Advent 4 - G - 2013 - The Promised Child

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 22, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline

Isaiah 7:10-14             Romans 1:1-7              Matthew 1:18-25

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is the Gospel lesson just read. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Somewhere around 700 B.C. it happened.  Isaiah the great prophet of Israel spoke the Word of God in regards to a promise of God.  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  It was a promise spoken to Ahaz, the King of Judah, sitting on the throne of his ancestor David.  Ahaz is described in scripture as a wicked king, who did not believe the Word of God spoken either in scripture or by his prophets.  He worshipped false God’s.  He sacrificed his own child to a false God.  He desecrated the temple of Solomon, removing and destroying some of the great decorations.  He built places to worship false God’s. 

And so it was that Isaiah spoke the word of God to him, as if to say, “Believe in me, for my Son Immanuel is coming.  Believe Ahaz, for it is in the salvation given by the Virgin’s Son that your life is saved.”  It’s a promise that Ahaz ignored, instead trusting in his own devices and decisions.  And so it is spoken in scripture, that King Ahaz died, and was buried in Jerusalem, but because of his great sin and doubt of God’s word’s, he was not buried in the tomb of his father David.  By ignoring God’s promises he separated himself from the great promises of heaven. 

For despite Ahaz’s unbelief, God did fulfill his promise spoken by Isaiah, 700 years later, as a young virgin was found by her fiancé Joseph to be with child.  The woman’s name was Mary, and her child was truly Immanuel – God with us.  Joseph, being righteous, was going to divorce the woman quietly, for he knew the child growing in her was not his.  But an angel appeared, and spoke the very same words to Joseph as to Ahaz so many years earlier.  “The virgin will conceive and will bear a son, Immanuel.”  The difference, was Joseph believed the promise, and he took Mary to be his wife, and the child was born as God promised, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger, as we will speak of later this week.  He believed God’s promise, and raised the child as if Jesus was his own child.  He loved the child Jesus, until finally, his own days came to their end, and he was buried. 

Dear friends, that same promise is made to you as well.  The virgin will be with Child, and he will be Immanuel.  God with us, God with you and me.  The question is, will you believe, as did St. Joseph the adoptive father of Christ?  Or will you doubt the promise, and trust your own thoughts and desires as Ahaz the king did? 

Because of our sin, it is so easy to doubt God’s promise.  It is so easy to believe that all this Jesus talk is just a bunch of mumbo jumbo.  In fact in our society in this day and age, we are happy to take the Promise of Jesus out of Christmas.  Just in the news yesterday, a 5^th grade choir in New York sang Silent Night at their school choir concert, but they took out all words of Promise, all allusions to the Virgin, or the Christ child himself. 

We ourselves doubt too, don’t we?  We try to hide the promise of Christmas too.  In the midst of the busyness of gift opening, food preparation and family visiting, we will fail to find time to make it to this building for a Christmas worship service.  We’ll forget about Jesus.  We’ll disbelieve his Word in our day to day life.  We show that by our actions, which are filled with sin.  We show that by our thoughts, which are filled with the vilest of filth.  And we show it by our words, where we slander the name of Christ. 

Dear friends.  Repent!  Jesus is almost here!  Christmas is coming.  The promise is fulfilled, the virgin is with Child, a child who is so much more than you and I are.  For the Child is truly Immanuel, God with us.  In the flesh of that baby is the fullness of the Eternal God.  That baby, that God will go to the cross to die for you.  That’s what his name itself is, Jesus – which means The Lord Saves!  God comes to be with us, to take away your sins, to set you free to be his people, now and forever more.  He is Coming, his Advent is drawing nigh!  Dear friends, Believe the promise of God.  For he has done marvelous things! 

Your sin is forgiven.  Your eternal life is assured.  It’s the promise of God, the promise of an eternal savior.  The promise of a baby born in a manger and named Jesus by his step father at the command of the Angel.  He’s coming.  He’s nearly here.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Advent 3 - G - 2013 - The Jesus Expected

The Third Sunday of Advent

December 15, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline

Isaiah 35:1-10             James 5:7-11               Matthew 11:2-15

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 just read, especially these words, “Go and tell John what you hear and see.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends, John’s question to Jesus in our text today is an interesting one.  “Are you the one, Jesus, or should we wait for another one?”  This question asked by John is quite a different seeming sentiment from just a short time before, when John shouted out to Jesus, “I ought to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me”  or when John said, “You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” 

But Jesus isn’t doing what John expected him to do.  Jesus hasn’t come with an army to overthrow the Roman Empire, Jesus hasn’t even come with an army to release John from Herod’s prison where he is awaiting his eventual execution.  Isn’t that what the Messiah is supposed to do, isn’t he to restore David’s kingdom, isn’t he to return Israel to its rightful place of power and authority in the world?  Isn’t he to be a powerful worldly ruler?  Isn’t he to have an army following him, willing to die to complete his mission? 

Jesus hasn’t done any of this?  Jesus hasn’t come in power.  Jesus hasn’t massed an army.  Jesus hasn’t even rescued John from his prison cell and impending death.  And so John wants to know if Jesus is the messiah, or if there is another one coming after Jesus who will accomplish these things.  In plain words, Jesus isn’t who John expects.  So John, from his prison cell in Machaerus sends his disciples to find out when and if Jesus is going to do his “messiah stuff”. 

And so John’s disciples ask the question, “Are you the coming one, the messiah, or should we expect another?  And Jesus responds this way, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”  This list that Jesus quotes is the same list that the prophet Isaiah gave us to look for when writing of the Messiah 700 years earlier.  Jesus is saying, “Throw out your misconeptions, I am the Messiah, and the things that I am doing are messiah things!  I am doing exactly what God asks, and my salvation is not an earthly, temporary salvation, but an eternal heavenly one.”  And John’s disicples return to tell him this message from Jesus, and not long afterwards, St. John the Baptist, the greatest prophet in scripture, confident in his faith in Christ, is beheaded by King Herod. 

And as we read our text this morning, dear friends, it begs the question, “What do you expect from Jesus?”  Do want a Jesus who will confirm you in whatever it is that you think is right?  One that ignores the sins that you know you commit, or one who tells you simply “Its ok, no big deal?  Because this is not the Jesus of Scripture.  Or do you want a Jesus who is only a friend and nothing more, one to whom you can talk about what is going on?  Do you want a Jesus who entertains you each week?  Do you want a Jesus who will allow for only Christian presidents and congressmen?  Because that’s not the Jesus of Scripture, either. 

Do you want a Jesus who listens and does exactly what you say and want, without any concern for what he tells you?  Do you want a Jesus who heals Uncle Bill on your time table, who can bring back grandma, or who will increase the funds in your bank account and help you live your purpose-filled best life now?  That’s not the Jesus of scripture. 

Listen to what Jesus says and look at what he does.  The Jesus of scripture is one who tells the truth – you’ve sinned, and that there is now way around that fact.  And the Jesus of Scripture says, “I’ve done something about it.  Hear the things that Jesus has done.  He went to suffer and die for your sins, to die that you might be forgiven.  He went to Jerusalem to the cross, bearing your sins and guilt, and he was nailed to a rough wooden cross.  He hung naked and filled with your shame as the citizens of Jerusalem entered town.  He suffered and died.  He was buried.  And he rose again.  Why?  So you could belong to God.  So that you might be healed, not in this world, but forever in heaven.  So that your life might go well in heaven, not necessarily on earth. 

Is Jesus the Messiah we expect and want?  Not necessarily, and yet he is the messiah all the same.  He is our God.  Christ the crucified – the God of our salvation.  We need not expect another.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Advent 2 Midweek - 2013 - Psalm 24

Psalm 24

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
    And who shall stand in his holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not lift up his soul to what is false
    and does not swear deceitfully.
⁵ He will receive blessing from the Lord
    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek the face of the God of Jacob.^[a] Selah

⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates!
    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
⁸ Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord, strong and mighty,
    the Lord, mighty in battle!
⁹ Lift up your heads, O gates!
    And lift them up, O ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰ Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord of hosts,
    he is the King of glory! 

Revelation 5:6-10

⁶ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸ And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰ and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

¹⁴ And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is from the readings just read, along with the words of hymn 339, Lift up your heads, you everlasting doors. 

Christmas is coming, God is coming to be more clear.  And as he comes, who is worthy?  “Who is it that shall ascend to the hill of the Lord?” asks our psalm.  In other words, who is that is worthy to enter the temple, to be in the presence of God?  Who is deserving and praiseworthy enough for God?

Its not you, and its not me.  The psalm tells us what requirements there are to stand in the “holy place of God.”  You must have “clean hands and a pure heart.”  You must not “lift up your soul to what is false, or swear deceitfully.”  And your life does not match up with what this text says.  You are not clean by hand or action, and you are certainly not pure of heart.  This list in our psalm is not a long list, but still we’ve failed at these few commands. 

Your hands are not clean.  What sins have they committed.  Have they committed adultery?  Have they stolen, have they hurt or harmed your neighbor?  They have.  In fact you hands of done things that would make your family blush if they knew of them.  You’ve committed sin by your deeds.  The guilt is yours.  And in addition your heart is not clean, for the sins of your heart are really what made your hands unclean themselves.  You desire sin at every turn.  You seek to serve not God, but to serve yourself.  To make yourself happy in this life by the works of your hand.  Your heart desires not the things of God, but only the things of this world.  For you, dear friend, are a sinner. 

No, you are not worthy to ascend to God’s holy mountain.  You are not worthy to receive blessings from the Lord, nor righteousness from the God of salvation.  Instead, all you and I desire is condemnation, death, punishment and hell – forever. 

And yet there is one who is worthy, there is one who can ascend the mountain of God, one who is perfect both in action and in heart.  One whose righteousness passes all our understanding.  And it is for this one that we wait with anticipation.  It’s for this one that we sang the words of our hymn today.  “Who is this King of great and glorious fame?  What is His name?  Lord God of Sabaoth!  Of whom the prophets wrote, whose chosen humble steed declares him king indeed!  Hosana Lord!  Messiah come and save from sin and grave!” 

It’s Jesus, the coming one, who is worthy.  For it is He who is perfect in purity of heart and in cleanness of hand.  It is he who may ascend God’s holy mountain, to enter into his presence, for he has first ascended the mountain of God’s wrath.  It’s He who taking your sins, bore them to Golgotha, where all the judgment and wrath of God was poured out upon him.  It is there that your death became his, and his life became yours.  It’s on the cross that God punished your guilt.  It’s there that the worthy Christ suffered and died in your place. 

“Worthy is Christ!  The lamb who once was slain!”  And he gives that worthiness to you, in water and the word.  You now belong to God.  You now inherit heaven.  In Jesus your identity is not that of a sinner with unclean hands and un pure heart.  But instead in Jesus your identity is a holy child of God, who is fully forgiven and holy forever in God’s sight.  You are ransomed by the blood of God’s Son.

Rejoice!  O Zion’s daughter sing!  The gates of heaven lift up their heads to Christ who enters in.  And you follow in his train.  Hosana!  Blessed is He and all who come with him and in him.  Blessed are you, who belong to Christ, even forevermore.  For He is the King of glory!  The Lord of hosts!  Forevermore!  Amen.  

Advent 2 - G - 2013 - Repent You Brood of Vipers!

The Second Sunday of Advent

December  8, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline

Isaiah 11:1-10             Romans 15:4-13          Matthew 3:1-12

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 lesson just read, especially these words, “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”  Thus far out text today.  Amen. 

Dear friends, John the Baptist came baptizing and preaching repentance, for the Kingdom of heaven was near.  In other words, Jesus is coming!  And to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus, John preached Repentance, a turning aside from sin, a remorse for what has gone wrong in life, and a general acknowledgement that I myself am not as good and holy as I like to think.  Repent!  Turn from sin!  And to those who acknowledge their sin, John baptizes, saying, “Look to the coming savior.  He will take care of your sin!.  Look to Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” 

But not all admit their sin.  Not all think they are sinners.  Some think they keep God’s rules.  Some think they are “hot stuff.”  In fact, a few groups of such people come to see John.  Some Pharisees, those who thought they knew all the laws, and even thought that they kept them came.  Along with them, came Sadducees, whose name comes from the Hebrew word, צדיק which itself means righteous. 

These two groups didn’t see their own sin, even as they excelled at seeing the sin of the average person.  These two people come not to repent, but rather to bring judgment upon John and those who go out into the wilderness.  To tell them they are wrong.  To tell them that instead of repentance they need a holiness that matches their own. 

And John, upon seeing them come, calls out these words, “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come?”  In other words, LOOK AT YOUR OWN SIN AND REPENT!  Pay attention to the reality that encompasses your life!  For its only then, that you might receive the promises of God for forgiveness, life and salvation. 

Dear friends, the same message is ours this Advent season.  Listen to the call of St. John the Baptist.  Repent.  Admit that you too are a part of the brood of vipers and sinners.  Don’t lie to yourself, because the truth is you’ve sinned, and not only in little embarrassing things, but in terrible and often times disgusting ways.  You’ve been concerned with only yourself.  You’ve been self-righteous, self-glorifying guilty sinners, and you still are.  You’ve had every type of adulterous and sinful desire imaginable.  You’re a sinner. 

And so, dear sinner, heed the call of St. John.  Repent.  The kingdom of heaven is near!  Wretched people that we are!  Who will save us from our sin?  Who will take away our evil desires?  God’s kingdom is coming!  And if we stay in sin we will not be able to stand when it arrives.  Repent.  Turn aside from your sin, and beg God for his great mercy and care.  And trust this, dear friends, that mercy is exactly what God wishes to give in his kingdom. 

For the ruler of the Kingdom of God is none other than the coming Christ.  He comes to set his people free, he comes to take away their sin, he comes to destroy death forever.  He is coming, his advent is drawing nigh.  And he comes to die, so that you don’t have to.  He comes to bear your sin, so that the weight of it might be lifted off your shoulders.  He comes to give you hope in the world to come, and life everlasting. 

Jesus gives you that promise through his own work, though his own death and resurrection.  It is in that act and that act alone that your sin can be taken away, and dear friends, has been taken away.  Your sin-free now, because of Jesus – not in your own right, but only by his work.  You have died to sin, and now live forever in Christ.  You are no longer a brood of vipers, but instead God’s holy and chosen people.  Dear friends, Jesus is coming.  Soon he will be born and laid in a manger.  Rejoice.  For the kingdom of God is near, and you are a citizen of that kingdom.  Amen.  

Advent 1 - G - 2013 - Judgment and Forgiveness of Advent

The First Sunday of Advent

December 1, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today comes from the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”  Thus far our text for today. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Today begins advent, and already many of us have already begun our preparations for Christmas.  Many of us have already set up our Christmas trees, hung up our lights.  We’ve probably begun our Christmas shopping for the years, and even in many of our homes we have set out our Nativity sets, anxiously awaiting Christmas day, when the baby Jesus will be born, and laid in swaddling cloths in a manger. 

And yet even as we look forward to that day which is coming in a few short weeks, today’s text mentions nothing about mangers, stars, wisemen, or even babies.  Instead we hear about the terrible destruction that happened without warning at the flood of Noah.  Instead we hear about the final day, when one will be taken to heaven, and one will be left to the fires of hell.  And our text ends with these words, “Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

And these words should be worrisome to us!  Jesus is coming!  And the next time that Christ comes, he will not be a cute little baby, but instead he will come in all the glory and power and majesty of the eternal God.  He will come, and He will raise the dead and he will judge them justly and eternally.  Sin will be destroyed forever.  Those without the guilt of sin will be kept safe in heaven.  And those with the guilt of sin will be left to fire, and weeping, and gnashing of teeth forevermore in the punishment of hell. 

St. Paul warns us on what the judgment will be based in our epistle lesson.  Love, he says, is the fulfillment of the law.  Love for neighbor more than for self.  Love for God, more than self.  Love that does not steal, love that does not covet.  Love that does not hate or murder.  Love that does not lie or gossip, love that is perfect is all things.  Those who love perfectly, absolutely perfectly, according to God’s law, and God’s law only, will be the ones who inherit heaven.  And those who fail, deserve Hell.

And the scary Christmas and Advent truth is this.  We’ve failed.  We aren’t holy.  We aren’t perfect.  We don’t love the way God wants.  We have not kept the smallest part of God’s law, let alone the whole thing perfectly.  So when Christ returns, we deserve punishment.  When Christ comes back, it’s us that He ought to judge.  We deserve the same punishment as those who were killed in Noah’s flood.  We deserve the same punishment as Sodom and Gomorrah. 

And yet, the great judge who will come on the last day has come before.  Not in power and might and majesty, but in flawless humbleness and unspoiled weakness, born of a human, and laid in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem.  He comes in perfect lowliness, so low in fact, that he will be despised by the people he comes to.  He fulfills God’s law completely and perfectly.  And because of it, He will be killed by our sinful hands.  He will be nailed to a cross, and die because of our un-holiness.  Murdered because of his great love for us. 

And that’s the catch!  Jesus loves us perfectly, and in his death declares that his perfect love becomes ours.  It counts for us.  In baptism, you and Jesus switched places, and his holiness became yours, and your sinfulness became his.  He became your substitute in the final judgment.  When He returns on the last day, he no longer judges you based on your works, but only on his works which He gave to you.  You dear friends, are Holy in Christ, and in Christ alone, and so will be taken to heaven forever more. 

Jesus is coming, to judge both the living and the dead.  He’s coming to bring the world to its end.  He’s coming, and because he has already come, on that day you will inherit the promise of life, salvation, and paradise forever more.  That’s the message of Christmas, and as we prepare for it, we do so in repentance and in faith, trusting in the great mercy of our God, who fulfilled the law for us, so that we might become heirs of everlasting life.  In the name of the Coming Jesus.  Amen.  

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 Midweek 1 - 2011 - From Heaven Above To Earth I Come

1 "From heav'n above to earth I come

to bear good news to ev'ry home:

Glad tidings of great joy I bring,

Whereof I now will say and sing:

2 "To you this night is born a child

Of Mary chosen virgin mild;

This little child of lowly birth

Shall be the joy of all the earth.

3 "This is the Christ, our God Most High,

Who hears your sad and bitter cry;

He will Himself your Savior be

From all your sins to set you free.

4 "He will on you the gifts bestow

Prepared by God for all below,

That in His kingdom, bright and fair,

You may with us His glory share.

5 "These are the signs that you shall mark:

The swaddling clothes and manger dark.

There you will find the infant laid

By whom the heav'ns and earth were made." 

^{Ephesians 4}

¹I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism,⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸Therefore it says,

    "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
   and he gave gifts to men."

 ⁹( In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?^[a] 10He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is the hymn verses read, along with these words, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  Thus far our text.

Dear friends in Christ, “From heaven above, to Earth I come!” Jesus declares in our hymn for today.  And what good news this is for us dear friends, what a blessing that Jesus is coming to Earth.  In fact that is what the very word Advent means, that Jesus is coming.  He’s on his way, and he comes with healing in his wings.  He hears our “sad and bitter cry,” and comes “from all our sins to set us free.” 

It is a gift we greatly need and desire that Jesus brings with him.  Freedom from sins.  For we are slaves to sin, captured and mistreated by a cruel master.  Freedom because we are greedy, we are hurtful, we are jerks at times.  We fail to do what we know is right, and we pay the price for that sinfulness. 

Do you doubt that you are in need of a savior?  Do you doubt that you need to be rescued?  Look at your life.  Are you ever overwhelmed by the things that happen in your life.  Do you yourself hurt, and feel pain and sorrow?  Do you feel lonely, do you hurt?  These things are all from your sin, and they show how greatly you need a savior, how you need someone who would come down to save you.  Oh that a savior would come, O that God would rend open the heavens and come down, for here we toil and suffer, and we want rescue.

And that is what Christmas is all about.  As it grows nearer and nearer every week, know the reason for Christmas is that we might be rescued.  That, “To you this night is born a child; Of Mary chosen virgin mild; This little child of lowly birth; Shall be the joy of all the earth.”  He will on you gifts bestow, gifts of Life and Salvation, gifts that bring you to his own cross, where He hung and died for you sin, where he suffered because you are guilty, where he died to take away all your guilt and give you life. 

Our epistle lesson says “grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”  Therefore, Jesus “descended into the lower regions, the earth.”  From heaven  he came with gifts of baptism, that wash you in his blood for sin payment.  From heaven he came with gifts of his own sacrificed body and blood for forgiveness of sins.  From heaven above to bring good news to ev'ry home, good news that you are forgiven, that your sin is gone. 

For unto you this day is born in the city of david, a savior, which is Jesus Christ the Lord.  He is coming.  He will come down.  He will bring saving powers for you.  Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  Amen.  

Christmas Eve 2010 - Savior of the Nations Come - Light from the manger of Jesus

Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text tonight is the final two verses of the Advent Hymn we sang this year, Savior of the Nations Come. The text is as follows, From the manger new born light, shines in glory through the night. Darkness there no more resides, In this light faith now abides. Thus far our text.


Merry Christmas. The day has finally arrived, Christmas is now here. The Christ child has been born. The Christ child has come to die. And so tonight we have gathered together to sing hymns, to listen to God’s word, and as we turn down the lights in the sanctuary to light candles and sing.

If you stop to think about it, it is kind of a silly thing we do isn’t it? I mean, I remember thinking when I was younger that turning down the lights for the singing of Silent Night just made it more difficult to see the hymnal. And how many times have you burned yourself on hot wax falling from melting candles? But the thing we are doing reflects a larger reality. Just as a candle shines its light out into the darkness, so too does that little baby shine out into a world filled with the darkness of sin death and the devil.

Our world is dark. It is dark with the sin of billions of people including you and me wandering in their sin, unsure of where to turn or what to do. Scripture teaches in the book of Deuteronomy that if we break the commands of the Lord, “we will grope around like blind men in the dark” (Deut 28:15) Yes, not just blind men, but blind men in the pitch blackness of night. And that dear friends is where we are. In our sin we no longer are able to tell the difference between right and wrong. We are unable to see what we should do in a particular situation or how to even deal with things in this world.

Sometimes we become weary and tired, as we struggle in the darkness of our sin. We grope about, trying to find our way, and bumping into those who are around us. And even as we grope about, we know what ultimately awaits us in the darkness of our sin. Death. For we walk in the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death, and all we can see is death and punishment. For the punishment of sin is death, God told Adam and Eve in the garden. “IF you break my commands, you will surely die.” And so in the darkness of our sin, with all of God’s commands broken, we await death.

But hear again our hymn verses “From the manger new born light, shines in glory through the night. Darkness there no more resides, in this light faith now abides.” Just as we tonight will shortly light a candle, so too has God sent a light to our world, a light that shines in the darkness, a light that the darkness cannot understand. God has sent us a baby in a manger, whose light is so bright as to take all the darkness out of your life.

The light that flows from the manger flows because this little tiny baby is miraculously the Son of the Living God. He is the Son who was begotten before all worlds, God of God, light of light very God of Very God. He was there in the beginning when God said “Let there be light” and he will be there when God says, “It is Done, I am the Alpha and Omega.” This little baby, Jesus, has come.

And his light shines on you and on me, it shines on our sinful world, because the little baby born in the manger will one day die on a cross. He will one day be murdered and killed. He will one day pour out his blood from his body, and as he does, the light that shines from the manger, shines on you. By the shedding of the blood of Jesus, your way is lit, your path becomes brighter. With every wound on Christ’s body, with every drop of blood, it is if your world becomes brighter, until finally as Christ dies, you know the truth. Death is overcome. Because by shedding his blood, Jesus carries you into his heavenly kingdom.

In you darkness no more resides, instead faith now abides. Your sin is gone, Jesus has taken it. Your death is gone, Jesus has taken it. You no longer grope about, uncertain of where you are going, for Jesus has taken you home.

Tonight, in a short while, we will turn out all the lights here in the sanctuary, and as we do, remember on your own, you are in the darkness of sin. And as the lights go out, you will see one light still shines the light of the Christ candle, the light shining from the manger. That light will be passed along to each one of us, just as each of us has been brought to the light in holy baptism. That light shines forth in the promise that you will never die, that your sin is gone, and that you have life, and have it to the full. You are the light of the world, because you reflect the light that shines from the cross.

In the manger new born light. In the manger Jesus has been born for you. Amen.

Series A - Advent 4 - 2010 - Simplicity in a complex world through Jesus

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ [1] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed [2] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.


Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the gospel lesson just read. You may be seated.

Dear friends in Christ. “It’s so easy,” the teacher told her students, “All you need to do is to take the square of side a ad add it to the square of side b, find that square root, and then you have the length of the hypotenuse. It really is quite simple.” Oh the dreaded words of math class – “It’s really quite simple!” I cannot remember how many times I heard these words in math, but things never seemed that easy. It got more and more difficult the more I looked at it, until finally in Calculus, I realized “It isn’t as easy as they think.” It is a little more complex than it looks.

Don’t you wonder if that is what Joseph is thinking in our text today? Don’t you wonder what he thought when an angel of God appeared to him and said, “Joseph it really is quite easy, yes she’s pregnant, but it is by the Holy Spirit, and the baby she gives birth to will save his people from their sins.” In Matthew’s account it is almost as if the angel is saying “It’s really quite simple Joseph!”

But in Joseph’s head, I am sure it wasn’t as simple as the angel made it out to be. His fiancée, the woman he was preparing to marry comes to him one day and says she is pregnant. Suddenly that happy life he was looking forward to is thrown into pieces. And what is more, Joseph knows he is not the father, for our text says “It was before they had come together.” Suddenly he wonders what will happen, and how will he deal with this situation?

If this news gets out, that Joseph is not the father and that Mary is pregnant, it could be bad news. Mary could legally be dragged out of town and stoned – killed. Her life could come to an end, and Joseph himself would be disgraced. So our text says that Joseph comes up with a plan, a plan to protect himself and his bride to be. He decides to quietly divorce her, to alleviate himself of the situation. But in the midst of this plan, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream, and says, “Come on Joseph relax - it is so simple.”

We can probably understand what Joseph was feeling, because our lives our not simple either. Our lives are not easy to figure out, or easy to understand. We have difficult situations that arise over and over again, and we must figure out how we are to deal with them as Christians here on earth.

“You shall not commit adultery” scripture clearly says. Joseph had heard it, and you have heard it. It’s simple, but yet in our world of sin, similarly to our text, we see young mothers who are found to be pregnant out of wedlock. Unlike our text, these pregnancies are not God’s amazing work through the Holy Spirit. These young women must determine what course of action to take, how to tell their parents and family, and how to raise a child when they feel little more than a child themselves. We see young Fathers, who upon finding out that their few minutes of selfish desire have now become a child wonder what they are going to do, and how they are going to face their parents, and the mother’s parents. It becomes complex. It becomes difficult

In addition we see husbands and wives who must tell their beloved spouse that they have not always been as faithful as they promised in their vows, that their own sinful desires led them to infidelity. There is divorce and remarriage everywhere we look. In this sinful world, something as simple as “You shall not commit adultery,” something as simple as only sleep with your spouse after you are married, suddenly becomes extremely difficult.

Our lives are complex in other ways as well. Because of sin, things get difficult. A seemingly simple family get together can degenerate into family fighting and yelling. A simple promise can become a lie. A seemingly simple medical procedure can degenerate into a complex struggle between life and death. The list could go on and on and on, and in the midst of it all we see the truth, we are guilty and we are sinners. Each one of us, even if we haven’t outwardly committed one of those obvious sins that others can see. Even deep within ourselves we are sinful and guilty. And because of this, our seemingly simple world, in sin becomes too complex for us to handle.

Friends, sin is at work in our world, and that sin makes this world confusing beyond belief. It leads us to ask the question – in the midst of all these convolutions of our sinful world, what is truth? It is the question Pilate asked, and it is the question we must ask. What is the truth regarding Abortion? What is the truth regarding homosexuality? What is the truth regarding death, life, hate, war and more? And the answers to these questions often are way more complicated that we can even begin to understand.

And so we feel like Joseph must have felt, when his entire simple world collapsed upon him. Just like us Joseph must have asked, “Why?” And the angel gives him an answer. “The child in her womb is from the Holy Spirit, and will set his people free from their sins.” The child that has turned Joseph’s world upside down has come to do that to you and to me. He has come to take our sinful lives and to completely disrupt them.

For the baby that Matthew so simply put “was born and called Jesus” has come for one simple purpose. That baby has come to set you free from your sin. He has come to rescue you. He has come so that by being nailed to a cross, and dying, he might destroy your complex world and give you this simple truth – “you belong to Jesus.” You belong to Jesus because he has purchased and won you, not with gold or silver but with his holy precious blood, innocent suffering and death.

And here is another truth given to you by Jesus’ death on the cross. You sin is forgiven. The sin that disrupts this life, that divides you from loved ones, that attacks your heart and desires is gone, atoned for. Jesus has come and now he brings a

SIMPLE SOLUTION TO THE COMPLEXITIES OF THIS WORLD

And that is this, that sin, death and the devil no longer have power over you. The questions that we ask that seemingly have no answer are now answered by the blood of Jesus. The death you deserve Jesus has died.

And now as you go through this world, there is a simple answer to all the difficult questions, and that is this, Jesus. Jesus is there with you as you struggle. Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you, Jesus will be there with his all-powerful hand holding you up. Yes, it will be difficult as you face those difficult situations, but in the midst of them Jesus is with you.

Jesus gives us a promise of simplicity, a simplicity not of this world, a simplicity waiting in heaven, a simplicity of eternity. Amen.

2010 Advent 3 - John 19

So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”


23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. [3] But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”


Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the 5 and 6th verses of the hymn Savior of the Nations, along with the reading from John chapter 19, especially these words from verse18, “there they crucified him.” Thus far our text.

Dear friends in Christ. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. There’ll be parties for throwing, marshmallows for roasting and caroling out in the snow, well so long as the wind chill isn’t 20 below zero! Christmas is a time for celebrating and enjoying the excitement of the season. So why in the midst of all this happiness do we have such an offensive text this evening? Why in the midst of this merriment do we look at a horrific execution, with blood and guts, dirt and grime? Why must we look to Jesus on the cross, rather than Jesus in the manger?

After all, what do we have up in our houses this time of year? Not crucifixes with a bloody dying Jesus, but instead happy cuddly baby Jesus laying in a manger surrounded by Christmas lights and happy Christmas trees. And it’s true isn’t it, that we as Christians prefer the baby Jesus in the manger to the bloody man Jesus hanging and dying on a cross. We don’t like the image of death, but we like the image of newborn life, especially this time of the year.

We’d rather get caught up in our own sinful desires. We would rather face Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and jack frost nipping at your nose, than to face the reality. Advent and Christmas come about because we are sinners. Advent and Christmas occur because we are judged by God and found wanting. The first Christmas didn’t occur because God wanted to give us a day off of work in the midst of a long dreary winter, but because God wanted us to be rescued from our long dreary sinful lives.

Long and dreary especially as we remember those who because of sin and death are no longer around with us. Our grandparents, parents and more, our children and nephews and others who will not be with us this Christmas season. Those who have paid the price of sin, death.

Long and dreary as we see the sin in our own life, and the way that it inundates us. How we complain and whine to our friends and family about how bad work is. We see that sin as we covet all sorts of new toys that we want Santa to bring us for Christmas. New boats, new ice fishing gear, new computers and cell phones. Our selfish greediness is what we want Christmas to be all about.

But our hymn today speaks of something different. Our hymn speaks of “the Father’s Son, who in flesh the victory has won”. Our hymn speaks of Jesus dying for us on the cross. You see, at Christmas, we must look beyond Jesus in the manger to Jesus the adult who lived a perfect sin free life. The one who was the perfect atonement for all of our sin, by his own death on the cross, and his own resurrection. We must look to that, because that is our only hope. Without Jesus on the cross, Jesus in the manger doesn’t mean anything to us. Without Jesus on the cross, Jesus in the manger is just another baby.

And it is in Jesus on the cross that we receive forgiveness. It is in Jesus on the cross that we are selves are reborn in to peace and everlasting life. For our in our baptisms, we have died with Jesus, and been reborn into eternal life. A life that will last forever. Just as Jesus is born in the manger, through Jesus’ death, you are born into heaven.

In a small dark stable, Jesus Christ is born, he has come to rescue you from sin and the power of death. He has come to rescue you and to bring you into his kingdom, so that you might live apart from all the sin of this world. He has come to rescue you, and in that rescue mission, as the hymn says, Jesus’ course “ran down to hell” suffering for you and then “back then to his throne and crown. Jesus takes hell on for you, and instead gives you life in his kingdom.