Are We Beggars?

Text: Luke 16:19-31

In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

He was like an American playboy – the type of man who lived chiefly in the pursuit of pleasure.  You know what I am talking about.  The type of man who dresses flashy, has a fancy car, jewelry, new technology and thinks he is God’s gift to the world.  This is the man that we are introduced to in our reading from the Gospel of Luke.  This is the rich man.  

But we are also introduced to another man named Lazarus.  This man was quite the opposite.  He was poor, hungry, and cast aside.  He was a beggar – a loser.  No one comforted this poor beggar; no one gave him anything – he was forsaken having nothing.  No covering, no house, no home, no money, and no friends.  No one came to his aid.  Only the dogs had mercy on him as they licked his sores.  Indeed, Lazarus was a pathetic loser in the eyes of the world.  He was nothing more than a filthy failure that took up space. 

Now, both of these men had nothing in common.  They were from opposite sides of the tracks.  They were a part of two completely different classes of people.  They were cut from different cloth.  They had nothing in common.  Well, except for one thing – they both died.   

It has been said before that death is the great equalizer in life.  We all end up in the grave – the rich and the poor, the popular and the losers.  Everyone goes to the same place.  From dust, we were formed, to dust we will return.

But what about after death.  What happened to the rich man and Lazarus after death?  Well, after death we heard from our Gospel reading that there were only two options.  There was Hades (hell), and there was paradise.  Yes, there were only two options, not one and not three or four.  Only two – heaven and hell.  And so, after death there was a great change.  The rich man became poor, and poor Lazarus became rich.  That is right; Lazarus was carried by holy angels into Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man was buried in hell in the devil’s graveyard. 

But why? 

Modern day social justice warriors would say that the rich man went to hell because he was rich.  The mantra goes like this, rich capitalists are evil and poor blue collar workers are righteous.  However, is this really the point of our Gospel reading?  Is it a sin to dress nicely and live well?  Do rich people automatically go to hell and do poor people automatically go to heaven?  

No, this is not the case.  Fine clothing and good living do not condemn a person to hell, and an empty wallet is not a ticket to heaven.  There will be plenty of rich people in heaven, and there will be plenty of poor people in hell… and vice versa. 

So then, what is the point of our Gospel reading?  

Dear friends, it is simply this, fine clothing and good living would not have condemned the rich man to hell had he not looked for his pleasure and desire in them, forgetting God, and letting poor Lazarus die of hunger.[1] 

You see, in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us to go and eat our bread in joy and to drink our wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what we do.  He tells us to enjoy life with our spouse.[2]  Yes, we are to consider all that we have before us as gifts.  The food that we have, the property that we own, the family that we have, and the health that we possess, are all gifts of God.  We are not worthy of any of this!  And so, we acknowledge that absolutely everything that we have received is a gift of God, no matter how big or how small, it is a sheer gift of God’s graciousness to us.  So, we enjoy the things of life that God gives to us, knowing that the Lord has blessed us. 

However, things go wrong quickly when our eating turns to gluttony and when our drinking turns to drunkenness.  Everything is perverted when our clothing turns to vainglory, and our love turns away from our neighbor to the Benjamins – that is money.  There is a big difference between enjoying the gifts that God gives to us and collapsing inward into the darkness of our sin living a pig’s life. 

That is the problem with the rich man.  It wasn’t his clothing, money, and food, but rather, he made an idol out of his belly and his desires. The rich man was so fixated on himself and serving his desires, every single day, that as a consequence he became ungracious and unmerciful because he caved inward on himself.  The rich man reclined each day submerging himself in feasting and drunkenness like a fattened hog, and as a result became blind and deaf to God and Lazarus.  He was blind to everything around him, except the delight of his eyes.  He was deaf to the cries of Lazarus, but not to the grumbles of his belly.  And the same was true for his family, his brothers.  They had Moses and the prophets, but they did not listen to them as well. 

And now we begin to see the point of this story from Jesus.  Jesus is giving us a lesson on the Third Commandment.  He is showing us that the rich man was blind and deaf to everything around him, except himself. 

What Jesus is saying in this story is that the rich man despised God’s Word because He did not hold it sacred.  In other words, the rich man did not love God. He did not recognize God as the source of his wealth.  He did not recognize the needs of his neighbor. He thought only of his pleasures and as a result, neglected God’s Word and his neighbor.  He did not gladly hear and learn the Word because his whole life was spent looking elsewhere – his clothing, feasting, and carnal desires.  He was caved in on himself. 

Dear friends, you may or may not have the blessings of luxury in your life.  Your wallets may be full, or they may be empty.  Whatever your circumstances may be, whether big or small, luxurious or humble, if you are pursuing your dreams to the point that you have neglected and turned a deaf ear to God’s Word, you are committing spiritual suicide.  And what is worse is that calling yourself a Christian, you are encouraging those around you to follow you in your destructive path to hell. 

Are these strong words?  You bet.  They are strong, because you need to hear them.  You need to hear them because the Lord does not want you to end in the place of torment with the rich man.  But rather, the Lord wants you to be with Lazarus in paradise – to be with Him.   

Dear friends, open your ears.  Turn away from yourselves.  Listen to the Word.  Do not despise the Word.  Do not neglect it at the expense of serving the god of your gut.  The Word is sacred and powerful and active to give full salvation and forgiveness. 

We have so often failed to hold this Word sacred.  We have failed to trust God, who speaks in His Word.  We have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Word of God way too many times, which is often evident in how neglect the needs of our neighbors.

Lord have mercy on us.  Christ have mercy on us.  Lord have mercy on us. 

However, the Lord has compassion on you and me.  He did not ignore you and me, as we lay helplessly before Him, trapped in our sins, covered with the sores of our uncleanness.  No, He stooped down to us by sending His Son into our flesh. Jesus experienced pain and poverty and hunger for us.  He was despised and rejected by men as if He was the most repulsive outcast of all.

Jesus even experienced our sin, as He let the full weight of our guilt pile upon Him at Calvary.  All the idols that clutter our sinful hearts – all of the idols that we chase after – all of the idols that distract us from the Word – all of the idols that we chose over our neighbor, were counted against Jesus so that He felt the full torment of Hades as He hung upon the Tree for you and me. 

And get this, though, Jesus did not remain forever in torment but rose again from death – for you and me.

And today, as the resurrected Lord, He speaks to you in His Word.  He gives you this vivid story of the rich man and Lazarus to open your ears – to give eyes to see – to turn you away from yourselves.  And as you are given eyes to see and ears to hear, you are given faith – faith that receives the Lord’s forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Yes, you are given faith that hears that angels will someday carry you not to hades but to paradise, where God Himself will seat you with Lazarus to enjoy the eternal feast of joy.  You are given faith that grants you assurance!  You are given faith that is mighty, busy, active, and living.  You are given faith that does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question arises, it has already done them, and is always doing them. 

Yes, dear Baptized Saints, open your ears to hear this day.  Look away from yourselves.  Jesus has died for all of your sins and the sins of your neighbor.  He has been raised from death.  He lives today.  Therefore, He is your hope, and your neighbor’s too.  He is you and your neighbor’s satisfaction.  He is our worth.  He is our pleasure.  You are clothed in His righteousness.  You have everything you need in Christ in this life and in death and in the life to come. 

So, today, turn away from yourselves and receive the body and blood of the Lord for the forgiveness of your sin, the strengthening of your faith toward God, and the strengthening of your love towards your neighbor, neighbors like Lazarus, who are in your midst.    

In the name of Jesus.  Amen. 

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[1] Johann Spangenberg, The Christian Year of Grace: The Chief Parts of Scripture Explained in Questions and Answers, tr. and ed. Matthew Carver, (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2014), 235.

[2] See Ecclesiastes 9:7-9.  

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Demons Among Us?

Text: Luke 11:14-28

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

In the New Testament, there are six recorded events where Jesus does battle with people possessed by a demon or many demons. In all six accounts, the person was under the control of an evil spirit, or we could say, “A demon.” These demons exerted a certain amount of control over these people’s minds and even their bodies, causing ailments and physical problems.

Now, we must keep in mind that these encounters in the New Testament were not Jesus coming into contact with the souls of dead people and Jesus was not encountering different gods. And Jesus was not battling some sort of mental illness plaguing these individuals. But instead, Jesus was coming face to face with demons.  These demons were fallen evil angels working under the authority of the chief evil angel, named the devil.

Now, we must keep in mind that beneath all the false religions of the world are demons. That is to say; if you pop the hood of Islam, what you see under the hood is demons lurking in the pages of their Koran. Take a magnifying glass to Hinduism; you find the devil in the details.  Furthermore, beneath all the supernatural hauntings reports of dead souls wandering the hallways of haunted houses are nothing more than demons with their trickery.  Finally, there are times where people are diagnosed as mentally ill, but in reality, they are possessed by a demon.

You see, demons are real, and the devil is real. The devil and his cohorts oppose God and work against God’s children. These demons using their own free will are aggressive, wanting to kill, steal, and destroy your faith and the faith of other Christians.

Your skepticism may be kicking in at this time causing you to say,

“But do these demons ‘really’ still exist today, for we are in the modern era! We are enlightened people, not superstitious like all those people in the Medieval Age! Therefore, isn’t this demon stuff just something that happened a long time ago? Haven’t we grown out of this in the twenty-first century?”

The author C.S. Lewis at the beginning of his book, The Screwtape Letters, says the following,

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about [demons]. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. [The demons] are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”

In other words, demons do still exist. However, we humans can make two errors. We can either deny that they exist or we can have an overly unhealthy interest in them and end up playing with fire.

Now, I would assert that disbelieving in demons is a greater cause for worry, for if we go about our lives assuming that they do not exist, we are in essence giving them a free pass – freedom to reign.

But if demons do exist – which they do – why do we not see these exorcisms and battles that we read about in the New Testament. If they do exist, why is it that we only see this kind of stuff in Hollywood Movies? There are two reasons.

First, the devil and his demons disguise themselves as angels of light. The evil one seduces people into his camp by making wicked things look good and good things look wicked. The devil covers evil in attractive garments. He adds sweetener to poison and glitter to sin. Indeed the devil knows that the easiest road to Hell is not the obvious road but the gradual one - the subtle gentle slope without sudden turns and without markers or signposts or warnings.[1]

The second reason why we do not see these battles with the devil is that Christian Pastors often do not talk about it. For example, our missionaries in Africa come into conflict with demons and possessions on a weekly basis. And in America, pastors have had these experiences, but to a lesser degree. In fact, I would say that most pastors have at least one story about a battle with evil. But here is the catch. Pastors rarely talk about these stories. And the reason why? Pastors do not want to give evil publicity. The devil is a liar and a murderer. He is pathetic and evil. His demons are cowards and pathetic as well. Therefore, they are not worthy of being mentioned or talked about in stories. Their stories are not important enough to be talked about from the pulpit.  They are not worthy of Christ’s pulpit. Besides, the stories about battling evil typically lead to an unhealthy interest in evil. We are to be ‘babes in evil.’ We do not go around looking for demons and evil.

So, considering all of this what do we need to know about this subject today?

From our Gospel reading, we learn that demons are real. We learn that they are not on the same team as Jesus. We also learn that they are not good for mankind – they want to destroy us. We also learn that there is no middle ground between good and evil – there is no gray. And finally, we learn that Jesus is stronger – He is the stronger man.

Now, it is true that when you were conceived and born into this world that you were conceived and born under the power of the Devil and the condemnation of sin. However, this is not who you are or where you are now. You are not ruled by the devil dear Baptized Saints, and you are not under sin’s condemnation. Why is this so? At your baptisms, the Strong Man, Jesus Christ, came to you. He crossed the great divide between the kingdom of evil and the kingdom of Light, to rescue you in the mighty waters of baptism. As the stronger man, Jesus declared that the powers of the Devil must be cast aside – away from you – so that room could be made for the Holy Spirit.[2]  

At your baptisms there was a hostile takeover as Christ, the stronger man, came and rescued you from the dominion of darkness, placing you in the kingdom of Light by mighty water-words upon your head and heart.

Now, as children of God’s kingdom, “at every turn we may see the efforts of the devil to dethrone Christ from our hearts. [In fact,] the more earnestly we mean to have the rule of Christ’s love in our lives, the more we shall feel of the devil’s efforts. . . . [You see,] the devil doesn’t much bother with the godless for the time being. They are safe in his bag, so he bends his special attacks on the children of God.”[3]  Yes, the more we cling to Christ, the more the Devil will attack. The more we are shaped and formed by Lord’s Word and Sacraments, the more the flaming arrows will be launched at us. The more that we remain steadfast in God’s Word, speaking the truth in love, the more the world with its prince, the devil, will scorn and slander us.

But do not be discouraged dear Baptized Saints, the devil’s kingdom will come to an end, while the kingdom of God remains forever. Furthermore, the decisive battle between the two kingdoms of evil and Light has already been won by Christ on the cross. Therefore, when the Devil attacks, when temptations arise, and when the world scorns us, we shall fear not. But rather, we will confess,

“Devil and demons, I am not yours. Christ has died for me, I am baptized, I have been bought back, and I am forgiven. You, sly serpent, have been blinded and are muted; shut your face evil one; be gone. I belong to the stronger man, Christ Jesus who was crucified and resurrected.”

Baptized Saints, from faith, we make the sign of the cross, confess our sins unto the Lord, receive forgiveness, and tell the devil and his cohorts to take a hike, for it is Jesus Christ who sits on the throne of our hearts, minds, and lives – now, tomorrow, and into eternity.

The devil and his demons do exist. They want to destroy you. But Jesus is the stronger man, and you commune with the Lord. You are of the kingdom of God. You are His, so nothing, yes nothing, can get between you and your Lord.

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] An adapted quote from: C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters. 

[2] Paraphrase of Martin Luther’s Baptism Rite. 

[3] Norman Nagel, Selected Sermons of Norman  Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis, (St. Louis,      MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2004), 96.

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Do We See Things So Differently From God?

Text:  1 Samuel 16:1-13 and Luke 18:31-43

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

God and mankind see things differently.  Not just a little different but completely different.  But why is it this way? 

Well, it has to do with the fact that we base pretty much everything on our experiences and perceptions.  We judge people and events typically by what we see with our own eyes.  For example, consider that famous parable of the religious Pharisee and the sinful tax collector going to the temple to pray.  If we just look at them from a distance, we immediately can see two entirely different individuals.  One is polished, and the other one is not.  One is an upright citizen, and the other one is not.  One prays standing tall, fasting twice a day, and giving a tenth of all of his income, whereas the other one hangs his head low in the misery of his sins.  One seems confident and secure, while the other one has a troubled conscience. 

Now, according to the judgment of our eyes, we see two completely different men.  And according to all outward appearances, the Pharisee is the one who we would label as righteous, good, and true (the good guy), whereas that tax collector is not.  Yes, according to our eyes, we would make the judgment that the Pharisee has the upper hand – that he is more righteous and should be favored before God and mankind.

But here is the catch, the Lord sees things not the way that we see things.  God’s way is not our way, and our way is not God’s way. 

So, with our example of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the Lord actually sees the tax collector as justified.  In other words, the Lord comes to the exact opposite conclusion from us. The Lord looks past all outward appearances and makes a judgment that just baffles us – He says that the sinful tax collector goes away from the temple justified, not the upright Pharisee.    

Now, this is the way that it typically goes with Christianity.  That is to say; things are never the way that they seem.  It is almost as if mankind is blinded to the way that God sees things.

Dear friends, this is exactly what is going on in Christianity.  This is the point that is being made from our Old Testament Lesson and our Gospel Reading.  Even though we certainly can see and make judgments about people and circumstances, more often than not, we are blinded to the reality of what God sees.  All we have to do is look at our own lives to see how blind we truly are. 

It is like this if we stop and take a long hard look at our lives, what we typically see is one problem after another.  Life has a way of carrying a long string of regrets.  The human experience has shown us that we humans sin in thought, word, and deed. 

So, as a result of our sin, we humans either wallow in our sin hanging our heads low in regret (like that tax collector) or we try to seize life and overcome our sins by doing lots and lots of good (like the Pharisee).  We believe that we can offset our sin or at least cover it up with doing good things. 

Regardless of whether we end up being like that tax collector or that Pharisee, the result is still the same – we are troubled by our sin and cannot truly escape it. 

Indeed, it has been said before that our most significant need as people is to be justified – to feel right with ourselves and the world, to be and feel whole.  But because of sin, we are thrown into a frenzy, and our lives are characterized by either being depressed from our sin or trying to overcome it through our own efforts. 

Needless to say, the human condition is one where we are trapped in sin, dead in sin, and condemned in our sin.  All of life is either being crushed by sin or trying to offset it.  Nevertheless, the harsh reality is that no matter how hard we work and no matter how hard we scrub, this stain of sin remains.  We cannot remove it from our lives and our sight. 

This is how life is.  This is how we see things in this life.  And in case this is not depressing enough, no matter where we look, we cannot see a solution to this problem of sin.  As we look throughout history and as we look upon our world with all of its resources and technological advances, our eyes cannot find a way out to this problem of sin. 

Therefore, we must conclude and confirm what we see about ourselves and humanity – we are by nature sinful and unclean and that we have sinned against God in our thoughts, words, and deeds.

Yes, sin is what we see in ourselves.  Sin is what we see in our world.  We see sin leading to death, judgment, and a dead end. 

Considering all of this, we must ask, “What does the God see?”

Dear friends, He sees the same.  God agrees with what we see about ourselves and this world. He accepts that we humans have made our lives into muck.  But is this all that God sees?  Is there anything else that God sees that we do not?  Is there anything else that God sees that we are blinded to? 

Dear friends, God not only sees this sinful condition that we find ourselves in but He also sees Jesus – the Son of God.  And in Jesus, God sees righteousness, which means that He sees you and me as righteous people, forgiven and clothed in the blood of the Lamb.  Yes, even though we see ourselves damned in our sin, in Christ, God sees us as righteous – forgiven and redeemed. 

So, on the one hand, we see our sin, and on the other hand, we hear from God’s Word that He sees us as righteous because of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. 

What does this mean, though? 

It means that we must be given eyes to see who we are from God’s perspective.  And these eyes are faith.  Yes, faith.  Faith is the key. 

Dear Baptized Saints, we live our lives in this vale of tears.  We have this gruesome condition of sin that plagues us in this world.  And left to ourselves, we are blinded by sin with no hope, no solution, and no relief – just damnation and condemnation.  However, when the Gospel comes to us, it announces to us that sinners are righteous in the eyes of God because of Jesus.  And with this announcement, we are given faith.  Yes, we are given faith that takes our eyes off of our sinful condition so that we might see Jesus and know that God calls and considers sinners righteous in spite of the fact that we are sinners and will continue to be sinners until the day we die.  Yes, the Gospel opens our eyes so that we can see the fact that on account of Jesus, God sees us as righteous. 

This is the greatness of faith!  Faith gives us eyes to see.  Faith snatches us away from looking at ourselves and places our eyes on Jesus so that we do not merely see things according to what is laid before us in this life in the vale of tears.  Faith gives us eyes to see that in Christ we have forgiveness, life, and salvation in spite of our sin. 

   

And so, today we can affirm that what we see in ourselves is true – we are indeed poor miserable sinners in thought, word, and deed.  However, by the Gospel, we can also confess that we see who we are from God’s perspective… and that is justified sinners.  Yes, justified and forgiven sinners by Christ, like the tax collector.

So when the devil and the world throw your sins in your face and declare that you deserve death and hell, say this, “I admit, and I can clearly see that I deserve death and hell, but what of it? For I know and can see One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall also be![1]

Baptized Saints, this faith gives you eyes to see.  This the power of faith.  By faith, you can call sin what it is – sin.  And yet, you can know that sin and death, and the devil does not have the final answer.  Faith gives eyes to see, hear, and confess that God calls the sinner righteous in spite of the fact that he is a sinner. 

Faith does not leave you in blindness but gives eyes to see.  Faith allows you to see that in sending His Son, that there is no wrath between you and God.  Faith allows you to see that God cannot be hostile to you.  Faith allows you to see that God will not leave you condemned and damned in your sins, but has shown you and given you Jesus.  And Jesus is all that you will ever need.     

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] Paraphrase of:  Martin Luther, Letters of Spiritual Counsel, trans. and ed. Theodore G. Tappert (Vancouver, British Columbia: Regent College, 2003), 86–87.

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No Neutrality With Jesus

Text: Luke 2:33-40

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

You and I would be pretty hard pressed to find a person who is offended by the Story of Christmas – the Story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem.  Now, they are out there, but frankly, I do not believe that there are too many of these so-called Scrooges and Grinches.  You see, even the most hard-core atheists seem to have a soft spot in their hearts for the story of Mary and Joseph, the animals, the manger, the little Jesus, and the angels.  We see the evidence for this in Church attendance each Christmas.  Yes, every single Christmas the church seems to fill up with all sorts of people – believers and nonbelievers alike – who want to hear the Christmas Story.  And for that brief moment on Christmas Eve, it seems that everyone is united.  It appears that all is well – everyone is happy, content, relaxed, and unified around the Story of Christmas. 

These sentimental and nostalgic feelings wear off quite quickly though.  Yes, they wear off rather quickly when we read Luke’s Gospel and hear from the Prophet Simeon.  Now, it isn’t that Simeon wants to be a Scrooge or a Grinch, but instead, Simeon is drawing attention to a phenomenon that cannot be escaped.  Simeon is pointing out a fact, that the child he is holding in his arms has been appointed for the rising and falling of many.  He is stating that the baby Jesus in his arms is a sign – a target – that will be opposed.  In other words, Simeon is saying to Mary that people will stumble and take offense at Jesus. People will fall and rise, curse and speak against Jesus.  They will slander and condemn Jesus’ words.  They will oppose His works, ways, and life.   

It could be said that Simeon saw the cross looming.  When Simeon held baby Jesus in his arms, he saw a shadow of the cross off in the distance – the cross, with its conflict and tension. 

And so, this morning, Simeon shows us this Christmas Season that with the birth of Jesus, conflict comes.  Yes, conflict will come about not because Jesus is some troublemaker, but because He is light and truth. 

Dear friends, whenever Jesus and His Word go forth, people will divide into two groups.  Some will receive it with joy and others will be offended and begin to hate and persecute.  It is like this because people love the darkness and hate the light.  People love to believe their lies and are offended by truth.  The bright light hurts, so eyes are closed and heads turn.  The truth hurts, so ears close and angry faces are made. 

And so, that baby that was born and laid in a manger was like a target.  The baby Jesus who rested in Simeon’s arms had crosshairs upon Him. Just as guns and bows aim at targets so that their bullets and arrows do not hit anything but the target, so everyone’s sinful old nature aims at Jesus.    

Over the years I have had the opportunity to speak to many seminarians; that is to say, men training for the ministry of being a pastor.  And typically what ends up happening is that I get asked about tips and pointers on what it takes to be a faithful pastor.  To which, I usually say something like this,

If you want to have a comfortable pastoral ministry, do just this: water down God’s Law and change the focus from Jesus to the person in the pew. In fact, if you want ease, just try to avoid Jesus and His Word. The old sinful nature loves this!  Weakened law and a man-centered false gospel gives the sinful old nature all sorts of room to play!  In other words, watered down law doesn’t make anyone feel bad about sin and focusing the sermon not on Jesus, but on the person in the pew makes people feel really, really special.  It makes them feel like they have the ability and power to control their destiny.  Indeed, with this kind of preaching, nobody in the church will get angry with the preacher.  But instead, this kind of sermon will be a relief to the old Adam; the sinful nature becomes giddy.  Yes, the old Adam loves this kind of watered-down law and man-centered pretend gospel.   

However, when the exact opposite happens – when you proclaim Christ and His Word, when the Law kills people and the Gospel unconditionally gives faith – fasten your seatbelts.  Yes, fasten your seatbelts, for people will either defend their old Adam by attacking or by leaving the church, whereas others will be brought to rubble, where in the midst of the debris they will see Jesus. Truly, when a stern Law and a sweet Gospel are properly preached, the sheep will come to their painful end (their sinful nature will fall to pieces), but then they will learn that they are not abandoned, but left with Jesus… and with Jesus raised anew.

What all of this means is this: when someone proclaims that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world, the only Mediator, Advocate, and Savior, and His Holy Gospel is the power of God to save all who believe in it, then be ready, for there will be opposition.  Yes, be prepared, for people will oppose Jesus and come up with all sorts of opinions, ideas, and alternatives that prop up their sinful nature.  Be ready to watch Jesus become a target of attack.  And be ready if you are proclaiming Jesus to be attacked as well. 

Dear friends, it is impossible to escape affliction if you wish to be a faithful servant of the Lord.  It is impossible not because Jesus delights in causing disruption, but because Jesus is light and truth coming into darkness and falsehood.  And as it has already been stated, darkness and falsehood cannot comprehend light and truth, but instead, attack. 

Dear Baptized Saints, behold, this child who was born unto you and who laid in Simeon’s arms, was appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed.  From Jesus’ infancy to death, He would be persecuted.  His teaching would be slandered.  His life cursed.  And finally, He would be put to death.  This is the child that was born and laid in the manger. This is the child that laid in Simeon’s arms.  This is the child that was born unto you. 

This news of Jesus being a target, though, might lead us to wonder if there was ever a chance of Him being overturned?  Is there a chance of Christ and His church being overturned today?  The answer is no!  While Simeon said that Jesus would be a target, people would not and cannot overturn Jesus. 

It is like this, God the Father appointed Jesus to be a target.  He was destined by God the Father to be a defiant rock slammed down before the world, the devil, and the gates of hell.  Indeed, Jesus is the target that God the Father ordained to be a stable foundation in a chaotic world.  Which means that the devil, the world, and the sinful nature will try to remove Jesus, but will try in vain.  Yes, the devil will hiss at the rock, the world will charge at the rock, and the sinful nature will try to climb on top of the rock, but NONE of them will be able to accomplish anything.  The devil’s fangs will break against the rock, the world will collide and fall, and the sinful nature will fall on its back.  They cannot harm the rock, but only prove their own futility. 

So, dear Baptized Saints, behold the child who was born unto you for your rising and falling.  Behold the one who took you and drowned you and your sinful old Adam in the water of baptism and then brought you out anew.  Behold the same Jesus that was laid in Simeon’s arms is now put in your hands and upon your lips and mouth in the Holy Supper.  Behold the target who takes your sin.  Behold your salvation that was prepared for you.  Behold the one that cannot be overturned.      

In the name of Jesus: Amen. 

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Christmas: Bypassing The Splendor Of The World

Text: Luke 2:15-20

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

No event in the history of the world has been so celebrated as the birth of Jesus.  Yes, this evening around the world, billions of people gather together to sing songs, exchange gifts, and celebrate, because of the birth of Jesus.  Indeed, Christmas trees have been put up, gifts have been wrapped, songs have been sung, Christmas cookies have been made, and lights shine, because of the babe that was born in Bethlehem. However, in spite of all of this dramatic displays of Christmas around us, Luke in his Gospel gives us a picture of Christmas that is quite the opposite.  That is to say; Luke tells us the Christmas story in a most unspectacular fashion. 

According to the Gospel of Luke, Mary and Joseph must have been very poor, not rich.  And they must have been very anxious, not calm. When they arrived in Bethlehem for the census, there was an influx of people in town, resulting in there being no room in the inn for them.  As a result, they found a cave most likely behind someone’s home – a cave that was used to shelter livestock.  And there in the dirty cave with animals, Jesus was born.  He was born and laid in a manger, which was a feeding trough where cattle stuck their filthy snouts and mouths to eat.  Yes, a boy was born, and the only people that were there or cared were Mary and Joseph. 

So, considering this most unspectacular and humble story of Jesus’ birth, why are we so attracted to this story? 

It would make sense to be intrigued and captivated by this story if Jesus was born in Rome, which was the Capital of the Roman Empire at that time.  It would make sense to be gripped by the story of Jesus’ birth if He would’ve been born in some spectacular golden palace with trumpets sounding and torches ablaze!  But a dirty cave?  A dumpy manger?  Stinky animals?  Seriously, why on earth do we celebrate this unspectacular and humble story?  Why do we have so much glory tied up in such miserable circumstances of a cave and feeding trough in a tiny town? 

And to make things even more unique with this story, the first message of Jesus’ birth was not taken by the angels to princes and powerful people, but the angels went and looked down to the lowest of people – shepherds.  Yes, the angels did not go to proclaim this message to the high priests and the highly educated people living in the biggest and fanciest of cities but went to the countryside to dumpy and dusty shepherds. 

It is as if this story and circumstances of Jesus’ birth intentionally ignored what was high and mighty and spectacular.  It was as if the birth of Jesus bypassed the splendor of the world. 

Dear friends that is precisely what is going on here. The birth of Jesus turns away from what we humans deem to be impressive, valuable, and worthy in this world.  But if this is true, why then do we celebrate such an unspectacular and humble story with such dramatic and bold ways? 

It is quite simple, we celebrate and honor the story of Jesus’ birth because it is a story where God turned toward sinful humanity.  It is a story where the Son of God descended to sunk Himself into the middle of mankind.  It is a story of the Son of God putting on flesh and coming in humility – coming so low and so simple and so meek that no burdened sinner would be driven away as if Jesus is too high and lofty for sinners. 

You see, we humans seek greatness by racing around like madmen reaching to useless heights of honor and prestige on earth.  We try to climb upward towards supposed glory.  We want to be king of the hill, top dog, and on the A-squad.  We want to be the first round pick, on the starting lineup, and a part of the in-crowd.  However, God completely ignores what is high and lofty according to the world.  And we see this most especially in the story of Christmas – the birth of Jesus that bypasses all loftiness and swoops down low, so low that the Savior will not be out of reach of anyone. 

The birth of Jesus is the birth of the Messiah for every single lowly sinner of the world.  And that is why no event in the history of the world has been so celebrated as the birth of Jesus.  Yes, Jesus is the Savior that was born to save us from our sins.  There in the cave, in the manger, was the hope of the world.  There in Bethlehem was the radiant dawn over a humanity shrouded in the darkness of sin. There in that manger was salvation and victory for sinners – hope and future for sinners.  Yes, in that dark cave was the Kingdom of God coming to earth. 

So, what this means is that no matter your circumstances and no matter where you are at this Christmas, you can indeed celebrate and rejoice.

The message of Christmas is such that it excites us and at the same time humbles us.  It is a story that fills us with joy and attracts us to Jesus.  It is a story that grants us peace and harmony even while being in the midst of the trials and pains of life. It is a story that tells us of the Son of God coming to mankind to grant us favor. 

And so tonight, we give glory to God for this simple and humble message of Christmas.  Even if you are experiencing grief or are sick or are lonely and depressed – if you feel like your stain of sin is simply too much – do not despair.   Do not despair but give glory to God.  Give glory because the message of Christmas is that the Son of God came and put Himself right into the depths of this messed up world to be your Savior.   

Dear Baptized Saints, the Christ was born to you in the midst of those unspectacular circumstances long ago.  And that is why we are here tonight.  Yes, we are here because Christ Jesus the Lord was born to you to be your Savior. Nothing is surer than that.  You have it on the highest authority. Born to live the life that you could not live; born to die the death that you cannot die.  Born to save you from your sins.             

And so we celebrate and rejoice for unto us is born this day a Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord. 

In the name of Jesus: Amen.  

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