This Child Is Set For The Fall And Rising Again Of Many

__________________________________

Note: This sermon is highly indebted to Rev. Donavon Riley and Dr. Norman Nagel.  It has been reformatted, edited, added to, and adapted by Pr. Richard for Zion Lutheran Church of Gwinner, ND.
__________________________________

Text: Luke 2:21-40

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

On this first Sunday after Christmas, we hear the remarkable words of Simeon, words that point us forward to what this Christ-child will bring about.  We hear,

“Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which will be spoken against ... that [the] thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”[1]

Did you hear this?

Listen again, “This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel.”

Hmm, this doesn’t sound very Christmasy, does it?  What kind of Christmas gift does this?  What kind of warm holiday gift brings about the falling and rising of people?  Does this not sound a bit too controversial for Christmas?  Are not Christmas gifts meant to keep on giving and not cause falling and rising?  Are not Christmas gifts supposed to bring warm fuzzies rather than provocation?   Is not Christmas meant to bring people together and not to divide?

Believe it or not, this idea of rising and falling is actually very much in line with our Christmas Season.  This is so, because since Christmas Day and all this past week the Church has observed the days of St. Stephen, St. John, and the Feast of the Holy Innocents. All these people were martyrs. That’s right all of these people were put to death for Jesus’ sake. How shocked we are by Simeon’s words of ‘falling and rising’ depends on what we traditionally have thought about Christmas. Otherwise stated, there are a great many deaths at the birth of Jesus, who is “the life of the world.”

Looking more specifically to today’s Gospel reading, Simeon says that Jesus is a sign and in relation to Him people will be drawn out to either receive or reject God—to rise or fall. What this means is that there is most certainly an impasse with the Lord, which will result in two and only two options: rising or falling, receiving or rejecting. 

This Advent and Christmas Season we’ve heard the many Christmas stories:  Luke’s Gospel sing the praise of Mary’s son, the Son of God; Gabriel told Mary she would have a son; Elizabeth greeted Mary as mother of her Lord;  Zechariah blessed God for fulfilling His promises, and for giving him his own son; John the Baptizer. The Baptizer would “go before the face of the Lord to prepare his way.” (Luke 1:76); the angels proclaimed the birth of “a Savior which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11); the shepherds hustled into Bethlehem because they received the angel’s words and embraced the baby in the manger as the Savior. All of this is to show that God deals with us all in this way to reduce us to the point at which we are nothing but receivers—receivers of Christ and His gifts.

What this means is that we are not required to pull ourselves up to a place that makes us worthy of God’s attention.  No climbing, no huffing and puffing, and no polishing necessary. On the other hand, there is also no point so low that we can fall out of his sight and reach.  That’s right, no ascending is necessary to receive and no point is too low to receive.

But what about those who reject, those who fall?  Indeed, people are lost by refusing His invitation to pick them up. Their pride is insulted by the idea of being a receiver. They do not want to be giveable to.  Rather, they insist on ways of being dealt with that improves their self-esteem. They contend, “Help me up, but don’t do everything for me, for I am not a beggar, but I am capable of doing some of it by myself.”  Yes, people want a god who will serve their purposes, a god who will meet their specifications and their criteria. They want a god who is not too close, but not too far away; just close enough that they know He’s there. However, it does not work that way with Jesus.  He can’t be used that way, but inevitably brings about the rising and falling of people. This is what happens when He gets too close, for He indeed gets as close to you and me as our next breath.

For Mary and Simeon, Jesus was a sign for their falling and rising. For many others in Israel, He was a sign only for falling. In their response to Jesus the religious big shots showed what they were. Their hearts were revealed. Jesus did not meet their specifications and the religious elite of the day certainly were not going to be reduced to receivers. From their perspective, they had no use for what they perceived as an unremarkable, weak, Beggar-Savior. They wanted someone useful. Someone who would advance: their social hope, their political agenda, and their religious endeavors… But for these advancement one needs power.

Mary’s baby had power, but the power was hidden in what seemed a contradiction. Jesus wins victories not by coercive power but by redeeming love that is made complete in weakness. His greatest victory was hidden under what seemed a contradiction. The Savior of the Universe rides on a donkey. The King of the world has a cross for a throne. Many in Israel spoke against that sign and fell. Many still do. They don’t pay attention to the sign. God always hides Himself in what appears to us to be a contradiction.

So this leads us to the here and now.  How does God deal with us today?  Dear friends, when God is with us, when God deals with us, it is judgment and salvation. It is falling and rising.

Permit me to explain.

When God deals with you, like it or not, you are shown for what you are. When God deals with you, your hearts, thoughts, words, and deeds are revealed.  The Lord’s cross destroys the illusion that you can do something apart from God thus making God less than almighty.  Furthermore, the Lord’s cross exposes sin by saying, “look how awful all your reckless living is that the Holy Son of God must suffer so for your sins.”  The person and message of Jesus confronts and reveals that we need to be saved from the unholy trinity of “me, myself, and I.”  This is indeed a stumbling block.  Otherwise stated, when the Holy Spirit through the Word draws near to you, the curtains are pulled back, the lights are turned on, and we see that we can do nothing, nor contribute anything towards salvation. 

Dear friends, if you cling to what you imagine must be true, if you cling to your demands and what God must produce for you, you are undone and remain under judgment. But when you are shown what you are and come clean in repentance you receive the gifts that raises you up. These gifts - faith, forgiveness, life, salvation - come to us by way of a sign: an infant in Simeon’s arms, the man dying on the cross, the bread and wine for you. 

Indeed, we fall in repentance. We are raised by forgiveness. We receive Christ’s body and the blood hidden under the unremarkable sign of bread and wine. The sign that holds and gives Christ’s body and his blood just as He says; whether you believe it or not, whether you fall or rise or only fall. God’s messengers declared that Mary’s baby is God hidden in flesh and blood. Christ’s own words declare that He is hidden in the bread and wine.

Simeon received the baby-Savior that brought him his death and his salvation. You too receive the Savior in your hands when you receive the Lord in-with-and-under the bread and the wine, bread and wine that bring you your death and your salvation. As it goes with Simeon, it goes with us.  The thoughts of all hearts and minds are drawn out into the open when Jesus shows up. Jesus collides with you, which is the death to: your self-esteem, your religious endeavors, and your spiritual resume. It is death to your specifying who God must be to you.  Take comfort though, the one that draws near to you is also the cause of your rising. Baptized Saints, you are with Christ, together with Him in the falling and rising. As it goes with Him so it goes with you.

You who have ears, hear your rising,

Salvation is done!  No more huffing and puffing.  No more pulling yourself up by your boot straps.  No more trying to make atonement by your own work.  All is done in Jesus.  In Jesus you have salvation.

As Christ the crucified draws near to you—you who are beaten up from sin and you who are in despair from your own failures of sin—hear your rising,

You are forgiven my dear ragamuffin.  Jesus came for sinners like you.  He is the great physician.  He came to grant you forgiveness, to crucify you and to raise you up as anew!  The old is atoned for, newness of Jesus is here.  Come unto me!

All this we rejoice in as we join with Simeon’s rejoicing.  We rejoice in this Savior in whom we have our falling and rising. Our strength and preservation. Our departure and our salvation. All of him with us, togethered, falling, and rising, rising never to fall again.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

_____________________

[1] Luke 2:34-35

Jesus, Pierced The Darkness And Was Born - For You

Text:  John 1:1-14

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

“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

This is how our Gospel reading describes Christmas.  It is interesting, is it not, to hear Christmas described with the terms ‘darkness’ and ‘light?’  In other words,  the Gospel of John uses the term ‘darkness’ to show that because of the catastrophic sins of our first parents, Adam and Eve, human nature is blind, dead, and an enemy of God.  In fact we read in John 3:19 that, “people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.”  

Indeed, the metaphor of darkness communicates that our world, our souls, our wills, and our minds are fallen—bound in sin.  The word darkness conveys the ideas of guilt, misery, ignorance, and wickedness.

However, the Gospel of John also uses the term ‘light’ when it says that the light shines in the darkness; the ‘light’ being the Son of God and the ‘shining’ being the arrival of the Son of God, life, and truth into our world of darkness.

With all of this stated, the metaphors of darkness and light, as well as the very vivid picture of light shining in darkness, certainly captures what Christmas is all about.  In other words, light shining into darkness is what happened when Christ came to humanity in His birth.  Indeed, the birth of the Son of God is a ray of light piercing into the gloom of night.    

As we have already heard, the world was enveloped in darkness.  Thus, we could say that the world was on Santa Clause’s naughty list, which means that there would have been no reason for Jesus to come to humanity.  No one on the nice list means no reason to bring good gift for good little boys and girls.  Furthermore, the world did not have fresh cookies awaiting the arrival of Jesus; no warm milk, no letters of kind words, no fresh smelling and beautifully decorated Christmas trees, no celebration, and no pretty lights.  Yes, for Jesus, the Christ-child, there wasn’t even room for Him in the Inn.  Rather, when Christ came from heaven to earth He met dense, gloomy, and hopeless darkness.  This darkness of sin was like a thick, dense cloud; it was like a fog that does not possess light nor welcomes light.

Be that as it may, the light still came. 

Yes, even though everyone was on the naughty list, the light still came.

Even though the darkness did not receive the light, the light still came.

Even though there were no warm cookies and milk, but only suffering and death on a cross, the light still came.

Even though there was no room for the Christ in the Inn, the Christ still came. 

While we were yet sinners, Christ came and died for us.

Left to ourselves, we walk in darkness and reject the light.  This rejection of the gift is not the fault of God or the gift itself.  This is because of our condition.  Regardless though, we see in our text that the light still came.  The light came and pierced the darkness. The light came and turned blindness to sight. The light came and like the sun, lit up the physical universe. Undeniably, this light lit up the world and souls of men.

Jesus still came and became flesh and blood.  He came to live among us.  

This, my friends, is huge!  Do you hear this?  The Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us!  This is remarkable.  “Christ, as God and Creator, is on one side of the line, and [everyone] else is on the other side, as His creation.  And then comes the most mind-boggling miracle and mystery of all: ‘The Word became flesh!’  In Christ, God became Man—and still is.”[1]  The Son of God Himself took on this poor and feeble human nature.  The Lord is eternal, all powerful and all knowing, yet He descended from the heavenly throne and became true man.  Do you know what this means?  This is not some theological nuance that is only important for theologians.  Rather, in the words of an old church father, it means that,

“…God my Lord is not angry with me; for He is my flesh and blood . . . If He were ill-disposed toward me, He would not have taken on my flesh and blood.”[2]

The Son of God had every reason not to come, yet He still came to enlighten you and me.

Truly, Jesus came into the darkness, took on human flesh so that He might free prisoners.  He came into the darkness, took on human flesh in order to calm the storms and feed thousands with the very bread of peace.  Jesus came into the darkness, took on human flesh, so that He might bless us with a strong, yet gentle word.  He came into the darkness, taking on human flesh, to bring cool water to the dessert’s burning sand.  Jesus came into the darkness, took on human flesh, to be the true Redeemer and make us one.[3]

My friends, the very fact that the Son of God came into the darkness and put on flesh when He had every reason not to, gives us confidence in the hours of our greatest doubt, fear, pain, and worry.  It gives us confidence when the darkness attempts to intrude on us.  Martin Luther once said that little is gained against the devil when we reply with long words, but rather when we are bombarded with the lies and accusations of the evil one we are to say,

“I am a Christian of the same flesh and blood as my Lord Christ, the Son of God.  You settle with Him, devil!”[4] 

We can go on to confess,

“You see devil, for us human beings and for our salvation the Son of God came down from the heavens, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary and became man.  This happened so that He might be crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffer death, be buried, and then rise again!  This was all done for us; it was done for me.”

Yes, Jesus, the Son of God, came into the darkness and became man “for our sake in order that we might enter into great glory, that our flesh and blood, skin and hair, hands and feet, stomach and back might reside in heaven as God does.”[5]

My friends, as Advent comes to a conclusion this day, and as we celebrate Christmas today, may we confess that Christmas is fundamentally not about us and our families. Christmas is not about the marketing and sales of our capitalistic society. Christmas is not about big family dinners or our family traditions, as great as they may be. Rather, Christmas is about the one who pierced the darkness.  It is about the Son of God who came into darkness, put on flesh, in order to suffer and die in the place of sinners so that the Father in heaven and all mankind may be reconciled.  Christmas is about sinners being given eyes to see; it is about blindness being turned to sight.  Christmas is about what Jesus has done for you.  “Christmas is about hearing Jesus and hearing what He has done for you throughout His earthly ministry, His suffering, His dying, His descent into hell, His rising again from the dead, and His ascension into heaven. Christmas is about the life you have in Jesus and your life begins in His being born in Bethlehem. The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end born to redeem you from death and to give you life.”[6] 

Beloved baptized saints rejoice!  Praise the One who breaks the darkness with a liberating light!  “Rejoice because on this happy morning, your Savior [pierced the darkness and was] born for you. Jesus is The Lord and King of glory. The angels of heaven sang of His birth and now, today, you join with your songs of worship and praise.”[7]

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

---

[1] Kurt Marquart, Marquart’s Works, Vol. I, pp. 70-71.

[2] Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermones in cantica, Sermon II, Patrologia, Series Latina, CLXXXII, 792.

[3] Portions of this paragraph are taken from the lyrics of “Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness” from The Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), Hymn 849.

[4] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works: Volume 22 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1957), 106.

[5] Luther, Luther’s Works: Volume 22, 110.

[6] Rev. John Wurst, Your Savior is Born (www.pericope.org, Accessed 12-21-13) 

[7] John Wurst, Your Savior is Born.

The Full Assurance Of Hope; The Christ-Child: Our Prophet, Priest, And King

Note:  Christmas Eve Sermon at Zion Lutheran Church of Gwinner, ND (Service of Lessons and Carols)

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

Can you smell the hay? 

Can you smell the fresh animal dung?

Can you feel the cool breeze from the evening wind?

Can you feel the dirt and wild grass clippings inside your sandals and in between your toes?

Can you hear the restless animals in their stalls? 

Can you hear the excited voices and the sound of pain coming from a woman giving birth?

Can you hear the first wheeze of breath and the first cry of a babe who has just entered the world?

Can you see through the darkness of night?

Can you see the feeding trough in the middle of the floor?  No, it is not full of animal food, but in it lays a baby.  Yes, in the feeding trough lays not animal food, but a baby who has just been washed, rubbed with salt and olive oil, and then wrapped with strips of cloth.[1]

Where are we at?  We are either in a musty smelling cave or some sort of stable attached to an inn.  Yes, we are at the birth of a baby some two-thousand years ago. 

But what do these surroundings communicate about the birth of this child.  Certainly these impoverished and unsterile conditions are not the settings or conditions of one birthed within a noble class of people or within an earthly powerful kingdom or within a holy religious system.  But rather, these circumstances are the birthing environment of poor peasants in a dinky little town.  The surroundings and environment scream out that this is the birth of a nobody. 

Do not let these surroundings and this environment deceive you though. 

Behold; look again at the child.  This child is no ordinary child, but a child who is like the mighty and powerful prophets of the days of old.  However, where the prophets of the days of old spoke of the great and mighty prophet to come, this babe in the manger will grow to not speak beyond Himself to some point ahead, but He will grow up and speak of Himself.  Indeed, in this baby we do not have a mere man that will proclaim a message about God, but we have God in the flesh speaking to us.

Behold, look again at the child.  This child is no ordinary child, but a child who is like the faithful Priests of the days of old.  However, where the Priests of the days of old would sacrifice offerings on behalf of the people over and over and over, this baby would someday not offer the blood of bulls and goats, but would offer Himself once and for all, on behalf of all of mankind.

Behold, look again at the child.  This child is no ordinary child, for in the midst of the hay, animals, and small gathering of people lays one who has royal dominion.  Indeed, in this birth lay one who has complete dominion and power and glory.  This authority is due to the fact that He is the heir of all things, for through Him the Father and the Holy Spirit created everything that exists.[2]  Indeed, the Kingdom of Grace, the Kingdom of Power, and the Kingdom of Glory belong to Him.

Behold, this child is no ordinary child, for lying in the feeding trough is not just another Old Testament prophet, but the Lord of the prophets.  Lying in the feeding trough is not just another Old Testament priest who offers up sacrifices on behalf of Israel year after year, but the great high priest who will someday offer up Himself once and for all.  Lying in the manger is not just a another Old Testament King who has limited dominion and a limited dynasty, but ‘the’ king of king who has rule and control over all things and a dominion that will extend forever.

Dear friends, you are beholding Jesus the Christ, the one who proclaims to you words of life unto your salvation; Words of forgiveness—for you. 

Dear friends, you are beholding Jesus the Christ, the one who reconciles you by His own body and blood; shed blood—on your behalf. 

Dear friends, you are beholding Jesus the Christ, the one who exercises complete and righteous authority over the universe and the church; authority that holds and preserves you.

But what do we make of this environment, these impoverished, dumpy conditions that the Christ was born into?  Do not believe that this is beneath our God!  Jesus, the Son of God, intentionally descendent and humiliated Himself taking on the form of a slave in order to redeem mankind.  His coming to us in a lowly manger as our prophet, priest, and king is quite intentional. 

In other words, you don’t need a king who wears fine jewels, a prestigious crown, and waltzes around begging for the accolades of mankind in the halls of His castle.  No, you need a King who cuts through the manmade hierarchal power schemes and showy facades of authority to accomplish salvation—for you.  That is what a true King is and does for His people.

Furthermore, you don’t need a priest who strokes your ego with religious applause when you do good or awards you with religious merit badges when you serve your neighbor.  No, you need a Priest  who will stop at nothing to save you.  You need a Priest who will shed His blood for you in order to pay for every single sin that you have committed.[3]  That is what a true Priest is and does for His people.

Finally, you don’t need a prophet who tailors his message to what the people want to hear.  You don’t need a prophet who bases His message off of the opinion polls or popular opinion, but you need a Prophet “who cares enough to tell you the truth, to say, ‘Apart from me, you are depraved, dead, and damned.  But I love you.  I want you.  I desire you to be my child more than anything else.  So I have done all and everything necessary for you to be mine.”[4]  That is what a true Prophet is and does for His people.

Baptized Saints, you don’t need the heightened frill, the embellished persona, or the glitter of glory, but rather you need Jesus Christ.  And yes, you have Jesus Christ, for unto you a Savior has been born.

Glory be to you O Christ Jesus: king of eternal glory, crucified and resurrected mediator, and eternal word.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our prophet, priest, and king. Amen.

---

[1] The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 1709.

[2] See Hebrew 1:3. 

[3] Chad Bird, Christ Alone: Meditations and Sermons (Copyright 2014), 119.

[4] Ibid.

Conception: The First Step Towards The Cross

Text: Luke 1:26-38

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

In today’s Gospel reading we hear that the Angel Gabriel came to Mary in order to foretell the coming of the Messiah.  Yes, the Angel Gabriel comes bearing a message for this no-name insignificant peasant girl, who is living in a dumpy town called Nazareth.  He comes to this young virgin who is probably not much older than 14-16 years old; he comes to her with a profound message that she is favored by God, for God will work through her to bring forth the Messiah of the whole entire world. 

Needless to say, Mary becomes greatly perplexed from the message and the messenger.  Yes, she becomes agitated, troubled, and confused.  This is completely understandable, sense this is a very common response of people who come into contact with mighty angels.  Would we not also experience the same rush of confusion, agitation, and anxiety, if we were visited from such a powerful messenger of God? 

To intensify things a bit more, as if encountering an angel of God was not already extreme enough; the Angel Gabriel tells Mary that the Holy Spirit will work an absolute miracle in her to bring forth the Messiah. He basically tells her that the Holy Spirit will provide the DNA that is necessary for one of her reproductive eggs.  That is to say,  the Holy Spirit will deliver the DNA that was missing from Mary’s egg, thus a cell would form; not just any cell, but a holy and great physical life; not just any life, but the eternal Son of God will come down from heaven to take up bodily residency in the womb of the Virgin Mary. 

Now, with all of this stated thus far, there is a pretty good chance that you are familiar with this story.  In fact, we talk about this each and every Sunday when we confess in the Apostle’s Creed and Nicene Creed that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  This scriptural story is also celebrated every March 25^th in the church as the Feast of the Annunciation.   

Considering that the story may be somewhat familiar, we must be careful not to rush over the message from the Angel Gabriel and we mustn’t yawn at the passages of our Gospel reading saying, “I’ve heard the story of Mary conceiving a child a hundred times!”  The reason why this is so, is because this is where the grand salvation plan of the Old Testament Scriptures actually comes to fruition; it is where the salvation plan of the Old Testament begins to be executed—executed for you and for me. 

Permit me to explain.

At the very beginning of things, our first mother, Eve, was confronted by an angel as well.  This angel though was not a messenger of God like Gabriel, but an evil messenger of twisted lies and hellish deceit, a fallen angel who had rebelled against God.  This angel’s name was Lucifer, also known as Satan.  To get back to the point, this evil, fallen, and pathetic angel of deceit spewed forth lies about God in that Garden of Eden, thus introducing temptation to Adam and Eve.   In response to the message of the evil angel, Adam and Eve distrusted God’s Word and aspired to be God themselves, thus conceiving not a child within Eve, but conceiving sin in themselves which gave birth to sin, sin that infected and tainted every aspect of life as we know it.  Tragically, temptation was planted by the evil one; evil desires formed in Adam and Eve. Once the evil desires were conceived, they gave birth to sin thus wreaking havoc on everything. 

All was not lost though, for God gave a promise to Adam and Eve that there would be a seed, a child, who would come in the future.  This seed—this child—would crush the head of the ol’ serpent.  Indeed, God did not promise an impersonal force; He did not promise some sort of intelligent spiritualized battle plans communicated to us through spiritual radio frequencies; He did not promise a waiflike or dainty savior; and He did not promise an airy insubstantial energy to deal with the evil one and the sins of the world.  No, God promised flesh and blood; He promised that a child would be born.  The physical, bodily, and fleshly person who was promised from long ago is none other than Jesus Christ, the seed that was conceived in Mary’s womb.  Yes, the child that was conceived in the womb of Mary was conceived so that He could crush the head of Satan, pay for sins, and redeem you and me.  He is the promised seed, the promised child, the promised flesh and blood that would save and make things right.[1] 

This means that, “Mary is like a new and better Eve . . . [she] was the “Eve” who bore that promised seed, [the seed] who crushed the power of our ancient foe, even as the venom of death struck that seed in His crucifixion death. Indeed, if any woman should have the name Eve, it should be Mary, for the Hebrew word for Eve means “mother of life.” And such Mary is, for she gives birth to the Savior who is the way, the truth, and the life.”[2]

Here we once again see the tremendous reality that God was at work coming to us.  As we have heard in previous Advent messages, the Lord’s first coming to us some two-thousand years ago was not a coming of condemnation, but a coming of grace and mercy.  But today, we hear more specifically how the Savior came to us two-thousand years ago.  Oh yes, He came in grace and truth.  Oh yes, the heavens were ripped open as Jesus came to us.  However, today we hear more precisely that the Son of God came to us via the womb.  Otherwise stated, our Savior came to us in grace and mercy and did so by being born of a Virgin.  Truly, this promised Messiah did not come to us in a ghostly and unearthly way through a spiritualized portal.  No, He came to us in flesh and blood; born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary.  He was conceived, thus He received a true human body and soul in the Virgin Mary; He took up human flesh inside of Mary’s womb, which was His first step towards the cross.    

Dear Saints, please keep in mind that the miraculous conception of our Lord Jesus Christ in the womb of Mary is not just a finer point of theology that theologians argue about; furthermore, it is not an insignificant doctrine that can be classified as a myth, as some denominations have tragically done; and finally it is not a mere theological hurdle that we need to jump over to get to the Christmas Story on December 25.  No it is none of these things, but rather it is a teaching of tremendous importance for us to believe, teach, and confess.  Christ had to be true man, because our salvation depends on it.  You see if Jesus was not true man, He would not have been able to act in our place under the Law and He would not have been able to fulfill the Law for us.  You who have ears, hear, Jesus Christ being conceived in the womb of Mary is indeed important, for if Jesus did not come to us as true man—if He did not come to the world bodily—He would not have been able to live for us, suffer for us, die for us, and rise for us.  Otherwise stated, the eternal Son of God came to live for you, suffer for you, die for you, and rise for you—He did that by taking up human flesh; He did that by taking up the form of a slave, being born in human likeness; He shared in all things, yet without sin, so that through His death He might destroy the one who has the power of death.

The conception of Jesus Christ in the womb of Mary is a gift to mankind, a gift of a God who can die on a cross for mankind.  A God who is not true man, cannot bleed for His creation.  A God who is not true man, cannot bleed for you.

Yes, we believe, teach, and confess that Jesus is true God and we believe, teach, and confess that He is true man born of the Virgin Mary.  Because He is true God He is able to overcome death and the devil; He is able to fulfill the Law; He is able to resurrect from the dead.  Only God can do these things.  What is more, because He is true man He can be nailed to a cross—for you and for me.  He can suffer for you.  He can bleed for you.  Beware my friends, of people who portray a Jesus Christ and a Christianity that cannot be nailed to the cross; if you can’t nail it to the cross it is not uniquely Christian.[3]  Our savior has a cross; our savior bled and died and rose.    

This week, “we will celebrate the human birth of God in the flesh, Jesus Christ.  We will celebrate the fact that God and man come together in one person - Jesus the Christ—the Son of Mary—the savior of the world.  His conception by the Holy Spirit and His birth of the Virgin are the beginning of His journey to save [you and me].”[4]  Truly, as we enter into the Church’s blessed Christmas Season this week and press forward towards the seasons of Epiphany, Lent and Easter, we will see how the little human in the womb of the Virgin will grow up and live a life without sin.  We will see how He will suffer, die, and be buried.  We will see how He will rise and ascend back to His Father.  We will see how He did all of this for you and for me, so that wrath against sin could be satisfied and so that the Lord could come to you and me with His mercy, grace, and love, not only in the Word and Sacraments today, but also in the great Second Advent where we will be resurrected from the dead and given a new heaven and new earth. 

Baptized Saints, you have favor with the Lord, for Christ was conceived for you.  You have favor with the Lord, for this gift of salvation was set out to be delivered way back in Genesis 3 and arrived at the conception.  You are favored for Christ was conceived so that He could redeem you.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

_____________________
[1] Chad Bird, “Four Reasons Why the Virgin Mary Deserves More Attention in Protestant Churches,” (23 August 2014) https://birdchadlouis.wordpress.com/2014/08/23/four-reasons-why-the-virgin-mary-deserves-more-attention-in-protestant-churches/ (20 December 2014).
[2] Ibid. 
[3] Paraphrase of a Norman Nagel Quote (Source of Quote Unknown).
[4] James T. Batchelor, “Fourth Sunday in Advent Sermon,” (18 December 2011) http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=2512 (20 December 2014).

It Is Good That You Are Not The Savior

Text:  John 1:6-8, 19-28

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

Last week we heard about an odd man, a man dressed in camel hair and a leather belt.  Yes, we heard about John the Baptist who ate grasshoppers dipped in honey out by the Jordan River. 

Regardless of his appearance and bold message, large groups of people did come out of Jerusalem into the wilderness to hear and see him.  This interaction with John resulted in people being confronted with a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.  Indeed, John’s message and baptism were intended to rattle the cages of the people in order to prepare them to receive the coming Kingdom of God; the people were being primed to receive the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

As it can be expected, all of this attention that John the Baptist was receiving didn’t go unnoticed.  His activity by the Jordan River surely caused a great stir in the Jerusalem area and began to affect the bottom line of the religious enterprise in Jerusalem.  As a result of this disturbance coming from the Jordan River, the Jews of Jerusalem wanted to know more.  Therefore, they sent out priests and Levites to investigate who was taking their customer base and who was cutting into their religious market share.[1]  They wanted to know what the Baptist was about and who he was.

Who are you John? 

What are you about?

We don’t understand you; we don’t get the clothes; we don’t get you.

What are you trying to accomplish?

Now, as we have heard in today’s Gospel reading, John’s answer to the question of ‘who he is’ seems a bit odd.  John the Baptist’s answer is odd because he defines himself by contrasting his identity with the coming Messiah.  Otherwise stated, he defines himself by comparing himself to Jesus. He says, “I am not the Christ!”  He also says that he is not worthy to untie the sandals of the one who is to come.  In point of fact, John the Baptist’s answer to the religious inquisitors was not a simple autobiographical reply, but rather “it was a full, complete, clear-cut confession.”[2] 

Dear friends, please do not brush this aside.  Instead, take a second look at John the Baptist’s reply.  Is it not a profound confession?  Who are you John?  Answer: I am not the Messiah and furthermore, I am not even worthy to untie the Messiah’s sandals! 

What we are hearing in this confession is that John knew that “he had no right or claim to the honor which belonged to the Christ alone.”[3] 

With all this said, the challenging question that was placed before John the Baptist is also an important question that you and I need to consider as well.  In other words, “Who are you, and what should you say about yourself when the world puts you on trial?”[4]

Taking cue from John the Baptist we note that John answers in a way that does not draw attention to himself, but rather he gives answer to his identity by pointing away from himself.  Likewise, the same answer and identity of John can be your answer and identity as well, especially when you are asked, “Who are you?”

Naturally, “People will question us, saying, “Who are you?” as if who we are or what good works we do should convince them of our religion.  But no, our religion is Christ.  So follow John the Baptist’s example.  Refuse to talk about yourself.  Instead, tell people about Christ, as if He is the most important person who ever lived, which He is.”[5]

Indeed, confessing that we are not the Christ and pointing away from ourselves “is the true witness of any pastor, and any Christian.  We do not witness to ourselves.  We do not say how we have cleaned up our lives and made ourselves good believers.  No, we point away from ourselves to the Lord who is in our midst.  “There He is!” we say.  “He is in Word and Sacrament.  He is on the Altar in His Supper.  He is in the waters of Baptism, clothing us with His righteousness.””[6]

“If you must mention yourself, say only, “I am not worthy to crawl in the dust before Christ.””[7]

This is not false humility because this is actually the way that it is.  “…He is holy.  We are unholy.  He is all-powerful.  We are impotent in our sinful uncleanness, since even our so-called righteous deeds are bloody rags.  Christ knows all things.  We are blinded by our sinful flesh.  He is immortal, and no one could take His life from Him unless He laid it down.  We are deservedly mortal, receiving the wages of our sins in the eventual death that we must suffer.”[8]

“We must confess this reality – not only that we are flawed and mortal, but that we deserve everything we get and more.  We are not the bright, shining examples that the pharisee inside us wants us to think that we are.  Instead, we are crooked sinners.”[9]

Dear friends, even though this offends our sinful old Adam and is surely demoralizing, there is a gift to John the Baptist’s great confession and our confession as well.  Permit me to explain. 

John the Baptist was praised by Christ as the greatest among those born of women up till that time.  However, as we have heard, John’s confession is that he is nobody compared to Jesus, which is very true.  Now, think about this for a moment.  If the greatest of those born of women—John the Baptist—is nobody, this means that all religious ranking is truly futile.  This confession absolutely eliminates and destroys any hints or attempts of religious ranking or religious categories.  That is to say, if the great John the Baptist is unworthy to untie the sandals of Jesus, who is worthy?  Was Mother Teresa worthy?  Is Billy Graham worthy?  Is the Pope worthy?  Was Martin Luther worthy?  If John the Baptist was unworthy, I can assure you that these people are also unworthy and you are too.

What this means, practically speaking, is that this Christian life and your identity is not based on mankind’s greatness or a religious status that one has acquired.  This Gospel reading shows us that ‘all’ of us are on the same level no matter how much has been accomplished in the eyes of the world.  No one is worthy to untie the sandals of the Messiah.  No one period, for this is the essence of John’s message.  To quit pretending that we are not sinners and to simply agree with scriptures is at the heart of John’s message in the wilderness. 

Because no one is worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus, this means that salvation is not by works or our doings. What is more, your salvation is not based off of ‘your’ identity, your spiritual resume, your accomplishment plaques, or how high you have climbed.   Notably, in John the Baptist’s confession we see that there is no such thing as worthy Christians and unworthy Christians.  The leveling of the field is essentially bad news to our sinful nature and the old Adam’s spiritual projects that are designed to earn religious kudo points; however, it is good news because it causes us to look away from ourselves to the Messiah.  Yes, there is a silver lining in this.  There is a Gospel handle in this confession; there is good news for us to consider and receive. 

With regards to the silver lining, when we confess with John the Baptist that we are not the Christ, it means that you are not the Savior of the world; it means that you are not the Savior of your family; it means that you are not the Savior of the church; it means that you are not the Savior of your friends; and it means that you are not the Savior of yourself.  In other words, you and I are not the ones who do salvific work; we are not the ones who will rescue this world and ourselves from sin, death, and the devil; we are not the ones others should look to for eternal hope; we are not the ones others count on to remove the guilt and condemnation of sin; we are not the ones who have made a payment for sin.

Due to you not being the Savior, weight should be lifted from your shoulders.  Please listen, you are not the Savior and you cannot and do not have to carry the kingdom of God upon your shoulders, for Jesus is the Savior—your Savior.

Praise God that this is the case, for we must confess that even if we could somehow be the Savior, we should not even want to be the Savior. That’s right, we do not want anything left in our own hands, anything that pertains to salvation.  The reason why?  Our conscience would never be at rest if we had to be our own Savior.  Furthermore, imagine the weight that we would have to carry being a Savior to others, as if our sins were not heavy enough.  Finally, we could not even pay for even the smallest amount of sin and if we could—which we can’t—it would rob Jesus of his credit.

Baptized Saints, it is good that we are not the Savior and it is good that we cannot untie the Savior’s sandals.  It is good that our salvation has been taken out of our hands.  It is good that our salvation is taken out of the control of our will and put into the hands of the true Savior, Jesus Christ.  For, if our salvation was in our hands, we would simply mess it up and all would be lost, thus pulling us not only into treacherous despair by eternal damnation. 

Undeniably, it is good news that we are not the Christ.

So, if you and I are not the Christ and are not worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus, who are we then?

You are the one Christ came to serve, the reason why Christ was born of the Virgin. 

Who are you?

You are the chosen ones in Christ, the reason why Christ did not consider it a humiliation to become Man so that He could suffer and die and rise—for you.

Who are you?

You are Baptized Saints, people baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection.   

Who are you?

You are the forgiven, people whom Jesus gave up His life on a tree for.

Who are you?

You are those crucified with Christ, people whom the Lord will never leave nor forsake.

Who are you?

You are those who will be raised someday incorruptible when Jesus reveals Himself once again.

Who are you?

You are those who belong to the Lord, people who cannot be snatched from the Lord’s hand.

Who are you?

You are those whom the Lord provides for, loves, leads, sanctifies, and preserves.

Who are you?

You are not the Christ, and that is o.k., for the Christ is for you in His life, death, and resurrection.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

____________________________
[1] Kurt Hering, “Who Are You?” (22 December 2013) http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3590 (13 December 2014).

[2] R.C.H. Lenski, quoted in “Buls Notes on the New Testament.” http://pericope.org/buls-notes/john/john_1_6_8_19_28.htm (13 December 2014)

[3] Sermon studies on the Gospels: Series B, ed. E.H. Wendland (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 1987), 26.

[4] Kurt Hering, “Who Are You?”
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.