Grace,
mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen. Our text today is the text for the
circumcision of Jesus, especially these words, “At the end of eight days, when
he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he
was conceived in the womb.” Thus far our
text.
Dear
friends in Christ. Tonight, many people
will be out celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of another. They will be making, but not necessarily
keeping, their new year’s resolutions.
Some will drink champagne; some will celebrate with family and friends. Some will watch football, and if you’re me,
you’ll cheer for Nebraska tomorrow!
But
for the church, the focus is on something different, for the church already
celebrated its new year with the beginning of advent. Instead today the church celebrates that
tomorrow is the eighth day since the birth of Jesus Christ. And as our text says, at the end of eight
days, Jesus was circumcised.
Circumcision
was the sign of the covenant between God and his people. Every Jewish male was circumcised on the eighth
day, as they were also given their name.
Circumcision began with Abraham, who was promised at that time, “From
your loins will come the savior.” And so
Abraham’s loins were marked with a visible reminder of the promise – a
circumcision. The promise was passed on
to Isaac, Abraham’s son, as he too was circumcised. Jacob received the promise, stealing it form
his brother Esau, and passed circumcision on to all of his descendants. We hear of Circumcision being a sign of the
promise in Moses’ day, and in Israel for all of its days, until the days of our
text today.
And
in our text, finally, the promise is fulfilled.
A savior was born, and laid in a manger.
He comes to die, as we spoke about on Christmas day. He comes to go to the cross, as we will speak
about on Good Friday. He comes to raise
again on the third day. He comes to set
his people free from sin. And so all
people, from Abraham onward, who were circumcised received the fulfillment of
God’s promise to them in Jesus Christ.
Thus the importance of this day.
For finally, the act and promise of circumcision meets the blood of
Jesus Christ the savior. For it is that
blood, poured out by Jesus, that is truly what saves.
But
wait pastor, what about us? Are we
required to be circumcised, or to continue in the promise? For if we don’t, how does that promise of
Jesus come to us, here today? How are we
connected to the promise of a savior?
Dear
friends, you too need to be connected to the promise of God. For you too have sinned. Think over the last year – 2013. How many times have you broken God’s
law? I bet its more times than you can
remember, you’ve done wrong. I bet more
times than not, you’ve fallen short.
You’ve hated and stolen. You’ve
doubted and lied. You’ve gossiped terribly,
and you’ve probably acquired possessions in a less than honest and god pleasing
way. You’ve sinned.
And
in the face of that sin, the promise of circumcision comes to you. No not with a knife, or scissors. Instead the blood of circumcision comes to
you with all the blood of Jesus poured out for sin, in the waters of Holy
Baptism. In baptism, the blood Jesus
shed counts for you and your sin. From
the very first blood of Jesus at his circumcision, to the blood that poured
from his side as he hung from the cross.
All of Christ’s blood covers you and your sin, fulfilling God’s promise
of a savior for you.
You
see, in Baptismal waters, in the font, Jesus circumcision counted for you. In Water and the Word, his holy eternal life
became your life. By washing here, you
were reborn not of the will of flesh, or even by the hands of men, but instead
by God, and his fulfilled promises to you.
You are saved, and are cleaned, by the blood of your savior, Jesus
Christ, circumcised for you today, so that you might live forever more. Amen.
