Christmas - G - 2011 - God Breathing, God Eating, God as Man on Christmas

Isaiah 62:10-12           Titus 3:4-7       Luke 2:1-20

Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today will be the Gospel Lesson just read, especially these words, “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ, I think my favorite Christmas Hymn is “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”  It is a hymn that pictures that glorious moment that we are celebrating today.  The birth of Jesus.  A little baby is born, not in a hospital, not in a home, not even in the inn, but in a stable.  And yet, even with such a lowly birth, with such little human fanfare, the angels sing, “Glory to the newborn king!”

The angels sing for a good reason, for even while people did not notice anything special, the babe lying in the manger is special.  He is a human, just like you and me, and yet, he is also the creator of Humans.  He is the only begotten Son of God, begotten before all the world existed, and he is also created human flesh.  When Mary nurses her child, she nurses the God who formed her in her own mother’s womb. 

That’s why the angels are singing, they know who the baby is – the word made flesh who dwells among us.  “Christ the everlasting Lord” and now “Pleased as Man with Man to Dwell, Jesus our Immanuel.”  God with us.  God with us in human flesh.  From heaven above to Earth he has come!  Christmas is here.

That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.  Jesus coming to us, to be with us, to live in our crummy world.  He witnessed and experienced first hand all our struggles.  God was hungry.  God got tired.  God was thirsty, he breathed the very air he had made in the very beginning.  He wept, he skinned his knees, he even went to the bathroom.  Mary and Joseph had to potty train God!  When he grew up, he personally knew people who were sick, who died, who struggled with sin.  Scripture records 12 that he was personally friends with, even as they doubted who he was, as they questioned him, and as they misunderstood why he had come. 

For God came and dwelt in our flesh for a reason.  This wasn’t just a field trip for God to experience His world.  He came for a specific reason, to give us something we need.  He came into flesh, so that flesh could suffer.  He came to breathe our air so that he could stop breathe his last breath, “Eloi, Eloi, Lemma Sabachthani!”  He took on our flesh that thirsts, that feels pain, and that has blood coursing through its veins, so that he could go to the cross and die. 

Don’t you see, Jesus came to die for you?  To give you forgiveness.  To take away your sin.  To give you hope.  He took on your flesh so that he could pay the payment your sin required.  Your guilt required your death.  Your sin meant you must die.  And God would have none of it, so he came here to take your place. 

So God laid his wonderful Glory aside, “Born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth,” Born to give you second birth in flowing living waters of baptism.  For as the living body of God died on the cross, it rose again on the third day, meaning all human flesh will live, all human flesh will be raised, all human flesh that has died will rise again on the last day.  Some will go to everlasting condemnation, but you dear friends, in Jesus, will raise to everlasting life. 

That’s why the angels were excited.  God was saving you.  God was accomplishing his most glorious work, dying on a cross. Its Christmas!  Today you have 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.  Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace, good will to those on whom his favor rest.   Peace to you, peace to me, peace to the whole world.  Jesus is born.  He lays in a manger in Bethlehem.  He comes for you.  He comes to set you free from sin.  “Hark the herald Angels Sing!  Glory to the New Born King!”

Christmas Eve - G - 2011 - Oh By the Way, Jesus Was Born On Christmas Day

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen, our text today is from the Gospel of Matthew just read, especially these words, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  Thus far our text.

Dear friends in Christ, on a dark night, nearly 2000 years ago, a little baby rested in a barn outside an inn.  We all know the Christmas story, or in so far as the nativities in our living rooms tell it.  Jesus was born, there were cows lowing and sheep quietly sitting there, while wise men arrived and shepherds gawked.  As we imagine this scene, we are hit with its sentimental theme.  We like to think about baby Jesus, we like to picture him wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.  It makes us feel good to picture.  And it should, that little baby has come because of you.

But in our text today, Matthew doesn’t spend time on angels and shepherds, or even sheep or great tidings of joy.  St. Matthew almost mentions the birth of Jesus as if saying, “Oh, by the way, he was born.”  You see, in the Gospel of Matthew, the focus is on all the other things going on at the time.  Joseph thought Mary was cheating on him before they were married.  He was trying to call the whole thing off in a holy and upright way.  You can only imagine the scandal that was going on!  Mary claimed God gave her a baby, and Joseph had his doubts. 

And so in the midst of this scandal, a young woman pregnant and a fiancé in doubt, Jesus is born.  In the midst of chaos, in the midst of doubts, in the midst of struggles in regular people’s lives, the only begotten Son of God was born, and born for a reason.  In fact, dear friends in Christ, it is good that Matthew writes his Gospel in this particular way, because it reflects our own lives, doesn’t it?

Christmas time is here, and family is in town, we want to try and spend some time with them before they head home again.  We have had a busy month of preparation, and now it is crunch time: get the food cooked, get the dishes cleaned, rush, rush, rush, until we get to January – then we can work, work, work so that we can pay off all our Christmas bills.  We are always busy.  Our lives are always chaotic.  We have our own problems and issues that come up, just like Joseph and Mary. 

In the midst of it all, it is easy to lose track of what is actually going on in our text.  It is easy to lose track of the reason we are gathered here tonight.  Jesus is born.  And He is born for a purpose.  Jesus enters our busy lives, and he comes to save us from them.  He comes to rescue us.

The little babe is born to die for you, as we sing, He is “Born that man no more may die.  Born to raise the sons of earth.”  That babe is born, so that “now the foe, sin and woe, death and hell are broken.”  He’s born for you.  He lays in a manger for you.  He lives for you.  And most importantly he will die for you.  For thirty years, Jesus lived here on this earth.  He interacted with countless people in the midst of their busy sinful lives.  He helped those who struggled as his own parents had.  He cared for the broken hearted, he cared for the sick and he healed those who needed him.  And most importantly, he set his eyes on Golgotha, and suffered on an old rugged cross, on a Friday we call Good. 

That is who this baby is, and friends, today he enters into your own busy lives as well.  You don’t need do anything, you don’t need to invite him in.  He comes!  He comes on his own for you.  He is with you in your struggles and promises something better for you.  He is as our text says, Immanuel, God with us, with us at all times and in all places.  With us for calm and peace. 

Dear friends, it’s Christmas, and tonight we have sung countless Christmas hymns all describing the joy and wonder of angels and shepherds – good hymns that we love and cherish.  But tonight, in just a few minutes, we will turn down the lights, and have a minute of silence.  Silence in the midst of our busy lives, silence in the midst of suffering and struggles.  Silence to reflect on the meaning of this day.  And as we sit in the dark, a warm glow will build from our candles, as we celebrate the coming of Jesus, the light of the world. 

For with Jesus, it truly is a silent night, a holy night.  All is calm, and all is bright.  He has come.  He has come for you.  He will die for you.  All so that you may have his chickens.  Merry Christmas dear friends in Christ.  Merry Christmas.  Amen.  

Preliminary Designs for Stained Glass Windows

Here are the ideas for Designs for St. John's windows in the new addition.

First over the front doors.  Perhaps it should also have the means of grace under Saint John's and Above Lutheran.  Then it would have a bible, a Baptismal shell and a Chalice.

Then on either side of the front door, on the relocated windows.

Then the four new side windows

Trinity                                   Chi Rho







Ixthus                           First Letters                                                                        
                                 Of Jesus' Name

Give Pastor any feedback you have, he would like to hear it!

Here's the progress so far - Come Christmas Eve to see yourself!

UPDATE:

Redesigned Front Window - with Means of Grace

Advent 4 - O - 2011 - Your King Forever

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16     Romans 16:25-27         Luke 1:26-38

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is the Old Testament Lesson just read, especially these words, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.  Your throne shall be established forever.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Forever is a long time.  We have all made light of this fact by saying “that car ride took forever,” “it took forever for the sequel of my favorite movie to come out,” or even, as we may admit, “that sermon took forever in church!”  We doubt forever could happen, and we use it as an excuse when things seem to fall apart in our lives.  Forever is a long time, so long in fact that we often say, “nothing lasts forever.” 

And yet, in our text today, God promises David forever.  “Your throne, David, will be established forever.”  In other words, there will always be a Davidic king ruling.  One of David’s children or grandchildren will always be a king.  It will be that way forever.  God has said so, David, he has made you a promise. 

What is David to do?  Should he doubt God’s word, should he tell God, “Well Lord, nothing lasts forever, so your promise must not be true.”  Nothing lasts forever, so don’t you have a different promise for me?  Nothing lasts forever, so will my throne really be established. 

If you look at the history recorded in scripture, it would seem that should this have been David’s view, if he had been a cynic, he would be right.  During the reign of David’s grandson, the kingdom of Israel divided into two different kingdoms, that began warring with one another.  These kings, some of whom were descended from David, turned from God and turned from faith before finally the kingdom of David was destroyed and taken into captivity by the Babylonians.  After all nothing lasts forever, right? 

So often we too have that same view.  For we too have a promise of “forever” in our lives.  God has promised that he will be with us “forever”, never leaving nor forsaking us.  God has promised that we shall live with him “forever,” and yet we see loved ones passing away.  God will love us forever, and yet, sometimes we don’t feel like it do we?  He will forgive us forever, and yet sometimes we still feel guilty for things we have done wrong (sometimes rightly by the way.   Is God really keeping his promises to us, or is forever just too good to be true? Is it true that nothing really lasts forever?

Dear friends in Christ, when God says something is forever, he means it, even if we cannot understand how or why, or even see the way it will all work out.  God told David, “I will establish your house forever,” and He meant it.  Hear again our Gospel text for today, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.  And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, 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 God 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.’”

Even for David, when it seems that forever is gone, that there is no hope of it being fulfilled, God keeps his promise of forever.  900 years after David dies, a descendant of his is born.  900 years later, in the city of David, good tidings of great joy occur.  For God keeps his promise, and a new king is born.  Jesus, whose first throne is but a manger in a stable.  He is the king  descended from David.  He is the one who will reign in David’s place forever.  A king is born, lowly in a manger.

And dear friends, he reigns for you as well, keeping God’s promises of forever for you.  For the same King Jesus, descendant of David, enthroned in a manger will also be enthroned in a much more painful place.  He will wear a crown of thorns and a robe stained in his own blood, until stripped naked he is enthroned upon a wooden cross for all the world to see.  It is that King, who is enthroned forever.  It is that King who is both our God and our Lord.  It is that King who will keep all of God’s promises to you. 

You are forgiven, FOREVER, for the sins of the whole world were placed on your king, as he died in your place.  You need not continue to feel guilty for them.  They are no longer yours, but his.  You are free and forgiven for ever.  God has promised that you will live forever, and you know this to be true, for death cannot destroy your King Jesus.  Even when he lied dead in a tomb for three days, he returned to life, and so will you.  Your King is the very Resurrection and the Life, FOREVER, and he gives that life to you in the very waters of life in baptism. 

You are loved FOREVER, for your God promises you heaven, a place where you may stand before him, not in shame, not in sorrow, but in peace.  God has promised that his own hand, with the hole from a nail still in it, will wipe away all the hurt and pain of this world. 

God keeps his promises to us, especially the promise of forever.  And if we doubt it at times, all we need do is look at the baby in the manger, the one whose birth we celebrate next week, the babe, the son of Mary.  David’s throne is established forever, and God lives and reigns today – over you, over me, and his reign shall have no end.  He is your God, your redeemer, your savior, and he will be FOREVER.  Amen.  

Advent Midweek 3 - 2011 - From Heaven Above to Earth I Come

11 Instead of soft and silken stuff

You have but hay and straw so rough

On which as King, so rich and great,

To be enthroned in royal state.

12 And so it pleases You to see

this simple truth revealed to me:

That worldly honor, wealth, and might

Are weak and worthless in Your sight.

13 Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,

Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,

A quiet chamber set apart

For You to dwell within my heart.

14 My heart for very joy must leap;

My lips no more can silence keep.

I, too must sing with joyful tongue

That sweetest ancient cradlesong:

15 Glory to God in highest heav'n,

Who unto us His Son has giv'n!

While angels sing with pious mirth

A glad new year to all the earth.

Revelation 22:12"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

 14Blessed are those who wash their robes,[e] so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

 17The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Luke 2:  1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[b] who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today are the last verses of the hymn, along with the reading from Revelation 22, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  We are almost there, Christ is almost here.  You can imagine that at this very time Joseph and Mary are on their way to Bethlehem.  Mary is very pregnant, and Joseph is worried about arriving safely before she enters labor.  But the travel is slow, and the distance is great to travel.  And when finally they arrive, there is no room for them at the inn. 

There should be a big celebration awaiting them shouldn’t there be?  They should roll out the carpet, pull down the palm branches and shout, “Hosanna to the coming king!”  “ He arrives tonight!”  But there is no room for Jesus to be born, and there will be no welcome until He rides in to die.  As our hymn says, “Instead of soft and silken stuff, You have but hay and straw so rough, On which as King, so rich and great, To be enthroned in royal state.”

They should be ashamed, shouldn’t they, to welcome Jesus in such a way.  And yet, how do we welcome Jesus?  We so often have no room for Jesus in our lives either.  Between our kids athletic events, work and keeping up with the Joneses, we hardly have time for even a quiet moment by ourselves, let alone to welcome Jesus, to receive from him his gifts. 

Do you have the time to spend in prayer every day that you should?  Do you read God’s word as often as you should?  Do you attend church every week, or only when you feel you have to? 

What about this Christmas season, in the midst of shopping, baking, caroling, working, decorating, and spending time with family, do you have room for Jesus?  Or do you relegate him this Christmas season to the back door, to the shed behind your house where you keep all the other overburdening things. 

“Behold I am coming soon,” Jesus says, whether you have room or not.  I am coming, and I am bringing you good news of great joy, whether you are ready or not.  Jesus is coming, because even if he is not important to you sometimes, you are always important to him.  He comes to this world when we have no place for him because of our sin.  He comes to this world, when we are too preoccupied with our own lives to care.  He comes to this world to defeat the sin and death to which we give all we can to.  He comes, and is coming soon.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.  He came, and today he continues to come. 

He comes in his holy word, read and preached to us sinners, to tell us we need him, and that he will do all that is necessary for us.  He comes to us in the water of baptism, where he invites all who thirst for righteousness to drink of the water of life without price.  He comes with his very own body and blood, that which laid in a manger, and that which hung on a cross, to eat and drink for forgiveness life and salvation.  He comes to live with us, forever, without end.  He comes to take away our sin, even if we are not ready. 

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child, Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled, A quiet chamber set apart For You to dwell within my heart.  My heart for very joy must leap; My lips no more can silence keep.  Glory to God in highest heav'n, Who unto us His Son has giv'n! 

Christmas is here, and it brings your salvation with a child in the manger.  From heaven above to Earth, God has come, to bring good news to every home.  Amen. 

Advent 3 - O - 2011 - Joy in Sorrow for Christmas

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

1 Thess. 5:16-24

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text for today comes from the Old Testament Lesson just read, especially these words, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”  Thus far our text. 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  The Christmas carols are playing on the radio.  Christmas shopping continues.  Lights are up on the houses, and we are all looking forward to spending Christmas time with family and to having the day off from work.  Christmas cookies are baking.  And presents are awaiting their opening.  It truly is the most wonderful time of year isn’t it?   Best of all, the Charlie Brown Christmas Special will be on shortly!

But here in church, gathered with these people together, we have a much more somber tone.  We here today have a different focus.  Our church is decorated with blue paraments to remind us of our sinful lives.  We have had reading focused on our sin, we have been looking honestly and openly at the reason that Jesus had to come.  For so often buried underneath all the Merriness and Celebration is a deep truth.  It is for sin that Jesus comes.  Christmas comes around because we are poor miserable sinners.  And sometimes it is this time of the year that we feel it most. 

For while we try so hard to put on a happy and merry outward face, inside we feel lonely.  Yes, family may be coming for Christmas, but perhaps we don’t get along with all our family.  Perhaps a particular family member will not be at Christmas this year because they are out of town, because they don’t speak with us, or even because they may have passed away.  It hurts, and the Christmas season seems to just magnify and intensify the hurt and struggles within our families.  So Jesus must come. 

While we try to put on the happy and merry outward face, inside we feel exhausted.  For all those Christmas cookies take time to make.  In the midst of trying to get everything done for work so we can take time off, we have to put up the tree, hang the lights, clean the house put up the stockings and more.  Preparing for Christmas celebrations in a daunting task, one we must yearly face, only to undo all the work we have done a short month or so later.  The nights are long, the air is cold, and the stress level is high.  So Jesus must come. 

The thing about Christmas so often is that while we put on an outward show of joy and happiness, that inside we are exhausted, tired, sorrowful sinners.  Christmas feels like a month of obligations, overspending, difficult travel and horrible weather.  We can’t be happy just because we are expected to be this time of the year.  We can’t always feel good about it being the season of Christmas.  We don’t always want to bounce around singing and laughing to Christmas Carols.  Sometimes, we just don’t have it in us.  Sometimes we are just tired and frustrated and saddened from our sin.

Our text today, paints a picture of that.  It speaks of people whose heads are covered with ashes in mourning.  It speaks of people whose home towns and villages are destroyed.  It paints a picture of people who are bound and thrown in prison and forgotten.  Our text today paints a picture of the people from ancient Israel dealing with these things, just as it paints a picture of you and me – bound in our sin.  Facing the prison of hell and damnation. 

But our text doesn’t just leave us in our holiday duldrums.  It doesn’t leave us alone facing all of these issues that come about because of sin.  Our text today gives us hope.  It speaks of someone who is coming.  It gives us joy in the midst of our somberness.  It tells us about a rescuer who will come “to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor.  He comes to comfort all who mourn; to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning.  He comes to save you. 

Jesus is coming.  And while this does force us to look honestly at our sin, it also gives us joy.  For even as we know our sins, they cannot overcome us.  Even as we know our own guilt and sadness, we know that Christ has victory in his death.  Rejoice, for even today, you have hope.  You have promise, you have Jesus.

That’s why Jesus is coming.  That is why his Advent is drawing near.  Because he wants to save you from all this baloney of the world.  He wants to bring you to be with him.  But he won’t do it magically from heaven.  He won’t just tell you to be happy, as the Christmas season seems to do.  Instead Jesus will come.  He will be born of a virgin.  He will suffer and die under Pontius Pilate.  He will be nailed to a cross to give you hope in times of mourning.  To give you peace in times of tumult.  He will rise again so that you may be certain that the same thing will happen to you.

That’s what Christmas is all about.  For unto you this day, is born in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord.  Joy!   Happiness!  Gloria in Excelsis, Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  Jesus is coming to save.  That’s what Christmas means. 

You will notice that today, on our advent wreath, we have lit a pink candle instead of the normal Blue/Purple one.  That’s because today we remember that in the midst of our sin, we have joy in Jesus.  In the midst of this world, we have hope.  Rejoice, Rejoice Immanuel is coming.  Even to you.  Joy for you forever.  Amen. 

Advent Midweek 2 - 2011 - From Heaven Above to Earth I Come

6 How glad we'll be to find it so!
Then with the shepherds let us go
To see what God for us has done
In sending us His own dear Son.

7 Come here, my friends, lift up your eyes,
And see what in the manger lies.
Who is this child, so young and fair?
It is the Christ Child lying there.

8 Welcome to earth, O noble Guest,
Through whom the sinful world is blest!
You came to share my misery
That You might share Your joy with me.

9 Ah, Lord, thou You created all,
How weak You are, so poor and small,
That You should choose to lay Your head
Where lowly cattle lately fed!

10 Were earth a thousand times as fair
And set with gold and jewels rare,
It would be far too poor and small
A cradle for the Lord of all.

Colossians 1: 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11He came to his own,[b] and his own people[c] did not receive him. 12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

 14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today comes from the hymn verses sang, as well as from the following words from John, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”  Thus far our text.

Dear friends in Christ, It’s amazing!  It’s beyond belief!  It’s impossible!  The God who created the entire Universe, the One who made the stars and the planets, the seas and the land, the One who is so powerful that all he need do is speak things and they exist, is coming to us, to lie in a manger.  The infinite God of the universe will be contained within a tiny, helpless, cuddly human being. 

Ah, Lord, though You created all, How weak You are, so poor and small, That You should choose to lay Your head Where lowly cattle lately fed!  How easy is it for us to just ignore this truth, to disbelieve what is happening.  How easy would it be to doubt this miracle: that God would be enclosed into one person.  After all, if Jesus is really God, then the same God who made all the animals needs his diapers changed.  If Jesus is really God, then he needs to be fed and burped and rocked to sleep.  So it can’t be true, can it?

John writes, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.”  It’s the truth: the world will not believe that the little baby is God.  The world will not believe that the Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient God of All could be lying in the arms of a virgin helplessly.  And dear friends, all of this crazy talk is easy for us to dismiss as well.  

We don’t want a weak god, but a powerful one.  We don’t want a helpless god, but a mighty one.  We want a god that fits our image of what a god should be. 

But our God must be weak to accomplish what he wishes to.  As our hymn says, “You came to share my misery, That You might share Your joy with me.”  You see, God leaves his power behind for you.  He becomes frail for you.  He becomes a baby so that he can die just like you.  He becomes weak so that he can go to Golgotha, die, and be raised again in your place. 

God comes and shares with us in our sin, with us in our pain, with us in our struggles.  He is Immanuel, God with us.  And he is with us in all things, including our frailties, so that he can suffer and die for sin. 

For our frail God can be beaten and bleed.  Our God can have thorns pushed into his head; he can have nails driven through his hands.  He can die for your sin.  He can die for your doubt.  Just as he will shortly come and lie weakly in the arms of Mary, He will also die weak. 

How glad we'll be to find it so!  Then with the shepherds let us go To see what God for us has done In sending us His own dear Son.  Rejoice, he is coming for you.  Rejoice he is weak to die for your sin.  Rejoice, He is coming, not in power and majesty, but in weakness to save you from sin.  Amen.

Advent 2 - O - 2011 - Comfort, Comfort Ye My People

Isaiah 40:1-11

2 Peter 3:8-14

Mark 1:1-8

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.  Our text today is the Old Testament lesson, especially these words, “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ, Comfort, Comfort ye my people.  Comfort, your warfare is ended, your sin is paid for double.  Your savior is coming, he’s on his way.  The glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.  Jesus is drawing near.

This is the very center of the message of Advent, that Jesus is coming so that we may be at peace, in comfort and at rest.  For that is not what we normally experience.  We are not used to being in comfort, but instead are used to the tribulation and discomfort of this world.  Our text today says that men are like grass that withers away at the breath of the Lord.  We wither away, because we are unworthy to be before our God, because we cannot stand in the presence of his great and amazing holiness. 

For we are not holy, we are unholy.  We are not righteous, but we are terrible sinners.  We are not the people that God created us to be, for we have fallen into our own vices and sin.  And so like grass dies in the heat of summer, so too do we die in the heat of God’s great wrath over sin. 

We fade like grass as we deal with and suffer from cancer, and our bodies get weaker and weaker.  We fade like grass as we hear the word that a loved one has passed away from old age or Alzheimer’s.  We fade like grass as we face our own mortality and the consequences for our own sin.  We are guilty, and we face death because of it. 

Dear friends in Christ, your sin is not a laughing matter.  We can’t just shrug it away.  We can’t just ignore it.  It is not something that will just get better on its own if you ignore it.  You are sinners, you are guilty.  You have broken every one of the Ten commandments from “You shall have no other gods,” to “You shall not commit adultery,” to “You shall not covet.”  You have shattered God’s law, and so now you deserve great punishment for it, you deserve to be consumed in fire as our Epistle lesson says.  You deserve to be burned up as grass is burned in a ditch or as the elements waste away in fire.  You are responsible for your sin, and there is no hiding form it.

But our text does not say to us, “Punishment, Punishment ye my people,” or even “destruction ye my people.”  Our text today says, “Comfort, Comfort you my people.”  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.  Tell her that her sins are covered two fold.  Tell her that she is forgiven.  Tell her that her war fare is over.  Tell her that God will not dawdle to save us from our sin.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

For God will come to save you.  He’s coming, His Advent is soon.   God sent his servant John the Baptist to prepare the way for your salvation, to prepare in the desert the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  All this will happen so that you God will have no obstacles to saving you.  There will not be a valley that will slow down the Lord’s coming.  There will not be a mountain that your God cannot overcome to make sure you will be forgiven.  Not even the mountain of Golgotha. 

Comfort Comfort to you, God’s people.  Jesus is coming, he is on his way, and the reason he comes is to die.  As we heard last week, the reason Jesus came was to ride a donkey, to ride that donkey into Jerusalem to be your blood sacrifice, to be your blood offering, to die in your place.  Comfort to you, because of punishment to Jesus.  See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

Comfort, Comfort people of God.  You are redeemed.  You are saved.  You belong to God forever in the blood of the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.  Comfort in your times of sorrow.  Comfort in your times of hurt.  Comfort, your service is finished, you are freely God’s people.  Comfort to you.  Amen.  

Advent Greetings from President Harrison

Advent Greetings from President Matthew Harrison

Happy Advent!  Come Lord Jesus, Come Quickly!