with each other, for the sinner who doesn’t think he can be forgiven. This Son is born and given for all and for you.

The Word made flesh dwells among us. Not just on Christmas Day but every day with His Word and Spirit. His glory was once seen in a little stable in little Bethlehem. But here in this little church His glory is still seen – this church is your Bethlehem. The pulpit is where you hear the message of the angels. This altar is both the Manger and the Cross, the place of His holy presence and His life-giving sacrifice. The very same holy flesh and blood that lay in the animals’ feed trough is given here for your holy food. Every time you receive the Lord’s Supper, you get Christmas. He has done it all for you. The Word became flesh and dwells still among us, and in His Word and Holy Supper we still see His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things! For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.

Merry Christmas!

In the Holy + Name of Jesus –

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Charlotte, IA

Third Sunday in Advent

Preached on December 13, 2015

Introit: Psalm 85; antiphon: Philippians 4:4–5

St. Matthew 11:2–11

Isaiah 40:1–11

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –

The colors for Advent are violet and blue. They are darker, deeper colors, meant to turn our hearts and minds to more somber reflection. Advent is a season of repentance because that’s how the Church gets prepared for the Lord – by repentance and faith. Advent restrains some of our over-zealous joy for a time of quiet anticipation.

But today we lit the rose candle in the Advent wreath. The rose color is Advent but with all the dark violets, blues, and blacks taken out. The rose color gives us a glimmer of Christmas light shining through to us now, even while the day is not yet here. Even though we still don’t sing the Gloria in Excelsis, the song of the Christmas angels, we get a taste of their joy. And even though we still prepare for the Lord with repentance, St. Paul bursts into our Advent scene today with the antiphon for our Introit: Gaudete! Rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice! Let your reasonableness be known to everyone – let everyone see what hope and joy you have in the Lord, because the Lord is at hand!

But St. John the Baptist didn’t seem like he was rejoicing too much in prison. If St. Paul had been there with John I imagine he would’ve said, “Rejoice in the Lord always, John! You know, I’ve spent more than my fair share in prison for preaching God’s Word. You know what helps John? Singing some hymns.” Then he and John would sing hymns and trust that their trials would be over soon for the Lord is at hand. More than anyone John should know that the Lord is at hand. He was the voice in the wilderness crying, “Prepare the way of the Lord! Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)

But as John sat in prison he wasn’t doing much rejoicing. Rather he was praying – probably praying some verses from Psalm 85 that make our Introit this morning: Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. So, Lord, will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Will you not free me from Herod’s prison? Will you not save my head from the executioner’s sword? Aren’t you the One I anointed in the Jordan River with the Baptism you commanded me? Aren’t you here to be our King, the Messiah? Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?

We’ve all been in John’s position in some way or another. We’ve all prayed to the Lord, Will you not revive me again, that I may rejoice in you? Will you not save me from my temptations, free me from my sorrows, cure me of my sickness? Aren’t you the Lord who saves, who comforts, and gives life? Aren’t you the Coming One, or shall we look for another? We are not to look for another. Who else could we ask? St. Peter had the right answer when he said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

And that is what John also does here. He sent for a Word from Jesus. As our Introit says, Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints. Christians want to hear their Lord speak. They want to hear God’s Word. For He will speak Comfort to Jerusalem and to all flesh, which is like grass and feels the effects of sin and is dying. But the comfort is this: The Word of the Lord stands forever. The Lord is at hand. Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. Rejoice. Christ is the Coming One. He is the Lord in human flesh, anointed to be the world's Savior. And John was sent before Him to prepare the way.

           None of us are exactly the same as John – none of us is the final prophet before the Lord. None of us here today have even been imprisoned for proclaiming God’s Word. But we are the ones mentioned at the end of today's Gospel: the least in the kingdom of heaven who are yet greater than John. We are certainly least in the Church history. Our names will never make it into the Scriptures. And it’s safe to assume that we will not be famous saints here on earth. But we are greater than John because we have seen and know what He only hoped for. His head was cut off before the Lamb of God was sacrificed to take away the sins of the world. He was the greatest, the last of the saints before Christ's advent. But we live in the time after Christ’s resurrection. That also means we live in the time between His advents. We look forward to His second coming, even as we look back to what was won for us by our Lord in His death and resurrection. He forgave our iniquity. He covered our sins with His blood. He has withdrawn all His wrath and turned from His anger at Calvary, where Christ bore it in our place.

And yet, at the same time, we are still praying, Revive us again, O Lord, that Your people may rejoice in You. This seems like a contradiction. We are entirely forgiven, redeemed, rescued, delivered, because Christ has accomplished our salvation once and for all. And yet, we are still weighed down with sins. As our Collect today said, Our hearts still have darkness. They are in need of the Lord’s light. They long for the Lord's gracious visitation, His advent, to bring us into what He has promised.

           While we wait for the Lord, faith is tested. During this time between the Lord's advents faith is tested because what we feel and experience is not what the Lord has declared to us. He has baptized us. He has called us His children, His saints, His holy people. But He does not make us holy in a way that we see it. When we look at ourselves, that's all we see: just ourselves – sin and darkness, iniquity uncovered. God only makes us holy in Christ, through Christ, by faith in His promises.

           So St. John is an example for us, but the example isn't what we might think. John didn't laugh in the face of danger or just send out positive vibes in hopes of improving his situation. John sent for a Word from Jesus. He longed to hear it again, because only God’s Word spoken, out loud to him, could grant him the salvation Christ wins. Only hearing the Lord speaking can create and nourish faith. And when the darkness threatens to engulf us, when we can’t find a cure for the disease, when the tears for a departed loved one won’t stop flowing, when we’re stuck in prison and there’s no release in sight, we need to hear a Word from Jesus again. Repent and hear His Absolution again. Repent and listen to a sermon. Repent and remember your Baptism. Repent and go to Communion.

           Here then is our prayer, from Psalm 85 in our Introit: Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints. And let us not turn back to folly. Instead, rejoice, for the Lord is at hand. He has come and He is coming again. And there is joy in the Lord. Joy is the reasonable or proper thing to do – even in the midst of repentance and tears. The reason for joy is not what our eyes see or what our hearts feel. The reason is the Lord's Word, which does not fade or wither, but stands forever. His Word speaks peace to His people, comfort for their affliction, and pardon for their iniquity. There is joy because the Lord is at hand. His blood once shed for us. His body now given to us. His glory soon to come for us, to revive us again. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!

Come quickly + Lord Jesus –

This is adapted from a sermon by Rev. Sean Daenzer (12/13/15) at Trinity, Great Bend, and Peace, Barney, ND.

Second Sunday in Advent

Preached on December 6, 2015

Introit: Psalm 80; antiphon: Isaiah 62:11; 30:30,29

St. Luke 21:25–36

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –

Our Introit today comes from Psalm 80, but the antiphon sung before and after the Psalm verses is slapped on there, taken from the prophet Isaiah: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes.” The Lord will cause His majestic voice to be heard, and you shall have gladness of heart. The old Latin name for this Sunday changed the antiphon just a bit to explain who this “daughter of Zion” is: Populus Zion – that is, People of Zion. Zion is the holy mountain where God dwells with His people, Jerusalem – not just an earthly city, but the Church of God. God is a Father: He has a Son from eternity, and His daughter is His people, a holy Bride for His Son.

And so the prophet Isaiah is told to give a promise to this daughter of faith, the people of God: He is told to tell the people of Zion: “Behold, your salvation comes.” That means that the Lord WILL cause His majestic voice to be heard, and you SHALL have gladness of heart. This promise matches up with the prayer of Psalm 80 in the Introit verses: Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved! The shining of God’s face is the revealing of His grace and mercy. This is a prayer for God to make Himself known to us as our Savior, rather than turning His face away from us in wrath and punishment. We want to see God’s shining face and for His coming to give us gladness of heart, rather than see God’s vengeance and for His coming to strike us with terror over our sins.

Dear daughter of Zion, your heavenly Bridegroom will make Himself known to you. His majestic voice is heard even now – it is the Word of Truth that comes from His Scriptures and from the lips of faithful servants sent to preach the Good News. O People of Zion, your Lord will appear to you with grace and righteousness. He is coming with salvation for you.

But the rest of the world, those who do not hear the Lord’s majestic voice, His glorious Word, they have no gladness of heart. Without His Word they do not see the Lord’s face shining in love and mercy. Without His Word, they do not know the Lord’s favor – His forgiveness and righteousness for sinners. The unbelieving, un-hearing world only sees terrible signs: There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. All they see are wars and rumors of war. All they see is cancer, murder, and tragedy. All they see is pollution, brokenness, and decay. What exactly is coming on the world? Is it really a Savior or a demon? The world is in a long slide downhill toward final destruction.

But the People of Zion know the cause of this destruction. It is our sin – our rebellion against God that has ruined us and ruined His world. And so the People of God know what to pray: Restore us, O God. Or really, “Turn us, O God.” “Turn us away from our sin and our self-destructive ways. Turn us back to You.” That’s what the prophet’s call “Repent” really means. God is working, His voice is going out, His Word is being preached, and His Spirit turns the hearts of sinners back to their God.

But there is another turning going on as well, another turning that we pray for: the turning of God. Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see. Not only must we be turned back to God, God must be turned back to us. Our sin and rejection of our Creator causes Him to turn His face away from us. He is a God of Love and that means He will not force Himself upon us. If unbelieving sinners think God is evil, then that is what they will get: the darkness of an evil god. If you think you should be God, then He will turn His shining face away and leave you with what you want: the darkness of your own heart and the darkness of your ways. That is really the wrath of God. And woe to those sinners who find themselves in a world of self-made gods: sad, arrogant creatures who only have love for themselves. That is hell. So the People of Zion pray, Turn again, O God of hosts! They want to hear His Word – His Law and judgments, His Gospel and forgiveness. They want to hear from their God and see His face turn back to them and shine with His favor.

What Psalm 80 wants is for both turnings to happen: For God and People to both turn back to each other – face to face. The face of God shining with mercy and favor. The faces of His People reflecting His light with trust and thanksgiving. And in the middle of it all, the One who brings about the turnings: the Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself! Jesus is the Man at God’s right hand. He is the Son of Man made strong by His righteous life in our place, His innocent suffering and death for us, His victorious resurrection that gives us a share in the life of God. Jesus is stronger than our prideful sin, stronger than our tyrant the devil, and stronger than death itself. Jesus was made strong for God, in order to do His Father’s will. He suffered under God’s wrath instead of us, and He brought God’s anger to an end.

The Son of God and Son of Mary let His face shine upon this dark world: shining in the darkness surrounding that manger, shining in the darkness surrounding that cross. His face shined with the dripping blood of His love, love for His Father and love for the world. And that is how He brought us back to face each other. Jesus reconciled us to His Father: forgiving our sins and making peace between God and sinners, that we might believe in Him and look upon God’s face with godly fear, love, and trust. Jesus reconciled His Father to us: taking away His anger over our sins and giving us His righteousness, that God would look upon us with the same favor and love that He shows His only-begotten Son.

That is actually the favor that God shined down upon the Virgin Mary when He looked on her and chose her to be the Mother of His Son. “Rejoice, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” said Gabriel. This was not a favor that Mary earned by a sinless life or a humble attitude. She found favor with God only because of the favored Son who was to be conceived in her womb, born from her, only to die for her and for a world of unfavorable sinners. The angel Gabriel might as well have sung today’s antiphon to the Virgin Mary, that particular daughter of Zion: Behold, your salvation comes, Mary! The Lord will cause His majestic voice to be heard, and you shall have gladness of heart. And Mary believed it. She heard the majestic voice of the Lord tell her the Good News of her Savior. “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord,” she replied. “Let it be to me according to your word.” She had gladness of heart and her soul magnified the Lord.

That angelic message and that antiphon are both for you too: “Rejoice, O favored ones, the Lord is with you! Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.” The Son of Man has won forgiveness for you. Behold, your salvation comes. And Psalm 80 is for us to pray as well. Restore us, O God; let Your face shine, that we may be saved! Turn again, O God of hosts! Appear to us with Your grace. Make Yourself known with a shining face of favor and love. Give us faith to see past the terrible signs of this age and this dying world. Turn us from our sin and from our works of darkness. Turn us back to Your Truth and Your ways. That we may have gladness of heart and look forward to Your glorious coming. Lift up our heads to see our redemption drawing near, and see the face of the Son of Man shining in the clouds of heaven.

Come quickly + Lord Jesus –

Several themes are from Rev. David Petersen in a sermon on Psalm 80 from God with Us.

First Sunday in Advent

Preached on November 29, 2015

Introit: Psalm 25

St. Matthew 21:1–9

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –

The point of Advent is to make us prepare, to slow us down. Isn’t life better when we’re not rushing so much? The point of Advent is to stop us rushing to the next sale, stop rushing to the tinsel and lights, stop rushing to the next party and the next batch of cookies. Advent makes us prepare our souls to celebrate the Lord’s first coming, His birth. We prepare by learning why He came – He came to die and be our Savior. And we prepare by looking for His coming again on the Last Day.

So if the Lord is coming, if His Advent is near, and we are to prepare ourselves for His coming, then the question Advent raises for us is: How should we greet Him? The Introit from Psalm 25 gives us the name for this Sunday and the answer to our question: How should we greet Him? Ad Te Levavi – Latin words meaning, “To You I lift up.” The Church often gave names to some Sundays and we’ve preserved these names in the original Latin. They came from the first words of the Introit for that day: To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust.

Advent then is about faith – lifting up the soul, trusting in God. Jesus came near to Jerusalem and rode the donkey into the city, fulfilling the prophecy from Zechariah, Behold, your king is coming to you. And that message is as much for you here, waiting for His second coming, as it was for those in Jerusalem during His first coming: He is your king and He is near, He is coming. Don’t go looking for another king. Don’t go trusting in another king. Wait for the King you have – He is your king and you are His people. Advent then is about faith and waiting.

From the time of Adam and Eve down to the days of John the Baptist, the people of God were waiting for the Lord. They waited for the Seed of the Woman to come and crush the head of the serpent. They waited for the offspring of Abraham to come and bring blessing to all the nations of the earth. They waited for the Son of David to come and rule with righteousness and peace. They waited for the Messiah, the Anointed Servant of God, to come and suffer, bleed, and die for the sins of the world. That is what King David and all the Old Testament saints were waiting for. They were waiting for the Lord to come – for the Lord to be born as a man in order to die. They were waiting for the forgiveness of sins to be won, for atonement to be made, for a ransom to be paid. They were waiting for the redemption of Israel, even the redemption of the whole world.

So when David writes Psalm 25 he confidently says, Let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for You shall be put to shame. That means, none who wait for the Messiah, none who wait for Him to come and die, will be put to shame. King David had many enemies and he had many reasons to be ashamed: he had committed adultery and murder; he had been a bad father and king. Worse than that he had those chief enemies of the Christian hounding him, gloating over him – that’s the Devil and death, bringing all his sin back into his mind, telling him he had done too much evil, and heaping more shame upon his head. But the Lord taught David that he would not be put to shame eternally. None who wait for the Savior shall be put to shame.

Instead, David is taught how to pray with humility. And here is the fine distinction between shame and humility: with humility David prays to be taught. He wants to be taught the Lord’s way, His truth, and His salvation. He prays, Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long. We should pray for that kind of humility – humility to accept instruction from the Word of God. When we know our shame and confess our sins, we’re not just playing along, giving lip service to God’s Law. We’re not shrugging our shoulders with an unconcerned, “Well, nobody’s perfect.” Rather, we accept God’s judgment of sinners. We have hurt and misused our bodies, we have torn apart our souls. We have hurt those we love and those we hate. We confess that God’s judgment is right and that we need God’s instruction. We need instruction in God’s way and His truth. Jesus is God’s way and truth – and that makes Jesus my salvation. For the angel told Joseph, “Name the child ‘Jesus’ because the name Jesus means that He will save His people from their sins.” So we pray: Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation – you are the God of my Jesus – for you I wait all the day long.

The time of David’s waiting, or the time of Old Testament waiting, is over. We are waiting to celebrate Christmas, but we’re not actually waiting for Jesus to be born. The Messiah came. Our humble King was born and laid in a manger. Our King obeyed His Father and came near to Jerusalem in meekness, riding on a lowly donkey. He was greeted with shouts of “Hosanna! Save us now!” and He was killed. Jesus, the promised and righteous Son, was put to death on the cross because of our sins. He willingly carried our shame – He was rejected by His Father and endured the mocking and gloating of His enemies – He suffered the laughter of Satan. And yet, He is no longer put to shame and His enemies can no longer exult over Him. He is risen. He is vindicated. That is done.

Yet, we are still waiting for this same Lord – this same promised Advent King. In Revelation 22, Jesus says to us who are waiting, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing My recompense with Me, to repay everyone for what He has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first, and the last, the beginning and the end… Surely I am coming soon.” (Rev. 22:12–13, 20). And that makes us Christians rejoice! We want the Lord’s recompense. We want His justice. We rejoice that He is coming to set everything right. Because Christ’s death has already paid for our sins. So it is unjust that we still bear the burden of our shame. Christ suffered in our place and so it is wrong that we are still suffering from our sins and from the sins of others. Christ is coming to set all that right. So we need not be ashamed to ask for relief now. It is good for us to pray Psalm 25 – to find relief from people’s gloating, to receive freedom from the people and the powers of this world that would imprison us in fear, sadness, and anxiety. Most of all, we pray against the gloating accusations of the Devil because he is a loser and he is wrong. Christ our true King is coming.

The salvation of Christ has been won once and for all, but we are still waiting for that salvation to be fully given. We are eager for the End and for the integrity and uprightness of Christ to be established in His eternal kingdom. Advent is all about waiting. And Advent teaches us to wait for the Lord’s final coming with no less eagerness than the saints of the Old Testament who waited for His first coming. So Advent teaches us it is good and even natural to pray the Psalms with David, even though we’re now on the other side of the Lord’s incarnation. The Psalms can be used by all of God’s people at all times. They are prayers that cover the experiences of Jesus Himself, but also prayers that cover every aspect of human experience. The Lord’s psalms are your psalms, your prayers, giving you a voice for the cries of your heart to the God who has promised to hear you. The same God who knows your weakness and your fears for He is a man and He knows what it is you suffer. The same King who has paid for your sins with His holy blood, covers your shame with His absolution, and will turn your grief into joy. He will answer your psalms and He will dry your tears.

O Jesus Christ, may Your integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You. Redeem me, O God. Redeem, Israel, out of all his troubles.

Come quickly + Lord Jesus –

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Charlotte, IA

           

Many of these ideas came from Rev. David Petersen in his Issues, Etc Interview Nov. 24, 2015, and Advent 1 2014 Sermon on Psalm 25.

Thanksgiving Day

Preached on November 26, 2015

St. Luke 12:13–21

2 Corinthians 9:6–15

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –

Technically, Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday of November, is not a Church holiday. It was not a day picked by the Church or commemorating any special person or event in the Bible or Church history. It was picked by the U.S. government. But, we still have a church service today because the act of thanksgiving – giving thanks to God – is just what the Church does. We already do it, have always done it, and will always continue to give thanks to our God. Every Sunday, even every day, the Church gives thanks because it is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

There is also a similar point to make in regards to charitable giving. This time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas is known in our society as a season of giving to those less fortunate. And yet, once again, the fact that this happens at this time of year is not exactly determined by the Church. Furthermore, we Christians don’t give to charity at this time of year merely because it’s the expected thing to do in our society. But we give to charity because that’s just what the Church does – showing love to others and helping those in need. In fact, we should seriously consider that especially Christians need to be doing this throughout the year, since the poor are so often forgotten by our society once Thanksgiving and Christmas are past.

Giving thanks to God and charity to others is the activity of the Christian Church. It comes from a heart redeemed and filled by our God, the Giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). It’s not done reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7). And not only do Christians give thanks to God and charity to others as individuals – but we do it together as the whole Church of God. We in the Church know how to do all this better than anyone. And we should also be the ones to teach others – how to give thanks and how to love and take care of those in need.

One reason the Church should be society’s teacher when it comes to thanksgiving, is that our society knows how to feel grateful, but doesn’t actually recognize the Giver. It is not enough to simply feel grateful in one’s heart, or even to express that gratefulness in general. Our mothers must teach us to express our thanks to the grandparents, aunts and uncles who gave us our presents. We need to write the thank you notes or call them on the phone. So also, feeling grateful needs to be voiced to the true Giver of the gift – we give thanks, we say and sing our thanks to God.

In contrast, look at the rich farmer in Jesus’ parable. His land produced plentifully and he was grateful. His sin was not that he was ungrateful, but his sin was that he was grateful to the wrong person. He gave thanks to himself. He was satisfied in himself and in his possessions – what he perceived were his by right and by his own effort and success. However, this kind of thanksgiving is not a happy one. Rather than rejoicing in the plenty he was given, he took his abundance as a crisis. He feared that he would lose what he had (neglecting the fact that it was sheer gift that he should have it at all). Faced with what should have been an occasion for joy and thanksgiving, he cried, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?”

Such an undeserved bounty should have made him a cheerful giver: “What a wonderful problem! I have too much for myself and can give more away to others in need!” The bellies of the poor are far better storerooms than our barns. * But sadly, that is not what he did. Rather than rejoice and revel in giving it away, he stored up for himself. Rather than being happy to store up treasure in heaven with God by giving his earthly treasure to the poor, he hoarded perishable crops in perishable barns and so perished himself.

The Church must step in and teach how to give thanks and how to give away. Only the Church truly knows how to do this because only the Church knows Jesus. He not only shows us how to give thanks to God His Father, but He also gives Himself away to us and to the world. Jesus alone is the One who has distributed freely, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever (2 Cor. 9:9; Ps. 112:9). He died for every sin of every sinner, even for those who would never even try to pay Him back, even for those who would never believe. That is the lavishness of His love. And out of His very own love and joy He freely distributes His grace to all who believe. He emptied Himself on the cross for us and He continues to empty the richness of His righteousness into us poor sinners, filling us up and never running out, for His righteousness endures forever.

It is with this joyful knowledge, this joyful fullness of God’s gifts, that the Church can cheerfully give her riches away. When one of the pagan Roman Emperors desired to seize the Church’s wealth, he went to Lawrence, the deacon in Rome who was in charge of the Church’s treasury. The Emperor ordered him to bring out the treasure of the Church. But Lawrence had previously given it all away to the poor. So Lawrence brought before the Emperor the blind, the crippled, the orphans, and all those poor people whose lives had been touched by Christian charity. “Here is the treasure of the Church,” Lawrence said. That’s what the Church values above all in this creation – those redeemed by Christ, and so the Church desires above all to serve them just as Christ serves us.

Of course the Church has been helping the poor even before St. Lawrence. When St. Paul writes to the Corinthians about being cheerful givers, he is talking about their charity to the poor brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. And here he also teaches how giving to others and giving thanks to God are joined together. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God (2 Cor. 9:11–12). The gifts of God have a way of circling back to Him. When we give to others as Christ has given to us, those recipients then also turn to God and give thanks back to Him. The abundance of God’s generous gifts are constantly rebounding in thanksgiving and praise. By giving to others, not only do we provide for their needs, but we multiply the songs of thanks and praise heard before God’s throne.

And besides, what better way could there be to thank our God than by following Him – by imitating our Lord’s self-giving love? The Corinthians were charitable because of their submission, their humility before God the Giver of all that they have. Their submissive, humble attitude flowed from their confession of the Gospel of Christ (2 Cor. 9:13). So also, our humble charity flows out of our faith in the Gospel, the faith that we confess: Christ gave Himself for me. I am rich in Him. What more joyful message could inspire our hearts to give to others and to overflow in thanks and praise to this most gracious God?

The cheerful giver is the one who for the joy of it all cannot help but give away what he has received. Like the soldier or college student who receives a care package from home and wants to share the goodness with his friends, so the Christian, and the whole Church together, cheerfully gives to others having received everything from this bounteous God. It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God. And most especially are we bound to praise You for salvation in Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Really, it’s almost too much to put into words. Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! (2 Cor. 9:15)

In the Holy + Name of Jesus –

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Charlotte, IA

* St. Augustine, Ancient Christian Commentary: Luke, 208.

Last Sunday of the Church Year

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

St. Matthew 25:1–13

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –

“Peace and Security!” That was the slogan circulating at the church of the Thessalonians. We’ve heard similar slogans in our day, haven’t we? We use them on Facebook and Twitter. We hear them from our favorite Media personalities. We hear them from our president and from foreign presidents. We are all looking for peace and security. Every single candidate running for office promises to be the one who will bring peace and security to our country. It’s a political slogan that’s been around as long as there have been politics.

The problem with saying “peace and security” is, if in reality, there isn’t any. The Old Testament rulers of Judah promised peace and security, but the prophets warned that the opposite was coming: Babylonian armies surrounding Jerusalem, war, and captivity. Who are the unnamed “they” in Thessalonians – the ones who make such false promises? Could “they” also be us? Peace and security for America? With walls on the border, and drone strikes, or higher taxes and increasing welfare. Just ignore the threats of an evil religion and insist on tolerance. Or peace and security for Immanuel, Charlotte? With more people in the pews, more money in the plates. Just don’t offend people by talking about sins. Are these the things we think make for peace and security? Where have we placed our trust?

All of these things come from our own doing, instead of from the Lord’s doing. And everything that comes from our own doing is shaky and insecure. It cannot last and it cannot save – it ends in destruction. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. When our attention and confidence is on our works and our plans, then destruction comes. And there is no escaping when the birth pains begin. When the woman goes into labor and the baby is coming it doesn’t matter if you’re ready at the hospital or not. Or think of it another way: the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. The point here is not what the thief does – our Lord is not a robber who hurts and steals – But the point is when the thief comes. You don’t know when! Thieves don’t make appointments. And at night it’s most likely he’ll catch you unawares while you’re sleeping.

It’s generally true what Paul says here about the night: Sleeping and getting drunk happen at night. That means, sleeping and getting drunk are the opposite of being awake, and being sober, that is, being watchful, thinking clearly. All of this is running with Paul’s metaphor for the Last Day, the Day of the Lord: The thief coming at night and the birth pains are like the coming of the Day of Lord. And for those that are sleeping and drunk, meaning, for those not watching, for those looking for peace and security from man and from their own plans, for those who are of darkness and night, that Day is one of destruction for them. That Day is wrath. But! You are not of darkness, brothers and sisters. You are children of light. You are children of the Day!

Paul is really a masterful writer, in how he weaves his metaphors together: inescapable birth pains, inescapable and unknowable thief, thief at night is like the Day of the Lord. You are children of the Day. But what Paul means when he says, we belong to the Day, is not just some general idea of day vs. night, or darkness vs. light. That’s part of his metaphor. But Paul is talking about a specific Day, a real Day. The reality is you are children of THE DAY – the Last Day. The Day of the Lord is part of your identity. You belong to that Day, even though it is still in your future.

The wakeful and sober watching for that Day is not of our own doing for that would be shaky and insecure. But the watchfulness goes with the armor: the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. All this given to you as gifts from the Lord. For you who believe, the Day of the Lord does not come with wrath but with salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us. He has already given this salvation to you. That’s the Gospel. The Day of the Lord, the Day of salvation first happened at your baptism. In the water and in the Name of the Lord, the judgment of Judgment Day was handed down: your sins are forgiven, you are sons and daughters of God, children of Light, children of the Day. All we wait and watch for is the Day when that judgment is made for all the world to see and hear. All we wait and watch for is the Day when salvation is seen for what it already is: the victory of God in Christ Jesus who died, is risen, and is coming again. On that Day salvation will be complete.

We should still probably say something here about those virgins in Jesus’ parable. The difference between the five foolish virgins and the five wise virgins was not something in themselves. Any works, plans, or ideas that come from us are always shaky and insecure. But the foolish virgins were foolish because they went out with lamps to meet the Bridegroom but with no oil. Lamps with no oil won’t do you any good. They were not prepared for the Bridegroom’s coming. They didn’t believe. They were children of the night and of darkness. On the other hand, the wise virgins were prepared. They knew what they were going out to do and they were ready – they believed. They had their lamps and they had oil for those lamps. They were already children of the Day. Their welcome into the wedding feast was set when they came out ready with lamp and oil. It didn’t matter how long the Bridegroom was delayed, they were ready. There was no surprise for them on Judgment Day, just as there will be no surprise for you who believe now. The Lord prepares you for His coming by giving you faith and keeping it alive. You listen to His Word and watch for His coming. By faith in Christ, you already belong to the Day of the Lord.

Until that Day, we trust in the Lord, our God of peace and security everlasting. When the Lord makes peace it is never shaky. His promises are secure. He gives us salvation so that whether we are awake or asleep, saints in heaven or saints here below, we live with Him. By our Lord’s death and resurrection, by grace, by His Word of forgiveness, by His Holy Supper, we have true peace and security. The living Body and Blood that will stand upon the earth for all to see is the same living Body and Blood that you receive now hidden under the bread and wine. The Son of God who will come again is the same Son of God who comes and gives Himself to you now. And what He gives you now hidden in His Supper: forgiveness, peace, eternal life, He will give the same to you then, on that Day, not hidden, but brought out into the light of that Day.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up. The Last Day is for your encouragement – it’s the Lord’s Day for you. Because He is coming to save you. Hear this final word from Paul: Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. (5:23-24)           

Come quickly + Lord Jesus –

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Charlotte, IA

November 22, 2015

24th Sunday after Trinity

St. Matthew 9:18–26

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –

In today’s Gospel there are two daughters. One daughter has just died. The other one has been dying for twelve years. The young daughter has a grieving father, but he still has hope in Jesus who can raise the dead. The other daughter knows she has a loving Father in heaven and so she has hope for healing through the Father’s beloved Son who has come in the flesh.

That older daughter, who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. Now, please be sure to realize that faith in general or faith on its own has no power to make you well or save you. Your faith is only as strong as the God (or idol) you put your faith in. But her faith, this woman’s faith made her well, and even saved her from everlasting death, because her faith was in Jesus. Her faith was in the promised Messiah – God in the flesh – of whom it was prophesied by Malachi: The sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. (Mal. 4:2) She had a certain, confident hope that the Messiah would bring healing for her, and she had faith that this man, Jesus, was that very Messiah, her Lord.

Her faith in Jesus is why He calls her a daughter. She is a faithful representative of the Church: God the Father’s daughter and Christ’s bride. She is given the royal title that the prophets had given to Israel, the Church of the Old Testament: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he.” (Zech. 9:9) Now, finally, her King had come, and He saved her, this beloved daughter of Zion.

But the other daughter had just died. And when Jesus came to the ruler's house [He] saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion. Now some people will try to tell you that Christians should not cry. That Christians should be happy all the time, have joy down in the heart, and never mourn. Some will say (or at least imply) that if you are sad, you don’t have enough faith. But remember, faith is weak, no matter “how much” you have, if your faith is in an idol. And faith is strong, even the tiniest bit of faith is strong, if you trust in the Lord Jesus who conquered death.

What’s more, it is OK for Christians to cry at the death of a loved one or even at the death of strangers on the other side of an ocean. It is even right for us to mourn, because death is wrong. Let me say that again, death is wrong. We realize this easily when a child dies or when hundreds are killed by bombs. But death is always wrong. It’s not a natural part of life. Death is quite obviously the exact opposite of life. Death was not part of God’s plan for us. He created us to have life. Death is God’s punishment for sin. The only reason death even exists in the world is our sin, our rebellion against God. We deserve nothing but the end of this earthly life and eternal death in hell. So when death takes someone, we cry. We mourn because a sinner has died and one day we will die also.

And yet, Jesus came with a word of hope. He said to the mourners, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” This sounds strange. It sounds like a lie. But Jesus only speaks the Truth. And He gives hope – confident, certain hope – just as St. Paul also says in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4: We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thess. 4:13–14) So we grieve but not without hope. Even through our tears, despite our tears now, we have a confident hope for the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come.

Our hope will not be disappointed because Jesus lives. The Messiah, our Lord, died to take away our sin, and so He has also taken away our punishment for sin. His death destroyed death. He rose and lives forever. So we who have faith in Him will also rise and live forever. Saying that the Christian who has died is asleep is not a lie. Death is the lie – it has already lost. And the Truth that has victory over that lie is the Truth that Jesus lives. Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Cor. 15:20) All who die in Christ, who die in the faith, are merely asleep in Him. Death cannot have them. They live, even while their bodies slumber. And Christ will raise them from death as easily as waking them up from sleep.

This is the foundation for our hope in the face of death. It’s the hope that the dead daughter’s father had in Jesus. Hope that we have for our loved ones who have died. This is why we have hope for ourselves even in the face of our own deaths. Even in the midst of this vale of tears, surrounded by cancer and terrorist attacks and car accidents, we have hope because Jesus lives. And death is just a slumber. Our Lord will take us from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven. For a little while our bodies will sleep in their little beds under the ground. But they sleep in hope. And whether we are awake or asleep we live with Christ. (1 Thess. 5:10)

At last, the Day of the Lord will come. Your faith will be fulfilled. It’s the same faith that the woman had who was healed and called God’s daughter. Your hope will not be disappointed. It’s the same hope that the father had who received his daughter back from the dead. That Last Day will dawn and your Lord will return. Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Your King comes to you. He heals you with the touch of His holy Body. He forgives your sin and gives life with the pouring out of His holy Blood. On that Day He will come with perfect healing. Do not grieve without hope. The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Is. 51:11) Hope in the Lord, O Daughter of Zion. Your Lord who died is the Lord who lives and is coming again. He will take you by the hand and awaken you from sleep. Your eyes will open and You will see His glorious face.

Come quickly + Lord Jesus –

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Charlotte, IA

November 15, 2015