Monday, January 9, 2012

"Blessed by the Name of God"--Sermon for New Year's Day--Jan. 1st, 2012


“Blessed by the Name of God”— Numbers 6:22-27 New Year’s Day—Jan. 1st, 2012



1.                     Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this New Year’s Day is taken from Numbers 6:22-27 and is entitled, “Blessed by the Name of God,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                     The original Toy Story movie is the story of toys belonging to a boy named Andy.  In the opening of the movie we see that one toy, a cowboy named Woody, is Andy’s favorite toy.  But, for his birthday Andy receives a spaceman named Buzz Lightyear.  Buzz is a toy with all the latest gadgets, while Woody is old and outdated.  Because of this Woody is jealous of Buzz.  All the other toys begin to see Buzz as the most popular toy in the room.  Then something happens that reveals to Woody just how far things have gone:  Andy writes his name on the bottom of Buzz’s foot with permanent marker.  Woody’s foot has the same mark and he knows what that means:  Andy is claiming Buzz as his own, marking him, and giving him a new identity.  He’s not just one of a million other Buzz Lightyears, he’s now Andy’s Buzz Lightyear.  So too, in baptism God writes His name on our hearts through water and the Word by the power of the Holy Spirit.  He washes all of our sins away and makes us His own child.  When we are baptized we are blessed to receive the name of God, to be made a part of His family. 

3.                     But, baptism isn’t the only way that we are blessed with the name of God.  On this day we recognize that our Savior upon His circumcision publicly receives His name, Jesus, which means the “the Lord saves.”  We remember how we’re blessed through Him.  In the circumcision of Jesus, all people are circumcised once and for all, because He represents all humanity.  In the Old Testament the benefits of circumcision included the forgiveness of sins, justification and being made a part of the people of God.  In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul speaks about baptism as a “circumcision made without hands” and as “the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11).

4.                     Anytime we receive the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we as God’s people are blessed.  This leads us to Numbers 6:22-27, which says, 22The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, 24The Lord bless you and keep you; 25the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

5.                     Here we see that God gave the priests the words of the Aaronic blessing.  Notice how the word Lord is repeated three times. Here we see a reference to the Trinity. Though we are limited in our ability to explore the depths of the Trinity, we can appreciate the truth that the triune God acts on our behalf. As each of the divine persons carries out his work, the triune God reaches out to bless all those who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ.

6.                     The first phrase refers especially to the work of God the Father. The blessing from the Father includes all aspects of our life. Wherever we look, we can see how the Lord blesses us through the possessions that he gives us. Luther’s explanation to the First Article of the Creed summarizes these blessings noting that the Lord “gave me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my mind and all my abilities … richly and daily providing clothing and shoes, food and drink, property and home, spouse and children, land, cattle, and all I own.”  We need only look in our homes! Look at the food and furniture, the children and cars, dishes and dresses, the suits and sofas, and even the electricity that’s present in the wall sockets.  And even more the Lord blesses us with talents and abilities. With mind and hand, we can make a living. With the same mind and hands, we serve Him and our neighbor.

7.                     And what’s more our heavenly Father blesses us as He answers our requests when we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” How often the Lord keeps us by preventing dangers from overwhelming us! How eagerly the Lord works to keep us from going to those places where we’ll be tempted to sin! And yet, how loving the Lord is when He allows tests to come into our lives, for He promises that He’ll also make a way of escape and that all things will work together for good to those who love him. Ultimately the richest way in which the Lord blesses us is that He keeps us faithful to the gospel to the end of our lives. It is also His blessing that He’ll deliver us from this present evil world into the glory in heaven. All these blessings the Lord gladly includes in the benediction: “The Lord bless you and keep you.”

8.                     The second phrase of the benediction addresses the fact that human beings are sinful. By birth man is in rebellion against God. The only hope for such rebels lies in the fact that God is gracious to us. How clearly we see God’s love for us in the work of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Using Luther’s explanation of the Second Article of the Creed, we note that God is gracious to us in Jesus, whohas redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. All this he did that I should be his own, and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.” That’s God’s grace in Christ. For in Christ, God shows his love to us—a deep, love that loves us also when we deserve it least because of our sin. In such love God makes his face shine upon us. Just as the face of a proud, new mother radiates love, so God looks at us covering all our sins with the perfect redemption that Christ purchased for us. All these blessings the Lord gladly includes in the benediction: “The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.”

9.                     In the third phrase of the benediction, we see the work of the third person of the Trinity: God the Holy Spirit. The phrase “turn his face toward you” indicates that the Lord gladly looks upon each of us as individuals. How sad it would be if God would turn his back on any of us. How wonderful this work of the Holy Spirit! He turns rebels into his children by leading them to faith in Jesus! He makes the blind to see by leading them to the light of Christ. As the giver of life, he gives life to those who are dead in their sins.  It is the Holy Spirit who has “called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith” (Luther’s Catechism, Third Article). In the miracle of conversion, the Holy Spirit gives us peace because we know that through Christ we are reconciled to God.  The believer enjoys a peace that stands up even in the face of death. What peace there is to know that whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Anchored in this faith, we can exclaim with Saint Paul: “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38, 39). Angels proclaimed this peace at the first Christmas Eve: “Peace on earth, good will to man.” Jesus promised the peace from the Holy Spirit when he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27).

10.                 What great blessings the Lord gives to every believer! His power and love stand behind each of the words in the benediction: “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” The name of God was on the Israelites. In the New Testament that name is also on us as we claim the name Christian, which really means that we’re followers of Christ. Of such believers the Lord gladly says, “I will bless them.” This promise makes the benediction far more than mere words. The Lord stands behind each word. As the triune God, he gladly grants these blessings to each of us.

11.                 To such a benediction, believers in all ages have gladly said, “Amen. So be it.”  Amen. So be it! Lord, God the Father, Creator and Preserver, bless and keep us!  Amen. So be it! Lord, Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord, make your face shine upon us and be gracious to us!  Amen. So be it! Lord, Holy Spirit, Sanctifier and Counselor, turn your face toward us and give us peace!  Amen.









No comments:

Post a Comment