Sermon: Funeral of Janet Duhon

29 December 2020

Text: Luke 2:25-32 (Job 19:23-27a, 1 Cor 15:51-57)

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

Dear Bobby, Marilyn, Michelle, Sean, family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and honored guests: Peace be with you!  This greeting “Peace be with you” is used by Christians all over the world.  These are the first words that Jesus spoke to His disciples when He first appeared to them that first Easter as they were mourning His death.  You, dear friends, have been separated from a beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother, aunt, colleague, and friend.  It is a terrible cross to bear at the end of such a difficult year.

Death has come to my household recently as well, dear brothers and sisters.  It is a pain that at times seems too much to bear.  Yes, indeed, we Christians mourn for our loved ones, but St. Paul teaches us that we don’t mourn in the same way as unbelievers, because we have hope – hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is risen!  And that makes all the difference.

For we are all condemned to death because we are all sinners – even the very best and most beloved among us, everybody: including you, me, and Janet.  But the Good News is that Christ died in our place, and gives us salvation by grace.  He rescues us because He loves us, not because any of us can save ourselves.  And it is precisely because we can’t that He died for us at the cross.

We heard St. Paul’s mockery of death: “O death, where is your victory?  O Death, where is your sting?”  For even though we suffer on account of death, it is Christ, the one who died on the cross to save us, the one who rose and defeated death, the one who appeared to the disciples after walking out of His own tomb, the one who destroyed death by His death, who said, “Peace be with you.”

It is for His sake alone that we too get to mock death.  For Jesus gets the last word.  And He gets the last word regarding His servant Janet, whom He called out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Jesus claimed her at her baptism, as St. Paul wrote to the Romans: “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death….  For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.”

And so I will say it again, dear friends, the very words of our Lord: “Peace be with you!”

Our Gospel reading from Luke 2 just happens to be the traditional text that has been preached on the Sunday after Christmas for centuries.  And, within our Lutheran tradition, we sing this very passage of Scripture every Sunday after we receive Holy Communion.  And you will hear it again, dear friends, at the end of this service.

We treasure the account of St. Simeon because we are all just like him.  He is weary of life in this world, of waiting for the Messiah, for the “consolation of Israel.”  For God had told him that he “would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”  And so Simeon, whom Scripture suggests was an elderly temple priest, treasured this Word of God in his heart.  And then, after waiting and waiting, it happened.  He encountered Jesus.  And his joyful words are now our song: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation.”

Simeon could now depart “in peace.”  Death is not a terror for him, because He has encountered our Lord in the flesh.  For salvation is not some abstract idea or an intellectual concept.  Salvation is Jesus, dear friends: God in the flesh.  And now Simeon was at peace – the same peace our Lord refers to when He greets the disciples after His own death and resurrection: “Peace be with you!”

We are prepared for death, and we are at peace knowing that we have seen our salvation.  And for the Christian, death is just a temporary separation, for Jesus died for us, rose again for us, and saves us.

We also heard the words of Job, who said, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.”  “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” is a popular hymn sung at Easter in our tradition.  And notice that Job doesn’t say that he is going to be some kind of spirit floating around, or a disembodied angel in the clouds.  He speaks of the Lord standing on earth, and He speaks of being “in the flesh.” 

And this is so important, dear friends.  We Christians have so much more to look forward to than “going to heaven.”  We have the promise of the “resurrection of the body, and he life everlasting,” as we confessed in the Creed.  We know that God will create a new heaven and a new earth.  What this means, dear friends, is that you will see Janet again, in the flesh.  You will look into her eyes.  You will hear her voice.  You will share hugs and laughter.  You will eat and drink together again.  For Jesus did not come to turn us into anything other than what He created us to be: flesh and blood human beings, created in His image, and raised from the dead in the body, even as He was.  This is His promise.

And this is all packed into that little word “Peace” that St. Simeon spoke of, that Jesus greeted His disciples with, and that which we Christians constantly encourage one another with when we greet each other with “Peace be with you.”

And even as Simeon was waiting for the coming of the Christ, so too we await His return.  From the looks of things, we may not be waiting much longer.  So look to our Lord Jesus Christ, dear friends.  Do it now.  Look to Jesus, to our Redeemer, to Janet’s Savior, to the only one who can comfort us even in our mourning, to the only one who gives us peace: the peace that the world cannot give, the peace that surpasses all understanding.   

Peace be with you, dear friends, peace be with you!

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Christmas 1 - 2020

27 December 2020

Text: Luke 2:22-40, Gal 4:1-7

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

The coming of Jesus had been foretold by prophets, and had been predicted by the Scriptures for four thousand years of human history.  And as the centuries rolled by, God revealed more and more about how His divine plan would unfold.  We learned not only details, like His descent from the tribe of Judah and from the kingly line of David, and His birth in Bethlehem of a virgin mother, but also the big picture: why God was coming into space and time, and taking on human flesh.

Jesus is leading the largest rescue mission in human history.  And he is not merely saving us from enemy soldiers, or a malicious worldly ruler, not just from some dread disease, or from an assault in the middle of the night.  Jesus is not just protecting our house from going up in flames, or merely preventing us from growing up in ignorance.  Of course, we have all kinds of human vocations through which God works to save us from these things.

But there was one thing that God could not do through ordinary men and women: to save us from our sins.  Jesus is God who broke into our sinful world, like a commando dropped behind enemy lines, to grab hold of us, to pull us out of harm’s way, and to return us to where we were meant to be.  His does this by redeeming us from our sins, by the shedding of His own blood as a redemption.  And this is not merely a king’s ransom, this is God’s ransom – for the cost to save us will be the physical life of God Himself.  This is a great mystery, and it is not something we fully comprehend.  But we do understand one thing, dear friends: love.  We understand what it is when someone loves us and is willing to do anything for us.  And in our lives, this is typically a parent or a spouse, though it might be a more distant relative, a friend, or even a complete stranger who risks his life to save us from some tragedy or other – even death itself.

We understand love, because even though we are broken sinners, we do experience our own imperfect love, love that is willing to sacrifice itself for the beloved.  Sometimes we are the one who serves others in love, and sometimes we are the beloved.  Love is what is needed to redeem us from Satan’s hatred, malice, lies, violence, and desire to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And so it was necessary for our Lord to enter into a pitched battle with the devil, and to engage in mortal combat against him.  And mortal is was, dear friends.  For Jesus spoke of Himself when He pointed out that the greatest love of all is a person dying to save his friends.

But like any plan, this one was laid out logistically in advance.  There is strategy.  There are intricate alternatives.  And the mind of God was able to conceive of this plan even before the foundation of the world.  All that was needed was the “fullness of time” spoken of by St. Paul, when “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”  For this is what we are, dear friends, adopted sons of God, adopted by virtue of the flesh-and-blood Son of God, who redeems us and gives us this gift of adoption.  And we are all sons whether we are men or women, for “son” here is a legal term, one who inherits property from the one who wills it.  God wills us everything, dear friends!  He wills us eternal life and all of creation that He has made for all of us, even though we foolishly rejected Him in the Garden of Eden, and we continue to do so today.  This love He has for us is what grace is.

His mission is to free us from slavery, for as sinners, we are slaves of sin.  But by His salvation, we are liberated, freed to be who God created us to be.  And so in Christ, as St. Paul says, “You are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, an heir through God.”

And this was what was happening when the “righteous and devout” man named Simeon, whom we believe was an elderly priest who recognized the young child Jesus when His family brought Him to be presented at the temple.  Simeon had received a message from God, for “the Holy Spirit was upon him.”  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that “he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

St. Simeon was one of the final prophets of the Old Testament, an old man, a priest of the Law, who was to see the great shift from the Old Testament to the New, who was to see the young one who would fulfill the Law, by whose blood the Gospel, the good news of salvation, would be proclaimed.  Simeon received a preview, and even as he awaited the “consolation of Israel,” he was indeed blessed to see the Lord’s Christ, as promised.  For this Christ was not some kind of idea, not a spiritual goal for everyone to attain by meditation or spiritual formation, not a cosmic idea or life force.  No indeed!  This Christ was, is, and ever shall be Jesus, the second person of the Trinity who took human flesh, born of the virgin, who was crucified and risen from the dead, our Lord, our Savior, our Master, our liberator, our brother according to the flesh, and also our God!

And so salvation is not some abstract idea for us Christians, dear friends, not some kind of intellectual pondering or spiritual state.  Salvation is living and breathing: flesh and bone and mind and soul.  Salvation is tangible, for as Simeon took the child Jesus “up in his arms,” he “blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation.”

Jesus isn’t simply a person who brings salvation to us, rather Jesus is God in the flesh, who is our salvation.  “For my eyes have seen Your salvation,” says St. Simeon.  And we also say this with him, dear friends, for we sing Simeon’s Song, the Nunc Dimittis, after we too have seen salvation with our eyes in the Sacrament of the Altar. 

We will sing along with St. Simeon again today.  And these words are not only Simeon’s words, but are also God’s Word.  And what’s more, they become our words.  Instead of beholding Jesus as the God who is veiled in human flesh, we see Him veiled under the forms of bread and wine.  But nevertheless, this is the same Christ, manifested in space and time, incarnate so that we can experience Him even in our fallen flesh.  For it is here, dear friends, in the world, in the flesh, and under siege of the devil that we need Jesus: “in the presence of all peoples,” as Simeon says.

For the incarnate Lord is present in His body and blood and in His proclaimed Gospel here in this place, and at Christian altars, fonts, and pulpits around the world, spanning the centuries, from the holy prophets to the holy apostles, and even to us: His holy church, His adopted sons who together are also the bride of Christ.  There is no one nation or people or race that has a claim on the faith, for as we sing with Simeon: “My eyes have seen Your salvation that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the gentiles, and for glory for Your people Israel.” 

St. Simeon’s confession of the Christ child is connected to this same Jesus who will be crucified many years after St. Simeon will “depart in peace.”  Simeon prophesies to Mary that “a sword will pierce through your own soul also,” for she will witness her Son’s crucifixion, by which He will indeed save the world.  This Christ will not remain a child, but will become a man, a warrior, who will lay down His life for His friends, for His brothers and sisters, and even for His enemies.

So when you have received the Holy Sacrament, dear friends, as the Lord’s presence is with you in this wondrous miracle, this  mystery of faith, as you sing: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,” think of this consolation of Israel, this long wait for your salvation to come, your liberator to release you from your slavery, this warrior who fights behind enemy lines to rescue you – and your children, your parents, your friends, and even your enemies – this salvation who is not an idea, but who is a person, God in the flesh, the baby in the manger, the sacrifice on the cross, the risen Lord, and the King of the Universe, the consolation of Israel: even Jesus Christ our Lord! 

Let our celebration of Christmas continue, dear friends, and let the fulfillment of St. Simeon’s waiting be the joy of your own life – even unto eternity!

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Christmas Day - 2020

25 December 2020

Text: John 1:1-18 

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

Our Gospel for Christmas Day is known as “John’s Prologue.  It is not only a beautiful passage, it is an unmistakable confession of Jesus: both as God, and as man; both the Son of God, and the Son of Mary; both human and divine.  It is a confession of Jesus as God, but distinct from the Father.  And it confesses His mission to save us poor, miserable sinners, and the fact that He saves us by grace.  It’s all packed in there, dear friends!

This one passage from the Bible is a summary of many doctrines about Christ, and yet this passage is not academic theology, but rather living, breathing, grace-bearing, potent words that comfort us, deliver hope to us, and instill in us a living and saving faith.

Centuries ago, the Church recognized the power of John’s Prologue, and for centuries, this passage was read by the pastor at the conclusion of every Divine Service.  It was known as “the second Gospel.”

This passage is abominable to Satan.  For it exposes all of his lies to detract people from who Jesus is.  For nearly every major heresy in the history of the Christian Church has had to deny something that St. John wrote here in his little introduction to His Gospel.

On one occasion, I was interviewed by a European reporter.  She asked me what my favorite Bible verse was.  I explained that I don’t have a specific verse, but John’s Prologue is the passage of the Scriptures that I think are the most comforting and sublime words ever written, and that John’s inspired words sum up the ministry of Jesus and what being a Christian is all about.

She did not report on this in her terrible article – filled not only with inaccuracies, but outright lies.  She reported her favorite verse, which she twisted out of context to support her belief in Socialism.  Of course, Satan is the father of lies, and Satan much prefers the false Gospel of Marx than the true Gospel of Jesus Christ – especially this pure confession of who He is.

We often find ourselves as Christians making the case that Jesus “is the reason for the season.”  And so He is.  But the world has grown so ignorant of who Christ is that we now must explain the reason for Jesus.  Our Lord did not come to institute Socialist economics or woke culture.  His mission is not to scold us into being nice, or to instruct us into being “good people.” 

His mission is to save us from our enemies: from sin, death, and the devil, and even when our enemy is ourselves.  Jesus is the Word, who was with God “in the beginning.”  But He was not only with God, He was God.  And through Him, through the Word of God, “all things were made.”  Jesus is the eternal God, the Creator, the very mind and language of God, to whom we owe our being and the existence of the universe. 

And of course, even unbelievers understand that the world is not as it should be.  They have all sorts of ideas how to fix it, and these ideas never work, but only make things worse.  We live in the darkness of sin and the crushing burden of our mortality.  But Jesus breaks into our darkness.  For “in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  Jesus illuminates us out of sin’s darkness, and He revivifies us, and gives us life in the midst of death. 

Jesus came to us in the darkness.  He came first to His own family and nation.  As John testifies: “the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.”

Of course, the rejection of Jesus resulted in His passion, His crucifixion, and His death.  For this is how Satan and the world deal with light: to try to extinguish it.  They deal with life by trying to kill it.  They deal with the truth by responding with lies and deception.  And, of course, our Lord used Satan’s own means to destroy him.  For our Lord’s death on the cross was not a defeat, but a victory.  It was the reason the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”  He was born and laid in the manger so that He would die on the cross.  For in that act of love, that moment of His death, He declared “It is finished!” – and Satan and His demons, sin, and death, were all destroyed by the Word that was with God and the Word that was God.

For John continues: “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

And this is the true message of Christmas.  It is the message of salvation, of rescue, of the defeat of all of the things that oppose us.  Jesus, “for us men and for our salvation… came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man.”

And was made man!  This is the joyful mystery, dear friends.  This is why we celebrate this great and wondrous day.  God became man, the Word became flesh, in order to dispel the darkness, and to restore life to our flesh that was dead in sin.  He came into our world in order to defeat death by dying, and to rise, so that we too shall rise.

This is why in the confession of the Creed, the clergy traditionally kneel at the words “And was made man.”  In fact, the custom is not only for the clergy, but for all Christians gathered together to drop to one knee out of reverence for this great and joyful mystery that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” 

And He has not come bearing the Law.  Rather the Law comes to point us to Him.  For Jesus comes to bring us the Gospel of forgiveness, life, and salvation, as John confesses: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

May His grace and truth, this light in the present darkness, this life who has come to our world of death, may Jesus bring you comfort, joy, courage, and a true understanding of who He is, and who we are as Christians, dear friends.  No matter what happens in this life, our Lord has come “full of grace and truth” in order to deliver to us “grace upon grace.”  Jesus is the reason for the season, and salvation is the reason for the Word taking flesh and dwelling among us.  The light dispels the darkness.  The truth stamps out the lie.  Life overcomes death.  Merry Christmas, dear friends.  Merry Christmas.

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Christmas Eve - 2020

24 December 2020

Text: Isa 7:10-14, Micah 5:2-4, Isa 9:2-7, Matt 1:18-25, Matt 2:1-12, John 1:1-14

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

Satan has been able to harm the body of Christ through our schools, as young people are increasingly illiterate and not very well read.  Moreover, history is no longer taught in most grade schools.  It has been replaced by “Social Studies.”  History at the university level is no longer history, but political radicalism.  This has been harmful to the Church, for she, like her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is birthed from the matrix of history.  For God took real flesh in real space and real time – and real authors, inspired by the Holy Spirit, recorded this real history for our knowledge.  And the history of Jesus doesn’t begin at the stable in Bethlehem, but goes back before time and matter existed at all.

For the story of Christmas is the story of our final reading, the pinnacle of all history, as God, the eternal Word by whom all things were made, “became flesh and dwelt among us.”  But this same Word has no beginning and no end.  This Word that was born on Christmas existed “In the beginning.”  Indeed, “He was in the beginning with God” and yet, He “was God.” 

Jesus existed before the world that He created, and yet He entered history as a baby in order to rescue us.  And if this history isn’t far more interesting than the most exciting accounts of World War II, the American Revolution, the Odyssey, the stories of Greece and Rome, and the histories of all inventers and great thinkers of all time – then we truly are a lost people.

And of course, we are.  We are lost, and so the Word must come and find us, to enlighten our way, to lead us out of darkness.  For as John the apostle confesses, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

As one of my friends said in a lecture many years ago: “History is simply what happened.”  And so it is!  And it is a normal thing for people to be curious and to want to know “What happened?”  If you doubt that, think about what happens when there are sirens in your neighborhood.  Think about a bad accident on the other side of the highway that causes this side to jam up while drivers engage in the ritual known as “rubbernecking.”  It is a normal human response to want to know “What happened?”  History tells us what happened.

The Scripture is filled with history: thousands of years of interconnected narratives that all point to the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  And without understanding this, the Bible will make no sense to you.

The prophet Isaiah lived seven hundred years before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh.  He preached the Word of God to the Israelites.  And God revealed some future history to Isaiah, which he told the king and wrote down in his scroll – which we have today as the Book of Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” 

This word “Immanuel” is Hebrew for “God with us.”  So in 700 BC we have the prophet Isaiah predicting that a virgin would give birth to a Son whose nickname is “God with us.”  And lest you think that the book we have is a forgery that was changed to match the Jesus story, we have the dead sea scrolls copy of Isaiah, which predates the birth of Jesus by two hundred years.

There is no history like this history, dear friends! 

The last of the prophets, Micah, prophesied around 400 BC, that the coming Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, a tiny village not considered important by anyone.  And He would be of the tribe of Judah, and will “shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord.”  And again, we see this history happen the way the prophets said that it would.

And flipping back to Isaiah, we read his powerful prediction that the Messiah would indeed be light shining on a people stuck in darkness.  “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given.”  He is the Son of David, and “of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end.”  And Isaiah promises: “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

The Lord of hosts governs the ebb and flow of history according to His will.  And when the time was just right, God With Us was born, dwelt among us, illuminated our way, and rescues us.

St. Matthew, the former tax collector turned apostle and author of the Gospel that bears His name, wrote a few years after our Lord’s crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.  He begins his Christmas account like a serious historian: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.”  Matthew reports that His mother Mary was a virgin, but was impregnated by the Holy Spirit.  An angel revealed this to Joseph, her betrothed husband.  And Matthew himself notes that the birth of Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy.  The God With Us child was named “Jesus” – meaning “God saves.”  For this is the history of the Bible, dear friends, century after century of God saving His people – reaching the pinnacle of all history in Jesus Christ, the Word Made Flesh.

Matthew also records the history of King Herod, his fear of the news that the wise men from the east brought with them, that the signs in the sky pointed to the birth of a great king.  King Herod “was troubled,” as history teaches us that kings generally don’t like competition.  Herod tried to trick the wise men into revealing the location of the Christ child.  And for once in his miserable life, wicked King Herod actually looked up something in the Scriptures.  He learned about Micah’s prophecy regarding Bethlehem.  And we also know from Matthew that Herod slaughtered the baby boys in the village of Bethlehem, in a vain attempt to kill the Messiah, for His mother and stepfather had already taken Him away to safety.

How can anyone find this history uninteresting, or dull, dear friends? 

And finally, we end where we started, with the last of the apostles left on earth, John, who wrote, “In the beginning was the Word,” and revealed to us just who Jesus is: the Word of God who was with God and yet who is God at the same time. 

John teaches us this unique history concerning Jesus: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him.”  Indeed, “His own people did not receive Him.” 

This is only the first chapter of John’s Gospel, a history that takes us from the Beginning of space and time itself, and brings us to His baptism and ministry, to the cross, to the tomb, and to the glorious resurrection of our Lord: the pinnacle of history.  And John will close out the Bible with a history of the future, the Book of Revelation, in which Jesus is revealed as Alpha and Omega, who conquers the devil, who redeems His people, and who creates a new heaven and a new earth.  John takes us through the history from its beginning to its eternal end.

And here is where we are in this glorious history, dear brothers and sisters.  Listen to how this history relates to you: “To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Because of this long history, revealed in the Scriptures, a history that we reflect on this evening, you are a child of God, and this, dear friends, is God’s will.  And so we revel in this history.  For we do receive Him.  We do believe in His name: Immanuel: “God with us.”  Jesus: “God saves.”

History is not just the past, dear friends.  For Christ is with us now.  And He is the light of the world, and so we have a glorious eternal future as well.  That history is now, and extends even unto eternity.  Satan has been conquered by this history.  Death has been defeated.  Sin has been crushed.  Nobody can take that history away from anyone who wants it and claims it.  It is finished!  Merry Christmas!  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Rorate Coeli (Advent 4) - 2020

20 December 2020

Text: John 1:19-28

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

St. John the Baptist is the model of every Christian.  Not that we are all called to be prophets, not all are called to preach, and not all are called to die for the sake of our confession of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But John models for us the Christian life because his whole reason for living was Jesus.

This is how we are to live, dear friends.  For God created each one of us for some purpose in the kingdom.  He gave us a certain personality, certain skills, certain strengths and certain weaknesses.  He calls us into the lives of certain individuals to make them complete, and to complete us.  He calls us into a specific earthly family, and He calls us into a specific spiritual family as well, that is, the local congregation. 

And we are, each one of us, part of His plan.  We are all important, from the greatest to the least, from the richest to the poorest.  And whether or not the world takes notice of us or even knows we exist, each one of us is part of God’s plan, and He knows us! 

St. John the Baptist was a great man.  In last week’s Gospel, we heard our Lord Jesus Christ say that, “Among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.”  And yet, John died while very young.  He never married or had children.  He was not wealthy.  He was scorned and mocked.  To the world, his life was wasted, for he criticized the king, but his criticism made no difference.  To the world, John is just one more rabble-rouser who fought the law, and the law won; just another victim of a tyrannical ruler, just another nobody whose life ended tragically because of a scheming woman and her seductive daughter who danced for the king, and they tricked the king into ending John’s life.  To the world, John did not amount to anything.  His life did not matter.

But, dear friends, we do not see things as the world does.  Our Lord praises John’s greatness because John did exactly what he was called to do: to be the last of the Old Testament prophets, to proclaim the coming of the kingdom, to baptize our Lord Jesus Christ and inaugurate His ministry, and to point the world to the Messiah who has come to be “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”

John sought no fortune or fame for himself.  John was not jealous of his cousin Jesus.  John did not try to parlay his popularity into money or a comfortable house.  As Jesus pointed out, John did not live in a king’s palace or wear soft clothing.  John’s entire life revolved around Jesus.

John’s entire life, dear friends, revolved around Jesus.

And this is why John the Baptist is a model and a pattern for the life of all of us, a true saint to emulate, especially in this sacred time of year when even nature itself points us to the coming of our Savior.  And in spite of the scoffing of the skeptics, the evidence does indeed point to December 25 as the actual birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ, based on the timing of the birth of John the Baptist, whose father served a specific cohort of temple priests whose schedule we know.  And we know that our Lord’s mother visited John’s mother Elizabeth while she was six months pregnant with John.  The math works out, and December 25 is the birthday of our Lord.  And even if you are not convinced of this – and you are free to disagree since Scripture doesn’t explicitly say – the church around the world celebrates the coming of Jesus when nature’s darkness is at its peak : the time of the winter solstice.  And the sky also held signs that pointed to the coming of the Messiah, heavenly signs that guided the Magi in their long journey to visit our Lord.

Along with nature, the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms all point us to Jesus, even as the preaching of John the Baptist does.  The entire Bible, Old and New Testaments, are focused on Jesus, who serves like a pivot around which the entire Scripture rotates. 

We too, dear friends, are like John insofar as we owe our existence to Jesus, our purpose, our reason for being.  We draw each breath by His grace, and for some purpose of His divine will.  Whether we are preachers or hearers, parents or children, whether we work or stay home, whether we are employees or bosses, students or teachers, no matter what our particular calling or vocation, we exist to live in harmony with God’s creation, to glorify Him, and to confess Jesus as Messiah, so that others of our fallen race might also be lifted up to live forever, being renewed by His grace, saved by His blood, and made victors over sin, death, and the devil by His cross.

As St. Paul preaches, “in Him we live and move and have our being.”

We were not created for our own pleasure, nor for someone else to use us for their own pleasure.  We were created for our calling in the Lord’s kingdom – and John the Baptist’s birth, ministry, and death – his entire life from cradle to grave – was about Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters, it is easy to forget this, as we live lives in pursuit of pleasure and material goods, as we have the luxury to seek out entertainment and leisure, and even amid the business of the things that we must do in our vocations.  It is easy to forget about why we are here, to think of God’s kingdom as something we get involved with if we have time, or if we are thinking about it at some point.  In reality, we owe everything to our Lord Jesus Christ, who created us, and who in spite of our sin, has redeemed us.  He gives our lives meaning and purpose, and every good thing that we have in our lives – though we are tempted to take credit ourselves – comes from Him.

And as Christmas approaches, it is easy to forget what its meaning is.  It isn’t really about presents and Santa and decorated houses, a tree, colorful lights, or even good times with family.  The entire point of Christmas is summed up in the word itself: Christmas: Christ’s Mass, that is, Jesus Christ is the focus of the holy seasons of Advent and Christmas, for Christ is the Alpha and the Omega.  And it is the Mass of Christ, that is, His coming to us in the Divine Service of His Word and of His body and blood. 

All of the other wonderful things about Christmas: the food, the fellowship, the traditions, the movies, the music, family time, the joy on the faces of children, the memories of each passing year – all of these are only of secondary importance to hearing Christ proclaimed in His Word, and partaking of His body and blood.

John the Baptist understood that his life was wrapped up in Jesus, and he even handed off his own followers to become disciples of our Lord.  John said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.”  And this is truly John’s greatness, that he pointed everyone to Jesus, and that his entire life was lived for the sake of Jesus, his Savior, his Redeemer, His God.

And when John was pressed with questions by people who hated him, John “confessed, and did not deny.”  And so do we, dear friends, we confess Christ.  We do not deny Christ.  We glorify Christ, not ourselves.  We share the good news of Christ.  And we have the promise of eternal life because of Christ.  Let us rejoice in His coming.  And let our very lives show forth our Lord Jesus Christ to the world.

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Wittenberg Academy – Dec 15

15 December 2020

Text: Rev 3:1-22

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

Early in the Book of Revelation, John writes seven letters to seven churches under his apostolic oversight in Asia Minor.  Jesus Himself tells John what to write, and He writes guided by the Holy Spirit – who gives this writing to you today, dear friends, as the final three letters to the churches are laid before us today. 

The first of these is the letter written to the Church at Sardis.  Jesus is blunt: “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die.”  Our Lord preaches the Law to them, calling them to repent, and warning them, “If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief,” that is, when you least expect it.  There are still a few actual believers there, and our Lord “will confess his name before [His] Father.

The last of these letters is written to the Church at Laodicea.  Again, our Lord doesn’t mince words: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.  Would that you were either cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”  The Laodiceans brag of their riches and their self-sufficiency.  But they are deceived.  Jesus says: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”

We would all do well to hear this preaching of the Law from the mouth of Jesus, the pen of John, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  For in our ungodly culture, our churches are largely dead.  We look the same, act the same, and speak the same as the world.  We chase after the same things, and live like the heathen.  We are also lukewarm.  We still “go to church” – at least when it is convenient.  We give lip service to God’s Word, as evidenced by shiny pristine Bibles in many a bookcase.  They remain unread because there are teams to cheer for, and shows to binge-watch.  We are neither religious fanatics nor atheists.  Satan doesn’t attack us because it’s not worth his time.  Both our Sardis and Laodicea natures are being called to repent by Jesus – by Him who is coming soon.

Sandwiched between the two is a little church that goes largely unnoticed: Philadelphia.  She is not rich.  She is not lukewarm.  She is not just going through the motions.  And the Lord commends her, and preaches the Gospel to her even as she is being tormented by the “synagogue of Satan.” 

“I know your works,” says our Lord.  “Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.”  And little Philadelphia has “but little power.”  But about her, our Lord Himself says: “and yet you have kept My Word and have not denied My name.”  Our Lord promises His protection of her in every time of trouble, even tribulation that is “coming on the whole world.”  Our blessed Lord says to the faithful in every age: “Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”

And as our Lord Jesus Himself says, dear brothers and sisters, “He who has an ear, let Him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Gaudete (Advent 3) - 2020

13 December 2020

Text: Matt 11:2-11 (Isa 40:1-11, 1 Cor 4:1-5)

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

This week in the church year is called “Gaudete” – which means “rejoice.”  And even though we are in the penitential season of Advent, with our focus often being on our need to repent and on the end of the world, we open the window just a crack and let the sunshine of the joy of the coming feast of Christmas enter in.

The name of this week comes from the Introit we sang together at the beginning of the service, from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, will I say, rejoice!”  Interestingly, our Old Testament reading comes from the time when God’s people had just been conquered by the Babylonians.  The temple had been destroyed and looted.  The city leveled and burned.  And the people had been taken captive as slaves in a new land.  And the prophet Isaiah speaks of God’s “comfort.”  And we sing together, “Rejoice!”

Our Gospel reading has John the Baptist locked away in a dungeon, a jail cell in which he will be beheaded.  John sends messengers to Jesus asking Him if he really is the Messiah, as things are looking pretty grim.  And we sing together, “Rejoice!”

And here we are at the end of a year that has been a time of trial and testing for pretty much everyone in the world.  We Christians light the pink candle on the Advent wreath.  The clergy wear rose colored vestments.  And we sing together, “Rejoice!”

This is the peculiarity of God’s kingdom, dear friends.  For when the world looks at itself and sees only dread, and when we poor miserable sinners look at ourselves and see only condemnation, the Lord looks upon us in light of His Son’s atoning sacrifice on the cross, and He sees us as forgiven and victorious.  And so we are!  And no matter if God’s people are captive in Babylon, no matter if the Lord’s preacher is in prison, no matter if we are enduring political unrest, and uncertainty regarding the Pandemic and the economy – we still sing together “Rejoice!”

For St. Paul’s admonition is to “Rejoice in the Lord always.”  He doesn’t tell us Christians to rejoice in the Lord in good times, or when we feel like it, or in those times when things are going so well that we forget about Him.  No, we are to rejoice “always,” – even when we are in exile, or in a dungeon, or when we have lost our jobs, when our test has come back positive, when we have family issues, when death comes to our household, when the enemies of the cross are emboldened and have power over us, when we are tempted to give up, when we are isolated, when we see evil all around us seemingly unchecked and ready to pounce on us. 

For it is in times like these that the prophet is called by God to “Comfort, comfort My people.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”  For the Father is still in Heaven.  The Son has died and risen, has atoned for us, comes to us in Word and Sacrament, and is coming again at the end of time.  The Holy Spirit still guides us to the light of the Word of God and keeps us in the one true faith, the ark of the church, where the Lord Himself comforts us.

St. Paul understood this, and even as one who will die for the faith, one who was many times imprisoned and beaten for the sake of his confession, Paul encourages us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” 

This is only possible by focusing on Christ.  Notice that John’s questions did not concern Himself.  He did not ask Jesus if he were going to get out of prison.  Rather his question had to do with the work and ministry of Jesus.  

Our Lord answered John’s messengers by pointing out to them that the things that were happening were the very things prophesied in the Scriptures that John knew so well: “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleaned and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”

Indeed, this is all cause for rejoicing.  For it means that indeed, just as John had been preaching, the kingdom of God was at hand.  John preached Jesus as Messiah, and Jesus has proven Himself to be the Messiah.  And that is a cause for rejoicing, always.

And no matter how bad things get – in our lives, for the people of God, and for the world – we have every reason to rejoice.  Our Lord died on the cross for our atonement.  He was raised for our justification.  He is the victor over every evil that we see around us, evil that has been stalking us for six thousand years.  Our Lord Jesus Christ has defeated Satan.  He has conquered every kind of evil that causes us to suffer.  And He is coming again to rescue us and free us from our own exile in this fallen world, to liberate us from the stifling dungeon in which we temporarily find ourselves.

In less than two weeks, we will rejoice and feast yet again to celebrate His miraculous birth, His incarnation as a human being, His ministry of deliverance, of freeing us from the bondage of the devil, His reclaiming of the world that has been occupied by the forces of evil, and His final victory at the end of the age.  For Jesus has come to bring His people out of exile and to smash open not only the dungeon, but also the tomb. 

And the Lord called His apostles and those who came after them to be stewards of the mysteries, to serve you with the Good News and with the Body and Blood of Christ.  For the Lord  comes to us even in the exile and prison of this world.  And no matter your circumstances, when you hear this good news proclaimed, and when you eat and drink His body and blood, dear friends, you have every reason to rejoice.  And the darker your particular exile or prison, the greater the joy – for you are being freed. 

And so, with the window cracked open just a bit – even in our exile and our prison cell, the light shines from Him who created light itself in the beginning. 

And we sing together:

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!....  You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin.  Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?  I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people.”

Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again will I say, rejoice!”

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Moderation is a Virtue

In the murky, distant, and ancient past before social media, dinosaurs ruled the earth and blogs ruled the Internet.  This blog, Father Hollywood, regularly had 400 hits a day.  Facebook made it easy to publish one's thoughts and disseminate them from the phone.  The age of the blog began to recede.

But as Big Tech continues to censor conservative and libertarian opinions, and as the discourse on social media has gotten, well, stupider, I'm finding myself wanting to blog more again.

I do post all of my sermons to Father Hollywood, and cross post them on Facebook.  And I noticed that there are no comments on the blog, but there are sometimes comments and discussion when I post them to Facebook.  And then it dawned on me.

I have comment moderation turned on.

I did this years ago when I was getting bombarded with spam.  I forgot that I did that, and as I don't blog nearly as much as I used to, I never check for comments.  So I did today.

I had dozens of comments "awaiting moderation" going back several years.  Many were indeed spam.  Some were comments from friends and intelligent contributions to dialogue.  I apologize for not posting these!  Sorry, guys!

Others were from nutters - which gave me a lot of entertainment.  

One particular post that dealt with fitness and losing weight brought out some interesting commentary.  As Luther once quipped, if you throw a stick into a pack of dogs, the one that yelps is the one that got hit.  I had overweight Lutherans castigating me for proclaiming too much Law and not enough Gospel (this wasn't a sermon, by the way). Two people said (in unmoderated comments that I just saw) that overweight people should "trust their baptism."  I don't see weight loss in the Small Catechism's discussion of benefits that baptism confers, but what do I know?  

Another comment was from a nutter who decided that Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, and the entire Mises Institute were antisemites and racists.  I emailed Walter Block (who is, of course, Jewish) - whom I had just met at the time - and he responded with a video blog.  I posted it here.  In response, I got a comment (which I didn't post) from the nutter that made the accusations in the first place.  Interesting reading!  LOL.

Since that time, I have become very close friends with Walter Block.  I know many of the folks at the Mises Institute, and am honored to call them my friends.  I do indeed know Lew Rockwell now - not that we are close friends, but we have had many conversations over the years, and he has published many of my articles.  I have had the honor to have been invited to an event at Dr. Paul's house.  And there are others at the Mises Institute whom I consider very close friends.  I don't say this to brag or name drop (in fact, it makes me laugh because I'm often the real Forrest Gump, and somehow I end up in places that make me wonder, "How did this happen?").  I'm saying this because the charges of antisemitism and racism at the Mises Institute and anyone associated with it are false.  They are malicious lies.  

Another commenter told me that the early church had women clergy and that I should study up on it.  Another fellow decided that funeral sermons - often read by families of the deceased - would be a great place to argue about the theology of death.  Another fellow insisted repeatedly that I was a "Calvinst" while another called me an "Arminian."  How I pulled off that trick, I don't know.  

Great stuff!

At any rate, I did release a bunch of comments today.  Many are years old, so you probably won't notice them.  I will try to blog more often and check comments more often as well.  As convenient as it is to use Fashbook, it has its downsides - being run like the Third Reich for one, and not having a good search engine is another.  

So who knows?  Maybe blogging will make a comeback.  I'm still going to practice the virtue of comment moderation, though.  If I really want to deal with spam and nutters, I'll just stick to Facebook.  

Rush Limbaugh and Secession

Rush Limbaugh spent his entire career praising Lincoln and decrying secession. But he has recently caused a stir by revisiting the issue. And he says that he doesn't advocate it now. However, he is not backpeddling on this statement: “There cannot be a peaceful coexistence of two completely different theories of life, theories of government, theories of how we manage our affairs."

So where do we go from here?

Sometimes things don't work out, and you simply have to peacefully dissolve the arrangement. This is preferable to shooting your way out. Rush Limbaugh, of all people, should get this, having been divorced four times.

Divorce is tragic, and should be avoided at all costs: except the cost of violence. It is better to peacefully settle up one's affairs and separate rather than for one spouse to compel the other to remain "married" by brute force. Such a marriage is not really a marriage, but is rather enslavement. Better to peacefully end the union by judicial decree than violently by murder.

The divisions that currently plague the country are not cosmetic issues that can be papered over by compromise. We have (at least) two fundamentally different and opposed worldviews concerning government competing in a winner-take-all contest: 1) make government large and empower it to address all the major issues in our lives collectively, and 2) shrink government and get it out of the way to allow us to address all the major issues of our lives ourselves.

You cannot merge these two visions.

And this division is actually older than the constitution itself. It is the Hamiltonian nationalist vision of the Whigs, of Lincoln, of the 19th century Republicans and the 21st century Democrats of the so-called Federalists of the 18th century vs. the Jeffersonian truly federalist vision of the 19th century Democrats (and 21st century populist/libertarian Republicans) of the so-called Antifederalists of the 18th century.

Like Limbaugh, the leaders of the Confederate States of America were nearly all reluctant secessionists who loved the Union, but saw no way to merge the two founding visions of the United States without violence. Secession followed by peaceful negotiation to resolve financial entanglements was their non-violent solution to the fundamental divisions that plagued the country. Lincoln and the Republicans wanted none of it, and refused to recognize the orderly votes of the people of the Southern states to opt out of the Union. The result was more than three quarter of a million dead Americans and a whole slew of unintended consequences.

Ironically, there was, and is, a way to live together peacefully under one flag - a way that neither side wants, but by which both sides would win: true federalism as laid out in the Tenth Amendment.

By devolving power to the states (as the last amendment of the Bill of Rights stipulates, but has since essentially been struck down by activist courts), and by shrinking the federal government back to its constitutional proportions, New York could live in a Union with Texas, and South Carolina could remain "married" to California. But it would take both sides to back off and stop trying to dominate the other. This model works in Switzerland, for example, in which the local cantons have more power than the national Swiss government.

It would mean that folks in Oregon would have to swallow hard and realize that Alabama may not recognize homosexual marriage. And likewise, folks in Idaho would have to understand that Massachusetts will continue its policy of infanticide. These issues would have to be settled locally rather than federally. Yes, the issues would continue to be fought out, but it would not be a one-size-fits-all affair affecting 330 million people. The principle of subsidiarity would allow individuals to have a much greater say in their own states and localities. And the states themselves could devolve power to counties and local governments as well.

The states and local governments would have great authority over their own affairs, and the more local that issues become, the easier it is to "vote with one's feet."

But what is more likely to happen is that both sides will continue to want the whole prize, like the dog with the bone in his mouth in Aesop's fable who saw his own reflection in the water, and in his greed, thinking he could take another dog's bone - lost his own treasure.

We have foolishly declared the matter closed at Appomattox, and we have painted ourselves into a corner. We have surrendered to the Hamiltonian, Lincolnian, Nationalist understanding of who we are as a country (which indeed does require some clever historical tapdancing and convenient Orwellian self-censorship). We have embraced the "one nation under God" view, we have entangled our sense of patriotism with the idea that when it comes to government, the bigger the better. We have put all of our eggs in one basket.

And since “There cannot be a peaceful coexistence of two completely different theories of life, theories of government, theories of how we manage our affairs," the solution won't be peaceful. Either one side or the other will be enslaved and dominated, elections will continue to be bitter, divisive, and suspect, and we are forever doomed to the two sides swapping the hashtag "RESIST" and the constant threat of armed uprising.

Or we could take another look and reconsider the peaceful alternatives of separation and reconfiguration, or we could make another try at true Jeffersonian federalism.

Rush Limbaugh is not a secessionist, but then again, neither were President Jefferson Davis, Vice President Alexander Stephens, nor the commander of the armed forces, General Robert E. Lee.

Sermon: Wittenberg Academy – Dec 8

8 December 2020

Text: 1 John 2:15-29

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

The last of the apostles warns us, as his “children,” that it is the “last hour.”  He tells us that the promised antichrist is actually plural, and indeed these “antichrists have come” in his own day, and indeed, they are still around today. 

This malevolent force “went out from us.”  In other words, antichrist is a heresy spun of rebellion from the Christian Church itself, a breakaway sect that teaches contrary to Jesus, against the apostles, and in contradiction to the Word of God.  Of course, antichrist is indeed plural, or perhaps another way to think of it is like a multi-headed hydra, whose mission from Satan is to beguile and confuse individual believers into leaving the one true faith.

Satan is the father of lies, as our Lord told us.  And the Lord’s beloved apostle adds; “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?  This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”  This antichrist severs the “one substance” that the Son shares with the Father, as we confess in our biblical Nicene Creed – which exposes such heresies.  Those who teach that Jesus is some kind of “spirit” rather than the man Jesus in the flesh, is antichrist.  Those who teach “Christ consciousness” and the “cosmic Christ” and the “quest for the historic Jesus” – common themes among some Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant theologians – are antichrist.  The Gnostic heresy that teaches that Jesus started a secret society of which only a few get to learn the “secret knowledge” are antichrist.  And in fact, John takes direct aim at Gnosticism here: “But you [Christians] have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.” 

Today’s Gnostics are the pompous blowhards whom we run into in our daily lives and on the flashing idiot box who claim to know the “real” name of Jesus, or have some kind of esoteric knowledge based on the great pyramid or some equally absurd idolatrous touchstone, or some ginned-up emotional experience with fake “tongues,” or some Oprahistic “I’m Not Religious, I’m Spiritual” New Age nonsense.  St. John has no patience for such wicked fairy tales, and nor should we, dear friends.  Don’t listen to these antichrists, but call them out – not by your own judgment, but by the apostle John’s.  For God’s Word is truth.  God does not lie to us.  Those who contradict God’s Word are liars and antichrists.

The holy apostle is writing to us, concerning “those who are trying to deceive you.”  And he bolsters our faith, saying: “And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.”  And so, little children, let us embrace Father John’s Spirit-inspired biblical testimony: “Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Trust the Science, Listen to Experts...

 

 

Real science requires the free and open exchange of ideas.  Without that, it isn't science, but rather political authoritarianism.  Agree or disagree, all voices must be freely heard.  This video was banned by YouTube, and will probably be "fact [sic] checked" on Facebook.  

Watch, listen, and make up your own mind.

Sermon: Populus Zion (Advent 2) - 2020

6 December 2020

Text: Luke 21:25-36 (Mal 4:1-6, Rom 15:4-13)

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble,” says the Lord, speaking through the prophet Malachi. 

Just as all things have a beginning, so too they must end.  Scripture is very clear that we have been in the “last days” since the coming, the Advent, of our Lord, His victorious death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection from the dead.  We confess every week in the Nicene Creed: “He will come again in glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.”

This sounds ominous. 

But of course, our sinful flesh’s way of dealing with this reality is to act like that day will never come.  We get so entangled in the cares and riches and pleasures of this life that we forget that we are only pilgrims here, that our true citizenship is in eternity.  And just as the people waited and waited for the Lord to come the first time, the same is true now.  But it will happen.  He will return in glory.  He will destroy the evil, and He will call His own to Himself to live forever.  And so there will be a judgment.  And the dead will be raised.  And as we say in the Apostles’ Creed, we believe in “the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”

For us Christians, we who have been called and sanctified by water and the Word, we who have faith and who return daily to our baptisms by living in the repentance of our sins, seeking His forgiveness – the coming judgment is no terror.  In fact, we look forward to that day like a wide-eyed child awaiting Christmas.

But the Lord is candid with us.  This world is decaying.  The increasing waves of trouble that we see all around will get worse.  We must not put our trust in princes, nor store up for ourselves treasure in this world, seeing in our own wealth, wits, or works as where to place all of our trust.  Of course, we should be wise, we should continue to live piously and with prudence, even as it seems like the earth is coming apart at the seams.  But no matter what, dear friends, we keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the “founder and perfecter of our faith,” our Redeemer, the one who loved us from the foundation of the world to the point of enduring the shame of the cross, and shedding His blood to save us.  We look to Him and not to ourselves.

Our Lord tells us that “there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity.”  The world does not trust in Jesus, nor does it derive comfort from His Word.  But listen to what Jesus concludes from this coming distress: “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  Help, dear friends, is on the way.

There was joy in the concentration camps of World War II, if you can imagine that.  For there was joy when the prisoners heard the allied tanks rolling in, the liberation forces shooting their way behind enemy lines.  They rejoiced because they knew that their redemption was drawing near, dear friends.

Just like us.

Our Lord tells us to study the Scriptures and to look around at the world, to the signs of the times.  And just as surely as we can look at the fruit trees and know what season it is, we can look around us and know that our redemption is drawing near.  And the Lord’s Word is infallible, dear friends, as our Lord Jesus Christ declares: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

Remember why the Scriptures were written, dear brothers and sisters: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction,” says the apostle Paul.  “That through endurance,” he continues, “and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Hope is what we Christians have even in these trying times, and it is what the world lacks.  The world looks for saviors in politics, in the celebrity world, in science and technology, in experts, and in billionaires who must surely be our betters, and certainly must want what’s best for us.  But we know better, dear friends.  We know where to find encouragement and joy and hope: the Word of God.

And St. Paul prays that the “God of endurance and encouragement” grants us “to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  “Harmony,” dear friends.  This is what we Christians are blessed with in our life together: “harmony”.  The world is filled with rage and discord, and people are tearing each other apart.  But in Christ – and only in Christ – do we have harmony and accord. 

For in Christ we have hope: the guarantee of a better tomorrow, and we have peace: the peace of God that passes all understanding, and we have love: the unconditional love of the God who dies for us, and the love that we have for one another as brothers and sisters brought together by our Lord Jesus Christ: together for eternity, victors over every evil, over sin, over Satan, and even over death itself.

This hope is what the world lacks.  But instead of joining us to share in it, the world fights us and tries to destroy us, because they are offended that we do not share their misery and hopelessness.  They preach at us and scold us to “be mindful,” and “be kind” and “be compliant” and “use the right pronouns” and “hold the right opinions” and “trust the science” – and why, dear friends?  So that we can be happy and full of joy like them?  Such people are the most unhappy and miserable of all men.  They need Jesus.  They need forgiveness.  They need a true Redeemer.  They need the promise of a new life that will never end. 

Our Lord warns us not to become beaten down: “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.”  This is why our Lord encourages us, bidding us to trust Him.  He has it all under control.  “Straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near,” dear brothers and sisters redeemed by Christ!

And once again, the words of St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, powerful words that are not just a pious wish but are rather a reality in the making, these words resonate down to the very bones of every baptized Christian who ever drew a breath and who ever will on this earth: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.