“The Amazing Conversation” Luke 1.26-38, Advent 4B

 

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 today on this 4^th Sunday in Advent is taken from Luke 1.26-38, it’s entitled, “The Amazing Conversation,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                At the center of this gospel reading today is an amazing conversation. It was of the memorable variety. It involved a peasant girl from a small town and a mighty messenger from God. Our lives are filled with conversations. Every day we talk with family and friends, colleagues and neighbors, classmates and playmates. The subject matter is predictable. We speak of the weather, the kids, school, work. Nowadays we could add the pandemic, Christmas plans, and online learning. Most of these conversations are forgettable. They fly away as soon as the last mouth stops moving. But, there are other conversations that we remember. It was the last heart-to-heart you had with your dad before he died. It was the deep discussion with your future spouse that sealed the deal. It was the key exchange which led you to change careers, or choose your college, or name your child. These conversations stay with us. We couldn’t forget them if we tried. They changed our lives.

3.                These last few weeks of Advent, I’ve been preaching a series of sermons about how each of the four Gospels begins. Today we are focusing on Luke’s distinct starting point to His Gospel. Unlike John’s Gospel who takes us back to creation and Mark who opens with Isaiah, Luke’s orderly account begins with two related pregnancy announcements—the latter obviously being the more significant.

4.                First, let us consider the difference in the two conversations that take place in Luke chapter 1, the first between Zechariah and the Angel Gabriel, and the second between the Virgin Mary and Gabriel the Angel. Earlier in Luke 1 Zechariah asks, “How can I know this?” and refers to the laws of nature (1:18). Mary asks, “How will this be?” and also mentions the natural way: “since I do not know a man.” Both use the verb ginōskō, “to know,” but with different meanings. Mary hearkens back to Gen 4:1 She focuses on the external Word and how it will become a reality. But, Zechariah asks about his own subjective assurance. Zechariah doesn’t believe God’s words (1:20) but Mary does (1:38). In both cases God provides signs to strengthen faith: for Zechariah, his being made mute, unable to speak (1:20); for Mary, the pregnancy of Elizabeth (1:36–37). Eventually, both signs result in songs of faith and thanksgiving (1:46–55; 1:67–79).

5.                This is what we hope for every time we come together for worship, that we may trust firmly in God’s promises given to us in God’s Word and Sacraments as Mary did. So often we listen to the inclinations of our own sinful hearts rather than to the Lord. This is the problem we have with the Third Commandment, despising “preaching and his word.” Sinful man looks inside of himself for answers and solutions, rather than outside, from God’s external Word.

6.                Have you ever imagined what it would be like to eavesdrop on this conversation that Mary had with the Angel Gabriel? I know I have many times as I have heard the Christmas story being read year after year. We know that Mary was a teenage girl. Probably too young to drive. She lived in Nazareth, a forgettable town in far-away Galilee. We know almost nothing about her prior to this conversation. She was a daughter of the Covenant, a child of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But her people in those days were nothing to write home about. The glory of David and Solomon were a distant memory. It’s likely she lived in poverty and simplicity. Martin Luther suggested she may have been an orphan.

7.                To this otherwise insignificant peasant girl came the angel Gabriel. We don’t know much about him, either. Besides Luke 1, he is mentioned by name only in Daniel 8-9. But, for angels, that’s not bad. Only two angels are named in the entire Scriptures. Gabriel means “man/mighty one of God.” He stands in the presence of God (Luke 1:19) and his presence inspires the fear of man (Daniel 8:17, Luke 1:12).

8.                Here’s how the conversation went: Mighty Gabriel came to young Mary and said, “Greetings (literally, “Rejoice!”), O favored one, the Lord is with you.” This was a strange way to begin a conversation. Luke tells us Mary was troubled by it. Maybe it bothered her that this stranger knew her name. “Do not be afraid, Mary,” he said, “for you have found favor with God. And you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

9.                You can hear the excitement in Gabriel’s voice. This was a big deal. This King had been promised for millennia. 1 Peter 1:12 says even the angels longed to look into these things. But Mary didn’t seem thrilled. She responded with an understandable question: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Gabriel responded, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” He concludes with an understatement, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Literally, Gabriel said no word (ῥῆμα) from God is beyond reality.

10.             Without questions about her fiancé, or her wedding, or her reputation, Luke tells us Mary believed. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And Gabriel left. Bernard of Clairvaux speaks of three miracles in Mary’s life. (1) She was a virgin, and yet she gave birth. (2) The baby she bore was also God. (3) She trusted the angel’s message. Martin Luther discussed these three miracles. (Martin Luther, The Martin Luther Christmas Book, trans. and arranged by Roland H. Bainton (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1948), p. 22-23). He called the virgin birth a “mere trifle” for God. He considered Jesus’ being both man and God a bigger deal. But most amazing, says Luther, is how Mary believed the word Gabriel spoke to her.

11.             The believing is the hardest part. Sometimes it’s hard for us to believe God is actually with us. Sometimes it’s hard to believe God truly cares, especially this year of 2020 with the pandemic and all. We hear God’s promise of forgiveness and life, but sometimes it’s hard to believe. Which is why it’s important to hear Gabriel’s description of Mary as the “favored one” (κεχαριτωμένη). What made Mary favored wasn’t her family line, or her personal achievements, or her pure heart. She was favored in that God chose her. In the same way in Ephesians 1:6, St. Paul describes Christians as “highly favored” (ἐχαρίτωσεν). He says God chose us to be His daughters and sons out of nothing but His favor.

12.             In the end, we’re not that different from Mary. By human standards we’re insignificant. We’ve done nothing to justify God coming to us. But God has had favor on us. He has come to us, as well. We’re so close to Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus our Lord. Today from Luke 1 we remember that the Lord speaks to his people in words and deeds. He remembers his promises and wonders from ages past, and takes decisive action in our lives today through Word and Sacrament. His means of grace create and sustain living faith, which in turn clings to God’s promises and rejoices in his mercy. “Rejoice, O favored ones, the Lord is with you.”

13.             This holiday season we may have opportunities to speak to our friends and family about the birth of our Savior Jesus and what Christmas really means. Here’s one conversation along those lines. A veteran pastor recently wrote of an experience he had on a flight from New York to Toronto. “I sat beside a bright, young man who was highly successful. He had an office and a home in Montreal. He had another office in Vancouver and another one in New York. He told me how well he was doing, and then there came that terrible moment that inevitably comes when they ask, ‘Now what is it that you do?’ I try to answer very carefully. If I say, ‘I’m a pastor,’ I know what will happen. After a moment of silence, usually the person tells me about some aunt who is a big Baptist, or that they have a cousin who has read the Bible seven times. But not this young man. When I said, ‘Well, I’m a pastor,’ he said, ‘I want to talk to you. I want to talk to you about me. When I look out, it’s wonderful. But when I look inside, it’s empty.’”

14.             The Lord speaks to us his words of comfort and peace. In “the Word made flesh” (Jn 1:14), Jesus Christ, God spoke to man once and for all—through a Man. On Calvary Jesus paid the price—as God, to bring us outside help; and as man, to suffer and die in the place of men. In his Word and Sacrament today: in Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, Holy Communion; the Holy Scriptures, preaching, liturgy—wherever God’s Word is, he speaks to you today. Faith responds in rejoicing and praise. As Mary didn’t stop believing in her Savior, so she didn’t stop praising him. As Mary rejoiced in her God, so do we. The same God who brought Mary to faith and accomplished wonderful things in her life is also your God and my God—and the God of our friends and relatives who don’t yet know him. May our conversations with our family and friends this holiday season bring those around us hope and joy that only God can bring through our dear Savior Jesus. “Rejoice, O favored ones, the Lord is with you.” Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

“A Stronger Word” Romans 8.31–39 Gertie Wenzel Funeral Sermon

 

1.                Grace to you and peace from God our Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear friends in Christ, especially Allan, David, Laurie, Sandra, Jeff, Chris, Julie, and Donna. Our hearts break for you. We pray that the God of all comfort would give you His help as you trust in His precious promises in Jesus Christ our Lord through His death on the cross for us and His resurrection from the dead.  

2.                Before Gertie was called home to heavenly rest, she spoke about how she hated to be confined to her room during these long days of the Covid-19 pandemic. She said that she felt like a prisoner at times because of it. That reminds me of a Portals of Prayer devotion I read years ago that spoke about the effects of life in a sinful, broken world as being like solitary confinement, it said: “Sin turns us into prisoners who have only ourselves to look at or talk to: no God, no neighbors, no others to whom we can relate” (Paul Gregory Alms, Portals of Prayer, devotion for April 25, 2006). Yes, sin very much is like solitary confinement—and the loneliness that this pandemic has caused has exacerbated that problem.

3.                I realize that loneliness isn’t because there’s been no one to offer themselves to you. By now I’m sure more people have offered you condolences than you can count. But I’m just as sure that for all the words that have been spoken, none of them has taken away your grief. For all of our words are powerless words. They can’t change what’s happened.

4.                We have a lot of nice words to speak of Gertie. It’s what the word eulogy means, “a good word.” Gertie was a United States Navy veteran during the Korean War. She retired from the Milwaukee Court Systems in 1985 after 30 years of faithful service. Gertie loved to paint, complete puzzles, and travel all over the world. Her travels took her to Italy, Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Gertie also loved theater and musicals. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Creek, WI. And we must not forget the Good Word that was spoken over Gertie to make her a child of God. Gertie was baptized into the Christian faith through water and the Word of God on March 11^th, 1930 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI. On April 18^th, 1943 she confirmed the Christian faith that she received in her baptism at Trinity Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.   

5.                But as many nice words that we can say in regard to Gertie, they can’t take away your grief over her death. All our words express no more than the fact that all we can do as your family, friends, and fellow church members is to stand off to the side and tell you how sad we are that this has happened, and how much we know you’ve lost a good woman, because she was good to us too. But, our words can’t take away your grief. It’s because, in the end, our words are so weak in the face of death.

6.                Even the Bible understands this. St. Paul, thinking of the great tragedies of human life, had to ask, “What then shall we say to these things?” (Rom 8:31). There’s a Word that’s stronger than all of our human words, thoughts, and sentiments. It’s a stronger Word because it isn’t just talk. It’s a person: the Word who was made flesh—Jesus Christ. He is, in himself, the very Word of God, not only spoken, but lived, for the entire world.

7.                Do you remember the story of Jesus raising his friend Lazarus from the dead in John 11? It tells of how Jesus came to the funeral of his friend Lazarus. There, at the grave, were Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s two sisters. When Jesus saw Mary’s tears, he also cried. You probably know that’s the shortest verse in the Bible, those two words, “Jesus wept” (v 35). But it’s also one of the more important verses in the Bible, for it reminds us that the one who is the Word made flesh—our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, the almighty Son of the Father—was also able to share on the very deepest level our emotion. He who has the ability to know all things uses that ability, not to know those things that profit him, but the things that profit us. He knows the full depths of our grief.

8.                Yes, I don’t fully understand your heartbreak, but Jesus does. The Word made flesh does understand how deeply you’re hurting. It’s why he’s your best friend in this time. He’s ready to listen to your tears and groans, your anger and hurt, your fears and despair. And he’ll be ready to listen when you’re able to speak. Don’t forget the one who weeps with us. This Jesus who stood there weeping with Mary and Martha at the death of Lazarus is the one who would himself suffer death, and do so voluntarily. Think of that. We will all die, but our deaths are involuntary. Most of us fight death tooth and nail as long as we can before we’re finally forced to submit to it. And the heroes who are willing to sacrifice themselves for others do so still wanting to avoid death themselves. Our dying is always involuntary. But this mighty Jesus, with a voice that can raise the dead, died willingly, without complaint, so that death might not be the end of us. He willingly died for our sins, and so defeated death. That is how much he loves us. That is how great is his compassion.

9.                But remember something else. He not only has a deeper compassion than any of us, but this Word made flesh also has a Word of power, unlike our own words. Jesus said at the tomb of his friend, “Lazarus, come out” (v 43). And that Word of God is so strong that Lazarus arose from death. That’s a Word far different from our words. It’s different because of the one who speaks it. This Jesus is the one whom the Father would raise from death by a mighty Word, and this Jesus is the one whose resurrection is the final sign of his having conquered death, but not for himself alone. This Jesus has spoken a mighty Word to all who trust in him: “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25)

10.             The one who weeps with you has a Word that’s more powerful than death. That’s why St. Paul, after he first wondered what he might say about all the tragedies of life went on to speak triumphantly about the fact that while those tragedies can separate us from one another for a time, they can’t ever separate us from Christ and his love.

11.             The living Word of God, Jesus Christ, has already spoken a powerful Word over Gertie. When Gertie was baptized, the Word of God declared that she now belonged to God. Even if Gertie didn’t know that, the Word of God said it—and it was so. Each time Gertie prayed, she could do so with confidence because the Word of God assured her that she was talking to none less than her Heavenly Father. Each time Gertie heard the Word of God, she knew it was a Word with power to change things—a Word that created the world and also created Gertie into the woman she was! Each time Gertie confessed her sins and came to receive the Word made flesh in Holy Communion, that Word assured her of forgiveness, of the bodily presence of Christ for her, and the enduring promise of God’s love for her. Gertie, like all of us, was a sinner: she needed that Word of forgiveness like every one of us. And the forgiving Word was spoken—again and again, and always with truth and power.

12.             And now Gertie has heard another powerful Word: Jesus’ own “Gertie, come forth.” Jesus, the Word of God, who assures us of life and salvation, assured a thief who was hanging on a cross next to him that “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43). No less a promise belongs to Gertie. Jesus, the Word made flesh, promises each one of us who trusts in him something sure and certain: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (Jn 14:3). That Is a Word That Does Change Everything. Everything—for it means this truly is only a temporary farewell, not a permanent loss, for all who share Gertie’s faith.

13.             Nothing can take away the loss you are feeling now, for Gertie is not here in this life any longer. You have no choice but to grieve, and your grief does her honor. But yours can be a different kind of grief—not a hopeless grief, but a grieving in confidence—because there is something more than death for Gertie. Gertie is not dead; she is with Jesus. Because she is with Jesus, she is with all those who have died in faith. And because she is in Jesus, you can see her again.

14.             The same devotion that spoke of loneliness also included this reminder: “[Jesus] opens the doors of our jail and frees us from sin’s solitary confinement” (Portals of Prayer, April 25, 2006). Yes, though our sin would have made death the end of everything, Jesus has spoken a “Lazarus, come forth” and a “Gertie, come forth,” even as he wishes to speak the same word to each of us. It’s a word that calls us forth into forgiveness, into life, and into eternal salvation. That word, from Jesus the Word made flesh, is stronger than death and able to bring peace, even to broken hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.