Proper 16 Hebrews 12:4-24

Not yet until blood have you resisted to the sin you struggle (with). And you have completely-forgotten the One called alongside you, which to you, as sons, converses: "My son, do not take lightly the child-training from the Lord, nor grow weary from His correction; for the one the Lord loves, he child-trains, and He whips every son whom He receives." Into child-training you remain; as sons God deals with you... For you have not come to what may be touched and burned in fire and to blackness and darkness and whirlwind, and to trumpet blast and sound of spoken words, so that the ones hearing begged no longer to have the word given to them, for they could not bear the command: "Even if ever an animal touches the mountain, it is to be stoned." And so fearful was the sight, Moses said, "I am afraid and shaking." But you have come to Mt. Zion and the city of the living God, Jerusalem from heaven, and a myriad of angels gathered for a feast; and to a church of firstborns written in a book in heaven, and to God–Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made completely-perfect, and to a new testament mediator–of Jesus, and to a blood of sprinkling speaking greater than the one of Abel.   

"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times". The opening words of A Tale of Two Cities. We have a tale of 2 mountains. On 1–Sinai, it's the worst of times, the tablets of God's commandments, His condemning Law exacting punishment and retribution for sin. On the other–Zion, it's the best of times, the Temple of God's mercy, sacrifices for sin averting God's wrath. Which mountain is yours?

It's as though Monty Hall (or Wayne Brady) is pointing to two doors where Carrol Merril is standing. The one door is really wide, and seems to be the entrance to a great many treasures. The other is extremely narrow, and would seem to hold a very little. But the appearances are deceiving. The wide door is the way of the Law. Do this, don't do that, as you read the signs. The narrow way is the way of the Gospel. The sign there has no "do's" or "don't's". All it says there is "Done, Done and Done for you."

Like those in the Gospel for today, you want to point to yourself and choose the wide door. You want to claim that you drank in Jesus' presence, and were there when He was teaching, but none of this does you any good. You would like to list all you've done which entitles you to enter, but the door of this way to heaven always remains locked. You can't get in. All you can hear is Jesus' voice saying "Where are you from? I never knew you. Depart from me all you workers of evil!".

What gives? You tried to be a really good person so that Jesus would like you enough to let you into heaven. But you've forgotten your child-training from the Lord. You do your best, yet receive punishment. You strive to obey, but you get a spanking at the end of the day. You come to the Lord offering Him your finest efforts, only to get a whipping from His Law when He receives you. Then He tells you this is love...for you deserve much worse for your unholiness. You deserve stoning/death.

So you see, there is no possible way for you to enter through the wide door of "what you do" to merit life in God's kingdom. Nobody can enter that way. If you did get through that doorway, you'd find nothing but the Zonk of condemnation and everlasting death behind it. The only choice is the narrow door, but you find that it's too narrow for you to get through on your own. You try to contort yourself to be small enough to fit, but your sinfulness is a burden that is too great to go through the tiny entrance.

Which is why sinful, sin-burdened you has to go. He can't fit through the door, so he has to be killed. The Law of God which brings such fear and trembling puts sinful you to death. Old sin-burdened you is gone. But that's just where God wants you! For now the Lord Jesus is able to raise you up as His firstborn son in your baptism. Where you had been last in your sinfulness, now the washing of water and word has made you first in God's sight, born again to new life to enter the narrow door in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, the Firstborn of all who are raised from the dead, you are now raised up. There is no longer only one Firstborn, but now many firstborns, which includes you. From all directions these firstborns enter the heavenly Jerusalem to recline at the table with God. You come this day to the Lord's Table to feast on His body given you, upon His blood shed for your salvation. This Holy Communion is a foretaste of the feast to come in the new Jerusalem above!

You've endured the "worst of times"--God's Law killing you. You now live in the best of times, entering through the narrow door--Christ Jesus Himself. For Jesus says, "I am the Door: if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved!" In Him, the Firstborn, you are raised. Thru Him you enter into eternal life.

Hymns for today from LSB:
#772   In Holy Conversation (only found in LSB - copyrighted)
#510  A Multitude Comes from the East and the West
#505  Triune God be Thou our Stay

Advent 3 Philippians 4:4-7

You, be joyful in the Lord at all times; again I say, you be joyful! 

May your gracious-gentleness be known to all mankind. The Lord is near. You worry (about) nothing, but in all, in prayer and in plea with thanksgiving may your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which rises above every mind, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

The remainder, brothers, whatever is genuine, whatever worthy of respect, whatever right, whatever pure, whatever pleasing, whatever praiseworthy, if something is virtuous, if something is recognized-as-approved–these things you consider. And what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, these things you practice; and the God of peace will be with you.      

On this "rejoice" Sunday, you are reminded that you are called to be joyful at all times! And just in case you weren't paying attention, St. Paul is inspired to write it a second time, "Again I say ‘You rejoice!'" OK, you get that God wants you to be joyful, and you certainly can understand how a believer in Christ would find a lot of things about which to rejoice, especially when the Lord's blessings abound. But what about those times when lousy things happen, like in Connecticut last Friday?

But that word is there–"always". Christians are to be joyful all the time. But you know that you just don't feel happy 24/7, 356 days a year. Cruddy things happen in your life. Health problems debilitate you and your loved ones. Finances are way too tight, and you can't always pay the bills. Children don't behave as parents want, and parents don't treat their children like they desire. These and other circumstances abound with much reason for unhappiness. How can God say "rejoice always?"

Well, the first mistake you may make is that you mistake happiness for joy. They are not the same thing at all. Your happiness is based on the situations in this world. Your joy is based on the unchanging certainty of your home in heaven above. Happiness is a fleeting feeling, while joy is a fruit which is borne in you by the Holy Spirit. So recognize the differences between happiness and joy.

Jesus taught His disciples that they ought to rejoice whenever people persecuted them, imprisoned them, told lies about them, and even threatened them with death! This would happen only because of their connection to Christ Jesus. The devil failed to get your Savior directly, so now Satan attacks believers. But you have the peace of God which guards your hearts and; minds in Christ Jesus! This is the peace Jesus proclaims to you from the cross, saying, "Father, forgive them!" Forgiveness=peace.

The second error you may make is forgetting that you are to rejoice *in the Lord*. You are not to rejoice in a political triumph, or because your team won its bowl game, or because you got a raise at work. Your rejoicing is not to be in this world, or in anything associated with it. And your joy should never, ever be in your own accomplishments, lest you become prideful and suffer a fall off your perch.

Your joy is always to be *in the Lord*. This means that you are given to rejoice in those things which bring you everlasting peace with God. You rejoice, for example, that you are baptized, washed clean to be a child of God forevermore. You have great joy that you are proclaimed forgiven, absolutely, in the Name of the Trinity when you confess your sins. You rejoice that Jesus feeds you from His cross with His body given, and His blood shed for your forgiveness, your life, and your eternal salvation.

A third mistake you may make is that you forget the very reason for your joy–"the Lord is near!" When you foolishly think that God is somehow absent when tragedies and calamities befall so many here on earth, you have begun to forget that Jesus promised, "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." As you wallow in your self pity, doubting that Jesus would even want to return to this sin-sick world that plagues you so much, you forget the promise of Jesus to return quickly. 

Jesus the God of Peace is with you in His word, proclaiming to you now that you are forgiven in your Savior's death at Calvary, and that you are saved from death and the devil forevermore. Jesus is also a Witness Who is faithful and true! He promises to return soon to this world to raise all the dead, to rescue you from all the crud of this realm, taking you from this valley of tears and sorrows to be with Him forevermore in heaven. He is near in word and sacraments now, and His return is ever nearer!

So, knowing that God works joy in your heart, keeps you always "in the Lord" by faith, and is ever-near to forgive, save, and give you life, you have every reason for rejoicing in the Lord always. Especially as you are ever-mindful of Jesus quick return during this season of Advent. Amen.

Hymns this week from LSB:

#333  Once He Came in Blessing  tune  stanzas
#345  Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding! tune  stanzas
#349  Hark the Glad Sound  lyrics