Epiphany of Our Lord – 1 January 2016 – Year A

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 2^nd Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verses 1 – 12:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

    for out of you will come a ruler

    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

I have no idea what you think of Woody Allen, but today’s Gospel reminds me of something he said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans.” - I believe the original is an old Yiddish proverb “We plan, God laughs.” but you get the idea. This is also highlighted in the Psalms: ^{[Psalm 33:10]} “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples”.  The Epiphany account of the magi very much demonstrates the plans of people are not always God’s plans for us.

For example, the angel Gabriel appeared to a young virgin named Mary.  Mary did plan to have children … someday … after she married Joseph.  God had other plans. ^{[Isaiah 7:14]}  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. 

What about the place of the birth?  Mary probably had in mind a bed at home with family around her. God’s plans were written in ^{[Micah 5:2]} “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days”.

Then there are the magi.  What were these wandering Philosophers up to when a light in the sky, unlike any light they had seen before, caused them to set out in search of a newborn king?

Herod had plans.  Herod planned to rule indefinitely.  Herod murdered friend, family, and enemy alike in order to keep himself on the throne in Jerusalem.  His plans to use the Magi to locate Jesus, was ruined by a dream that sent these men on a different path home. Herod was furious and ordered the murder of all small children in Bethlehem, thinking Jesus would be among them.

Again God had other plans. ^{[Matthew 2:13]} “An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him’.”  Herod’s plan failed.  Not only did he not murder the new born king, but he also died … and when he died no one mourned.

Joseph planned to marry Mary and then be the father of her children.  He didn’t plan to be the step dad of a child conceived by the Holy Spirit.  He probably never planned to do any international traveling either … much less to Egypt.

If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans.  The entire account of the visit of the magi … indeed the entire historical content of the Bible constantly shows us that God’s plans always come to pass while man’s plans are very much subject to change.

Did Noah plan to build a floating zoo?  Did Joseph plan to get sold into slavery by his brothers and then become Pharaoh’s right hand man?  When Moses planned to deliver Israel from slavery, God sent him out into the desert for forty years.  Then, once Moses turned eighty and gave up on his plan to deliver Israel, God came to him in a burning bush.  Saul planned to travel to Damascus and arrest Christians, but God struck him to the ground in a bright light so that he became Paul the Apostle.  These are but a few examples of God changing people’s plans.

God inspired Isaiah to prophesy, ^{[Isaiah 55:8–9]} “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  We can be very, very glad that God changes plans.  We can be very, very glad that God’s plans for us are not what we expect.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they brought a curse on all of creation.  They expected punishment.  They ran and hid.  They did not expect God to promise a seed who would crush the serpent’s head.  I would have expected God to erase His creation and start over.  He didn’t do that. He sent a saviour, instead.  Instead of punishing His creation or erasing His creation, He redeemed His creation.

Even the way that the redeemer did the redeeming did not fit the expectations of mankind.  The people who had God’s promises … the people who should have known better … even these people expected a king of earthly power and glory.  Herod most certainly expected a king of power and glory.  That is the reason he was troubled.  If Herod had understood the true nature of the new born king … that His kingdom is not of this world … Herod wouldn’t have cared.

Mankind’s plans expect a redeemer who makes laws, not one who lives under the law, but the Bible tells us:^{[Galatians 4:4–5]} “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children”. 

Mankind’s expectation is a redeemer of great power and wealth.  Never the less, God’s Word says, ^{[2 Corinthians 8:9]} “you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich”. 

Although the prophets foretold the suffering servant of God, even Jesus’ disciples did not expect Jesus to suffer and die.  Even so God’s Word says, ^{[Galatians 3:13]} “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’”

The resurrection did not fit the plans of the Pharisees and the chief priests for we read: ^{[Matthew 27:62–64]} “The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’  Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”

The guards at Jesus’ tomb didn’t plan to see an angel, but God changed their plans. ^{[Matthew 28:2–6]} “An angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.  And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.  But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said”. 

If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans.  Pagan philosophers from a foreign land come to worship the Christ child.  At the same time, the powerful in Jerusalem … the high priests … the scribes … the man on the throne, chose to ignore the Old Testament prophecies in favour of their own ambition!  

This account of the magi visiting the Christ child once again shows us that our lives are truly subject to God’s plan, not ours.  As the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write: ^{[Philippians 2:13]} “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure”. 

Fortunately for us, it is God’s good pleasure for us to spend eternity with Him.  His plan is to work our salvation.  As the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write: ^{[Ephesians 1:4]} “He chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him”. 

God’s plan of salvation for us has been in place since before He created the world.  It is that plan of salvation that was at work as He revealed the Saviour to the magi by way of the star.  It is that plan of salvation that is still at work in us as He reveals and gives that same salvation to us through His blessed, holy word and sacraments.  It is that plan of salvation that will one day take us from this valley of sorrows to live in His eternal presence in holiness and joy forever.  As we launch into this new year may we continue to seek guidance and wisdom from the Holy Scriptures and embrace His means of Grace that our joy may be complete. Amen

The love and peace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Christmas Day – 25 December 2016 – Year A

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this Christmas Day is written in the 1^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St John: Verses 1–18:

In the beginning was he Word, and ^the Word was with God, and ^the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people³ did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, ^the gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^* from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.^{4 17} For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

What a joy it is to once again hear the opening verses to the Gospel according to John.  John has such a marvellous style.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John used simple vocabulary and simple grammar.  Never the less, he used these simple tools of language to expresses teachings that transcend our mortal minds.

John’s Gospel account begins with something that is very much like an overture beginning a musical drama.  If you have attended or participated in an opera or a musical, you may have noticed that the orchestra or band plays a medley of introductory musical themes from the entire production.  It is a sort of sampler of the music you will hear during the rest of the performance.

The Holy Spirit inspired John to begin his Gospel account with this sort of an introduction.  Within the first dozen or so verses, John touches on the themes that he will develop as we make our way through his Gospel account.

The major theme that John brings out throughout the Gospel account is very much related to today’s celebration of the birth of the Christ child.  This theme emphasises the fact that the little baby whose birth we celebrate on this day … the little baby lying in the manger … is God in the flesh.  The little human baby who looks like any other human baby is … in fact … the Lord through whom all things were created.

John’s Gospel account begins in the exact same way that the First Book of Moses begins … In the beginning. ^{(John 1:1, ESV)} These words take us back to creation.  In the beginning was the Word. ^{(John 1:1, ESV)} These words proclaim that at the beginning when God created everything, this Word already existed.  This Word is not a created thing and must, therefore, be one in essence with God … independent of time.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God ^{(John 1:1, ESV)} The little word “with,” teaches us that there is a distinction between this Word and God.  At the same time, the word “with,” connects this Word to God.  If God and the Word had human form, we could say they were in agreement, no better still, in harmony there was a complete solidarity

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ^{(John 1:1, ESV)} As we continue through the verse, we learn that, not only was this Word there at the beginning before anything was created … not only was this Word there with God, but we now learn that this Word already was God at the beginning.  There is nothing in the divine nature which is not also in this Word.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” ^{(John 1:1–2, ESV)} Here we see a second time that this Word was with God in the beginning before anything was created.  Here we already see the preparation for the teaching of three persons in one God … that this Word is one person who is with the other persons of the God who is three persons in one God.  IF we were to fill out this passage with the information that we find later in this Gospel account, it would read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God the Father, and the Word was God the Son. He was in the beginning with God the Holy Spirit.”

Then the text tells us how this Word was involved in creating all things.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ^{(John 1:3, ESV}) Here we learn that whatever God did to create everything, He did through this Word.  In fact, John emphasized this by stating it in two different ways.  This Word was fully involved in creation.  God created the world and all creatures by this Word, and not only created, but also by him he has from the beginning, governed and upheld it.  For if all things were not upheld in their being by this Word, they would not long remain created.

John continues again and again to show that this Word has characteristics that only God has.  This Word is life.  It is the Light of men.  This Word is indeed a person of the Holy Trinity.

After the introduction makes it very clear that this Word is God and the life and light of all people, we read, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” ^{(John 1:9, ESV}) Here we learn that this Gospel account will tell us that this Word who is God and the life and light of man entered history in order to dwell with His people.

Now we come to the introduction of the great conflict in this Gospel account.  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. ^{(John 1:10–11, ESV)} What a sad description this is of the sorry state of this world after the fall into sin.  This Word, the world’s God, creator, life, and light will enter into the history of the world and the world will reject Him.  How much evil, pain, suffering, and death result from this one sad fact … the world does not know its creator?  All the evil, the pain, the sufferings, and the tragedies that befall us in this world can be gathered together under this one sin.  By nature, we are idolaters who do not know the creator.

For this great conflict there is a great resolution.  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. ^{(John 1:12–13, ESV)} With these great words of introduction we learn that this Gospel account will tell us what this Word has done in order to give us the right to call ourselves children of God.  The Gospel will not reveal something that we can do by our own blood, or flesh, or will, but it is God the Word who must accomplish this great rescue for us.

John has now introduced the great themes of his Gospel account.  The overture is almost over.  There is one last thing it must do.  It must prepare us for the opening of Act one; scene one of this great Gospel account.  “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” ^{(John 1:14, ESV)}

The account of the true history of our salvation is ready to begin.  This Word who is God the Son, the creator, the life and light of all mankind is now a man Himself.  He has entered history to work salvation for us.  Christ has assumed human nature, which is mortal, and exposed to the terrible wrath and judgment of God.  He has taken up all our weaknesses.  Never the less, He does so without sin.

God the Son has taken up our earthly flesh and set His foot on the path that leads to the cross.  His own people will truly reject Him and arrange for Him to decorate a cross with His bloody body.  In this way, God will give us the right to call ourselves children of God … not by our blood or will, but by His blood and will.

The path that leads to the cross also leads through the cross … through death, and then to an empty tomb.  The empty tomb proclaims the resurrection of Jesus and it is the guarantee that we shall also rise from the dead to new, perfect, eternal life.  Today, we celebrate one step that our Lord took on that road that freed us from our sin.  We celebrate His birth as a man who will save all people.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Advent 4 - 18 December 2016 - Year A

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

The text for this meditation is written in the 1st Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verses 18 - 25


18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22  All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet 23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And she called his name Jesus.


I think most people would understand Joseph’s problem at the beginning of today’s reading from the Gospel.  He is caught between a rock and a hard place.  He is already betrothed to Mary.  That means he has made the commitment to care for Mary through thick and thin … come what may.  The two of them are, in fact, already husband and wife.  At the same time, they had not yet begun living together.  That is what betrothed means … married, but not yet living together.

Then one day Joseph learned that Mary was going to have a baby and he knew he was not part of the process.  Mary insisted that the baby was of the Holy Spirit … that the baby was the fulfilment of the prophesied coming of the Messiah.  Mary insisted that she had not been unfaithful to Joseph, but such words are hard to believe under the circumstances.

You really can’t blame Joseph for characterising these words as the desperate attempt of a compromised woman to excuse the inexcusable.  Perhaps the guilt of infidelity had driven her mad.  Perhaps rape was involved and the trauma was more than Mary could bear.  Maybe Mary was just plain lying.  The Bible does not tell us what Joseph was thinking.  It just says that he was struggling with the truth and had finally determined that the best course of action was a quick, quiet behind the scenes divorce.

Joseph is what every Christian should be in not exposing the sins of others.  In his explanation of the commandment against bearing false witness, in the likeness of Jesus as. children of God, we should we avoid lying, and also we should also explain things in the kindest way.  In broadcasting the misdeeds of others, we bring condemnation upon ourselves.  Joseph determined to do what was right in the kindest possible way for Mary.

I can only imagine how hard it was for him to fall asleep that night.  Never the less, the Bible tells us that he did sleep because it tells us that he had a dream.  An angel came to him in that dream.  The angel told Joseph that Mary was not crazy or lying.  The child growing within her was indeed from the Holy Spirit.  He was indeed the promised one, the Messiah.  The angel even told Joseph to name the child Jesus … a name that means the Lord saves.

The Holy Spirit then inspired Matthew to remind his readers that this was the fulfilment of the prophecy that we read in the Old Testament book Isaiah 7: 14.  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
When Joseph woke up, he acted on this new information.  He took Mary into his house, but he had no physical relationship with her until after Jesus was born.

The virgin birth is a hardship on everyone involved.  The community at large would not understand the working of the Holy Spirit.  They would accuse both Mary and Joseph of all kinds of sin.  Thirty years later, some of Jesus’ opponents would try to discredit His ministry by claiming that He was illegitimate.  The virgin birth was a burden.

At the same time, the virgin birth was necessary.  It was necessary because the person of Christ is both God and man.  Jesus Christ is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary.  If Jesus had been conceived in the normal way, He would be a mere man and nothing more.  His conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary points to His divine Father and His human mother.  Jesus Christ is one person with both a divine and human nature.

This dual nature of Christ is essential for our salvation.  God’s eternal plan of salvation depends on the existence of a human being who could live a life of innocence in a sinful world.  This innocent human being must then endure, as a substitute, the eternal punishment that sin deserves for each and every member of the human race.  There is no ordinary descendant of Adam and Eve who could fulfil this plan.  God Himself must enter history.  In order to become a substitute for humanity, He must become human.  At the same time, the overwhelming nature of the task means that He must retain His divinity.

Christ must be true man in order to take our place under the law and fulfil it perfectly.  He must also be true man in order to submit to the Good Friday cruelty of shame, suffering, and death.  Christ must also be God in order to fulfil the law to perfection.  He must be God so that His suffering and death would be sufficient redemption, not just for one person, but for all humanity.  He must be God in order to overcome death and the devil for us.  Jesus is the only who is both divine and human.  Therefore, He is the only one who is our Saviour.

Since it was necessary for Christ to have God as Father and Mary as mother, then the virgin birth is also necessary.  This meant that it was necessary for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to bear the burden of the culture’s unjust condemnation.

Today’s Gospel shows us how God gave Joseph the strength and courage to endure this special burden.  God’s Word came to Joseph through the mouth of the angel so that Joseph was now able to take up his special vocation as guardian to Jesus and husband of Mary.
In the creed, we confess, “… conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary …” Too often we say those words on autopilot.  We don’t think about what these words mean.
Lives were turned upside down because Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  Joseph almost divorced Mary.  Both Joseph and Mary had to endure the condemnation of the community.  Jesus had to endure accusations that His ministry was null and void because His parentage was doubtful.

At the same time, these words are necessary for our salvation.  These words tell us that Jesus is both God and man.  Because Jesus is both God and man, when Jesus died, God died.  Because Jesus is both God and man, His death paid for the sins of the entire world.  Because Jesus is both God and man, He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.  Because Jesus is both God and man, a human being rules both heaven and earth.  Because Jesus is both God and man, His human body and blood are available on altars everywhere at the same time for us Christians to eat and to drink.  The Son of God took on our human flesh so that we may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom.

As we read today’s Gospel, it is a good thing to study Joseph as an example of the Christian’s struggle to protect the reputation of others.  However, the more important teaching of this reading is that Jesus must be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin because He is both God and man.  As the only one who is both 100 % God and 100 % man, He is the only one who is qualified to redeem us from our sins so that God can declare us righteous for His sake.  This is the gift that Jesus offers to you now as you hear this word.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Advent 3 – 11 December 2016 – Year A

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The Holy Gospel is written in the 11^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verses: 2 – 11:

² Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples ³ and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is he of whom it is written,

“ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Did you hear what Jesus had to say about John?  “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist”.  You heard today’s Gospel.  That is what Jesus had to say about John.  No one is greater.  You heard it yourself, straight from the mouth of Jesus.

What a reference!   John is the greatest!!  We have read this and yet we have to ask – What is the greatest man that ever lived doing in a dungeon on death row? Literally, he was in a stinking rat hole.

Today’s reading doesn’t tell us why John was in prison, but the facts are that John was in prison because he stood by his Christian principles and spoke the truth.  You see, Herod Antipas the son of Herod the Great had stolen the wife of his brother, Philip.  This was a clear case of adultery.  John the Baptist fearlessly and faithfully condemned Herod for this adultery.  So, Herod arrested John.

We know that John was already a prophet in his mother’s womb as he leapt for joy when Mary approached bearing Jesus in her womb. John wandered the wilderness proclaiming Jesus in preparation for His coming. John had baptised thousands for repentance in anticipation of the coming Messiah.  He had done everything he was supposed to do and yet, he ended up in a stinking dungeon on death row.  You can’t blame him for looking back over his ministry and wondering if it was all worth it. You really can’t blame John for having his doubts.  He had done what he was supposed to do. 

You know, there are quite a few who struggle with the idea that John had doubts; it’s a prickly theological issue! John was the last of the Old Testament prophets.  John preached with power.  John baptised the Lord and heard the voice from heaven and saw the Spirit descend as a dove.  Surely someone who had all these experiences wouldn’t crack under pressure.  The truth is, that for us Christians, there is never a time when faith is very far from the edge of unbelief.  Satan never leaves us Christians alone, but each day he works harder to take us away from Christ.  John was no exception; Jesus did say John was the greatest human that ever lived, and just like all humans when times are hard and challenges seem to overwhelm us we tend to weaken and question our beliefs; our very faith!!

Just like Job in the Old Testament, we are forced to ask ourselves if God really cares for us. Perhaps we go to the extreme and question whether God really exists. John’s question was a little different. He sent his disciples to ask whether Jesus was the Christ: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”  John, who had pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, was actually considering that he may have made a misidentification.  If Jesus was not the Christ predicted by the prophets, then John’s ministry was a total waste.

When John’s disciples came to Jesus, He answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see.”  Go and tell John … Jesus understood John’s doubts.  He understood that John needed assurance.  Jesus appointed John’s disciples to be apostles … sent ones who are specifically sent to bring their witness to John.  Jesus invited John’s disciples to witness His work and then take the proclamation of His work back to John.

Here is a very basic truth.  When we have doubts, Jesus says, “Hear what I have done.”  He provides us with His written Word in the Holy Bible; He sends people to proclaim that Word; He instituted the Holy Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist  - All this He has done so that we can hear about His promises; His deeds; His plan of salvation and grace. He sends the Holy Spirit to bear us up and strengthen us as we travel through this sinful world … especially as we travel through those darker times of doubt.

Jesus told John’s disciples to proclaim to John what they had witnessed:  The blind receive their sight; the lame walk; lepers are cleansed; the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up.  You see to John ‘The Prophet’, these signs are the fulfilment of the prophecies that reach all the way back to Isaiah, as we heard in the OT reading today. This proclamation clearly identifies Jesus as the promised Messiah.

These visible miracles proclaimed to John by his disciples are credentials that validate Jesus’ authority to perform the most important miracle of all.  As Jesus Himself once said when He healed a paralytic, ^{[Matthew 9:6]} “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Jesus has the authority to forgive sins.  This miracle of forgiveness is more important than all the other miracles combined.  Way back at the beginning mankind fell into sin; only true forgiveness of sins can deliver us from our sinful condition!

When there is forgiveness, then God is comfort and assurance.  When there is forgiveness, God’s holiness is for us.  When there is forgiveness, God’s knowledge serves us.  When there is forgiveness, God’s power protects us.  With forgiveness, God is the ultimate comfort.  He is the ultimate re-assurance.

Forgiveness does not come cheap.  To receive forgiveness we must satisfy God’s justice and God’s justice requires the punishment of sin.  That is exactly what Jesus did.  Jesus took our sin into Himself.  Then, when God punished our sin, that punishment fell on Jesus and not on us.  When Jesus hung on the cross, He took our place as the butt of God’s just punishment of sin.  This is nothing other than God’s perfect love enduring God’s perfect justice for us.  This is Jesus earning forgiveness for us.

Jesus put the finishing touches on the cure for our doubt a few days after He died.  His friends placed His dead body in the tomb, but it did not stay there.  Instead, Jesus transformed His mortal body into immortality and rose from the dead.  His resurrection is the ultimate sign that Jesus will do exactly what He has promised to do.  He will return and raise us all to live with Him forever.

Like us, John did not see Jesus do any miracles, but he heard the proclamation of Jesus from his disciples.  They proclaimed the physical healing miracles of Jesus as His credentials.  Then they proclaimed the forgiveness of sins to John and the Holy Spirit removed his doubts.  Faith does not feed on miracles.  Many of Jesus’ opponents saw His miracles and refused to believe.  Faith feeds on the Gospel … the proclamation that Jesus forgives sins.

We all have our doubts from time to time.  The resurrection is there for us when we have those doubts.  The witness of those who were with Jesus after His death gives us historical evidence that Jesus lives.  We can live in the certainty that Jesus is our Saviour.

For that reason, we who live between the first Advent and the last Advent can look forward to the day when Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead.  For on that day we shall stand clothed in the righteousness of Christ and we shall live with Christ for eternity.  This is the encouragement, comfort, and assurance that will, one day, overcome all our doubts.  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen