“It’s Time to Wake Up!” Advent Midweek 2, Rom. 13.11–14, Dec. ‘14

 

1.                  Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word, as we continue our Advent Midweek Service theme, “It’s About Time” is taken from Romans 13:11-14, it’s entitled, “It’s Time to Wake Up!,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  Have you ever had an “I overslept!” nightmare? I’m not talking about a bad dream. I’m talking about a bad experience when you actually overslept. One Sunday, while a young seminarian was on vicarage (his pastoral internship), he had overslept. What made this even worse was that on that particular Sunday, the pastor was gone and the Vicar was in charge of leading the entire service by himself. He had arrived just before worship was to begin. While putting on his robe in front of the mirror in the pastor’s study, the Vicar noticed that he had left his clerical collar at home. There was no time to get it. He rushed to the Sunday School closet, found some white cardboard, cut out a makeshift collar, and slid it into the neckband of his black shirt. The Vicar hoped no one would notice.

3.                  The Vicar’s heart was still pounding and his face red from embarrassment, he finished dressing. Then came a knock at the study door. A woman stood there crying and saying, “My husband just died. Could you help me? Could you do the funeral?” Late for the service, cardboard collar around his neck, and realizing he had not yet had the “funeral class” at seminary, the Vicar didn’t know what to do. He was late for worship. He told her that they could speak after worship. Then he rushed up the center aisle vowing to himself never to oversleep again.  Have you ever had an “I overslept!” nightmare? It’s far worse when a person has fallen asleep spiritually and isn’t ready for Jesus’ second coming at Judgment Day. Hey, It's Time to Wake Up!

4.                  The Bible tells us again and again that the day of Jesus’ glorious return to usher in Judgment Day and the end of the world is on its way. We’re told that we’re living in a very special time, what the Bible calls a kairos time. There are a couple of words for “time” in the Greek language of the New Testament. One is chronos, which can mean ordinary clock time. It’s from this word that we get our word chronology. Then there’s kairos. This refers to a special or critical time, an unforgettable moment. A kairos time for me would be 3:00 p.m. on Friday, June 24^th, 2005. That was when I married to my beloved bride Roxanne Margaret. It was a wonderful and unforgettable moment in time for the both of us.

5.                  In Gal 4:4, we’re told about such a kairos time. We read, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman.” This is speaking of the first coming of Jesus. When the time was just right according to the plan and will of the heavenly Father, he sent Jesus, his Son.  St. Paul tells us these words about time in our text, Rom 13:11: “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”

6.                  Today, this day, “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” Now is the hour. Now is the time. The season of Advent wakes us up. Advent means “coming.” During Advent we’re reminded that at Christmas, Jesus is coming. We prepare for his first coming at the manger. Yet Advent also reminds us that we are to prepare for his second coming at the end of the world. The King is coming! Are you ready for his arrival?

7.                  This is no time to doze spiritually. Matthew tells us, “Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. . . . The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Mt 24:42, 44). Spiritual dozing isn’t just embarrassing. It can have eternal consequences. If a person isn’t prepared to meet his God, this unpreparedness could result in eternal separation from him. The Bible spells that H-E-L-L.

8.                  Sometimes it’s difficult to consider the Day of Judgment. To bring this issue “closer to home,” I ask you this: What would you do if you knew you had one week to live? Suddenly, things you thought were important would look pretty insignificant. Take a moment right now. Imagine that you do have only one week to live. Make a mental list of such things as people to forgive or spend time with, sins to repent of, unfinished plans to make, people you need to tell about Jesus, unresolved issues that need to be addressed once and for all. What are you waiting for? How do you know when your time on this earth will come to an end? Advent is a good  wake up call to all of us. This is a kairos time. The Son of Man will come at an hour you don’t expect.

9.                  Not only does St. Paul tell us it’s time to wake up, but he also tells us we need to be dressed for the occasion. This occasion is Jesus’ second coming. To be dressed for the occasion means we are to throw off the rags of sin. Paul says, “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (v 12). Paul speaks of dressing and undressing. He speaks of putting on God’s armor of light and casting off rags of sin, dirty clothes of disobedience, and deeds of darkness.

10.              In the Book of the Old Testament prophet Zechariah, chapter 3, we’re given a picture of just how our filthy clothes of sin are taken off of us and replaced with the robes of righteousness. The prophet has a vision of a man, who represents each of us, standing before God’s judgment seat. He’s dressed in filthy clothes, the clothes of sin. In this heavenly courtroom scene it’s clear the man is guilty. Satan the accuser calls for his condemnation. All is hopeless. Then, the attorney for the defense speaks. He tells the accuser to shut up. He announces that this man has been delivered from judgment. He has the filthy clothes removed and the man is dressed in white robes of righteousness. He’s forgiven! He’s not condemned! Hallelujah! Here’s a wonderful picture of how we sinners are made right with God. Here’s a wonderful picture of justification. It’s a gift of God! It’s like a new set of clothes he provides for us! Every time we see a pastor dressed in his white robe we can be reminded of God’s gift of new clothes, his gift of forgiveness. We can’t dress ourselves “for the occasion.” God, for Jesus’ sake, dresses us.

11.              St. Paul says the same thing in today’s text. He tells us that we can “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (v 14). We are also told in Gal 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” This indeed is what the hymn declares as it says, “Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness My beauty are, my glorious dress” (LSB 563:1).

12.              By Jesus’ death on the cross for our sin and his rising from the grave, he gives us victory over sin, death, and the devil. He exchanges our sin for his righteousness. He strips off of us our filthy garments and dresses us “for the occasion.” We’re now ready to stand before the eternal judgment throne and declare the words of another wonderful hymn: “Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to Thy cross I cling. Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace” (LSB 761:3). We’re dressed in the righteousness of Jesus, our Savior!

13.              So dressed, we are to live as God’s children as we wait for Jesus’ second coming. St. Paul says it this way in our text: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh” (v 14). That is to say, now, between Jesus’ first coming and his second coming, we are to live as God’s forgiven, well-dressed, wide-awake children. Dressed in God’s gift of righteousness, we’re to demonstrate a different kind of life than unbelievers. We do this not to earn God’s love or to impress others, but to thank God and witness to God’s mercy and forgiveness.

14.              The story is told in Spain of a father and his teenage son who had a relationship that had become strained. So the son ran away from home. But, his father began a journey in search of his rebellious son. Finally, in Madrid, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in the newspaper. The ad read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon. All is forgiven. I love you. Your father.” The next day at noon, in front of the newspaper office, 800 “Pacos” showed up. They were all seeking forgiveness and love from their fathers.

15.              What a wonderful gift is the gift of love and forgiveness. All people crave this gift. This gift is yours! Though you have strayed from the love of your Heavenly Father, he seeks you out and won’t rest until you’re safe in his arms. To make you ready for world’s end and the Day of Judgment, you’ve been awakened and given a new suit of clothes. You’ve been dressed in the righteousness and forgiveness of Christ Jesus. You are ready.  This day and every day in Advent is a wonderful day to wake up and celebrate the love of God freely given to you in Jesus.  In the name of Jesus. Amen!

 

"The Center of the Season is the Christ" Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, Advent 3 Dec. '14, series B

“The Center of the Season is the Christ” Isaiah 61.1-4, 8-11, Dec. ’14 Series B…

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 3^rd Sunday in Advent is taken from Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 and is entitled, “The Center of the Season is the Christ.”  Jesus comes to bring the greatest news from God, and He comes to fill the greatest need of men.  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      On this Third Sunday in Advent, the mood of repentance, evident in the first two Sundays of the season, gives way to a great sense of joy as we come closer to the celebration of Christ’s birth. There’s eagerness and anticipation in these words. Although Isaiah has words of prophecy here for us and although they point forward to an event in the future, they speak with the certainty that an action of God has been completed and stands as a finished product.  Isaiah reminds us that, the center of the season is the Christ.

3.      Isaiah’s word of prophecy about the Messiah, is like a greeting card designed to tell us about God’s perfect gift at Christmas. Why does the Savior hold our attention and bring our praise year in and year out beginning at Christmas? The fullness of the Spirit of God was poured out on our Lord, giving him the gifts He needed for his ministry (Is 11:2–5; 61:1). That same Spirit attracts you and me to him today and every Christmas season.  The one anointed to preach good news is Jesus Christ. He’s the speaker. He’s the heart of the good news.

4.      Those who witnessed the life of Jesus said that no man could’ve done the things he did unless God was with him. His gracious words, mighty miracles, and tremendous love demonstrated by his death on the cross were all enabled by the Spirit, and “through the Spirit of holiness [he] was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom 1:3–4). In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus exclaimed in Luke chapter 4, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me!” (Luke 4:18). When Jesus finished reading our text from Isaiah in Luke chapter 4, “The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him” (Luke 4:20). At Christmas, may all eyes be fixed on Jesus Christ!

5.      The center of the season is the Christ because He’s the perfect promise of God.  Isaiah’s words describe a future generation of his countrymen. The Israelites would find themselves in the worst of scenarios. God’s judgment fell upon them for their idolatry and evil ways. The mighty Babylonians conquered Judah in 587 B.C. and carried away the Israelites into exile. Among them were the intelligent and educated, the rich and famous. They were humbled and brought to repentance. They mourned. But, help would come. The Lord promised to rescue and restore his people. Babylon fell to Persia, and in 538 B.C. (the edict of Cyrus) the Israelites were set free to return to their homeland.  But, both the promise and the fulfillment extend beyond the 6th century B.C. to our Lord’s ministry, through the New Testament age, down to the present day, and even to the Second Coming of Christ. That’s how far Isaiah’s great prophecy reaches.

6.      The center of the season is the Christ because he brings help for the poor and brokenhearted.  Isaiah addresses the discouraged, humble, and meek who yearn for God to save. Though many of us are outwardly free and prosperous, God calls for all of us to be poor in spirit before him, to humble ourselves in his presence. The awareness of our sin makes us feel captive, imprisoned, and enslaved to evil, and guilty before God. What we need is forgiveness! Only our Lord Jesus Christ can fulfill that need.

7.      The center of the season is the Christ because He brings liberty and freedom to the captives.  In the fullness of time, God sent his Son Jesus to announce “the year of the Lord’s favor,” the time when the grace of God would be revealed. God sends his servant to liberate, and set free the captives. Does Isaiah mean to say that we’re captive, that we need to be liberated by the Lord? Yes! We Americans are free to walk and travel, free to strive and achieve, free to build and accomplish. But, in so many ways we’re held captive by our sin, in bondage to fear, to memories of the past, to regrets. We’re slaves to the gods of fortune and pride, bound by the shackles of greed and lust.

8.      How blessed we are to hear of the One who is able to defeat the tyrants that hold us captive! What a liberating effect the Christ Child had upon those around him even during the early days of his life on earth. Already then he was freeing the captives! The shepherds were set free to tell what they had seen and heard at Bethlehem. Later, the Wise Men were set free from trivial pursuits. They directed all their energy toward finding him who was their Lord and King. Old Simeon in the temple was finally free to close his eyes and die in peace after he saw the Lord’s salvation in the Christ Child.

9.      What tyrants hold you captive? Maybe it’s a certain sin, a bad habit you can’t seem to stop, or something that happened in your past which you have been unable to escape. Maybe it’s fear, fear of commitment, responsibility, aging, or death. Maybe it’s worry or anxiety about the future. No matter what it is, you have a Savior who has come to set you free! He is the one Isaiah speaks of today. By the power of the Holy Spirit he sets you free! Look to the cross where he died for your sins! “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!” (John 8:36). At Christmas, we captives are set free!

10.  The center of the season is the Christ because He brings comfort for those who mourn.  Everyone, it seems, is happy at Christmas, or at least a little happier than at other times of the year.  But, this time of the year can also bring about sadness to those who continue to mourn their loved ones who have died. “He has sent me,” says the Servant, “to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning” (vv 1–3). People may grieve and mourn for many reasons, but none evokes more bitter sorrow than the death of a loved one.  Who can help those who grieve? Who can change their sorrow to a crown of life? The answer is Jesus Christ! He comforts those who mourn. Following his resurrection from the dead, he was there, bringing gladness to the grieving. While Mary wept at the tomb, Jesus called to her, “Mary!” His life, his resurrection, and his power bring joy.

11.  The center of the season is the Christ because He brings to us security and stability.  The Lord helps with the sorrows of life. He gives us his righteousness that we might be firmly rooted in his grace. “They will be called oaks of righteousness,” shouts Isaiah (v 3). We can be that strong in him, for through our baptism (Gal 3:27) he has clothed us with the “garments of salvation” (Is 61:10) and placed upon us the mantle of praise and the robe of his righteousness. As a bride and groom meet in their finest attire, so the Lord decks us in glory at Christmas as he gives us his Son as our gift. May our response of praise spring up to catch the attention of all the nations (v 11).

12.  Yes, Jesus is the center of the Advent & Christmas seasons. We see bumper stickers in this season that say, “Put Christ back into Christmas.” Such a slogan reminds us that it’s all too easy to be occupied in the externals of the holiday and to exclude the center. Yet such a slogan is an overstatement. Christ is in the name of Christmas. He never left. He remains. Our business is to come and adore him.  Amen.

 

“On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry” Mark 1.1-8 2nd Sunday in Advent, Dec. '14

1.                   Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer.  The message from God’s Word this 2^nd Sunday in Advent is taken from Mark 1:1-8, dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry.  John calls out to us this Advent season, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”  He admonishes us poor sinners and makes us desire to celebrate the joyful season of Christmas.  Not the one who is full, but only the one who is tormented by hunger and thirst can rejoice from his heart when food and drink are offered to him.  Not the one who is well, but only the one who painfully feels his sickness can rejoice from his heart when he’s assured that he will soon be well.  Not the one who is free, but only the one who knows he is a prisoner in his sin can he rejoice from his heart when his freedom is announced.  Not the one who is rich, but only the one who is frightened by his debts can rejoice from his heart when he hears that those debts have been paid.  In the same way, John the Baptist reminds us today in our Gospel lesson from Mark 1 that we as sinners are called to repent as we prepare for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.  Only those who recognize that they are poor, lost sinners can rejoice from their hearts when we hear that the Savior for sinners is here.  That’s why on Jordan’s Bank the Baptist Cries out calling us to repentance so that we may receive the gift of eternal life.

3.                  John the Baptist’s ministry was generating some high spirits in his day as we see around us as our society is already celebrating the Christmas season before the actual day of Christmas. The air was alive with the news. No TV or radio spread the message—just individuals, by word of mouth. When they got there, they saw a rugged preacher in scratchy clothing uttering strong words about repentance and forgiveness. It had been 400 years since a prophet from God had last spoken. Their souls were hungry, and they knew that what John the Baptist had to say was important.

4.                  During this Advent season we’re preparing to celebrate the coming of the Son of God. It will serve us well to hear the same message, the same call to repentance, in order that the Savior may come anew into our lives through the power of the Spirit.  On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist Cries out for the need for repentance.  Mark 1:2-4 says, “2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”  John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”  Sin isn’t a popular word. People reject the concept as old-fashioned. The Old Adam protests: others, like criminals, are sinners, but not “nice people” like me! When sin isn’t confessed, there’s no desire for forgiveness, no urge to turn to God, and no chance for healing. We need to repent—daily, and especially today!

5.                  I once had a discussion early on in my ministry as a pastor with a member who told me he wasn’t coming to church anymore. After some probing, the reason became clear: he didn’t like the words of confession at the beginning of the service. They were a “put-down.” The words of confession hit home and he didn’t like it, but he missed the words of forgiveness! May we never forget the call to repentance, but let us be even more careful to remember the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 In 1:9). Sound familiar? These words are included in our regular worship services, and they are so necessary for us to hear every day.

6.                  On Jordan’s Bank John the Baptist cries reminding us that sin alienates. It makes us enemies of God. It excludes God from our lives. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Is 53:6). It’s not that we don’t want to turn around from our sins, it’s rather that we can’t turn back toward God, unless he helps us.  And so, God comes seeking us. He comes all the way to where we are in the muck and mire of our sins. He touches us and pleads, “Come now, let us reason together. . . . Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Is 1:18). We can (and do) resist God’s calling to repentance, but his love turns us around to look at him, and we see a smiling face. We see the one who loves us with an everlasting love.

7.                  The worst sin is idolatry, violating the First Commandment. We make our own gods, who permit us to “enjoy” life comfortably. The Israelites made an idol to their liking, the golden calf, and then “they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry” (Ex 32:6). Today people often cast off restraint—hence the decline in morals, filling our lives with hills and valleys and rough and crooked roads.

8.                  There was a special issue in Time magazine, called “Beyond the Year 2000” (Fall, 1992), that included an article entitled “Kingdoms to Come” (p. 61) in which the writer attempts to describe what religious conditions will be like a hundred years from now. He writes, “Theology is a dying art. School children are ignorant of the Bible and hence bereft of their spiritual heritage. . . . The colorful creeds from olden times are tiny or extinct.” The article speaks of “No-demand faiths,” and then goes on to say, “The World Soul Movement originated with the synthetic neopagan, nature-love and New Age groups. . . .The triumph of feminist religion caused many Christians and Jews to shun references to God in personal terms (no more Lord or Heavenly Father). This in turn strengthened the groups that worship a mysterious nature-force or seek to deify the self.” Sadly, what this magazine article describes is happening right now, and is a perfect description of the sin of idolatry. It is Satan’s primordial lie, “You shall become like God.”

9.                  But the righteous Lord comes to enter our lives. In preparation, we repent and ask him to straighten out our lives.  And so, on Jordan’s Bank the Baptist cries out calling us to repentance. In our own lives, a forerunner like John might be any voice that calls in our desert, “Repent!”  Conscience—God’s Word recalled.  Catastrophe—some event or experience God uses to wake us up.  Contact—some bearer of the call to repent.

10.              And on Jordan’s bank, John the Baptist reminds us that repentance finds forgiveness in Mark 1:4 & 7–8 says, “⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  7And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  Sin is great, but the grace of God is greater. John points to the greater one, to Jesus, who came with power to break sin’s hold on us. “But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared” (Ps 130:4). John felt unworthy to untie the shoelaces of the One coming, so awed was he by the Lamb of God.

11.              Repentance still finds forgiveness. Because of his great love, God, whose holiness is like a consuming fire, does not consume us (Lam 3:22). Repent, turn to God, and welcome him who comes to you in the name of the Lord.  To you in Holy Baptism.  To you at the Lord’s Supper.  To you in the power of his Word.  To you through the quiet voice of a fellow believer

12.              Repentance leads to renewal (v 8).  As Jesus comes and forgives us, he breaks sin’s hold on us. He comes with the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s purifying fire. He smooths out the road into our lives, makes the crooked places straight and fills up the valleys. We do not want to impede our loving Lord in any way.  And, repentance leads to renewal, not only in our minds and spirits, but in our world through us! We’re his lights in the darkness—in home, office, factory, school, on the farm, at parties. We are his salt to preserve the world from total corruption

13.              On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist cries.  God doesn’t call us to withdraw from the world as monks and nuns. Instead, we’re constantly aware that our Lord, who once came in the flesh, is coming again in glory. We are in the world, but not of the world. The people of the world travel a different road in a different direction. They are of a different mind-set (Jn 17:16–19). God has given us life in this time and in this place to let our light shine and to be a preservative in the midst of a wicked and perverse age (Mt 5:13, 14). He calls us to live in daily repentance and in the power of his forgiveness.  Amen.

 

“Think…Thank” Deuteronomy 8.1-10 Thanksgiving Day Sermon, Nov. ‘14

 

1.               Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The message from God’s for us today as we prepare to observe the National Day of Thanksgiving is taken from Deuteronomy 8:1-10.  It’s entitled, “Think, Thank,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.               In the cathedral in Cambridge, England, the cushion of a kneeler has embroidered on it two words: “Think…Thank.” The two words are said to originate from the same root word, which comes as no surprise. It’s just what we do. When something causes us stop to think, we also stop to thank, often in unlikely circumstances.  Last year of 2013, 85 tornados devastated parts of the Midwest.  And, this year of 2014 there have been record low temperatures across the United States or the amount of snow that fell in Buffalo, NY that reached about 8 feet in total depth. Even as residents of communities struck by the tornadoes last year dug themselves out of the rubble of their former blessings and began to think about their losses, how often their thoughts focused on their remaining blessings and turned to giving thanks. It’s what we do, especially as Christians.  Maybe the greatest example of that kind of thanksgiving was Noah from the Old Testament book of Genesis.  After surviving the most horrific storm imaginable, Noah built an altar and gave thanks to God that he and his family were spared. He couldn’t help but “Think…Thank.”  Tragedy isn’t the only time we do this. A family gathering with turkey and all the trimmings can also serve as an opportunity to think about the wisdom of Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7). “Think…Thank.”

3.               Another example of Think…Thank, remembering and thanking God for the blessings God has given to us, is the story of Squanto and the First Thanksgiving observed here in America.  It’s a story of tragedy, but out of the tragedy something good took place.  It’s a reminder of Romans 8:28, “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”  Historians believe that around 1608, more than 10 years before the Pilgrims arrived, a group of English traders sailed to what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts. When the trusting Wampanoag Indians came out to trade, the traders took them prisoner, transported them to Spain, and sold them into slavery. But God had an amazing plan for one of the Indians, a boy named Squanto.  Squanto was bought by a Spanish monk, who treated him well and taught him the Christian faith. Squanto eventually made his way to England and worked in the stables of a man named John Slaney. Slaney sympathized with Squanto's desire to return home, and he promised to put the Indian on the first ship bound for America.  It wasn't until 1619, 10 years after Squanto was first kidnapped, that a ship was found. Finally, after 10 years of exile, Squanto was on his way home.  But when he arrived in Massachusetts, more heartbreak awaited him. An epidemic had wiped out Squanto's entire village.

4.               We can only imagine what must have gone through Squanto's mind. Why had God allowed him to return home only to find his loved ones dead?  A year later, the answer came. A ship of English families arrived and settled on the land once occupied by Squanto's people. Squanto went to meet them, greeting the startled Pilgrims in English.  According to the diary of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford, Squanto "became a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . He showed [us] how to plant [our] corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities . . . and was also [our] pilot to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, and never left [us] till he died."  When Squanto lay dying of fever, Bradford wrote that their Indian friend "desir[ed] the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishmen's God in heaven." Squanto gave his possessions to the Pilgrims "as remembrances of his love."  Who but God could convert a lonely Indian and then use him to save a struggling band of Englishmen? Squanto’s story is another example of, “Think…Thank,” seeing God’s providing care in our lives as his people.

5.               A final example of Think…Thank is in our Old Testament lesson today from Deuteronomy 8:1-10.  Here Moses says, “¹“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. ²And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. ³And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. ⁵Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. ⁶So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. ⁷For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, ⁸a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, ⁹a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. ¹⁰And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

6.               Think…Thank.  Moses calls the Israelites to remember the Lord their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Remember that it was He who called His servant Abram out of the land of the Chaldeans to be the father of a great nation.  Remember that the Lord has been faithful in the covenant He swore to their fathers.  Remember that He has been faithful to them.  Remember that it was He who led them for 40 years, testing and trying, so that the Israelites might be prepared to live by the words that come from the mouth of the Lord.  Remember and don’t forget, for God is ready to lead them into their promised land.  Think…Thank.

7.               The danger of the land the Israelites were going to possess wasn’t that of hunger and want. Instead, it’s the danger of plenty and abundance. When bellies are full and dwellings are secure, when flocks are numerous and wealth is multiplied, then people forget.  They forget the One who delivered them and deposited them in this Promised Land.  They forget dire needs and gnawing hungers.  They forget the bread of heaven and the waters of life.  They forget the hand of the Lord and they claim responsibility for all the good that has been given to them.  They forget to Think…Thank.

8.               How soon then do we forget the nourishing and nurturing hand of the Lord?  When we’re crying out from the depths of our despair, when we have slipped into the pit of misery and want, then we seek the Lord.  But, when the night of mourning is past, when the day dawns with relief from pain—relief sent from the Lord—we soon forget the saving and sustaining hand of the Lord.  This is a great danger and a sad reality. 

9.               Return to the Lord, “and forget not all His benefits.” (Psalm 103:2).  Think…Thank.  Remember that it’s He who has redeemed your life from the pit with the blood of His lamb, Jesus.  It’s He who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy (vs. 4).  Even in our unfaithfulness, remember the God is always faithful.  Though He disciplines us, He won’t keep His anger against us.  Remember that He who made known His ways to Moses and His acts to the people of Israel is the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (vs. 8).  Remember and don’t forget.  Think…Thank.

10.           When the temptation that accompanies bounty and blessing knocks at your door, don’t forget that all good things come from the Lord.  When all is right with the world and worries and cares have fallen from memory, don’t fall prey to thoughts of self-reliance, and self-sufficiency.  When concerns and anxiety have fled, don’t forget: remember that it’s Jesus who has saved us from sin, death, and the power of the devil and not ourselves.  It’s the Lord who opens His hand to us and provides us with all our needs.  On this Thanksgiving, remember and don’t forget.  Think…Thank.  Amen.

 

 

“Wait Till Your Father Comes Home!” Isaiah 64.1–9, Advent Midweek 1, Dec. ‘14

 

1.             Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The message from God’s Word this first sermon in our Advent Midweek Series is taken from Isaiah 64:1-9.  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.             “Wait till your father comes home!” How many of you remember hearing those words when you were growing up? Maybe some of our young people are still hearing these words today: Wait till your father comes home! What images or events do these words bring to your mind?

3.            I can think of one in particular. Since it’s now the season of Advent and soon Christmas, it’s fitting that we can reflect on an event that took place with one little boy years ago. It was close to Christmas. This boy was about 8 years old. His parents were out of the house. Dad was at work; Mom was grocery shopping. And they left him home alone. Never a good idea!  His parents had not yet set up the Christmas tree, and the boy wanted some Christmas decorations in the house. He had time on his hands and he had paper, scissors, glue, and crayons. He had no adult supervision. He was a very creative boy. This was a lethal combination!  The little boy drew, colored, and cut out a large number of decorations: Santa Claus, a Christmas tree, presents, a baby Jesus, and people in his family standing around the tree.  And then, after he’d drawn, colored, and cut out all these decorations, he did the only reasonable thing he could think to do. He glued them all to the living room wall.  His mother came home first.  As you can imagine, she said a number of things. The one thing the boy could remember was this: Wait till your father comes home!  I don’t think that meant that his dad was coming to congratulate his little boy on his creativity.  We’re now in the season of Advent, and at Advent, God is coming.

4.            Advent means “coming.” Advent has two focuses: the first coming of the baby Jesus at Christmas and the second coming of King Jesus at Judgment Day. Very often we only think of Advent in connection with the joys of Christmas. We can’t wait for Christmas! We join Isaiah as he declares in our sermon text, “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down” (v 1)!

5.            But, as we read the Bible, we discover that both the Old and New Testaments connect Advent to Judgment Day. In 1 Thessalonians, we read: “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (5:2). And also, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, . . . with the sound of the trumpet of God” (4:16). Jesus himself said, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. . . . When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne” (Mt 25:13, 31).

6.            In the Old Testament, the prophet Amos said, “Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! . . . It is darkness, and not light. . . . Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light?” (Amos 5:18, 20). Isaiah says, “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! . . . Behold, the day of the Lord comes, . . . to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it” (Is 13:6, 9). Hmmm . . .

7.            Advent means God is coming. A holy God is coming, and we’re sinners. Yes, in our text, Isaiah first sounds eager to have the Father come: “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down” (v 1). But then he rethinks what he just prayed for. He says to this God, “Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?” (v 5). Oh, no. Now that I think about it, Father, maybe I’m not so eager for you to come down. Isaiah realizes that God has reason to come to us in judgment.

8.            Our “good deeds” can’t prevent God’s judgment. Isaiah knows he has to admit, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (v 6). Some suggest that the polluted garments of which Isaiah speaks refer to a women’s monthly menstrual garments. These soiled garments make a person unclean and unable to enter into God’s presence in the temple. Just so, our good works don’t work in getting us right with a holy God. Even our attempts at good deeds are sin. Our sin brings us destruction. Isaiah understands. He goes on to say, “We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (v 6).  Are you enjoying Advent yet? Are you looking forward to the second coming? Wait till your Father comes home! Oh, no . . .

9.            But, this is only half of the story. This is what we Lutherans call the Law. What about the Gospel? What about the Good News?  We can say and believe: “Advent means God is coming, hurray!” God is just and must deal with sin, but the Bible declares: God is also our loving Father. We can wait for his coming and wait with joy. Oh, I can’t wait till my Father comes home! Listen to what Isaiah tells us in today’s sermon text: “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. . . . Remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people” (vv 8–9).

10.        God is our loving father. He’s the potter; we’re the clay. We belong to him. We’re the work of his hands. He personally created us. We’re precious to him. He’s our Father who loves us. Sorry for our sin, we humbly go to our Father for forgiveness. What is the assurance of our forgiveness? It’s this: Advent announces the coming of our loving God in the flesh.

11.        In John 1:14 we read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Word is a title for Jesus. This verse is John’s commentary on the miracle of Christmas. The eternal Word of God became a human being, was born among us. We call this truth of Scripture the incarnation. Incarnation means to become flesh. Carne is a Latin word for flesh or meat. When you buy a can of chili at the store, often the label will read chili con carne. That means chili peppers with meat. At Christmas we celebrate that Jesus, the eternal Word, became meat. He became a flesh-and-blood human being. He did so to become our Savior.

12.        This loving God-in-the-flesh comes to us at Bethlehem’s manger. Look inside that manger. Look inside that feed trough. What do you see? You see not just a cute baby boy. You see God in the flesh come for you!  Look upon Calvary’s cross. What do you see? You see not just a victim of an unjust punishment. You see God in the flesh paying for your sins and the sins of the world! Look inside that empty tomb on Easter Sunday morning. What do you see? He’s not there! He’s risen from the dead. He is God in the flesh, victorious over sin, death, and the devil. And he did this for you!

13.        When Judgment Day arrives, look! Who is coming again? Look! Who is coming in glory to take to heaven you and all who trust in him? Who is it? It is God in the flesh, the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Oh, wait till your Father comes home!

14.        Here’s one more story about that little boy that I spoke about at the beginning of this sermon. This one has a happier ending than the one about gluing decorations to the living room walls.  This little boy’s family was poor. They lived on government assistance. They had to give up the farm and move into town. His dad got a job as a hospital janitor. After a while he desperately needed new work shoes. The ones he was wearing had holes in the soles, and daylight could be seen through the holes. He’d been saving money to get new shoes. At just the same time, the little boy very much wanted a new baseball glove, which his family couldn’t afford. But his father put cardboard in his shoes to cover the holes and spent that money for a new baseball glove for his son! Oh, the boy loved that glove. His dad taught him to take care of it and never to leave it outside in the rain. But one day he had done just that. The leather glove was soaked through with the rain.  The boy found it, and he was heartbroken. He knew what his dad went through to get him that glove.  His mother then said those famous words again, “Wait till your father comes home.” He wasn’t looking forward to his arrival.  Dad came home. His son showed him the ball glove. He waited for the worst. What happened next was a surprise.  His dad didn’t get angry.  His eyes were wet with tears. He knew his son was sorry. He knew he loved that ball glove. He knew he deserved punishment.  Instead, his dad showed him how to dry out the glove by putting it in the oven at a low heat. He showed him how to rub some “mink oil” into the leather to preserve it. After a couple of days of this, the glove was as good as new.  The boy waited until his dad came home, and he came with mercy and forgiveness and love. Oh, how his dad loved his son! He was so glad he came home, and that he came home for him.

15.        Advent tells us our Lord is coming. He’s coming as the babe in the manger and as the king at Judgment Day. He’s holy and just and takes seriously our sin. But he is especially merciful and forgiving and loving. So it’s only fitting that at the beginning of Advent we pray that last prayer recorded in Holy Scripture and pray it eagerly: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20).  In the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

 

“Waiting for Jesus to be Revealed” 1 Cor. 1.3-9 Advent 1, Nov. ’14…

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 First Sunday in Advent, the start of a New Church Year is taken from 1 Cor. 1:3-9 and it’s entitled, “Waiting for Jesus to be Revealed.”  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      If there's one thing people hate to do, it's wait.  We don't like to wait for anything.  It doesn't even matter if the thing we're waiting for is "good" or "bad."  How many of you have ever had some sort of unpleasant experience that you know is slated for the future (i.e. a medical procedure or a meeting) and you say, "I wish I could just do it right now and get it over with!  This waiting is killing me!"?  Don't even get me started on the lack of patience we have when it comes to waiting for something "good."  How long have the stores been pushing their "Christmas cheer" on us now?  At least since Halloween time!  It's getting to be so bad, that I wouldn't be surprised at all if we began hearing announcements such as, "only 364 more shopping days until Christmas!" The sad thing is that most people would bite.  They'd buy into this hype hook, line, and sinker.  Nobody likes to wait.  I guess it's just part of human nature.

3.      In our text this morning, St. Paul assures us that we are ready for Christ’s coming and that can enable us to do the thing we’re not so great at: wait.  St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 1:3-9, “3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Here St. Paul tells us that we the Advent people of God are called to be ready and waiting for our Lord Jesus to be revealed.  And, we are confident because we are ready in Christ.

4.      But, while we’re waiting for Jesus’ return in glory to take us to our heavenly home we may wonder, are we prepared for it?  How often have you heard someone say this?  “We weren’t prepared, because we didn’t know it was going to happen.” Examples abound in recent and not-so-recent history:  The German invasion of Poland in September 1939.  The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on this date, Dec. 7, 1941, 73 years ago.  The Islamic terrorist plot carried out on Sept. 11, 2001, with assaults on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.  The earthquake and subsequent fires that almost destroyed San Francisco in April 1906.  The tsunami that roared across the Indian Ocean in late December 2004.  The earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the tornadoes across the South and Midwest this past spring.  Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and Biloxi and the Gulf Coast in August 2005.

5.      Waiting is one thing when we’re prepared. Waiting is quite another when we’re unprepared. And how can we possibly be prepared when we don’t know what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen?

6.      Well, here’s Advent good news: we are not “lacking in any spiritual gift, as [we] wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,” for he will sustain us to the end (1 Cor 1:7–8a). We don’t know what and when about many things, but we do know that someday Christ is returning in judgment and salvation, that everyone who trusts in Christ Jesus is prepared, and that in the meantime God has equipped us with everything we need for all those uncertainties.

7.      We are ready because of all that God has done for us (vv 4–7).  The Corinthians lacked nothing.  They were enriched in every way with all speech and knowledge.  But the apostle says, “Look beyond the present day and your present gifts to the Last Day and the Lord’s greater gifts.”

 

8.      We also lack nothing.  Our challenge is this: we want to focus on Christmas Day and its gifts (all the presents in stockings and under the tree and, yes, especially the Gift in the manger).  Much better, we have our Lord’s fullest gifts: salvation completed, Christ revealed, and eternity experienced.

9.      Yet we are waiting.  We are waiting for “the day” (v 7).  Yes, we’re waiting for the day—count ’em down: 25 1/2  days until Christmas (no pressure now to get your Christmas shopping done, have you gone out this weekend for Black Friday sales yet)!  We can hardly wait for the day to celebrate the revealing of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, born in the manger in Bethlehem.

10.  But we are actually waiting for two days (vv 7b– 8).  It isn’t really Christmas Day about which Paul is writing. Even for him and for the Corinthians, that had already happened.  They/you/we wait for the Christmas festival, that annual celebration, yes, but we also wait for the Great(er) Day. Just as the incarnation revealed our Lord and his mission, just as the crucifixion revealed our Lord and his mission, so the Great Day will reveal him as the glorious Judge and King.  So we wait as resident aliens, as strangers in a strange land that is not our ultimate home.

11.  And Advent also calls us to wait for a third day, the day of our physical death, the day on which our souls are taken into our Lord’s presence.  Herveius Burgidolensis (twelfth century): “The day of death is for each person the day of the Lord’s coming” (quoted in Latin by A. Robertson and A. Plummer, The First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, p 7; quoted by Lockwood, 36).

12.  And still, for each of these days we are ready (vv 8–9).  Because though we are guilty, we are guiltless. “Jesus has cleansed His church by removing the sins of believers through His own blood on the cross. This cleansing has been applied to Christians through Holy Baptism (Eph 5:26). When Jesus returns the church will be blameless, because God who is faithful keeps it [her!] in the cleansing flow of His grace” (Milton Rudnick, Erwin Kolb, 1 Corinthians, LifeLight Leader’s Guide [St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1995], 11).  Because though we are faithless, God is faithful (2 Tim 2:13a).  Because though we are loveless loners and runaway rebels, we are given fellowship with his Son.

13.  The Church waits . . . made ready by the testimony of and about Christ. The Church waits . . . ready because we are gifted in every necessary way. The Church waits . . . trusting that Christ sustains his Bride ready to the end. The Church waits . . . ready because she is guiltless (unaccusable!) through the imputed righteousness of Christ. The Church waits . . . rejoicing that we are ready because God is faithful. The Church waits . . . eager and ready to celebrate the full fellowship of and with Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.