Advent I Matthew 21:1-9

And when they came near unto Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany to the mountain, the one of olives, He (Jesus) sent two of His disciples on a mission and He says to them, "You go into the town, the one across from you, and immediately entering into it, you will find there a colt, upon which no person has yet ridden; You untie and bring it. And if ever someone says to you, ‘Why do you do this?' you say, ‘the Lord has need of it." and immediately he sends it again here." And they went and found a colt tied to a door, outside, upon the road, and they free it. And some of those standing there were saying to them, "What are you doing, freeing the colt?" And they spoke to them just what Jesus spoke, and they permitted it. And they bring the colt to Jesus and they throw upon it their clothes and He sat on it. And many spread their garments onto the road, and others branches they cut out of the fields. And the ones led before and the ones following were crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed-the One coming in the Lord's name. Blessed–the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna on the highest! And He entered into Jerusalem, into the Temple, and having looked around at everything, since it was already being the hour, He departed unto Bethany with the twelve.  

Arrivals are happy times! Going to the airport to watch someone's plane come in, or to the station to see somebody's train arrive are exciting times. There's a certain anticipation as you await your loved one's return. A hopeful expectation in your heart for the one coming to visit. That's just how Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem with garments strewn, palm branches waving and shouts of praise.

The first shout notes that Jesus comes "in the Lord's name". Yet you don't always like the focus to be on God's name instead of yours. It's all about you, right? I thought that at my narcissists' anonymous meeting when nobody else showed up but me. But it isn't about you and your good name. Your name is mud. For you have sullied your own name, your reputation tainted by your rebellious way.

So God, knowing your bad name gives you a brand new one. Jesus comes in the name of the Lord to you in your Baptism, giving you a brand new name–the name of the Lord. You are truly blessed in baptism as the name of Father, Son & Holy Ghost forgives your sins, delivers you from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to you. You are named now with the Lord's own name, baptized into Christ, now a part of God's Own Royal family, each of you a prince, a son of God by the Son of God!

The next thing the people shout is about the coming kingdom of their father, King David. Israel was in its hey-day when David reigned as king. Many people hoped Jesus would establish an even greater Israelite kingdom in the holy land. He didn't. You likewise fall into this same trap, with so many of your prayers about making your life in this world better, instead of realizing that Jesus' kingdom is of a world yet to come. There is no "heaven on earth" that you may seek. Yet you search for it all the same

When you pray, "Thy Kingdom come" as Jesus taught, you are really asking God to give you His Holy Spirit. This is the Spirit Who called you to faith in the first place in the Gospel. The blessings of being in God's Kingdom now are that you keep believing God's holy word which proclaims to you, "You are redeemed from sin, death & the devil for Jesus sake, since He gave His life to ransom you on the +." Filled with faith in your Savior, your new life in Christ has begun, here in time and hereafter eternally.

The final shout of the crowds was "Hosanna on the highest!" Most people misunderstand this as being loud boisterous praising which is able to reach way up high all the way to heaven. You are tempted to think this way yourselves, wrongly assuming that you have to do enough, with sufficient oomph to get God's attention so He will bless you. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hosanna on high is not about what you are doing for God at all. It's actually a humble pleeding which relies on Jesus alone.

"Hosanna" means "save us, we pray". It's a desperate plea of people who are helpless & hopeless to help themselves. And "on high" is simply the description of Who God is and where He is. He is the highest, and reigns over us from heaven above. So you sing "hosanna in the highest" right before communion, realizing that Jesus will answer your prayer by coming down from heaven with His ever-living body in the bread, and with His life-giving blood in the cup for your forgiveness & saving.

So it is fitting to begin this Advent season with the story of Jesus arrival in Jerusalem. For He Who once came to the shouts of Hosannas and blessed is Hes, is the one who comes to us today in word & sacrament, and Who promises to come again in glory on the last day to establish paradise.

Festival of Saint Bartholomew Luke 22:24-30

And there came to be a contention among them, which of them seemed to be the greatest. And (Jesus) said to them, "The kings of the nations lord them and the ones having authority over them are called ‘Good-workers'. Yet you are not so, but the one greatest among you, may he be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greatest, the one reclining, or the one serving? Is it not the one reclining? But I Myself, in your midst, am as the one serving. And you, yourselves have stood, remaining with Me in My testings; and such as I confer to you, just as My Father conferred Me a kingdom, that you may eat and drink upon My table in My kingdom, and you will sit upon thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel."  

OK, so I know what y'all are thinking. Just what is St. Bartholomew's day all about? If you've ever heard of St. Bart's, it's as a reference to an exotic Caribbean Isle. But today is the Festival of this seemingly obscure Saint of whom very little is known. What little we do know about him is by his first name, Nathaniel, and even that's not much. So why don't we know a whole lot about St. Bart? Most likely because he did his job well, serving in his work as a humble slave of His Lord Jesus Christ. 

No, St. Bartholomew is no "St. Peter" or "St. Paul" or "St. John". But he was an Apostle who served Jesus' church all the same. We don't know any specifics at all about exactly what he preached, or where he went, or what he did for the church. But it just doesn't matter. Because St. Bart's job wasn't to make a great name for himself. Quite the opposite. His job was to make the name of Jesus the Christ greater. The very fact that we know almost nothing about Bartholomew bodes well for him.

You would prefer to be a "St Peter" or a "St Paul", wouldn't you. Admit it, you want folks to hear you name and think of somebody who's accomplished great things. You want to be thought of as the Greatest. But you can't, since Muhammed Ali has already claimed that title for himself. Actually, it is your rabbi, meaning "my great one", Jesus who is the Greatest of all, as shown by His service to you.

Our worship is a Divine Service because Jesus comes to be your Servant today. He comes to you in the same name He first came to you in your baptism. That day, Jesus came in water & word to wash you from all of your sins at the font. He comes today for the same reason, to cleanse you from your unrighteousness and to forgive your sins, even those of pridefully wanting to be greater than you are. In this way Jesus humbles Himself as the lowest servant washing even your feet to make you holy.

You yourself would also prefer to be the one with the authority. You desire to be the master, not the slave. You'd rather be the boss in charge than the low level employee to be bossed around. Face it, you embrace this world's way of determining greatness. Those with the most power, at the highest level are those who get all the credit for the success. They're labeled "good-workers", being in charge.

But don't be deceived. The one in authority is not the one most blessed. The waiter or waitress who serves you may appear to be "in charge", but you are the one blessed to lean back and eat a fine meal! A simple servant like Bartholomew fed thousands upon thousands with the Gospel word He preached as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus. You are likewise fed, week in and week out, with the message: "Jesus loves you, gave His life for you on the +, that by His death, you now have life!"

You still would rather be the leader than a simple follower. You'd prefer to be outspoken St. Peter taking charge among the 12 than to be a nobody like Bartholomew. Even our own district keeps on foolishly trying to make its pastors into the kind of leaders one finds in the corporate world. But repent of seeking out such leadership, for God has instead called Christians to be servants instead.

Bartholomew preached faithfully of the greatest Servant of all, Jesus. Jesus promised to come as the One Who is serving. He serves you with the greatest gift of all, His holy body given unto death at Calvary, and His precious blood shed for you from the +. He invites you to eat & drink upon His table in His kingdom, brought down from heaven to earth this day, that you eat His body & drink His blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life & salvation.  

So on this day, you will not depart singing the praises of St. Bart. Instead, you are blessed to praise, honor & glorify Jesus Christ your Savior from sin, death & the power of the devil.  Because of the humble service of St. Bartholomew and others who have preached Christ-crucified for you, and who have through God's word & sacraments, have forgiven you, saved you, and given you life everlasting.

Hymns from LSB:

#877  God, Who Has Made the Earth and Heaven  stanzas  tune
#583  God Has Spoken by the Prophets  stanzas (click "Christian Worship" on the right)   tune
#518  By All Your Saints in Warfare: Saint Bartholomew  text  tune

1 By all Your saints in warfare,
For all Your saints at rest,
Your holy name, O Jesus,
Forevermore be blest!
For You have won the battle
That they might wear the crown;
And now they shine in glory
Reflected from Your throne.

(for St. Bartholomew, Apostle)

23 All praise for him whose candor
Through all his doubt You saw
When Philip at the fig tree
Disclosed You in the law.
Discern, beneath our surface,
O Lord, what we can be,
That by Your truth made guileless,
Your glory we may see.

3 Then let us praise the Father
And worship God the Son
And sing to God the Spirit,
Eternal Three in One,
Till all the ransomed number
Fall down before the throne,
Ascribing pow'r and glory
And praise to God alone.

Matthew 13:1-9 Proper 15, 10th Sunday after Pentecost

  

Hymns from LSB:

#613  May God Bestow on Us His Grace
#615  When in the Hour of Deepest Need
#653  In Christ There is No East or West

Matthew 11:25-30 9th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 14

And immediately (Jesus) compelled the disciples to go into the boat and to go ahead of Him unto the other side, until which He may set free the crowds. And having set free the crowds He went up unto the mountain according to privacy to pray. And evening occurring, He was alone there. And the boat was far off, many stadia from the land, being tormented by the waves, for the wind was against. And in the 4th watch of the night He came to them, walking upon the sea. But the disciples having seen Him upon the sea walking, were troubled saying that it is a phantasm, and from the fear they cried out. And immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, "Be taking courage, I AM; you, stop fearing." And having answered, Peter said to Him, "Lord, if you are, command me to come to You upon the waters; and He said, "Come." And having stepped down from the boat Peter walked upon the waters and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became fearful, and having started to sink, he cried out saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus, having stretched out the hand took hold of him and says to him, "One-of-little-faith, unto what have you doubted? And they, having gone up into the boat, He stopped the wind. And those in the boat worshiped Him saying, "Truly, God's Son You are!"

  

Immediately! Not once, not twice, but three times this word describes Jesus' actions in this story. When there's a problem, Jesus acts immediately. The same is true for you. When you have a true need, not a want, but something absolutely necessary, Jesus will act for you immediately. God's timing is that way for you in the storms you encounter as a Christian. Jesus' rescue for you is immediate.

The first "immediately" is Jesus sending away the disciples so He can dismiss the crowds. This immediate "Get Lost!" is just what the disciples and crowds needed. Jesus just fed 5000 miraculously, and the response wasn't good. They wanted to make Him a bread-king, to eat fish-wiches ever day. This was not the reason He came. If you don't want Jesus as He is, He will send you away too.

Now, just because Jesus sends you away from Him doesn't mean He won't come to you. He has, after all, promised to be with you always, to the end of the age. When your faithless desire for a false Jesus Who tolerates your shenanigans is rebuffed, that's when the real Jesus comes to you in the storms of your life to remind you that He has come to you in your baptism, and in His name Jesus continues to dwell in you as your Savior from sin, from death, and from the powers of the devil.

The second *immediately* occurs as Jesus walks on water to the disciples. They cry out in fear, foolishly thinking He's a ghost. Right away Jesus tells them just Who He is, to quell their fear. How foolish of these disciples, believing in ghosts. Disembodied spirits of dead people don't float around the earth haunting people. They are in heaven or hell. Period. It's wrong not to see Jesus for Who He is. 

When you fail to recognize Jesus, He comes to your aid anyway, just as He did to the disciples in their boat. He came to them not as a disembodied spirit, but as a flesh and blood Savior. Jesus comes to you the very same way, giving you His very body to eat, and His blood to drink in His Supper. He comes to feed you with Himself today, the very Forgiver truly present to deliver the forgiveness of your sins which you need. And where there is forgiveness, there is also life and salvation.

The third *immediately* occurs while unbelieving Peter starts sinking in the sea. In desperation, Peter cries out, "Lord, save me!" and without delay Jesus reaches out His hand to rescue foolish Peter. Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, and looked at the waves instead, and he was sunk. You too are tempted to take your faith off of Jesus, and look to other truths, other ways and other ways of life.

When you follow the ways of the world, or get engrossed in what you think is right, you end up following the will of the devil, and then you are sunk. But Jesus comes to your rescue at once, proclaiming you forgiven of your faithless wandering eyes. You confess your sins and promptly Jesus provides His holy absolution for you, that whenever your heart is heavy with your sins of faith-straying, He will remove those sins to Himself at the cross, where He bears them and their punishment.

Yes, Jesus is with you, right now, as you worship Him, just as the disciples worshiped Him in their boat. He truly is the Son of God, whose immediate salvation is apparent for you, just as it was for Peter and the rest. For Jesus has proved Himself to you, being your Savior from sin, from death, and from Satan's torments. He does this through His Word and sacraments, Christ's love proclaimed to you and delivered through His means of grace, as immediate deliverance and rescue for you. 

Hymns for today from LSB:

#522  Lord God, to You We Give All Praise  stanzas  tune

#717  Eternal Father Strong to Save

#726  Evening and Morning

Proper 10A Gospel: Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

In that day Jesus, having gone out of the house was sitting along the sea; And great crowds came together to Him, so that, having entered a boat, He sat down. And all the crowd was standing upon the shore. And He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "Look, the seed-planter went out to plant seeds. And in his seed planting, first, some fell along the path, and the birds came and consumed it. But next, some fell upon rocky places where it didn't have much earth; and immediately it sprouted; on account of not having much soil and the sun having risen, it was scorched and on account of not having root, it dried up. But then some fell upon the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it off. But finally some fell upon the excellent earth and gave fruit; some 100, others 60, and others 30. The one having ears--Hear!" 
 
Clearly, Jesus reveals His heavenly Father to be a crazy farmer in this story, at least by this world's standards. Anybody knows you put seeds into the best soil. But God the Father plants in the road, on rocks, and in thorny weed-patches. Non Christians read this story and figure our God is a whack-a-doodle. But you know better. You are believers in Christ Jesus, and you receive this story of Jesus by faith, trusting that God the Father knows exactly what He is doing, and that it's the best thing!

Now Jesus makes it plain that this isn't a story about seed-planting, exactly. It's about God the Father placing the seed of His word into people. But you also realize that you are not ordinary Christians. You are not generic protestants who hear "Word of God" and immediately think only of the "Bible". No, you are Lutherans, and you know that the promised "Seed" of Eve, and of Abraham is Jesus. You know that Jesus is the Word who became flesh and tabernacles with you. This seed/Word is Jesus planted.
 
You know also just how Jesus is planted in you. And just in case you forgot, Jesus reminds you. He says "The one having ears–hear!" Do you have ears? Then let those ears God created do their thing and listen as Jesus splains it to you Lucy, just what this parable means for you. This story is about people with ears, just like you. Some just won't listen. Some listen for a time, then stop for various reasons. But you keep on listening to Jesus; or at least you know you should. Sometimes you don't..
 
The first ear-problem is those whose ears work perfectly fine, but they refuse to listen. You are like this at times. You tune out your pastor on that topic from God that you don't care for. But there is grave danger in this, pun intended, for those who don't gain the insight God gives, lose its benefits! Those who think, "this message from Jesus just isn't for me" forfeit its blessings! They are like those for whom Jesus comes into one ear, but then right out the other. The devil has snatched such folks.
 
Though you stop your ears from hearing Jesus at times, God places His only-begotten Son in your ear anyway! Not because God is foolish, but because He is patient and persistent. Again and again God the Father offers His only-begotten Son to go right into you ear through the sacrament of Holy Absolution. "He who hears you, hears Me!" Jesus says. When your pastor proclaims your sin forgiven in the name of you Triune God, it is a sure and certain as if Jesus were speaking it into your ears Himself!
 
The second ear-problem is described with the next two sorts who start off hopefully, but don't last. These are the kinds of folk who shouted "Hosanna!" on Palm Sunday, only to join in on the "Crucify Him"s of Good Friday. You are this way at times yourself, believing while it is convenient, but wimping out when it comes at the cost of suffering a cross for your faith. You can be a fickle Christian, going as the wind blows, believing in fair weather, but falling away in bad. Worries & distractions make you fruitless.

Though God knows you doubt like Thomas or deny Him when the going gets tough like Peter, God plants the Word/Seed Jesus firmly into you anyway! Is God nuts? No. He is love, and kindly disposed to you even when you aren't so toward Him. This is why He baptized you, to cleanse you of your sinful fears and former unfaithfulness. He gives you Jesus at the font, to bless you with His death & rising, that each day, by baptismal repentance, sinful you drown & die, and new you arise to new life in Him!
 
God the Father gives the Word/Seed Jesus to die for the unloving & unfaithful because He wants all to be saved & come to know the truth. By the gift of faith, you have come to know Jesus your Savior, that by the Holy Spirit you keep on listening, keep on trusting in Jesus Who gave Himself up to death, the Seed planted in the tomb so that He might bear fruit. You are that fruit of Jesus. He makes you fruitful by His body given & blood shed for your forgiveness. He bears His Spirit's fruit in you now!

Second Sunday after the Epiphany John 1:29-42

On the next day, he (John) sees Jesus coming to him and says,"Look, the Lamb of God, the One taking away the sin of the world. This is on behalf of Whom I myself said, `After me comes a man Who before me is come to be, because before me, He was'. And I, myself didn't understand Him, but in order that He be shown to Israel, through this I myself came in water baptizing." And John testified, saying that, "I saw the Spirit coming down like a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. And I, myself didn't understand Him, but the One Who sent me to baptize in water, That One said to me, `Upon whomever you see the Spirit coming down & remaining upon Him, This is the One baptizing in the Holy Spirit.' And I, myself have seen & have testified that This is the Son of God!"  On the next day again John was standing and two of his disciples and he looked at Jesus walking; he says, "Look, the Lamb of God!" And his two disciples heard him speaking and they followed Jesus. And having turned, Jesus also seeing them following says to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to Him, "My Great One, (which is to say, when interpreted, `Teacher') where are you staying?" He says to them,"Come and you will see." Then they came and saw where He stayed and alongside Him they stayed that day; the hour was about the 10th. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter was one of the two hearing from John and following Him; This one found first His own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah, (which is interpreted `Christ')."  He brought him to Jesus.

Why aren't more people Christians? Why are there so many empty pews here today? How can we get more people as members, involved in our church? These are all really questions about "evangelism". But the answers vary throughout Christendom. Some place the burden on the shoulders of those who should be seeking for Jesus. Others answer that it's a burden on the ones who are already church members. But in today's Gospel, the answers to evangelism center on the gospel-giver–Christ Jesus!

People aren't church-going Christians because they don't know Jesus. Oh, they probably know the basics about Him. But they don't know Him, just like John the Baptized didn't know Him at first. They don't understand Who Jesus is for them. They don't comprehend just what Jesus does for them, Even you would remain ignorant of the saving knowledge of the Christ if God didn't do something to help.

So God sends proclaimers like John to testify about Jesus and Who He is. He sends preachers like John to witness to the things Christ accomplishes. Once John comprehended just Who Jesus was, he told people! Every week God gathers you all here to here this testimony about Jesus, your Messiah, anointed to be your Savior. You hear the witness, week in and week out, of Jesus the Christ and all that He does to save you by giving His life as forfeit on the cross, so that by His death you now have life!

People aren't yet church-going believers because, they are looking for love in all the wrong places. They are searching, but not finding. Some look to be comforted in human relationships, others by a bottle, and still others search for answers within themselves, but never find them. They need help! Without God's direction, even U2 would be saying, "We still haven't found what we are looking for." .

But God has helped you! He has given you that gospel invitation, "Come and see!" God used someone to bring you to Jesus for the first time. For most of you, He was revealed to you as the Christ, showing Himself as your anointed Savior when you were baptized. Just like John baptized in water to reveal Jesus to people, so too have you been baptized so Jesus could reveal His saving love to you. You are baptized into Jesus' death and resurrection, by His Holy Spirit to make you His Own!

People aren't yet church-attending Christians because, quite frankly, they haven't really looked at Jesus as they should. Oh, perhaps they have considered Him once or twice, but they really haven't looked *to* Him for what He truly is for them. Maybe they prefer to look to themselves, or trust in the temporary things of this world, rather than looking to Jesus. But nothing else is as reliable as He is.
 
This is why John says, not once, but twice here, "Look, the Lamb of God!" Jesus is that Lamb of God Who was sacrificed for all people. Like the Lamb butchered on the day of Atonement in the Old Testament whose shed blood freed the people from their sins each year, Jesus has taken away the sins of the world! His body given to death on the cross and His blood shed for you at Calvary forgive you your sins, replacing them with His Own righteousness. You eat this body and drink His blood today in His Supper!

Amen.

Hymns from LSB:

734  I Trust Oh Lord your Holy Name   (Listen through the prelude. The hymn with stanzas will follow)
402  The Only Son of Heaven     (same again)
404  Jesus, Once with Sinners Numbered
534  Lord Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor  stanzas  music 

Christmas I Matt. 2:13-23

And they (the wise men), having departed, look, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph according to a dream, saying, "Arise, take along the Child and His mother and flee into Egypt and stand there until whenever I speak to you; for Herod is about to seek for the Child to destroy it. And he arose and took along the Child and His mother at night and departed into Egypt, and was there until the end of Herod; in order that the utterance of the Lord through the prophet be fulfilled, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."... And Herod, having come to his end, look an angel of the Lord appeared according to a dream in Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take along the child and his mother and go into the land of Israel, for dead are those having sought the life of the child." And he arose, took along the child and His mother and went into the land of Israel. And having heard that Archeleus reigned in Judea in place of his father, Herod, he feared entering there; and being warned by revelation according to a dream, he left into the region of the Galilee, and he came, resided in a city called Nazareth; that would be fulfilled the utterance through the prophets, that he will be called a Nazarene.

People are vulnerable. They become ill, suffer and eventually die. Life on this earth is testament to this. Mary and Joseph had suffered a long, pregnant journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. Now an amazing thing had happened. God has taken human flesh. He is now people like Mary, Joseph or you. God has become vulnerable. He's now kill-able. Jesus is now expendable.

So God the Father must protect His only-begotten Son by Joseph who is nothing but a dreamer. Like his name-sake from the Old Testament, Joseph dreamed. The first Joseph dreamed his eleven brothers would one day bow down to him, so they shipped him off, secretly to Egypt (without his colorful coat). Likewise, this New Testament Joseph was given a dream to likewise escape to Egypt. Coincidence?

The first Joseph's eleven brothers threw him in a pit, wanting to kill him. The second Joseph's life is also in danger, along with his wife Mary and step-son, Jesus. In both cases God rescued the by sending these dreamers into Egypt. The Israelites was led to come out of Egypt by Moses as they crossed the Red Sea. Now God's Own Son, Jesus, was called out of Egypt back to the land of Israel, once again.

But Jesus is God almighty! How can some wimpy king Herod chase the all-powerful God into Egypt? Because Jesus is God-made-vulnerable. As you are afflicted with sin and suffering, so Jesus came into this world to take your place, to be vulnerable, afflicted with your afflictions. Jesus is in the likeness of your flesh, though sinless, He becomes your sin at the cross bearing it's affliction of eternal death for you.

But that would be later on. Not when Jesus was just a young child. He would not die at Calvary until much later. So the devil's plan for Jesus' early death is thwarted by the Father. God delivers His Son from His enemies, to have vengeance upon them later. All those psalms of old that talk about God's deliverance from enemies are all about Jesus and how His heavenly Father would rescue him here.

Dream after dream, step by step, God reveals to Joseph (as head of household) how to protect Jesus until He's grown. Then the time comes for His vulnerability. God sent His Son, born of a woman to live under Law. That means He's able to be tempted, as Satan did his best for forty days in the wilderness, yet Jesus did not sin. He remained a perfect sacrifice on the cross to redeem you, who fails to keep God's law.

This redemption took place for Him on the cross, but for you it happened at your baptism. There the blessed trade took place, your sins washed from you, and the filthy flood from the font takes them to Jesus at Calvary. In exchange, you get Jesus holiness, His goodness, the Lord's Own righteousness credited to your account by faith! So your baptism becomes God's adoption of you into His heavenly family. You have all become sons of God, even you prettier ones, sons receiving God's inheritance.

Jesus humbled Himself to come down to earth to be vulnerable, kill-able, not as a child, but as your redemption price on the tree of Calvary. There He would become the ransom price to redeem you from sin, death and  the devil. You could not save yourself, or make yourself worthy of life eternal. Jesus did that for you at the price of His body given for you, and His blood shed for you for your forgiveness. Jesus makes Himself expendable for your sake, suffering your death that you have His life.
 
For He is a "Nazarene" as the prophets predicted. No, you won't find the word "Nazarene" in any Old Testament prophecy. But Jesus is from "Branch-town" which is what Nazareth means. He is that branch of Jesse's tree, sprouting up from that stump for you. Jesus is the genuine Vine from David's line into Whom you are grafted by His grace. He dies for you under the sign, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." All according to God's plan, in His timing, this Branch from Jesse's tree is vulnerable, for you.

In the name of Christ,
Amen.

Christmas Day John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was toward God, and God was the Word. This One was in the beginning toward God. All things through Him came to be, and without Him came to be not one thing which came to be; In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind; and the Light in the darkness shines and the darkness did not overtake it.   There came to be a human, sent on a mission from God, whose name--John. This one came for a witness, in order that he might witness concerning the Light, that all might believe through him. That one was not the Light, but that He might witness concerning the Light. The Light, the genuine one, which enlightens all mankind was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world through Him came to be, yet the world did not know Him. To His Own He came, and those who were His Own did not receive Him. But as many as did receive Him, He gave to them authority to become God's children, to those who believe into His Name. Ones, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but out of God were born!  And the Word came to be flesh and tabernacled in us, and we saw his glory, glory as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
 
My very first day of confirmation class in 1978, Pastor Ginter wrote these words on the chalkboard. As a good student, I copied them down into my notebook, but I didn't have the foggiest notion what they meant. "In the beginning was the Word..." OK. But what word? Was it a single word or a whole sentence?  It must be a special word, since everything that exists came to be through this amazing word. And how exactly  was the word "light"? Was it on one of those newfangled computer screens? I was clueless.
 
It wasn't until the very end of the class, and hour and a half later that it finally began to click for me. The word became flesh and was with us on the earth. Folks saw this word's glory, begotten from His Father. I started to "get it". This mysterious Word was actually the Son of God–Jesus! Ever since that day, I haven't read the word "word" in the scriptures the same way. Now I see "Word" and always think "Jesus".
 
If you look on the front cover of your bulletin for today, the Greek "O Logos" is printed there. It means "The Word". Jesus is this word made flesh. He is God "incarnate". This incarnation is not about Americans driving down the interstate, but it is about the Word becoming flesh. Like meat-eaters are called "carnivores", Jesus is in-carn-ate, meaning to have meat on His bones–flesh. The Word by Whom God created everything, like when He said "Let there be light", had come down to the earth, in the flesh.
 
Now I know this is a bit of a challenge. Many of us hear "Word of God" and instantly think "The bible". While the bible is the book of God's words plural, the singular Word of God is always Jesus the Christ.  The words of God in scripture can only enlighten you because they are about the Word of God–Jesus. The words of holy writ can only bestow you life eternal because Jesus, the Word is your life!
 
The only reason that you recognize Jesus as the Word of life for you is because He has enlightened you to believe it. Many in the world remain in darkness, by their own choice. The temptations abound to think that you don't need Jesus, because you feel like you are already pretty good on your own. You have earthly parents, so why would you need a heavenly Father too? You've already been born into this world, so why should you want to be born another time to a heavenly life in the world to come?
 
People who think that they are already pretty enlightened folks are deceiving themselves. There is only one true, genuine light that can actually enlighten you. That light is Jesus! No matter how smart you think you are, no matter how high your IQ, no matter how much you have learned, no matter how well read you consider yourself to be, you remain in utter darkness without Jesus. But those who believe, receive Him and come to know Him as He is. The Word of God Who enlightens and gives life to all mankind!
 
You have been reborn, of water and the Word, Who is Jesus! Born anew in your baptism, you are raised up to new life in Jesus' Own resurrection. By this gift of God, He has given you special authority as children of your heavenly Father. Because of the Son of God–Jesus, Who died for you on the cross, you become a son of God. You believe in His name, the name into which you have been baptized!
 
But not only has the Word of God–Jesus, come to you to bring you into His heavenly Father's family through your baptism, but He also comes to you incarnate this day–in the flesh. Yes, the flesh and blood Jesus comes to you this Christmas morn to feed you from His feeding trough manger. He gives you His incarnate body to eat, and His blood to drink in the Lord's Supper. His flesh tabernacles in you today!

Advent 4 What's in a name? Matthew 1:18-25

And the genesis of Jesus, the Christ was so: His mother Mary, having been betrothed to Joseph, before their coming together, she was found having in womb of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph, her husband, was righteous and did not wish her to be disgracefully exposed, intended privately to divorce her. And having thought about these things, look, an angel of the Lord according to a dream appeared to him saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife; for the one begotten in her is out of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a son, and you will call His name `Jesus'; for this One will save His people from their sins." And the whole of this happened in order that it be fulfilled, the thing spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Look, the virgin will have in the womb and will bear a son, and they will call his name, Immanuel" which is translated "with us, God". And Joseph, having risen from the sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded to him, and took along his wife and did not know her until she bore a son; and he called His name `Jesus'.

What's in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell the same, as Shakespeare reminds us. But sometimes a name is highly significant. It's very important for the Christ-child, because His name reveals to us just Who He is, and what He is to accomplish! Which is why, in our story today, the second person of the Trinity receives not one but two names. But before we get into the importance of these two names, we must first consider just Who this Christ-child is and how He came to be so...

Jesus obviously didn't come into this world in the normal fashion. He had a mother who became pregnant with him while still a virgin. She was "betrothed" and considered married to Joseph because the vows were in those days at the engagement, not at the marriage ceremony. But they hadn't come together yet. They didn't know one another in the biblical sense, so there was no way Joseph could be the father of this baby boy. So Joseph, an upright guy, wanted to divorce Mary quietly, shamefree.

Then God's angel comes to him in a dream to explain what has happened. Mary is pregnant, but not from a man. She became with child from the Holy Spirit! No human male was Jesus' father. God the Father was His daddy! This was very important, since human fathers passed on sin and death to their children, from generation to generation. But Jesus had no human father, so He was sin-free. He had no "old adam" in Him to give in to sinning like you have. Jesus had a pure and undefiled flesh!

That's precisely why the Christ is given the name "Jesus", because it means Savior. He is called Jesus because He has come to save His people from their sins. That includes you. The Christ-child was born sin-free to earn eternal life for you by his righteous obedience under God's Law. As a human, Jesus was made subject to keeping God's commandments, and he did it perfectly. He was the only one to live out His life on earth without sinning, thus being the only one worthy of life eternal.

   

But Jesus didn't come to save Himself, but to save His people from their sins. This is why He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, so that He could bear sin in His Own body. Not His Own sins, since He was perfect, but Jesus came to earth to bear your sins in His own flesh on the tree of Calvary. Jesus, Who knew no sins of His Own, made Himself incarnate to become your sins on the cross. He suffered the wages of your sin, dying your death to save you from being forsake by your heavenly Father.

   

Yes Jesus became man, in the flesh to take your sins and their punishment as His Own. For liars, Jesus became a liar. For those who lose their tempers, Jesus became a temper-loser. For thieves Jesus became a thief. For the unfaithful Jesus made Himself to be unfaithful. For gossips Jesus became a gossip. For the foul-mouthed Jesus became foul-mouthed. He died as the transgressor.

But the incarnate second Person of the Trinity isn't just given the human name of Jesus. He is also given another name: "Immanuel". This name is just as important for the Christ, because it is a divine name. It means "God–with us!" With this name, it is revealed to us just what is happening in Mary's womb. It's not just a human baby in there. It's fully God as well! As God, this Christ-child has the power to do what only God can, forgive sins, save souls, deliver from death and the devil, and bestow eternal life!

This Immanuel is God-with us now, and until the end of the age. The incarnate Jesus was with you at your baptism, washing your sins from you to Himself at Calvary. He is in His Word proclaimed, entering your ear as you hear that He has come to save you from your sins. He is in the bread and wine, giving you his ever-living body and life-giving blood for your forgiveness, life and salvation. Jesus is Immanuel, God-with you in the voice of your Pastor forgiving you absolutely when you confess.

Amen!

Hymns for today from LSB:

#341 Lift Up your Heads Ye Mighty Gates!

#357 O Come, O Come Emmanuel

#350 Come, Thou Precious Ransom

#355 O Savior Rend the heavens Wide

Advent II Matthew 3:1-12 How is it that YOU can make GOD'S path straight?

1st Lesson - Isaiah 2:1-5       Epistle - Romans 13:8-14        Gospel - Matthew 3:1-12

Gradual for Advent:  (Zechariah 9:9,  Psalm 118:26)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!

See! Your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation.

Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD;

we have blessed you from the house of the LORD.

And in those days John the Baptizer came along proclaiming in the desert of Judea, saying "Repent for near--the kingdom of the heavens." For this is the one spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, "A voice crying out in the desert; `Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight His paths!'"And this John had his garment from camel hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then, kept coming out to him Jerusalem and all the Judea and all of the region around the Jordan, And were baptized in the Jordan river by him confessing their sins. And seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, "Offspring of Vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Then, you do fruits worthy of repentance, And do not think to say in yourselves, `We have Father Abraham.' For I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And already the ax to the roots of the trees is laid; Then every tree which does not make good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. On the one hand, I myself baptize you in water into repentance, but on the other hand, One coming after me is stronger than I am, for Whom I am unworthy to carry sandals; This One will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire; Whose winnowing fork is in His hand and He will clean thoroughly his threshing floor and gather His grain into the barn; but the chaff He will burn up in unquenchable fire. 

With these words we have before us a tale of two trees. It was the best of times for the repentant trees. It was the worst of times for the unrepentant trees. Those trees that repented bore fruit from repentance. Those trees which refused to be changed by God in repentance bore no godly fruits. Repentant trees bore fruitful grain which God gathers into His barn on the last day. Unrepentant trees have no fruit at all–only chaff which will burn in the unquenchable asbestos hell-fire for eternity.

These trees are actually people. It's really a tale of two types of people. The first are convicted by God's law, and confess that they are indeed sinners who deserve punishment from God. God turns them from their sin to His grace in repentance, and they are baptized to wash away their sin. The second group, pharisees and Sadducees, are those who don't think they sin, don't see any need for change, and rebuff God's attempts to turn their hearts and minds away from their sin toward God.

So which group do you fall in? If you consider yourself a "good person", resist any change from your bad habits, expect God to welcome you into heaven because you are so great, then you are probably those resisting God's Spirit who wants to bring you to repentance. If you know that you are guilty of sin, sorry for breaking God's commandments, desperate for God to rescue from your sinful ways, then you are among those in whom God works repentance, turning you from sin to His grace in Jesus 

It is this gift and working of God called "repentance" which makes all the difference. Repentance prepares the Lord's way to you. Repentance makes Jesus' path straight for Him to come to you. Because repentance is something special. It is not just the guilt and sorrow you feel when you do the wrong thing. Judas felt that much, but ended up in hell. Repentance is also faith, which trusts in Jesus to remove your sins, guilt and all, and bear those sins in His Own body on the cross unto death.  

Repentance is so vital to your salvation that Luther listed it as the first and foremost of his 95 theses. He wrote that the entire life of the Christian would be one of repenting. Repenting isn't just something you do once, right before you "get saved". Repentance is God constantly turning you from sin, returning you to His grace in Christ Jesus. Repentance is a continual renewal of your heart and mind which God's Spirit works in you, conforming you to be more and more Christ-like in thoughts and feelings 

But this gift of repentance is not "of the Law". It's not something that you can do to straighten God's path to you. The pharisees and sadducees thought it was, trusting in their own self-righteousness. They became offspring of deadly snakes, nothing but dead trees to be burned in hell-fire. No, the law says do, and for you it remains ever un-done. The gospel says "it is finished", and by Christ, it truly *is*! God prepares His way to you in Jesus, Who comes to you in His means of grace for your salvation.

Jesus came to you in your own baptism, not unlike the baptism of John. Your baptism washed away your sins, cleansing you from all your unrighteousness. Jesus comes to you in the proclamation of the gospel which tells you the kingdom of heaven is at hand in the person of the King, Christ Jesus Who died and rose for your salvation. Jesus comes to you when you confess your sins, receiving His absolution from your pastor. Jesus comes to you with His body given and blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. And you know that where there is the forgiveness of sins, there is also... 

Amen.

Hymns from LSB:

#343  Prepare the Royal Highway! music  

#344  On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry

#333  Once He Came in Blessing

#347  Comfort, Comfort, Ye my People

   

ADVENT I Matthew 21:1-11 "OK, So who moved Palm Sunday to December?"

And when they came near unto Jerusalem and came into Bethphage into the mountain of the Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples on a mission, saying to them, "You go into the village, the one across from you, and immediately you will find, tied, a donkey and a colt with her; having loosened, you lead to me. And if ever anyone to you may say anything, you will say that the Lord has need of them; and immediately he will send them on a mission. And this happened in order that the spoken word through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your king comes to you, gentle and mounted upon a donkey, even upon a colt, a son of a beast of burden.'" And the disciples went, and did just as Jesus had instructed them; they brought the donkey and the colt and placed on them the garments, and He sat upon them. And much of the crowd spread their garments in the way, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading in the way. And the crowds, the ones going before Him, and the ones following after were saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed– the One coming in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!" And He, having entered into Jerusalem all the city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowd was saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth of the Galilee." 

Happy New Year!

"Um, Pastor. It's December 1st, not January 1st. You're a month early." But the church's new year begins today with Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. "Pastor, you've got it wrong. That's Palm Sunday". But in the restored lectionary, it is returned to where it belongs, on the first day of the church year. For Advent means "arrival", and salvation arrived in Jerusalem.

So what does Jesus riding a donkey have to do with Advent, which focuses on Jesus' last day return? We must go back to the days of Israel's kings. On his deathbed, David instructed his son Solomon to ride into Jerusalem on his own royal steed. The man whose name meant "peace" entered the city for his coronation. This is a type of the Prince of Peace riding on a donkey to die as King of the Jews.

As Solomon's ancient ride foreshadowed Jesus' Palm Sunday, that day is also a type, prefiguring His return to earth on the last day to judge. As Jesus comes down in the clouds you are snatched up to meet Him in the air, to descend and remain with Him through the final judgment. As the citizens  went out to usher Jesus into the first Jerusalem, so too will you meet and follow Him to the New Jerusalem.

History repeats itself, and that's a good thing. As Nathan the prophet, Zadok the high priest, and the people gathered to welcome Solomon saying, "Long live King Solomon!", so the crowds met Jesus in His day with shouts of, "Hosanna in the highest!" Hosanna means "save us!". But you won't be making any such exclamations when Jesus returns on Judgment Day. For He is already raised to everlasting life. He has already saved you from sin, from death, and from the power of the devil.

You might shout as they did on Palm Sunday, "Blessed–the One coming in the Name of the Lord!" For Jesus is truly the blessed One, from whom all blessings flow. He has already blessed you with salvation, having redeemed you by His blood sacrifice at Calvary. He came to you not as a king of war, but one of peace. Meek, gentle, He came to offer Himself unto death for you, as His riding of a young donkey instead of a war-horse foretold. He is the lamb led to slaughter in silence, for you.

Jesus came once before as your salvation, into Jerusalem where He sacrificed His life to save you. He comes again in triumph at the last day to usher in His heavenly kingdom on earth–paradise restored. So don't get caught up in all the false rapture theories. Jesus isn't coming invisibly to snatch folks from behind the driver's seat of their car. That's nonsense. He who ascended once in the clouds comes back the same way He left to complete His as-of-yet unfinished kingdom of God.

This is why you pray, "Thy Kingdom Come." It has come to you, in your heart by grace thru faith. You have received the righteousness of Jesus in blessed exchange for your sin Jesus bore at Calvary. You have been washed clean in the waters of your baptism, nourished by Jesus' body and blood, and comforted by the gospel. Your spirit and soul are saved, but your body of flesh still may taste death.

Yet your salvation is nearer  than when you first believed, because as each day passes, the last day looms closer. On that day, the Spirit will raise all flesh, and your body will be made glorious as Jesus' Own body is! When Jesus returns your body, soul, mind and spirit will all be saved, and the Kingdom of God will be complete! For this we pray, Blessed–the One Who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.

.Hymns from LSB:

#335  O Bride of Christ, Rejoice  stanzas  music
#332  Savior of the Nations Come stanzas  music
#516  Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying!
#331  The Advent of our King

Reformation Romans 3:19-28

And now, separate from Law, a justice of God is revealed still, witnessed by the Torah and the Prophets, and a righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ, into all the ones believing. For there is no difference, for all miss the mark and lack the reflected-glory of God, being made righteous–a gift in His grace through the ransoming–the one in Christ Jesus; Whom God placed before–an appeasement through faith in His blood, into a sign-of-proof of His righteousness, through the letting go of sins unpunished which were done before; in the holding back of God, to the sign-of-proof of His righteousness in the now-season, into Him being righteous, and making righteous the one having the faith of Jesus. Where then, the bragging? Excluded. Through what Law? Of the works? No, but through a law of faith. Therefore, we calculate a man to be made righteous in faith, separate from works of Law.

The central question of the Reformation was that of orthodox teaching. Was the Roman church of Luther's day teaching truth, or did the bible teach the truth? This was, and remains the critical question for evaluating any church or preacher. For teaching must be "orthodox" which means quite literally "giving God the proper glory". So Martin Luther posted his 95 theses in hopes of debating what church practices gave Jesus the right glory. His main question was about selling "indulgences".

The question may have begun about whether forgiveness and complete pardon for sins was for sale, but it soon became a matter of whether man could do a single thing to earn, merit, or make himself worthy of God's grace. Did you have to strive and struggle to be righteous first to find God's favor, or was God already gracious to you because of Jesus? From his extensive study of God's Word, Luther learned that the righteousness of God was a free gift, which came to a believer by faith alone.

Now, this Reformation mantra, "Faith alone" is not found in today's text, although it is implied, as it is a faith which is apart from works. In Luther's German translation of this text, he inserts a technical old German term for "alone" to make it clear to those speaking that language that man is righteous "alone, by faith". No works of law obedience are required for you to be righteous in God's sight! It is a gift!

But your old Adam in your flesh doesn't want to believe it. Salvation must be earned! It is so valuable that it must cost dearly! It seems to you, at times, to cheapen the whole process if redemption comes to you freely, by faith, and even that faith is a gift and working of God in you. You want to show yourself to be deserving of such a blessing. So you strive, struggle and strain, and then boast about it to others.

But bragging is excluded. What? There's no commandment against it! But it is excluded just the same. For there is no one who deserves to be saved. You have all sinned like Adam and Eve, and you all have lost that image of God which once reflected His glory. You are all in the same boat. You could boast, "look at me, I'm a good Christian" but you'd be lying, and everyone knows it. No, all bragging is excluded by the law of faith. God made you a believer and gifted you with His righteousness freely.

This is seen clearly at your baptism. You were conceived and born a sinner, in need of much help. So God washed your sins from you that day, but He didn't leave your heart empty. Your sins were deposited on Jesus at the cross where He died your death there. Yet Jesus' Own holy goodness He gave up for you at Calvary--His righteousness given to you as a free gift to make you worthy of eternal life! Your baptism is a sign of the proof of God's righteousness, through Christ Jesus your Savior.

This comes to you also at the Lord's Supper. Jesus, your "propitiation" is your atoning sacrifice appeasing God's wrath as the sacrificial lambs of old. He passes over the sins you did before as the true Passover Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. He is the mercy seat, covering over the commandments in the ark of the covenant, with His shed blood poured out for your salvation. His body given and His blood shed for you are another sign of the proof of His righteousness for you!

Through word and sacrament, God Himself makes you orthodox, that you too be of the proper glory, just as God Himself is. Your own self-righteous attempts fail to bring you any lasting glory, falling short. But your glorious God–Christ Jesus, gives up His Own holy righteousness at Calvary for you. God's glory is now reflected in you by the righteousness of Jesus, credited to your account by faith! The glory of Christ alone is now your own glory, as the image of God is restored to you in Jesus! This is the orthodox teaching of God, from His Word, for it gives Christ all the glory for your salvation!

Amen

hymns for today from LSB:
#556  Dear Christians One and All Rejoice!
#656   A Mighty Fortress
#555  Salvation Unto Us has Come  all 10 stanzas
#655  Lord Keep Us Steadfast in You Word   stanzas
.

.

Proper 21 1 Timothy 3:1-13

And a battle took place in heaven, the battle of Michael and his angels with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels battled, and they were not strong, nor was there a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the ancient snake, the one called "devil" and "the accuser", the one deceiving the entire habitation was thrown down onto the earth, and his angels with him. And I heard a great sound in heaven, saying, "Now happens the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, because thrown down–the indicter of our brothers, the one indicting them before our God, day and night. And these conquered him through the blood of the Lamb and through the word of His witness, and they did not love their lives with God's love until death. Through this you rejoice, heavens and those tabernacling in them. Woe: the earth and the sea, because the devil comes down to you, having great anger, knowing that he has a little season.

"Woe to you, O earth and sea, because the devil sends his beasts with wrath, because he knows the time is short!" "Woe to the world because of it's death-traps...woe to that man through whom the death-trap comes!" Such woes effect us as they do a horse, slowing and stopping us to ponder the graveness (pun intended) of these words. Woe means deadly danger.(Will Robinson) The death Satan wants is the eternal one--hell.

But what of the battle Michael and his angels won? By this defeat, the devil was cast from heaven, it is true, no longer a claim to a thing in God's kingdom. But that snake didn't fall to hell, unfortunately, but to earth, where that wily serpent tempted Eve and Adam in the garden. Since causing our fall, this world became Satan's princedom. His woes abound; death and despair reign here. He accuses: "You deserve hell!"  And you do.

The devil is on the attack against you because you have been baptized. Satan doesn't bother with atheists, heathens, and others who don't belong to God. But you have been named with God's name. At your baptism God claimed you as His very own dear child. But this has marked you in Satan's sight. It has placed a target on your back for him to aim at. And because you sin, his accusations tend to hit home.

But in your baptism you have a protection against the devil's attacks! You are redeemed by Christ the crucified at the font! You belong to God now because of the ransom price Jesus paid for you on the cross. Satan cannot snatch you from God's almighty Hand, which is Jesus! At the name of the Triune God into which you were baptized, the devil is exorcised from your midst, since Jesus defeated Him at the cross. When he accuses you of your unworthiness to be God's child, seeking to get you to jump out of God's hand, say, "Satan, hear this proclamation: I am baptized into Christ; drop your ugly accusation, I am not so soon enticed!"

Satan accuses you because, quite frankly, you have been guilty of many sins. The devil is the DA in the divine courtroom, indicting you of the various crimes you've committed against God's Law. You haven't loved God with your entire heart. You haven't loved your neighbors as much as you've loved yourself. Not just you, but he indicts all your brothers in Christ too. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. You have no defense of your own. You are guilty as sin–literally. You deserve the woes of hell.

But you have an unlikely Witness Who comes to your defense. It's your own Lawyer, Jesus Who advocates for you in His testimony. He takes the stand and declares, "though you've done the crime, I've already done your time!". Satan is stunned. Because at Calvary, Jesus enacted a blessed exchange for you. He took your sins as His burden, bearing them in His Own body on that tree and suffering the curse of hell in your stead, there. In trade, He gives you His Own holy righteousness, credited to your account freely, by faith, so that as He has died, you now live!

The devil attacks the church for the same reason He attacked Jesus–because the Church is the Body of Christ. The ruler of angels Who is the likeness of God Himself kicked that nasty dragon out of heaven long ago. Satan seeks his revenge on Christ. He tried to kill baby Jesus soon after He was born, then entered Judas to betray the Lord. Since Jesus ascended, now Satan attacks the Church.

But your confidence remains in the Body of Christ. For now is the salvation, power and kingdom of our God. Today Jesus feeds you with His very body given for you in death on the cross, and gives you His blood shed at Calvary for you to drink. You are what you eat, after all. As believers in Christ, you are blessed to be forgiven in this sacrament. And you know that where there is the forgiveness of sins for you, there is also life and salvation. Satan is conquered for you through the blood of the Lamb–Jesus Christ.

Jesus at the cross kept that ancient promise to Eve that her Seed would strike the death-blow upon the head of that ancient serpent. Through this, you now rejoice, because, as much as Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven, you now live there, tabernacling in Christ, a child of God whose angel keep on gazing upon the face of your Father in heaven, keeping you connected to God forevermore, through word and sacrament.

 Amen. 

Proper 20 Pentecost I Timothy 2:1-15

So I appeal to you first of all to make entreaties, prayers, requests, thanksgivings on behalf of all humanity, on behalf of kings and all those being in high places, so that a peaceful and quiet life we may lead in all godliness and reverence. This–good and pleasing before our Savior–God, Who wants all humanity to be saved and into recognition of all truth to come. For one God, even one Mediator of God and humanity, a human–Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself a ransom on behalf of all, the witness  at the proper season. Unto this I myself was placed a proclaimer and an Apostle, I speak truth, not falsehood, a teacher of nations, in faith and in truth. So I want the husbands in all places to pray, raising devout hands without anger and argument. In the same manner wives in respectable clothing with modesty and moderation to adorn themselves, not in braids and gold and pearls, or clothing which costs much, but what fits women promised to godliness–through good works. A wife in silence learns in all subjection. And I do not permit a wife to teach nor have authority over a man, but to be in quietness. For Adam–first to be created, then Eve. And Adam wasn't deceived, yet the wife was deceived, in transgression became. Yet they will be saved through the child-bearing, if ever remaining in faith and God's love and holiness with reasonableness.  

God wants all humanity to be saved and recognize the truth that Christ is the Savior of all. So Jesus teaches a weird parable about an unfaithful manager whose shrewdness is actually praised.His deception isn't commended, but his making of friends for his future is worthy of kudos. Jesus instills in us the same prudence to make future friends above. You are to store up folks as treasures in heaven.

So Paul insists that what you do matters. Not that it scores points with God, but it blesses your neighbor. You should pray for people, care about how you behave in your own household, because how you act effects others. If a wife berates her husband in bible class, how would that appear to a curious onlooker? If a husband won't even pray for the President, how does that sound to a visitor?

So in how you pray, by how you behave, and even in what you wear, you might just be making friends for eternity. Yet you think, "these people don't pray for me, so why should I pray for them?" Or, "My spouse doesn't subject himself to my needs, so why should I subject myself to his? Or, "People nowadays don't care how they look, so why should I care how I appear to them? Not the right attitude.

Jesus didn't think that way. What if He said, "You don't pray to Me much, so why should I save you?" or "You don't accept where I've placed you on earth, so why should I let you into heaven?" But He doesn't act like you. His good and gracious will is to save you, regardless of your bad attitude and conduct. So He has your pastor, week in and week out proclaim this truth to you: Jesus loved you so much that He forfeited His life as the ransom price to save you at Calvary! You acknowledge this truth by faith.

God has called you from the darkness of this sinful world to the marvelous light of this gospel promise. It promises you unto your godliness and reverence. But your attitude isn't always so reverent, is it? Nor is your behavior always so godly. Your desire to show of who you are and share what you think sadly overshadows what God desires, and who He has made you to be in Christ.

Though you are stuck in the same sin into which Eve and Adam fell, God has rescued you from it all. You have been saved through child-bearing, in particular, one child born of a virgin. The baby Jesus came into this world to be your Savior in the flesh, to one day sacrifice Himself for you. He gave His body unto death and shed His blood for your forgiveness. You eat the body and
drink the blood of your Savior in the Lord's Supper. In this way you remain in God's love, in the holiness of His  forgiveness.

Jesus says that you can even make friends with mammon which is in-and-of-itself unrighteous. But what do you do with all your mammon? You spend money on electronic gadgets that are outdated in a few months. You buy fancy clothing, jewelry, and hair products to make you look as up on the latest trends as everyone else. But this helps nobody but your own self. Repent of such mammon serving.

Instead, God has given you all your stuff to use in the most godly ways. It's given to you for a purpose, so that others may be blessed, even unto eternity! God once blessed you with the simplest stuff–water. It, with God's word, washed you clean of all your transgressions, and made you a new creation in Christ. At your baptism, God made you anew, now a holy, reverent, godly person where a former unrighteous person used to be. He gave you faith there, in which you remain in God's love.

Proper 19 1 Timothy 1:12-17

I myself am gracious to the One Who has empowered me–Christ Jesus, our Lord, that faithful, He regards me, established into service; the one before being the blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant one; but I was mercied because of ignorance I acted in unbelief; yet the grace of our Lord over-swelled with faith and God's love–the one in Christ Jesus. Faithful-the word, and worthy of all approval, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of which I myself am the first. But through this I was mercied, so that in me, first, Christ Jesus might show the whole patience, the prototype of those about to believe upon Him unto life eternal. And in the King of the ages, undying, invisible, only God, honor and glory into the ages of ages. Amen.  

The great St. Paul wasn't always so great. Nor was he regarded as a saint. Nor did he even go by the name of Paul. Known by His Jewish name of Saul, he was a prominent pharisee, as upright as any Jew could be, even to the point of persecuting that new sect of Jesus-followers called Christians. He spoke against this so called "Christ", and was given great authority to attack Christians, imprisoning some and having others put to death. He even approved of the stoning of St. Stephen. He was lost.

So how did this poor lost soul known as Saul, ungreat, and unsaintly though he was, become the great St. Paul? Jesus had to come and find him, that's how. On his way to persecute the Christian church in Damascus was where Jesus found him. Jesus stopped Saul in his tracks, blinded Him with a light, wrapping him up like a deuce. Then, when he followed Jesus' instructions to go to Ananias' house, he was baptized, regained his sight, and began using his Roman name of Paul to serve Jesus.

You are not unlike Saul because you too have been arrogant just as he was. You've acted selfishly and stubbornly in your own name. You've done what you alone have wanted to do, not caring what God desires. You have spun things in your own favor to place yourself in better light, even when it casts a shadow on your neighbor's reputation. You have acted as though you mattered most.

You are not unlike Saul aka Paul. For just as He was baptized and began using a new name, you too have been baptized. But not in your church's name, or in your pastor's name, or even in your own name, but in the Name of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. God has given you His Own name at your baptism, making you His very Own dear child. You are adopted into God's household at your baptism, receiving God's Own family name as your own. Your home now is in His heavenly mansion, forever..

You are not so very different from Saul in that your actions have been anything but holy at times. As Saul has blasphemed against Jesus, your words have taken His name in vain, and have dishonored your Savior. As Saul persecuted the Church, so have you misled believers by your wrong-headed opinions and your attempts to mislead others away from how you know Christians are to behave.

Yet you are just like Saul/Paul in that you are declared to be holy despite your unholy thoughts, words and actions. This is because Jesus died on the cross for you just as much as He did for St. Paul. Jesus proclaims that you are forgiven of all your unholy sins, and that He has exchanged them for His Own holy righteousness from the cross of Calvary. His strong word has bespoken you "righteous", so that like St. Paul, you can be called a saint, shining bright with the glory of Jesus' Own holiness as your own!

You aren't dissimilar from Saul who sinned in his great ignorance. You too are ignorant when you act apart from your God-given faith. You wrongly assume it isn't so bad to take the first misstep of a transgression. Then you figure, it isn't so bad if you take just a couple more steps into Satan's dangerous territory as you keep trespassing there. But then you are stuck in sin, dreadfully lost.

But you are very much in the same boat as the great St. Paul, who was found by Jesus when he needed saving the most. Jesus has found you as your Good Shepherd as well, bringing you to the green pastures of the Lord's Supper, where He feeds you with His body given, and gives you to drink of His shed blood for the forgiveness of your sins. He mercied you there just as He once mercied the great St. Paul. Your greatness now is in Christ Jesus, the Word Who dwells in you richly.

So, just as the great St. Paul once was lost, but then was found by Jesus, you too were once lost in your trespasses and sins; but Christ found you and has returned you to His holy sheep-fold. Paul is a prototype of your own salvation, for just as Jesus mercied Him, so has He likewise mercied you! This Word is faithful: Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Through this you are mercied!

Amen.

hymns this week from LSB:
#707  Oh That the Lord would Guide my Ways
#609  Jesus Sinners Doth Receive   stanzas   music
#611  Chief of Sinners though I Be