"Breathe" Matthew 1:18-25

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen

Joseph, son of David, do not fear

In the Name of Jesus

This year we introduced a new Christmas Tree ornament into the mix at the Chase household. And in fact I have brought it along with me. It is a Mickey Mouse Countdown to Christmas ornament. You set the day, the time, and it tells you exactly how long it is until Christmas. Or in my opinion, how long you have until all your Christmas preparation needs to be complete, leaving you with the feeling that it is a countdown to the end of the world.

Now I love Christmas, I am even fond of Mickey Mouse. But throw them together like this and the stress levels sky rocket. Some times the stress of preparing for THE baby wrapped in swaddling cloth and laying in the manger, hoping for the Christ to come again, and inquiring concerning the Babe of Bethlehem, long with all the other tasks that need to be completed gets to be a too much.

Which is why this weeks word is breathe. Before the stress of the season takes you over, you need to breathe. Every time my sweet Norah reminds me just how many days and hours it is until Christmas and I am reminded of just how much needs to be accomplished before the 25^th. I remind my self that I just need to breathe.

Now we are not the only ones who experience a high level of stress around the birth of Christ. In fact there are lots of opportunities in the 9 months leading up to the birth of Jesus that lends itself to stressful breathing. First the angel Gabriel visits Mary. He delivers a message to her which was hard to believe and which would send the stress levels through the roof. Even though she was not married and was a virgin, she would soon give birth. But before the angel even delivers the message, he says Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Which could be translated, take a deep breath Mary.

In today's text from the first chapter of Matthew, Joseph received some news, the same news which Mary received, and panicked. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. Imagine the stress Joesph must have felt during this process. His fiancee, whom he had not known in that way, was found to be with child. Sure she had a story, but it was impossible. There is no way this child could have been conceived by the Holy Spirit, conceived in her hearing of God's promise.

So he breathed. He took a deep breath and being a fair man wanted to do things the right way and without harming Mary. So he resolved to divorce her quietly. Do you know what the punishment was for one who was unfaithful to her husband, or in this case, husband to be? Death. Deuteronomy 22 says If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

I think we could understand Joseph's hesitation in believing Mary's words. Would we be able to believe such a ridiculous claim? It is like a child who looks at the broken lamp and when asked how it happened, even though the object that broke it was their ball and they were the only one in the room, thinks and proceeds to tell you a tale about how a bird flew in (through closed windows) and hit the lamp and flew out of the room once again (through the same closed windows). The only difference was that Mary's was completely true.

But before he could carry out this plan, as he considered these things, 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.” Take a deep breath and continue the course.

Could you believe that? We have a bunch of doubting/pre-dream Josephs in the world today. Yes this story is hard to understand, it is hard to believe. How can the power of the most high overshadow one and the Holy Spirit conceive a child within her? How can one hold such a celebration for such a silly event? And those who doubt, those who don't believe, work themselves up into a tizzy and forget that we all just need to breathe.

Even the simple, yet so complex, presence of sin in our lives. It was sin that kept Joseph from believing that which was God's truth. Not only was Joseph dealing with his own sinful doubt during this time, but he was undoubtedly carrying the weight of Mary's perceived sin as well. When we reflect on our sin, we are left gasping for air. Maybe we are like Joseph and are carrying the weight of the sins of another. Maybe we are dealing with the weight of a large decision. And that weight takes our breath away. We are left hyperventilating when we realize that for our sins, and even for our guilt, we deserve only death.

The comfort for Joseph was found in the appearance of the angel in his sleep. In the words the angel shared, Joesph heard exactly what he needed to hear. For the words which the angel said, all the way down to the name of the child, allowed Joseph to breathe. These are the words that comfort us this day and help us get our breathing back to normal.

This child, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and would be born of the Virgin Mary, was a special child whose mission lay in his very name. What does the angel say? 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).

We took some time this past Wednesday during the Midweek service to discuss the name of our Savior. It is not just the actions that had to take place to fulfill scripture, but the naming of the child as well. The Chirst, the anointed one, Jesus, the Lord Saves, Immanuel, God with us. Even in the names we find the gospel, the reason, his mission, for the coming of the Son of God into his creation.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. It is so amazing that our Lord had to be born in human flesh to fulfill previously made prophecies. That he was born to complete what so many had long told about. His birth put to rest the centuries of nervous breathing, centuries of hoping that this specific promise would come true.

We could talk for days about the prophecies he fulfilled at his birth and those which he would fulfill throughout his life, down to the spear in his side. He completed the Old Testament, he completed, fulfilled the Old Testament law. He himself was the fulfillment of the Old Testament covenant.

In turn he has given us so much to hope for. The fulfiller of the Old Testament is the giver of the New Testament, the new covenant. No longer do we look to and keep the covenant of circumcision but now have the covenant through baptism and the Lord's Supper. The promise that we are tied to the salvific act on the cross through these outward actions, the washing and the eating and drinking.

The Christ was born to make new prophecies, he was born to give us so much to hope for. There is so much that the Christ child has given to us. He has given us his Word and promise. He has given us life. He has given us all that we need to support this body and life.

On Tuesday and Wednesday we will recall these promises, as we do each Lord's Day. We will remember the entrance of our Lord in his creation for our salvation. We will remember that he came solely to give of himself, to give of himself so that we would be with him forever.

What a blessing it is to have such a promise given to us. What a blessing to prepare, hope, and inquire of such a God who would send his son to his death to redeem sinners such as us. This Christmas, which is exactly__________away, take time to relax, take time to breathe and enjoy the birth for Christ for what it is. For this is the child who gave up his breath for you.

Amen  

Soli Deo Gloria 

"Inquire" Matthew 11:2-15

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

In the Name of Jesus

We are now three Sundays into our Advent journey for 2013. We stand just 11/10 days until Christmas. We have talked about the need to prepare for the coming Christ. We have talked about the need to hope like a child, without reservations, without doubt, for the coming Christ. Today we are going to talk about how we need to take a cue from the disciples, the followers, of John the Baptist and inquire about that which is wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in the manger.

One of my favorite games growing up was the game 20 questions. How many of you have played this game or have at least heard of it? In this particular game, one person thinks of an object and those playing have 20 questions to try and figure out what it is. You can ask questions like does it make noise, is it orange, does it have fur, can you ride it. And the person with the object can simply answer yes and no.

To me, this text from Matthew 11, screams 20 questions. Bells were going off for John the Baptist as he heard about what this Jesus of Nazareth was doing. John knew his place. He knew he was just to be a forerunner of the coming Messiah. John never misrepresented himself. Those who saw him most likely thought he was the Promised One. He had followers, he had devoted disciples. He was speaking like one blessed, like one sent by God, for he was.

But John made it clear when inquiring minds wanted to know if he was the Christ. This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

He even said as we heard last week in our Gospel reading I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

So, having devoted his life to this proclamation, going even to prison for it, John had to know. John had to know if this Jesus of Nazareth was the one who would assure him that he had not labored in vain. He sends his own followers to ask Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another. The first of their twenty questions. Ok, they didn't make it to twenty, Jesus didn't even let them get past one, before he answered. He tells them 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.

Clearly Jesus had never played 20 questions before, he didn't know he could only answer yes or no. However, he points to his actions which scream yes. He was the one sent by the Father to accomplish all that John had proclaimed and all which the prophets foretold. The one who could do these things had to have been sent by God.

But was that, was his actions, enough to convince the people? Obviously not. The inquiring mind of John was soothed, but those who heard him, those after who would have undoubtedly heard what the question and answer was, were not convinced.

Even many today, who have inquired of Jesus, still wait for the Messiah to come! Not convinced that Jesus was the true Son of God, not willing to accept it, many are still waiting for he Promised One. Some who have not understood, wait faithfully, some have given up all together. They fill the spiritual void in their life by seeking out empty promises. By following after false gods. All the while our Lord continually calls to them. He calls to them with words that confess him as our Lord and Savior, just his words confess it to us today.

What an amazing answer he gives. This wasn't about passing word on to John only. Jesus is giving notice to all within ear shot and all who would hear the rumors soon to follow. He is THE ONE. Look no further. Stop asking the questions, which would still continue throughout his life, especially when on trial before Pilate, Jesus is the one. He confirms this each time he uses the two words I AM.

The child who lay in the manger, whom the shepherds, the Magi, and John's disciples all inquired about was the one who brought all things into existence. He is the one would bring life, eternal life, into the world. The Christ child is the one whom the earth was waiting for. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, the Old Testament prophets, Simeon, and the angels all attest to it. The let the inquiring minds know that this is long awaited Savior. The one who is the light of the world.

And so this Christmas we must inquire about the babe of Bethlehem. We understand and are in agreement and excitement with each of the witnesses to the birth and life of Christ. But we must play our own spiritual game of 20 questions. There is no need to inquire without, now we must inquire within. We must take the life of the Christ child and see how it applies to us. We must examine our lives in light of what Christ has done.

For this we have been given a set of 20 Christian Questions. Please open your hymnals to page 329. These questions were written by Martin Luther and are here for us to ask ourselves, inquire of ourselves, each time we prepare for the coming, the advent, of our King in his holy supper. In these questions we get right to the core of our faith. It reminds us that the child for whose birth we are awaiting, is the child that is the savior of the world.

There is no more wondering. In fact there is no more searching out the Christ. In our house the kids love to play hide and seek. It might be a bit different than you know. The one counting tells the others where to hide so that it is an easy search. Our Lord tells us where he is. He makes no confusion. Clearly he says to inquire of him in his temple, in his house. For it is here that he is indeed present in the word and in the sacraments. It his here that by the help of his Holy Spirit we can properly inquire of our sins, confess of our sins, and receive the precious absolution won for us on the cross of Calvary.

What a blessing. He gives of himself so that we can properly prepare for his coming. So this advent season and always may you be strengthened in your preparing, hoping, and inquiring for the Chirst's coming on the last day.

Amen 

Soli Deo Gloria 

"Hope" Romans 15:12

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen

Again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”

In the Name of Jesus

Last week, when we met, we discussed the need for preparing for the Christmas season. How first we must get to what is at the core of Christmas, the gift of life. Today we need to focus on another important aspect of the Advent/Christmas season. It is a word you hear it from children and adults alike as they sit and contemplate what Christmas Day will bring them. It is a word that is tossed around as people contemplate what they desire for the their family, for their nation, even for the world.

Today's word of the day is hope. Hope is a powerful word that is full of so much emotion each time it is used. Those emotions tie right to your gut. When we are truly hopeful for something it consumes your thoughts. When you are truly hopeful, there is no doubt in your mind that what you are hoping for will indeed come to pass. Hope is such a wonderful thing. It is so great to have something to hope for, to have something to look forward too. It is such a great feeling when that thing which you have been hoping for comes true.

But hope can also be the biggest stinker in the world. Think back to the last time you had a great hope, something you wanted more than anything in the world, and it didn't come to pass. Someone, something let you down, plans changed and the hope died. Can you remember even the first time that happened? I think the older we get the harder it is to hope. We have been around the block. We know what that disappointment feels like and its not good. So we try to protect ourselves from that.

The seasons of Advent and Christmas gives us such a great hope. A hope for all the ages. For wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger was the Savior of the world. A gift for all people. ALL people. Just listen to the words of the angel that greets and heralds the news to the shepherds. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Even thought this child born in Bethelhem was the hope of world, some tried to take the hope away from others. They tired to make it an exclusive hope, make him and exclusive child. And why not? Look at the Old Testament hope given through the covenant. This was exclusive. You have to be circumcised to be a part of the covenant. You needed the outward act to be included. Especially in the New Testament, at the time of Jesus, this group was exclusive beyond the outward act of circumcision. Those who followed all the “Law”, the Law of Moses and also the law of the forefathers. In all reality, this group was so exclusive, that Jesus the Son of God, the one who came to fulfill that Law, was not included. And they were so pious, so stuck on themselves, they liked everyone to know who special and set apart they were.

The opposite side of that happens today. Not the thought that “we are better than you”, but the thought that God doesn't care. The world would like to think that God has forgotten about us. This is the extent of a deist’s belief. That God created the world and then left it alone. Their hope is gone, and they want to steal and kill dddyours as well. The whole tactic of any religion other than your own is to get you to think that you are on the outside looking in. They want to destroy your hope so that you then would buy into theirs.

This thinking even among our own fellow believers, the thought of this being an exclusive club, heaven being difficult to get into, weighs on us as well. Yes we all hope we will enter through the gates of heaven when we are taken from this earthly life. But there are times with this hope is dim. When we wonder if we have done enough to deserve heaven. Especially when we hear verses like that which we have in our Gospel for this the second Sunday of Advent. It is a familiar one, familiar people involved. These words of John the Baptist cut us to the core.

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Man it would be nice to be spared from the unquenchable fire. It would be so nice to be assured that we were grains of wheat. But because of our sin we just aren't sure. Maybe the world is right. Maybe all those who say we have not done what is required, that my sin is just too much, are right and we are going to be thrown into the unquenchable fire on the last day. Maybe our hope is in vein.

And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.” The babe of Bethlehem, for which we prepare, inspires us to hope. Not a I hope or a wondering if I will be saved, but it is a confident hope that I will. A hope that is founded child who lay in the manger.

When Jesus mentions that we must become like a child, that we must in turn have faith like a child, I believe we have to through in to the mix that we must hope like a child. Those of you with children and grandchildren, what does it mean to hope like a child? When a child is told a promise there is no doubt in their mind that what was told them will come true. They will sit each day waiting for the fulfillment of the promise given to them. A child does not forget! This is how we must be concerning the spiritual promises made to us. We must not doubt. We must not grow weary or faint waiting for them to come to pass. For they will come to pass. God made promise to the Old Testament believers that a Child would be born.

We were reminded again of this promise in our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 11. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Yes the child to come is the one who brings true hope into the world. Dare I say he is the first to give us hope we can believe in, hope for change. What a blessing it is to be guided by this hope that because he was born in human flesh , lived, died, and rose again, that we too would be given the gift of eternal life.

We must heed the words of John the Baptist. You have, that's why you are here this morning/evening. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” Let every heart, prepare Him room. Prepare for the coming of Christ by repenting of your sins. Repent and let the forgiveness which Christ won for you on the cross make the path, make your heart, straight.

Of all the things that you hope for this Advent and Christmas season, may you never grow wearing of waiting out your hope for the second coming of Christ Above all, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Amen

SOLI DEO GLORIA 

"Prepare" Matthew 21:1-11

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen

And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

In the Name of Jesus

I need you all to do me a favor tonight/this morning. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. I need you to take all the to-do lists that you have started and put them far out of your mind. Forget all the presents that need to be brought and wrapped, get them as far out of your mind as possible. Forget about all the food that needs to be made, all the parties that need to be attended, take your mental December caldendar and burn it right now. Now take one more deep breath and open your eyes. Now let's prepare for Christmas. Let's properly prepare for it's many tasks, it's many demands, and set our priorities straight right now.

Now I understand that Christmas takes a lot of preparation. In fact, that is what our readings all focus on today. We need to properly prepare for Christ. And if we properly prepare for the coming of Christ on Christmas day, if we properly understand the preparation that went into preparing for the Triumphant Entry of our Lord, we will be well on your way for properly preparing for his second coming on the last day.

The common question that always comes up when Jesus enters a new place is “who is this?” Things seem to be a bit out of order this week, it would seem. Last week our Gospel was the crucifixion of Jesus and the two criminals with him. This week we read of his triumphant entry. This even took quite the preparation to complete. Not only did Jesus have to get to Jerusalem, but there was a whole host of prophecies that needed to be fulfilled in this one act. So he sent two of his disciples on ahead to begin the fulfillment. Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

Then as Jesus entered into Jerusalem amid shouts fit for a king coming into a battle, with shouts of Hosanna, save us now, as the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

30 years earlier, proper preparation surrounded even his birth. Preparation that was needed to fulfill the scripture. Mary and Joseph needed to get from Nazareth to Bethlehem to fulfill the scripture which was written concerning the birth of the blessed child.

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Even Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. So a census was called and Joseph took his future wife who was with child to Bethlehem to be counted and taxed, since he was of the line and linage of David. Still amid the pomp and circumstance that surrounded his birth the question was asked, who is this?

I think the pomp and circumstance is what we like best about this time of year. We like putting up the trees, decorating the houses, baking the cookies and meals, buying presents for those we love. We like the preparation that leads us up to December 25^th, Christmas Day. But why do we do it? What do we run around like mad? Staying up until all hours of the night cleaning, wrapping, and baking? Because people expect it? Because it's the only way we know how to do Christmas? When things are at their busiest a fear we forget why/what we are celebrating. When things seem unbearable we must ask “what child is this?” Just like the hymn says, What child is this who lay to rest on Mary's lap is sleeping?

What are we preparing for? What child is this? Think long and hard about who we are celebrating and what his purpose was for coming to earth. Yes we prepare well for the coming of the promised Messiah, the Son of God born of the Virgin Mary. Yes it is am extremely exciting time as the Son of God humbles his self to the point of becoming his own creation.

But why did he come to earth? What was his sole purpose? Some may argue this, but his sole purpose of coming to earth was to redeem his fallen creation. This was foretold already in Genesis chapter 3 where God tells the serpent I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

What did it take to redeem the fallen creation? What did it take to put enmity between Satan and the woman? What did it take to drive apart God's creation from the devil? It is not a trick question, it took death! The death of one. Jesus Christ's sole purpose of coming into his creation, into the world, the earth which we walk today, was to DIE! Yes we are preparing for his birth but we are also preparing to watch this coming child walk right from the cradle to his death on the cross.

Seems a bit cruel doesn't it? It seems a bit off to decorate and celebrate the to the extent that we do for one who was going to die a criminal's death any. Should we really be putting up trees, ribbons, giving gifts, in memory of one who would be given up to death by this unloving Father?

Yes, yes, and yes! We give gifts, we celebrate the wondrous gift of the Babe of Bethlehem because he is for us the ultimate gift. Wrapped up in the swaddling cloths lay the very Savior of the World. The one who, out of love, was given up by his and our Father so that we could be given the most precious gift of all, life.

When we can realize what is at the heart of Christmas, the gift of Jesus Christ, the gift of life and salvation, then we can properly prepare for the celebration of the birth of our Lord. We don't give gifts because society says we have to. We give each other undeserved gifts because we have been given the most undeserved gift of all, the forgiveness of sins. We put up evergreen trees because it is the Babe of Bethlehem who is from everlasting to everlasting.

So you see, Christmas really is in the details. The reason for the season had long been foretold when Jesus finally was born in Bethlehem. On Wednesday evening we praised God for his faithfulness shown to us just as it was shown to the Children of Israel in the wilderness. Today we praise him for his faithfulness show through the Old Testament prophets. Through their words the promised Messiah was foretold and it came to pass, for us.

As we properly prepare for the coming of the Christ, not only Christmas Day, but the Last Day, do not forget the reason he comes. He comes to judge and he comes to be judged. He comes to condemn and he comes to be condemned.

Our Sermon hymn fits so well for the First Sunday in Advent. And I love the last verse which explains our preparation and anticipation so well. He comes to judge the nations, A terror to his foes. A light of consolations and blessed hope to those who love the Lord's appearing. O Glorious Sun, now come, Send forth your means so cheering and guide us safely home.

May these words be your thoughts, your prayers, your focus as we journey through the short season of Advent and wait not only the birth of the Savior, but also his second coming. For this, this, is Christ the Lord whom shepherds guard and angels sing. Haste, haste, to bring him laud the babe the Son of Mary.

Amen

SOLI DEO GLORIA          

"Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart" Deuteronomy 8:1-10 (Thanksgiving Eve)

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen

The Lord will bring your God is binging you into a good land…and you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

In the name of Jesus

What a year it has been. As you look back on the last 370ish days, since last Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for? I can say that I am thankful for life as Annabelle entered our family this past April. I am thankful for safe travels has I have looked at all the places our family has been. I am thankful for skilled doctors and nurses who were with Norah during her surgery just a few weeks ago. I am thankful for a loving wife, a happy family, a job, a home, and for good health.

What about you? What things come to mind this evening when you think of what you are thankful for? Are you thankful the crops are in? Are you thankful for a job change? Are you thankful for those who surround you every day? Are you thankful that even though it was a difficult year, you still wake up every morning, breathing, having independence?

You are probably somewhat proud of what you have been able to accomplish for yourself this past year. Proud of how you handled yourself in the difficult times. Proud for what you we able to provide your family with this year. Lets face it, when you get home at night, when it is silent, in our house, meaning the kids are in bed sleeping, chores are taken care of, you breath a sigh of relief thinking “what a great job I have done today. Everything is complete, I have done my job.”

Yes when life is good, when we have everything we need and more, we feel happy and secure. But what about the other percentage of the time? What about when are struggling? Struggling personally, struggling at work, struggling to make ends meet. Who gets the credit, more so, who gets the blame for that? Are we as quick to point to ourselves when times are bad? Are you quick to point out your own mistakes and accept the consequences for them? Perhaps you are the kind of person, as we all are at times, who finds something to complain about even when times are great.

Take the children of Israel as an example. Spending a great chunk of time in captivity, they wanted out. They wanted to be free, they wanted to live their own life. So they pleaded to the Lord to release them from their bondage to the Egyptians. Reasonable man that he is, God heard their pleas and released them. He removed them from their captors. And even though he took them to the wilderness, he protected them. He gave them food and drink. He dwelt among them when the camped and he led them as the traveled. I don't know about you, but times seem to have been good for them. What more could they have asked for? He provided all of the first article gifts. Clothing, food, house, home, wife children, land, cattle, and all that was needed to support their daily life. And yet they say Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.

So what was their deal? What is our deal when we complain even after we receive God's gracious gifts? Why can't we just be happy? Why cant we just be content with the gifts of God? The Israelites had what they needed and they basically throw it back in God's face. We do the same things. We look at what we have and are disappointed we haven't done better.

Praise God that he gives us his gifts without our asking, and even without our appreciation. Praise him that he gives us these gifts even without us knowing that we need them! Especially the gift of his Son who died and rose for us, giving us the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation.

You see, our time on earth is not much different than the wandering of the Israelites. In bondage to sin, our Heavenly Father brought us through the waters of Holy Baptism promising to bring us to the promised land of Heaven. Now we are in our time of wandering and waiting in the wildreness. We are tempted the same, we even say and complain the same. But we get to see how the Lord was faithful to the Children of Israel and use that as our confidence that he will be faithful to us as well. You can know for sure that The Lord you God is bringing you into a good land…and you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

God is faithful. He will never leave us or forsake us. I would like to call to your attention a familiar Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, me leadeth me beside the still waters, he restoreth my soul, he leadth me in the paths of righteousness for his name sake….thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, thou anoinest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

My cup runneth over. Those four words alone give us comfort. Even though it seems like we struggle here on earth, our spiritual blessings run over. After all, that is what matters most. We can’t take anything with us to heaven. So those four words, my cup runneth over, bring comfort because of an even more comforting four words, your sins are forgiven. That is where it all starts. God pours out his blessings upon us through his son Jesus Christ, who himself is the greatest gift. The forgiveness won for us, the life and salvation because of God’s unconditional love for us leave us feeling content.

This is why we are here this evening. We are here to give thanks unto the Lord our God. We are here to thank him for his gracious provision for us while on this earth, while we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, for his underserved love shown to us in his only Son Jesus Christ, and for the promise of eternal life, in a land flowing with milk and honey. For the good gifts he has given us here and for the gift of heaven to come. For all our Father has given us, it is our duty to bless the Lord [our] God for all the good land he has given [us]. Even to upon his holy name at all times, pray, praise, and give thanks!

Amen

SOLI DEO GLORIA

"Stay Green!" Luke 23:27-43

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen.

The sermon today is based on the words of Jesus to the crowd in Luke 23.

In the Name of Jesus

What does it mean to be green? I think more than any other, this phrase as acquired many different meaning over the centuries. It used to mean, when someone told you that you were green, that you were envious of your neighbors possessions. Sometimes today when someone tells you “you look green” it means that you look ill. It could be, when someone calls you green, that you are just a rookie or a new guy on the job. That you are still learning the tricks of the trade.

More recently when someone tells you you are green, it means you are being environmentally friendly. There is a big push to be green, to go green, to do your part and save the planet. Do you remember the old phrase, recycle, reduce, reuse and close the loop? If you want to sell a product, if you want to promote your company, you need the eco-friendly seal. Because some would say, it pays to be green.

Moving to our text, Jesus has a message not only for those who surrounded him on his way cross but he has a message for you this day. His message...be green! So as good Lutherans we must ask, what does this mean? Was he telling us to be conscious of our environmental footprint? Was he telling us that we were jealous of his current situation or possession?

It was a sad, emotional day as the crowds followed Jesus to the hill called Golgotha. Here was a man they knew to be innocent. Many among the crowd that day knew and confessed him as the very Son of God. And yet he was being sent to his death, for no reason. Even the leaders, Pilate and Herod, had pronounced him innocent. Hear Pilates own words [he] then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.”But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed.

Those who faithfully followed Jesus wept openly as he proceeded to his death. And yet he tells them “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say,‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Don't cry for me, instead save your tears. Save your tears for yourself. The time will come when you will weep for yourselves and for your children. How could there be an event that would be worse than an innocent man being sent to his death? He wasn't even wrongly accused, in all reality he wasn't accused of anything! No conviction was ever given. But Pilate caved to the pressure of the crowd.

But what was to come would be so much worse. Jesus paints the picture of horrific times. A time that would change even the way they thought. Throughout the Bible children were seen as a blessing and those who were barren felt cursed. But our Lord flips that thought. He said the time will come when those who are barren would be blessed. The time will come when they will beg for death. When they will want to be spared what is happening right before their eyes. When the blessing will lie with the barren who do not have to witness the death for their children.

Sin changes everything. Sin alone takes what is alive and vibrant and kills it. Sin alone takes a strong fortress and distresses it and destroys it. Sin alone warps the sound mind and turns it against the truth. Even though sin was present as our Lord walked to the cross, it would only get worse. Sure then it was only one innocent man. It was only one green branch being turned into a dead dry branch. But the time will come when the fire would be placed on all. When the green wood and the dry wood would be placed in the same fire.

Have you ever spent time in an area after a forest fire moves through? When it is at it's worst, the fire is uncontrollable, unbearable, and inescapable. It consumes everything in its path, and it thrives on dead, dry wood. But after it has past, before much time has passed, even in as little as a few days, new life springs up. Grass, trees, pop up through the mounds of ashes. Out of the midst of certain death, life comes forth.

Where there is nothing, where the only thing that exists is death, God brings life. On the cross death reigned supreme. The physical death of Jesus, spiritual death of those who condemned the Son of God to death. It is such a beautiful thought. From the dead, dry wood of the cross, consuming those who are nailed to it, life sprung forth. The temporary death of one brought life to all. The death of Jesus assured that even though we have moments of being dead, dry wood, even though we have moments of unbelief, we are forgiven and new life lives within us.

It is only because we are connected to that death on the cross, connected to that wood, are we therefore connected to life. The life that is connected to the cross through the means of Grace, through the Word and Sacraments, is a life that is vibrant, a life that is green. When we are connected to the vine, to the Water of Life, then we cannot be destroyed. Then the fire is not placed on us to destroy us, but it is a fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit, that burns by faith within us.

An amazing example of our Lord turning dead wood into green wood, a lost life into a saved life comes at the end of our Gospel today. One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

A life seemingly lost, saved in an instant, by the confession of Christ. Dead wood resurrected and made green. This is our story as well. Lost and dead even before we were conceived, we have been saved by the Water of Life and marked for eternity.

And so it is that our calls on you to stay green. Stay faithful, stay connected. Remember the words of the explanation of the Third Article of the creed.

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.

On the last day the eternal fire will come to destroy. It will seem to consume all things. But for those who are connected to the Water of Life, who abide in the Truth, who have been kept by the Holy Spirit, will remain unto the end. You will be tested, you will be tried, but ultimatly the believe will pass from this life to the life that ever ends. God grant this passage to us for Jesus sake. 

Amen

SOLI DEO GLORIA   

"A Lesson in Death" Luke 20:27-40

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen

But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.

In the Name of Jesus

We have a lot to learn about death. In so many ways death is one of the greatest unknowns in the world. You might be saying Pastor, what is so unknown about it? We know what happens when one dies, their body stops, they cease to exist. Seems pretty simple to me. Okay you have got me there. However, what is it like to be through the perils and pangs of death? What is it like to be ushered from this life, to eternal, everlasting life?

I think that is it a safe assumption that we all here have some sort of a fear of death. We fear it simply because we don't know what to expect. Even if you have had the opportunity to sit at the bedside of a loved one as they have taken their final breaths, you don't know what it is actually like. I think the other reason we fear death is because of the finality of it. We don't like to say goodbye. We don't like to have to look at the shell of a loved one knowing we will never seem them on this earth again. It is so hard to accept the finality of death.

You are not alone in your need to learn lessons on death and accepting death. But compared to the world in which we live you are light years ahead in your thoughts and in your beliefs. Compared to the Sadducees you are experts on death. You see you have one thing the Sadducees did not. A belief in the resurrection of the dead. We get rumblings of this at the beginning of our Gospel today and also in the book of Acts. Paul was before the council ans when [he] perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

Having no hope then in the resurrection, in an afterlife, they then come to Jesus with the question about this silly belief that is going to stump him forsure! Let's ask him about this factitious event, give him such an outrageous situation and see if we can trap him in his words. Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. And the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.” Ahh, the perfect question.....or not. But it is a question that explains their thoughts on death, and maybe even our thoughts as well. The Sadducees looked at death through earthly eyes. They looked at it as if the issues, the troubles, of this world crossed over. But we must make that separation between earthly and heavenly. We must see earthly issues as issues only here.

But it is because of sin that we are at times blocked to the whole picture of death. Because while it is sad here, while we grieve here, there is a glorious side to it. A side which our Lord expresses with heavenly splendor in our Gospel. First he stops the Sadducee question right away and basically says, Let's get to the real issue here. It's not about which of the seven brothers will be married to this woman in heaven. First and foremost, marriage is an earthly mandate. Fill the earth was the command. Don't dwell on this one writing of Moses.

Look instead at the other writings of Moses. Look instead at the faith of Moses. Look to that which says of the Lord, the one that describes the one who stands in front of them as the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.

Friends in Christ, when we, because of sin, are forced to stare death in the face, rejoice. For through faith we have been given something that transcends time. We have been given something that is timeless, that does not change. It lies in the very words of God in the burning bush from Exodus 3. The burning bush was the point when God called Moses to go back to Pharaoh and lead God's children out of Israel. Amidst their conversation, Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

What an amazing response that hits at the core of our Gospel as well. When we face death we have a God who simply is. We just talked about this in Confirmation class this last week and talked about how difficult of a concept this is. God is. He just is. We are very temporal people. We have a schedule that we need to keep to. We are very time orientated. God knows no time. We can point to our beginning and we can expect our end. God, the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has no beginning and have no end. They just are.

And His promise to us, when we die we will live for an eternity. When we die, we will be. We will exist just as the Triune God exists. We will live for eternity for we have already died. We died at our Baptism as we died with Christ on the cross and were raised just as he was. Death is a portal. We say in a funeral prayer, We give you thanks that by his death he destroyed death and by His resurrection He opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Strengthen us in the confidence that because He lives we shall live also. Even in the graveside prayer, by the death of your Son Jesus Christ you destroyed death, by his rest in the tomb You sanctified the graves of Your saints, and by His bodily resurrection You brought life and immortality to life so that all who die in Him abide in peace and hope.

Yes we have a lot to learn about death. As for the physical side of things we will have to wait until we experience to know what it will be like. But as we have the Scriptures opened to us and we have the chance to dive in even more and learn of the promises made at our baptisms our fears will subside. For while earthly marriage will cease after death, we will continue in the union between the heavenly bridegroom and his bride the church, which we entered at our baptism. And it will be that as we learn more about that untion, we will have less to fear because the promise of life everlasting will only become more clear.

Until that time, God grant us the faith to carry us through this vale of tears and finally bring us to himself for all eternity.  

Amen

SOLI DEO GLORIA 

*Written for 20th Sunday after Pentecost, but not preached.* Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen

The Old Testament Reading from Habakkuk 1 &2

In the Name of Jesus

Our readings the last two weeks have left me feeling a little depressed. Don’t get me wrong, last weeks epistle gave a us a great message. It gave us the joyous news of the victory of Michael and his angels over the great dragon and his angels. Yet at the same time it ended by telling us how the devil was thrown to earth and is now wandering around seeking Godly victims to devour and tear away from the One True God.

Now this week we are left to contemplate the words of rarely read prophet Habakkuk. O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.

Such depressing words. What must have things been like his Habakkuk’s day. What would make a man of God desperately pray these words? Is his faith just week that he doesn’t trust God’s presence at his time, thinking that God has simply let the devil he cast out from heaven control the world?

Have you ever cried out these words? If you haven’t spoken them out loud, surely you have thought them to yourself. Look at the world around us, how could you not feel like Habakkuk? What rules the day?

What is the news and internet even for? Don’t they just seem to be ways to allow horrible news to spread like wild fire? Think about it. When was the last time you saw a breaking news story for someone hold the door open for another or for warning someone of upcoming danger? It is not how things work. The people who work at the news know what is going to get you to turn the channel or click on their website. The love the fear factor, they love to scare people, they love to play with our emotions.

But who to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short. The devil has an easy time scaring us, of leaving us in fear, of making us cry out. O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? How long will violence and evil rule the day? Why does lawlessness seem to be what drives the country, even the world? How long will our Lord let such things like the spilling of innocent blood by aborting children? How long will he allow the moral laws that he has written on our hearts to be muddied and wiped away? How long will he allow us who are persecuted for adhering and speaking up against such detestable things as same sex marriage and abortion? How long O Lord, how long?

You will notice that there is a gap in between verses for our Old Testament reading. This gap offers little to no comfort to us today, yet these words might be of importance. The Lord replies “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.  Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand.  At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!”

God is always at work in the world. By these verses we see that it might be to raise up some to punish his children. But his real promise comes to us in the second half of the Old Testament reading. Habakkuk cries how long and the Lord replies “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Just as has been promised to Habakkuk and to us all through the mouth of the Lord the last day, the judgment day is coming. The gospel today is that the destruction of the world is coming. Wait, what? Is that really what our Lord is saying? Is he really telling us to sit back and wait for the Final Day, let everything play out and wait for Jesus to come again?

The end, the final destruction, the Day of the Lord is coming. It will come like the thief in the night as Jesus says in the New Testament. But how will you be judged that day? We should expect to be repaid what we deserve. But trusting in God’s word we know what we will be saved. We know that it will be a day of payback for those who have persecuted the body of Christ, the bride of Christ. But for one who is God’s child that will be a day of celebration and not sorrow. It will be a day of rejoicing as we are brought into the Kingdom of God.

No more will evil rule for it will finally be thrown into its hellish cage for an eternity. It will be a day to celebrate because finally the kingdom will have come. All that was promised, all that was written plainly in stone will be completed, that includes the good work that God has been begun in you.

The wickedness, the lawlessness will stop and the command of the Lord. Like I said last week, the devil has to stop because he has been cast out. When we enter the gates of heaven, the temptation, the tears, the sorrow, the illnesses will cease for eternity, he cannot follow us in.

We have been taught of this separation. We have read it plainly in the Holy Bible. We can’t escape its declaration. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

The Lord will stand before us on the last day as the supreme judge. To those who confess his, he will usher into the gates of heaven. As the ways of the world continue we wonder how many there will be that have confessed his name. Thank God we are not the judge of our neighbor.

I would be interested to know if Habakkuk would see anything different now that from when he uttered his words to the Lord, How Long? We will never know. But one thing is certain. Just like God told Habakkuk that he needed to be patient in waiting for the judgment to come, so the same thing is told to us. Be patient for the coming of Christ. Remember he works in his time, not ours. Don’t give up hope in the world as you see God’s Word, His house, even his members attacked. But boldly stand up for truth of God’s word. Take the time to share that word with others so that when we admonish them, we can also teach them and bring them into the Word of Truth.

While things didn’t necessarily turn out the way Habakkuk thought they would, eventually evil met it’s match, when Christ came, born of a woman, born under the Law to redeem those under the Law. So now we wait. For evil will be conquered again in the same way. God keep us steadfast until the final day when all who are marked with the sign of the cross will gather together in the eternal feast of heaven. Amen .