Second Sunday after Christmas

OT: Genesis 27:1-40
OTA: Genesis 27:18-35
NT: Hebrews 2:14-18
NTA: 2 Thessalonians 3:13-17
CL: John 2:23-25
GA: John 20:19-23
Ps: Psalm 67:1-7

January 4th

Collect of the Day:

Almighty God, You have poured into our hearts the true Light of your incarnate Word.  Grant that this Light may shine forth in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives an reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Theme for the Week          Signs and Blessings

Verse of the Week:            John 2:25

Daily Bible Reading List:

Mon: Genesis 27:1-40        Tues: 2 Thessalonians 3:13-17   Wed: John 20:19-23

Thurs:            Hebrews 2:14-18    Fri: John 2:23-25

Catechism Reading:

What is Baptism?

Baptism is not just plain water,

but it is the water

included in God's command

and combined with God's word.

Which is that word of God?

Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew:

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations,

 baptizing them

in the name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).

First Sunday after Christmas (sermon)

God Loved

John 3:14-21

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text for this morning is one of the most popular quoted texts in the bible. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." This passage is one of the purest expressions of the Gospel, but it also expresses the Law. John 3:15 simply expresses the good news without the judgment of those who do not believe perishing. But since verse 15 is connected with Moses lifting up the serpent in the desert it implies that all the people are already under judgment.

Moses made the bronze serpent and lifted it up in the desert, because people were being bitten by fiery snakes. These snakes were killing people. Similarly the snake in the garden of Eden, which deceived Eve and all creation was thrown into suffering and death. Moses is instructed to make a bronze Serpent and lift it up on a pole, so that everyone who beholds the lifted up serpent would be healed.

Numbers 21:9 says, "So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live." 

Jesus drives this connection home, by connecting this serpent to the lifting up of the Son of Man upon the cross. He follows it up by stating who-so-ever looks at, or believes, in the Son of Man who is lifted up will be healed, saved, or forgiven. Further then Jesus says, this is not just any Son of Man, this is the Son of God who was sent by the Father to be lifted up. This even pulls in the more famous account of the Old Testament in Genesis 22, when Abraham was called to Sacrifice his only Son. Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”

Furthermore, Jesus takes note of the Law or condemnation that can be seen in John 3:16. And clearly says in verse 18, "whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."  John 3:17 tells us, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." The purpose of the giving of the Son of God was not to bring forth judgment, or condemnation. All of creation already stands condemned on account of the deception of the ancient Serpent, or original sin. The purpose of the giving of the Son of God was to deliver all of Creation from the condemnation of sin.

The Ancient Serpent tricked Adam and Eve into disobedience and sin. Therefore, Eve, the mother of all the living, her offspring would be struck down, die, and lifted up for the purpose of restoring all that was lost by the disobedience, original sin.

Thus, it almost seems like Jesus continues to have to clarify what he is trying to say in John 3:16, so that it will not be mis-understood. But we continue to teach, memorize, and proclaim John 3:16 to the World without any further explanation.

It is nice to see on television the random sign that people hold up that says, Merry Christmas, or John 3:16. But how often do we really make the connection about what that really means. We have finally made it to the Christmas Season. We continue to celebration the Feast of Christmas with the World.

This is a time when we remember the greatest gift that one could possibly give. We can remember the gift Abraham was willing to give God, by taking his Son up the mountain. We can remember the gift Hannah gave with her First born Son Samuel. 

We can remember the gift of the ram caught in the thicket, given for Isaac. There is also the gift of the redemption price of the lambs blood so that death would pass over. The serpent that was lifted up in the desert. Then there is the child who was given by a loving Father to redeem his people. The gift of a man who was willing to lay down his life for another. The gift of the Spirit to shatter hardened hearts, and call people to believe in Jesus Christ.

God loved his beloved creation so much, that he sent forth at the proper time his Word, his Son, to take on flesh. The Son of the Living God is our brother of whom John the Baptist said behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The one named Ἰησοῦς was given to save all people from sin. He is the anointed one of God for the task of the raising and claiming for God a holy people.

This is the Love of God, that even while we were yet enemies, already standing in a state of condemnation, God sent forth his Son to die for you. He therefore gives you eternal life. 

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

First Sunday in Advent (Sermon)

Prepare the Way of the Lord

John 1:19-28

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text for this morning is concerning John the Baptist once again. Here John the Baptist declares himself to be the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said.

John the Baptist is the one who prepares the way of the Lord. The part that really confuses me, I feel like I should mention. He is the one to prepare the way for the Lord's coming. But when the people from Jerusalem ask him, "Are you Elijah?" He tells them, "I am not."

Jesus in Matthew chapter 11 says, "A Prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.' ... For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, [John the Baptist] is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Jesus says John the Baptist is the Elijah to come. But John the Baptist says he is not Elijah. Both these statements can be true, because John is not Elijah, but he is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi 4:5: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes."

John the Baptist is the one who comes to prepare the way of the Lord. He is the one who prepares the people for the advent of their king. John the Baptist is not the King. He is not the greater prophet than Moses. He is not even the Christ. He is the prophesied Elijah, but he himself is John not Elijah. Elijah has ascended into heaven and remains there, with Enoch.

But For us it is not about identifying who John the Baptist is, the text does this very clearly. Our text needs to be answering the question "who are we?" There are many people from children, to friends, to co-workers, and even strangers, who ask "Who are you?" or "Who do you say that you are?"

Some of us may give our name, which would be like John the Baptist simply saying, "my name is John." Maybe you will define yourself by your occupation. But then why did you get baptized, why would you baptize your children. Why are you here in church?

Who are you? Are you a Christian? And what is a Christian? Often times it is easier to say what we are not than it is to say what we are. We are not people who believe in many gods, or even three gods. We are not people that believe all created things have a spirit or a soul. We are not people who believe God comes to his people in three different forms or modes. We are not people who believe that within everyone there is a little piece of goodness, or spark, that can be nurtured and grow into a good person.

We are people who believe in the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons in one divine being. We believe that once creation was created good and perfect.  It has be corrupted by sin. Therefore, only through the sacrifice of the Son are we made righteous. The Holy Spirit creates a right spirit within us, and helps us lead a holy life. 

So, who are we? We are those who are called to prepare the way of the Lord. We are not John the Baptist nor the Elijah to come. But we are here to call people to repentance. We need to be reminded, that we have not loved the Lord our God with our whole heart. We have not honored those in authority over us. We have said and thought hateful things. We have even had sexually immoral thoughts, or even committed sexually immoral acts. We have cheated to gain material wealth, rather than helping our neighbors keep and gain wealth. We have said false things, either knowingly or unknowingly about our neighbor. We must plead guilty to all these sins.

But this is why we are who we are. We are called to repent of our sins, because Christ has come into the flesh to die for our sins. It is even interesting in our text that, John implies Christ is already in their midst. "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” Jesus was already among them. Likewise, we recognize that as two or more of us gather together in his name there he is with us, among us.

Jesus Christ is here, offering forgiveness of sins. He comes to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He comes to make us his very own. He has come to take away the sin of the World.

Who are we? We are forgiven sinners, ready to prepare the way of the Lord by calling one another to repentance, and proclaiming Christ's death for the forgiveness of your sins. Let us share this message with John the Baptist, as we prepare the way of the Lord. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Third Sunday in Advent (Sermon)

Lamb of God

John 1:35-42

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text for this morning comes from John the Baptist telling us, "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Granted in John 1:36, John the Baptist is only telling two of his disciples, "Behold, the Lamb of God." He does not add the full meaning, but the reader and likewise each of would recognize when I say the Lamb of God, he is the one who takes away the sin of the World.

Like most teachers they have those special students that are eager to learn more. So John points them in the direction of Jesus. These two disciples are then considered to be the first two disciples of Jesus. One, Andrew we know, the other one appears to remain anonymous. It is assumed that the other one is John. First, because John does not identify himself, or often refers to himself as the "disciple who [Jesus] loved."

Second, we can look to the other gospels and Peter and Andrew are called, along with John and James, to be fishers of men. John and James leave their Father in the boat. Luke even says that the Zebedee boys were fishing partners with Simon Peter.

Enough of the history lesson. John the Baptist repeats his message to these two disciples. He points them in the right direction, and one might even say gives them a little push to follow this guy named Jesus.

Why do they follow Jesus? They follow him because he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World. John the Baptist did not give people much hope. He was very much a fire and brimstone type of preacher. He told pharisees, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance." And he said, "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

John the Baptist liked to talk about things getting burned in a fire. In talking about the one who would come after him he says, "but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

But in the Gospel according to St John the first chapter, you get the only real message of hope. Here John the Baptist is pointing people not to the one who comes in wrath and judgment, but the lamb. This helpless and almost harmless animal. This soft and loving animal.

You know if you think of a cat, a dog, or some other common household pet. You know that they are just one hiss, bark, or bit away from a ferocious animal. I have never seen a picture of a ferocious lamb. You might be able to picture a loving dog or cat, turning and showing wrath toward someone or something. But a lamb? Behold the one who holds the axe! Behold the one who is clearing the threshing floor! Behold the one who is going to burn up the wicked and condemn the evil one eternally!

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist even says, "And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." You don't find that message of hope from John the Baptist outside of the Gospel according to St John.

John the Baptist is the voice of one crying in the desert. He is the one who was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. He is the one who calls people to repent of their sins. St Mark sums up the ministry of John the Baptist very well, "John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

John the Baptist comes to bring people the Law. Luke talks about how different groups came to John and asked him, "What then shall we do?" John's message like ours today is to look at the Ten Commandments. Know that God is a jealous God punishing sin. You need to shape up.

St John then gives us the message of John the Baptist after Jesus' Baptism. John has seen and bears witness to the Son of God. He now does not see a God ready to Judge and condemn sinners. He sees a God willing to send his only begotten Son to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World.

This Lamb will take your sin and my sin and everybody else's sin. He will bear this sin to dark calvary. There this precious Lamb will be slaughtered. It will be his blood and righteousness that is spread over the mercy seat of God. It is his blood and righteousness that is placed on the doorposts and lintels of our heart.

Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He cleans his threshing floor. He cuts down the tree that bears bad fruit. He raises out of the ashes a new tree, a life giving tree for you and me. Behold the Lamb of God. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Third Sunday in Advent

OT: Job 21:4-16
OTA: Exodus 12:1-13
NT: Hebrews 12:18-29
NTA: 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
CL: John 1:35-42
GA: John 1:29-42
Ps: Psalm 139:1-13

December 14^th

Collect of the Day:

Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Theme for the Week          Introducing the Lamb

Verse of the Week:                        John 1:36

Daily Bible Reading List:

Mon: Hebrews 12:18-29    Tues: Job 21:4-16   Wed: John 1:29-42

Thurs: 1 Corinthians 5:6-8            Fri: Exodus 12:1-13

Catechism Reading:

What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?

 These words,

"Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,"

shows us that in the Sacrament

forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation

are given us through these words.

For where there is forgiveness of sins,

there is also life and salvation.

How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?

Certainly not just eating and drinking do these things,

but the words written here:

"Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."

These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking,

are the main thing in the Sacrament.

Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say:

"forgiveness of sins."

Who receives this sacrament worthily?

 Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training.

But that person is truly worthy and well prepared

who has faith in these words:

"Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."

But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them

is unworthy and unprepared,

for the words "for you" require all hearts to believe.

The Second Sunday in Advent (Sermon)

Who is the Christ

John 7:25-36

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text for this morning is from the Gospel lesson. Here we find the real and true question of the holiday season. "Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?" The people ask the simple question,whether this is really the Christ. It is followed up by the question: "When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” The expected answer being of course not.

But who is the Christ expected to be. Is he expected to be the great miracle worker? Is he expected to be the one who knows everything you ever did? Is he the one who seems to have better understanding than the leaders of Israel? Most of the time when we ask the people who the Christ is supposed to be they get it wrong. Even our ideas of who Jesus is and what he should do for us fall short of who Jesus actually is.

They do not know truly where he comes from. Even as they say, “But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” What is their answer? Is Jesus from Nazareth? Is the Christ supposed to be born in Bethlehem? Or as Jesus implies does he come from him who sent him, namely the Father who is in Heaven? So where exactly does he come from?

Jesus tells us, “But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” So apparently Jesus comes from the generic “him.” So who sent Jesus? Who does Jesus know and yet the people do not know? The answer is very simple, Jesus and the Father are one.

God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son into the flesh to die for the forgiveness of sins of the World. Jesus is the Word made flesh. Jesus is the Lamb of God who is sent to take away the sins of the World. Jesus is the only Son of the Father. Where does Jesus come from, he was begotten of the Father before all ages.

This must be the Christ. He has done great signs and wonders. He has changed Water into Wine. He talked about the Son of Man being raised up like the serpent in the desert. He told a woman everything she had done. He healed the Paralyzed man at the Bethesda pool. He fed more than 5,000 people. Now the people are still not quite sure who he is.

I am going to assume that we are in that same situation. We may know a little about the bible. We may now that if I confess my sins I receive forgiveness of my sins. I know that Jesus Christ is the one who died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. I know that he has washed me in his blood in my Baptism. I know he feeds me his true body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.

I can even recite for you various parts of Chemnitz discussion on the Two Natures in Christ. But even this still leaves us with questions about who the Christ actually is. There are even popular misconceptions surrounding who Jesus is and who he was supposed to be.

Many people in the world may be willing to concede that Jesus was a good teacher. Even Christians will tells us, he brought us a message of forgiveness and peace. But this message does not find it’s foundation in his teachings, it only has a foundation in his cross. 

There even are times when we think of Jesus as some kind of Genie or magician. We want someone to make our problems disappear. This time of year, we may even just want something happy to think about. This is the time when we might not even focus on Christ’s birth, but all the fun Christmas songs we can sing.

I know a little music gets me in the mood for Christmas. But I also know that a song can remind me of my sins, selfishness, pride, and even short sightedness. They also remind us of forgiveness and the love of God that truly is beyond our comprehension.

Our opening hymn’s second verse said, “How vast your mercy to accept The burden of our sin And bow Your head in cruel death To make us clean with in.”

Even our hymn of the day’s second verse, “Why lies He in such mean estate Where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian, fear; for sinners here The silent Word is pleading.  Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you; Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The babe, the son of Mary!”

But the important thing is not how these songs make us feel. It is about reminding us that Jesus is the Christ. He is sent from the Father, in order to die for the forgiveness of sins. Truly Christ the Savior was born on Christmas morn, for all your sins.

Can it really be that [everyone] really know[s] that this is the Christ? They just continue to lie to themselves. They continue to do their best to convince themselves and others it can not be true. They listen to Jesus call them sinners or hypocrites, and object to their lifestyle, so they decide it is a better idea to kill him, or as the text says seek to arrest him. Even Caiaphas, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” Thanks be to God. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Second Sunday in Advent

OT: Genesis 18:1-15
OTA: Micah 5:1-6
NT: Hebrews 12:1-17
NTA: Galatians 4:1-7
CL: John 7:25-36
GA: Mark 12:1-12
Ps: Psalm 107:15-30

December 7^th

Collect of the Day:

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Theme for the Week          He Comes From Him

Verse of the Week:                        John 7:29

Daily Bible Reading List:

Mon: Hebrews 12:1-17       Tues: Genesis 18:1-15      Wed: Mark 12:1-12

Thurs: Micah 5:1-6  Fri: Galatians 4:1-7

Catechism Reading:

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

What does this mean?

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God,

begotten of the Father from eternity,

and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary,

is my Lord.

Who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person,

purchased and won me from all sins,

from death, and from the power of the devil;

not with gold or silver,

but with His holy, precious blood

and with His innocent suffering and death,

that I may be His own

and live under Him in His kingdom

and serve Him

in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness,

just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.

This is most certainly true.

Saint Andrew's Day (Sermon)

Called to be Forgiven

John 1:35-42

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today is Saint Andrew's day, which is also the beginning of the Season of Advent. In the Gospel lesson we hear about the call of St. Andrew. Most of us remember the call of Nathaniel by Philip, which follows our text but we can often lose sight of this lesson. But both have a similar situation. A Christian is brought to faith, and the first thing they do is call someone else. They repeat this call to faith.

There are a lot of Christians that like to talk about witnessing, or missions. There is a lot of prayers being given to God that people would come to know Jesus Christ. There is a lot of money being spent to send people on trips to foreign lands to call people to believe. 

You know that most of the time long term missionaries remind us that one of their greatest challenges is raising up people in that country or region that is already imbedded in that culture, in order to have them call their brothers, friends and extended family to look into this Jesus thing. This is a difficult task for any Anglo American to enter into another culture and develop full acceptance. 

Therefore, there is more short term missionary work that is being done. Medical Mission trips are becoming popular in order to provide for medical needs along with supporting already established congregations. Some mission trips like the Local groups from South Dakota go to Hong Kong in order to teach English. These open up opportunities to witness to our Christian Faith.

When these people are then called to faith, they will then share that faith with their family and friends. These mission strategies help to develop people within a culture to become missionaries to their own culture. This is exactly the way John the Baptist used his disciples. He pointed them to Jesus, who then provided them with basics. Then the disciple becomes the missionary calling his brother Simon Peter. 

This seems to be a very simple model to follow. You are called and instructed in the basic tenets of the faith. You then bring your friends, family, and neighbors to come and learn more. Then as more people know and we develop a larger family, more neighbors, we continue to instruct people in the basic tenets of the faith.

The difficulty is that this means we have to call a sin a sin. We have to tell people how they are cheating their neighbors. We have to point out your falsehoods, and lies. We have to bring light to your sins. And even beyond that we have to be willing to stand up in front of everyone and say the one thing most of us do not want to admit.

We start off our Sunday worship by saying that we are sinners. We continue our service by asking God to have mercy on us because we are sinful. We hear the word speak the truth of the world and our need for a Lamb, or sacrifice for our sin. I am hear to tell you how you have sinned and need to lead a better life. Then even as we approach this altar to eat the very body and blood of Christ, we are publicly proclaiming we are horrible, miserable people.

"We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment." This is who we are. As a disciple of John the Baptist, Saint Andrew knew the call for repentance. He also knew the call to change how you live and act in your daily life.

As a disciple of Jesus, these calls do not change. The only thing that changes is you don't have to do it for yourself. The Messiah has come to redeem his people. He comes to be the lamb of price for the forgiveness of your sins.

We do continue to remind ourselves that we are horrible people. There is none of us that is good. But God still loves you. God sent his Son to die for your sins. He offers Jesus to have mercy on us. He instructs us again in how to live our life, but with hope, and forgiveness. In addition to just learning what we are to do, we also learn who God is and what he has done for you. Finally, as we leave this Altar having received the very body and blood of Christ we are renewed, forgiven and strengthened, in order to go into our mission field.

Now you know that you are a sinner. You are not a good person, but you are a forgiven person. It is now your task this Advent season to call others who are not good people, so they might become forgiven people. Go call a friend, a family member, or a neighbor tell them how horrible you are, and then remind them how horrible they are, and finally say, I have found the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the World. And maybe you just repeat it over again and again. And if they want to know more have them come and hear. We are not called to be a perfect person, but to be a forgiven person. You are forgiven in Christ Jesus. amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.