St. Matthew 11:2–11
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rejoice in the Lord always! The Lord is at hand. (Introit: Phil. 4:4–5)
But John the Baptist is not rejoicing. He is in prison.Very rarely do people rejoice in prison.Nor people who are lonely or sick, struggling with depression or missing a loved one.
Well, maybe they need a dose of Christmas cheer? Maybe not. All the glitter and jingly bells, all that gets tossed in with the holly and jolly and sugar-plum fairy—sometimes it can all ring just a bit hollow. Have you ever heard the singer telling you to “have yourself a merry little Christmas,” and thought, “Maybe I can’t”? Maybe you’re too tired, or too sad, or the people you want to be with are too far away—far away in heaven is one difficult pain, far away on earth is another one but not so difficult, and far away in heart because of some family fight is much worse. For all of its promises to be “the most wonderful time of the year,” I’m sure most of us have been disappointed by Christmas at least once or twice. The expectations are so high, the nostalgia is so strong, the festivities don’t quite satisfy us the way we think they should. Cherished heirlooms break, toys aren’t as amazing as they seem in the commercial, people die and leave big empty wholes in our lives, and even memories dim and fade over time.
The reason the Christmas holiday can sometimes let us down is because nothing in this life lasts forever. It’s not really meant to, and everything in this life and earth, in one sense or another, finds its way to a grave. And what makes this even worse is when we put our faith and hope in these temporary things, when we look for lasting joy in material goods or in the human love of family and friends. By focusing all our faith, hope, and joy on the good things of this life, we turn them into idols, and we make for ourselves little prisons within our hearts. We think and hope that what cannot last will somehow make us feel better and so we chase after it. But whatever it is, if it’s not the living God, then it only leads us deeper and deeper into our own hearts, into darkness, into death. By loving and trusting our idols we trap ourselves in the darkness of sin and despair.
This is what our Collect today recognizes: the darkened hearts of our self-made prisons. By sin and disregard for God, we’ve locked ourselves in, thrown away the key, and blown out the light. So, our Collect also corrects us, and turns us to the one true Light, the only One who can save us from sin and sadness, disappointment and death—really, the only One who can save us from ourselves: Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation.
It seems as though John was not rejoicing in prison, but perhaps he prayed something similar to our Collect. He was in desperate need, and so he went to the very best place for an answer. He went to God’s Word looking for faith, hope and joy. “Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?” he asked through his followers. And he got his answer from the preaching of the prophets and from the Word of God Incarnate Himself. Jesus answered, “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 good news preached to them.And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.”
Yes, Jesus was and is and will always be the One who is to come. We don’t need to look for another. He came into our flesh so that He, who is Joy Itself, can take away our sorrow. He was born for a life of disappointment and rejection, so that He, who is the Hope of all, can give to us in our despair the brightest of futures. He came to His cross and suffered the wrath of God but with perfect trust in His Father, so that He, who is Faithfulness and Righteousness personified, can redeem sinners and defeat death itself. He came out of His tomb, so that He, who is Life Itself, can give that very life as a gift to all who trust and call upon His name.
John the Baptist got his answer even though he was still in prison, because he had His Jesus, the Savior who gives the gifts of faith, hope, and joy. You have that answer too. God’s Word gives it to you, even now. The answer comes in what you hear and see in the Means of Grace. Our Lord breaks through your little dark prison and sheds the light of His Word in Your heart. This is His gracious visitation.
So, if you want a Christmas that won’t disappoint or let you down, then come to church on Christmas Day. If you can come here, but instead choose to stay home and unwrap presents, then you are only digging in deeper to that dark prison of the heart. You are teaching yourself and your children that the presents and food, the “family time”, that’s what really matters, that’s the answer. You’re saying God isn’t the One who can save you from sadness or darkness or death. Presents and food with family are wonderful, in fact, there’s not much better in this life. But there is something better that comes from outside this life and brings the very best of eternity for you. Your God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, comes to you, here in this life.
So, open some presents before church, and open more after! But however you do it, come to open up the greatest present of all—the Lord Himself. Hear His Word that gives peace for your troubled soul and comfort for your worried mind. Receive His body and blood, which was once laid into an animal’s feed trough for a bed, but is now laid into your mouth and into your heart so that He might dwell with you and you with Him. There’s the answer to the prayer in our Collect. The Word and the Sacrament will enlighten your dark heart. That will give the faith, the hope, and the joy you need.
Even as we come to our Lord’s House to receive Him and His gifts, He is also the One who is to come so that He might stay with us now and forever. He graciously visits us in His Word and Sacrament, today, and next Sunday, and Christmas Day. And in this way, He makes us ready for His coming in all His glory one day soon.
Rejoice! The Lord is at hand!
Come quickly + Lord Jesus. Amen.
