Epiphany of Our Lord – 2 January 2022 – Year C

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

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

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

 

Today is Epiphany. Also known as the “Christmas of the Gentiles.” Both Christmases essentially consist of God’s work: first God sending a Saviour into the world and then secondly, revealing him to be the Saviour of the world. The first Christmas consisted of baby Jesus swaddled in a manger visited by shepherds who had been called in from the fields by the angelic host sent by God. This second Christmas finds Jesus as a toddler playing at his mother’s feet in a house in Bethlehem visited by magi who were guided from the east by a star God had placed in the sky. The first Christmas was for Israel, for descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The second Christmas was for the world, the nations, the Gentiles, for you and for me – just as Isaiah predicted 700 years earlier: ^{(Isaiah 60:3)} “nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn”. And so, this “other” Christmas is really our Christmas.

The word “Epiphany” means “appearing,” usually referring to the appearance of a king or a god. The magi had come from the east to Jerusalem because God had caused a star to appear in the sky – which they understood to be a star announcing the birth of a king. Who were they? While we can’t say with certainty, they were probably Persian court astrologers who carefully studied the sun, moon, and stars for changes and movement and signs – especially - (before the invention of the calendar) - to determine when to plan or harvest or travel. The parallel with the first Christmas is really interesting. The people who wound up worshipping Jesus weren’t seekers, they weren’t running around looking for Jesus, determined to welcome him into their lives – rather, in both cases God brought them to their Saviour. God shocked the shepherds out of fields where they slept with their flocks with the glory of the angelic host and used the day-job of the magi – studying the stars – to bring them to the feet of their Saviour. 

When they get to Jerusalem, they go right to Herod’s palace. And I guess that’s logical! Herod was the king of Judea – where else would you go to find the newborn “king of the Jews” but to the current “King of the Jews?” But despite their supposed wise reasoning, they got it all wrong: Jerusalem was the wrong city, the palace was the wrong house, and Herod was the wrong king. Here we see the grand contrast between God’s ways and man’s ways which is woven throughout Scripture. The magi expected to visit “man’s king”; the star pointed to God’s king. Man’s king lives in palaces, in capital cities, in splendour and glory. God’s king lives in a humble house, in a second-class suburb, in poverty and humility. Man’s king strives to become a god. God’s king becomes a man. Man’s king expects his subjects to bleed for him; God’s king bleeds and dies to save his subjects. And so again, just like at the first Christmas in the manger, just like boy Jesus at the temple – we are reminded that God works salvation in the most hidden, mysterious, humble ways. Not the way of power and might – but the way of poverty and lowliness. God’s hidden ways are seen most clearly in a peasant virgin who becomes the mother of God, in a manger that becomes the cradle of a king, in a cruel cross that becomes his throne, in the fact that a tomb proves his victory not his defeat. 

And, while the star is what brought the magi to Jerusalem, it was the Word of God which brought them to Bethlehem. To Herod’s shame, he did not know where Scripture said the Saviour would be born, he had to ask the religious experts. And even though they clearly lack faith in Scripture, they knew what the prophet Micah said: ^{(Micah 5:2)} “in Bethlehem in Judea”. Bethlehem in Judea. Literally, the “house of bread.” It was a little afterthought of a town five miles away from the centre of power, Jerusalem. But with the birth of Jesus, Bethlehem lives up to its name. It was the “pantry,” the “breadbox” in which John 6 tells us “The living bread from heaven was born and raised”.

So, off the Magi go to little Bethlehem, urged on by Herod – whose claim to want to join them in worship veiled a heart that we are told in Matthew 2:16 was bent on murdering this little threat to his power. And, to the great joy of the magi, the star appears again in the sky, like a divine GPS, verifying Micah’s prophecy, guiding them to the very place where the child was. 

No more manger crib for Jesus; now he’s in a house with his parents. Imagine the look on Mary’s face when she opens the door and sees magi standing there – whether three or more, we don’t know – with their camels - (or donkeys or horses – we don’t know that either) - stomping in the yard - and they ask to see her son and then bow down and worship him. Imagine her surprise when they present him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. These Magi realise what Herod and all his chief priests and teachers of the law – people who should have known better – missed completely: this child is the true King of the Jews, the God of the universe, the Saviour of the world. 

You know, some people see symbolism in their gifts, and if you’d like to see the gold as a gift fitting for a king, incense as a fitting offering to God, and myrrh - (an ingredient used in embalming) - as predictive of the fact that this child would die for the sins of the world – there’s nothing really wrong with that. But in all likelihood, these were simply gifts of great value, gifts fit for a king. Even more, just as God promises all of us, so God provided his Son’s daily bread – in this case, indirectly providing the means that allowed Joseph to follow God’s command as written in Matthew 2:13 to flee to Egypt.  In it all, we see the triumph of faith oversight, of the wisdom of God over the wisdom of man. What the magi saw was a little child, perhaps a year or so old, playing at his mother’s feet. But they didn’t believe their eyes. They believed the sign of the star and the prophetic Word of God – and through eyes of faith they saw God’s Son and their Saviour and offered him gifts worthy of his position and power. 

This is the real, central message of Epiphany: by God’s grace alone, through faith in the Word alone, the outsiders are now the insiders. Those who stood outside of Israel, outside of God’s chosen people and his promises – are now in the presence of Israel’s greatest King, the promised son of David. This is the great “mystery” which Paul wrote about in Ephesians 3:6; that in Jesus the Gentiles are now fellow heirs with Israel of the promise of salvation in Christ. The first Christmas was for the Jews, the chosen, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But this Christmas is for the nations, for the Gentiles, ^{(1 Peter 2:10)} “for those who at one time were not God’s people – but who now are the people of God”. And in Jesus, these two distinct groups are united, joined as one body, one people, one Church. 

Gathered here this morning we are a lot like those magi from the east. No, I didn’t see anyone park their camel outside, nor did I notice anyone hauling in bars of gold or bags of incense; but we, too, have been guided to the Christ child by signs given by God himself; not by a star in the sky, but Word and Sacrament. Through these means, God has called us in from the darkness, has shined the light of faith into our hearts, so that we are no longer outsiders, but insiders – brothers and sisters of Jesus, children of God, heirs of heaven. We have been led to the house where God’s Son, the King of the world, is present with us and for us under the signs of water, word, bread and wine. Presence just as real and tangible – and hidden – as that little child at Mary’s feet. 

Just like the magi we confess that it was not by our own thinking or choosing that we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord or came to him. But the Holy Spirit has called us by the gospel, enlightened us with his gifts, sanctified and keeps us in the true faith. The world may laugh at the Word as an ancient artifact of the past, at Communion as hocus pocus, at Baptism as nothing more than a symbolic show. But we are living evidence that these things, ^{(Romans 1:16)} “are the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew then for the Gentile”. And one day all the wisdom and knowledge of man will eventually bow, like these magi, with faces on the ground before the one who is the wisdom of God in human flesh. One day every king of this world will bow before ^{(Isaiah 49:7)} “the King of kings”. There is a Day coming when ^{(Philippians 2:9-11) “}at the name of Jesus every knee [will] bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. 

Like the magi, we too bring our gifts and leave them here for our King. The gifts of our time, our treasure, our talents, our prayers, our praise, our living and working outside of those doors, even as written in Psalm 51:17 “our repentance”  – these are our gold and incense and myrrh – the concrete evidence of our heart’s conviction that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour, our joyful offering of thanks and praise to the one who came to live, die, and rise for us. 

The magi were going to return to Herod. But having been warned in a dream not to…they returned to their country by another route. They did return home, not by the way of Herod – the way of human wisdom and power – the way of death - but by the way of Jesus – God’s wisdom and God’s power – which leads to life. We too will leave our Saviour’s feet here and go back to our home, our family, our job, our life. We will leave our Saviour’s feet here and go out into the world. And we too will have our choice of two ways to go: the way of man’s king or the way of God’s king; the way of this world or the way of the kingdom of God; the way of power and glory and reason or the way of weakness and humility and faith; the way that depends on our wisdom, our reason, our strength, our blood, sweat and tears or the way that depends completely on God’s wisdom, on Jesus’ strength, his life, his blood, sweat and tears shed for us; the way that leads to certain death or the way that leads to eternal life. 

Jesus, in his grace, has not left that decision up to us. He chose us, claimed us in baptism. He will feed us and strengthen our faith for life’s struggles here at his table with his body and his blood. His Word will continue to be a bright star which will guide us through this dark world to his glorious presence – and our glorious home – in heaven. He has put us on a new road, a new way, the way of forgiveness, the way of resurrection, the way of life. The world is done with Christmas, packed it away for another year. But for us, the celebration goes on – because today is the other Christmas, and this Christmas is just for us. Amen.  

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

 

Christmas 1 – 26 December 2021 – Year C

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

 The text for this meditation is written in the 3^rd Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians: Verses 12 – 17:

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. ¹³ Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

 

The great gifting day has come and gone, and one point is again clear: gift-giving becomes very stressful for many people.

 

 One of the reasons for this stress at the holiday season is the anxiety of what to get someone as a gift. It’s often been said that men are harder to buy gifts for than women. I don’t know what makes that saying true. However, I know my family has said that about me many times over the years. The idea of giving someone the perfect gift overtakes the giver. Anxiety sets in, and the possibility of rejection and inadequacy can be crippling. Trying to give a gift that’s memorable and lasting truly gets harder and harder as the years roll on.

 

In our text for this Sunday after Christmas, St. Paul gives us helpful suggestions for gift giving, insightful suggestions that can give cause to rethink this whole idea of gifting.

 

 Actually, Paul’s words from the Lord are more than helpful, and they’re more than a suggestion. The apostle gives us a list of life changing gifts that will enrich the very soul: …… compassion, kindness, patience, forgiveness and above all, love.  

 

In comparison to the stress of gift giving, receiving gifts is easy—or it should be. Simply to receive the love, care, mercy, and compassion of people in the form of a gift is often less stressful and more enjoyable than giving—or at least it should be. The stress is gone, and the joy of receiving is paramount.

 

Surprisingly enough, the ease of receiving tends to be the opposite of what we experience during the holiday season. Many have said, “It’s better to give than to receive.” I’m not sure that statement is accurate, especially when we look at it from a theological perspective. 

 

One reason people may believe that giving is better than receiving stems from the focus area of the statement. When saying that giving is better than receiving, a person is more focused on looking at themselves as the centrepiece of the occasion, rather than on the one who is to receive. The world actually encourages this behaviour and denies the importance of what receiving is all about.

 

The gift of forgiveness and salvation is a free gift, one that comes with no strings attached. This gift is one we receive from Jesus without any merit or worthiness in us. The love of the Saviour is an unmatched and tremendous blessing. Therefore, the idea that receiving is far more important than giving comes to us directly in the form of the Son of God, on the cross, the sin-bearer of the world. Put in proper context, our receiving of this gift is a continuation of the promises of the Old Testament, where the Lord declares that he will send us a Saviour, his Son.

 

Not only is it deeply reassuring and surely commanded, but I’m certain that receiving forgiveness is the place where we build the foundational principles of our text for today. We hear clearly in v 12 of the text that we are God’s chosen ones—called by him and set apart by him for the purpose of doing his will. And as “God’s chosen ones”, we are God’s people, and he has extended his hand to us and marked us. The text continues, telling us that we are beloved and holy people of God: “as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.”  ….. Now, this is no small declaration for the faithful children of Christ. As his chosen and set-apart ones, we are not alone and living for ourselves. We are his, chosen and called to share his love and compassion. ^{(v 12)} “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience”.

 

Once on a Clergy retreat, the convener, a Dr of Theology, asked us if we had ever done private confession. That was to say, had we ever confessed our sins vocally to another person? At that stage in my life, I had not done private confession. I actually felt quite uncomfortable with the idea. He told us that there’s no greater feeling than verbalising and being subsequently forgiven for something you’ve done in life. 

 

Almost one year later at another retreat, I took him up on that encouragement, and, while stressed and somewhat embarrassed, I did private confession. I found that he was exactly right. There is no better feeling than being specifically forgiven. It was revolutionary for my Christian life. In my Christian Church experience this was not a new concept, but it was a new experience for me.  I had just humbled myself and confessed; and as a result, I received the free and clear gift of personal forgiveness! I feel a bit like the Shepherds at Christmas, I want to tell everyone who listens about the gift that’s freely given to all of God’s children out of his love and grace.

 

The text for today clearly encourages each of us to also forgive one another in Christian love: ^{(vv 12–13)} “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive”.

 

If we are honest with ourselves, how often are we not willing to forgive those who’ve hurt us because it seems to empower us as we withhold forgiveness. You know, I can say from experience, it’s so easy to justify your own stubborn stance. “Why should I apologise? I did nothing wrong in the first place!! They should be apologising to me!!” “When they seek my forgiveness, maybe I’ll consider it, but not before!” Friends, this is a stance that destroys the soul. 

 

The apostle encourages us to see and know that our ability to forgive comes from the reality that we are first forgiven by Christ in our own lives; thus we are able to forgive others. This is a beautiful reality in which we live as children of the Heavenly Father.

 

Immediately following this encouragement about forgiving, we’re told to put on love: ^{(v 14)} “And above all these put-on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”. Love is what binds all things together in the life of the Christian. One of my confirmation class students once asked me, “How do we put on love?”

 

 This question, for the Christian, can conjure up a beautiful picture of God’s love and mercy. God the Father has showered us with his love. His love comes to us in the form of His Son on the cross. We know this reality through the Word of God as it reminds us in many places and in the many different ways we experience His love in our lives, in the form of Christ service to us. 

 

For all Christians, the love of Christ is poured out in Holy Baptism, where we are robed in love. Therefore, putting on love is a reality of our relationship to Christ as his chosen people. Like many aspects of our relationship to Christ, we graciously accept this free gift of love. To reject it is to invite despair into our lives.

 

The text before us today reminds us strongly that the Word of God dwells in us. ^{(vv 16–17)} “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”.

 

We remain hopeful and joyful at this reality. It is through that very Word that we are encouraged and strengthened to be able to meet the tasks before us with confidence and joy. As we put on love to share forgiveness and mercy, as we provide the gift of forgiveness to those who’ve hurt us and trespassed against us, we are able to take encouragement and nourishment from the Word of God as it reminds us and empowers us in our lives in Christ. 

 

We give freely the gift of forgiveness as it has been freely given to us by Christ our Lord and risen, living Saviour. As written in ^{(John 15:11)} “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”. 

 

So there we have it, there is no anxiety, no big decisions, you don’t even have to pay a price.  Receive what the Lord freely gives us as a gift we can carry with us into eternity. Receive it with joy and thankfulness knowing that you are forgiven freely, without price and without worthiness on your part. This is the true gift of love, a gift that in Christ’s holy name we are encouraged to generously share. How blessed we are. 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 – 25 December 2021 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and 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 Luke: Verses 1 – 20:

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴ Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵ He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favours!”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

 

As the Gospel was read, did you hear the announcement? The King James Version, which many of us learned in our youth, has it, (Lk 2:11 KJV) “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord”. This is not a parody of the movie “Miracle on 34th Street” that makes Santa a reality, no! this is the miracle of the ages! “Christ, the Saviour, is born!”. God takes human flesh, becomes a Child, to ^{(Mt 1:21)}“save his people from their sins”.

 

Quite apart from the Baby in the manger, who is the ^{(Is 9:6)} “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”, the other characters in the story are common, ordinary people. Mary’s husband is not some mover and shaker entrepreneur, but a poor carpenter from the village of Nazareth. Mother herself is not a member of the famous ‘entitled upper class’, but a humble Jewish girl who, if the ancient scrolls are correct, may not have been more than sixteen years old. And the story itself does not take place before television cameras in the centre of bustling city, but before lowing cattle in a smelly stable.

 

You see, this is a marvellous story about a gracious God who, in the fullness of time, fulfilled a promise made thousands of years before. 

 

But we may well ask: To whom does the announcement come? To the affluent political Sadducee? To the proud Pharisee? To the rich and mighty, dining on roast lamb and pudding? No, to shepherds. To shepherds, mind you, who carry with them the smell of the fields and the sheep they tend. Of course, this is God’s way of doing things, isn’t it? Was it not a woman, once possessed by the devil, to whom the Saviour first appeared after his resurrection? And was it not upon unlearned fishermen that the Spirit of God fell on the first Pentecost and to whom our Lord entrusted the spread of his Gospel?

 

So if on this Christmas Day you carry a burden in your heart, if you feel lonely and forsaken, if your heart aches with bereavement for a loved one during this holiday season, if you wonder whether God has time for one so insignificant as you—above all, if you feel ashamed of what you have been and what you have done and seek peace for your soul, this story is for you as it was for the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. 

 

Today we Celebrate Christmas with the Shepherds, and may the Lord visit us with his Spirit as powerfully as he visited the shepherds so many years ago.

 

If you want to celebrate Christmas with the shepherds, just remember the three things they did. They went, they worshiped, and they witnessed. The first thing they did is they went. Listen: “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And (Lk 2:15–16) “they went with haste”.

 

Literally, the text says, “They were speaking to one another.” They were probably all talking at the same time, babbling like little children. “Let’s go.” “We’ve got to go.” And it was unanimous. Not one of them disagreed. No one said, “It’s too far.” “It’s too cold.” “Who will take care of our animals?” Nor was there the slightest doubt in their minds as to whether the angel’s story was true. They didn’t say, “Let’s go to Bethlehem to see if this thing has happened.” They were convinced the story was true. They were sure these were God’s messengers whom they had seen, and that it was the Lord himself who had made it known to them.

 

Today, sadly, there are many who do not celebrate Christmas with the shepherds. They don’t go to Bethlehem. They’re too busy. Now let me hurry to say that there is nothing wrong with enjoying the outward trappings of Christmas. Sometimes even well-minded Christian ministers make people feel guilty for shopping or baking or having fun decorating the tree. That is sad. We should see all those things also as gifts of God. But it is true that many get so wrapped up in the trappings that they take the Christ out of Christmas. They go to the mall but not to the manger, to the shop but not to the stable. They go to the bakery but not to Bethlehem (which means “the house of bread”).

 

And we? Is it only tonight and tomorrow morning that we have had time to go with the shepherds? Are we grateful for what the Lord has made known to us here tonight as Christian worshippers? 

 

They went, those shepherds. And when they went, they worshiped. V 16 says, “And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” They hurried, and can you imagine their excitement? More excited than little children on Christmas morning looking for their presents under the tree—their hearts pounding as they ran, wondering, asking for the Child! And you can be sure they worshiped, even though this is not expressly mentioned. They knew that this Baby, though lying helpless in a trough where the food for animals was placed, was in truth the very Son of God, Christ, promised Messiah, Lord, who had come to save them from their sins.

 

There are those who go to Bethlehem (or at least go to church on Christmas) who never worship that Baby. They like the carols. Jesus is a cute baby, but they don’t recognise him as their living Saviour and God. Others flat out reject the message of the angels. “A virgin, you say, a girl who claims to be the mother? Come on now! They admire Him as a heart-warming Christmas concept perhaps. But a Saviour they do not need and do not want. They never kneel. They never worship the King.

 

Pray God we do. What would we do without the story of Christmas and the song of the angels? How should we stand before the judgment seat of God? Have we not broken his Commandments? Have we not sinned? Do we want God to judge us on the basis of what we’ve done and not done when he says in ^{(Ezek 18:4)} “The soul who sins shall die”? If so, then we would all be most miserable people. Then we should have to spend eternity without hope, without God, forever damned.

 

But the good news is this Christmas and every day!! God loves us, even us. He loves you, whatever your station in life. Bethlehem says this is true. ^{(Lk 2:11)} “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour”. God did not forsake us in our trouble. He sent his Son to take away our sins, to carry them to his cross, to suffer the pains of hell for them and for us, to gain our pardon, to earn our heaven. And he urges us not to turn our backs on his promise and so to lose our own souls. And because God has given us the gift of faith to worship with the shepherds and believe, we can live our life assured that Jesus is walking with us into eternity.

 

The shepherds went. The shepherds worshiped. And, finally, the shepherds witnessed. They told other people what great things God had done for their souls. V 17 says, “When they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.” They made it widely known. To whom did they speak? I suspect they told every last person they met that night and for days to come. Their lives were never, and could never, be the same. “Did you hear the news? The Messiah has come. The Saviour is born. Angels told us all about it, and we saw him.” You can be sure they shared the news with their families. How could they hold back the message from those nearest and dearest to them? 

You can be sure they told Joseph and Mary too about the visit of the angels. In fact, v 19 says, “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

 

We are told also the message they spoke; (v 17) “They made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child”. They talked about Jesus. They carried the Word. The message was the important thing. 

 

The message of Christ. A national church survey taken a few years ago revealed that they are many who go to church mainly for the social interaction; “The people are nice. The hymns are modern, the sermons are short, not too boring, lovely morning tea, and there was plenty of room to park.” ….. There was none of that by the shepherds. They didn’t say, “The angels harmonised beautifully, and the messenger angel looked absolutely stunning.” No, they witnessed to what God had done; they talked about the Saviour.

 

As we celebrate Christmas with the shepherds, we, too, have the privilege to witness, to share the news. We do it, for one thing: to announce the Saving Gospel of the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that all may come to know Him and the power of His saving Grace and love.

 

The Word of God is so empowering that there are very few countries and languages in the world today that does not have it in written form. In my time in Central Australia when the Holy Bible, along with Hymnals were presented to the Aboriginal people of the four different language groups with whom I worked, they were received with the joy that clearly hearing and understanding God’s Word brings.

 

Of course, there is much to be done closer to home. The shepherds had no missionary society to help them spread the Word. They belonged to no church body. But they themselves spoke. They didn’t think they needed a course in evangelism before they could talk to others about the Gospel. They didn’t worry about whether their grammar was correct. They simply shared the Good News. Pray God that we shall do the same. 

Over a yarn at work, sharing a ‘cold drink’ at a Bar-B-Que or over a cuppa with a friend. You would be surprised at questions people ask, simply because they do want to know what makes you different. That’s just another way we celebrate Christmas with the shepherds.

 

Friends, “Let’s go to Bethlehem.” Some never do. Some go but never worship. Some worship but never witness. Pray God that we shall, like the shepherds, do all three. Then, when the holidays are over and we return to our usual routine, we, too, like the shepherds, can as written in (v 20) return “glorifying and praising God for all we have heard and seen”. Amen.

 

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Child as He comes to you this Christmas. Amen

Advent 4 – 19 December 2021 – Year C

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

The text for this meditation is written in the 1^st Chapter of the Gospel according to 

St Luke: Verses 39 – 56:

 

 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰ where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴² and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³ And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴ For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be^[a] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary’s Song of Praise

⁴⁶ And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
⁴⁸ for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

⁵⁶ And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

 

Women in our culture are too often celebrated for what they look like, instead of for who they are. The airwaves are inundated with ads for diet pills and plans, cosmetics and calisthenics, collagen and cosmetic surgery, all aimed at showing women what they can truly be if only they would improve their appearance. Magazines in the grocery store feature an endless parade of the latest models and celebrity sensations. Hollywood encourages superficiality and celebrates the lives of the young and beautiful. In many cases, these starlets, having no grounding, meet tragic ends. In any case, such superficiality keeps all of us from recognising true beauty.

 

In today’s text, we meet two women. Luke never bothers to tell us what they looked like. He doesn’t mention their high cheekbones or their hourglass figures. He pays no attention to their sense of fashion. Nevertheless, he shows them for what they are: truly beautiful women.

 

The first of these women was probably quite young, perhaps a teenager. Her name was Mary. As was the custom of the age, she was engaged to a somewhat older man, a carpenter by the name of Joseph. And, as you know, she found herself to be with child. Not because she had put the cart before the horse. No, the angel proclaimed that her child would be conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary, a virgin, had been chosen to be our Lord’s mother. And she received this news with beautiful humility, saying, ^{(Lk 1:38)} “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord”. 

 

The angel proceeded to tell Mary that her cousin Elizabeth would also bear a child. And no doubt young Mary knew that Elizabeth would be a good mentor as she prepared for the difficult task of motherhood. So, bursting with youthful energy, Mary hurried up into the hill country to visit with Elizabeth and to tell her the good news.

 

Elizabeth was married to Zechariah, a distinguished priest who served in the temple. Unlike Mary, she was advanced in age. But she was no less beautiful. Luke tells us that she was a righteous woman, blameless in all her ways. As such, she exhibited a true beauty of character, the kind of beauty that is more precious than jewels.

 

Now, as soon as Mary entered Elizabeth’s house, she excitedly told Elizabeth all that had happened: about the angel, about the conception by the Holy Spirit, and about the child whom she would call Jesus, which means, “The Lord saves.” Yes, she had good news in every sense of the word. And at this greeting, how did Elizabeth react? Was she perhaps a little jealous that Mary’s news was greater than her own? Was she hurt or put out by the fact that this young girl, and not she, would give birth to the Saviour? After all, Elizabeth was married to a respected priest who served in the temple. Mary, on the other hand, was only a simple girl, set to marry a simple carpenter. But no! There was no jealousy in this beautiful woman. In fact, she was honoured, saying, ^{(v 43)} “Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”. At Mary’s good news, Elizabeth’s heart was gladdened, and she exclaimed, ^{(v 42)} “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”.

 

Then, wonder of wonders, Elizabeth’s child got into the act. As Elizabeth added, ^{(v 44)} “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy”. In holy mirth, John the Baptist was already pointing to the Lamb of God, who would take away the sin of the world. Yes, here is a picture of infant faith and a vivid reminder of why we baptise infants. The child of Elizabeth was already looking forward to what the child of Mary would accomplish. The infant John was rejoicing that our Lord had become a little babe, just like him.

 

Yes, in today’s Gospel we see that human life in all of its stages has been sanctified and touched by the beauty of our beautiful Saviour. Yes, there is beauty in the unborn child. Beauty in the godly mother. Beauty in the one who grows older in the wisdom of the Lord. All human life is made beautiful by the Lord through whom the world was created, by whose death the world is redeemed, and by whose incarnation the world is sanctified.

 

Compare this beautiful biblical scene with the ugliness of sin. The ugliness of sin is constantly looking admiringly in the mirror, without a thought for others. The world says, “A woman should not have to carry a child that she doesn’t want. Especially if it (i.e., the child) gets in the way of her own plans, her own career.” In the ugliness of sin, life is all about “me, myself, and I.” We judge others by how useful they are to us. And woe to anyone who gets in our way—whether that be an inconvenient child, a person suffering with a handicap, or an elderly person who requires “too much” of our care, attention, and love. So goes the ugliness of sin and vanity.

 

How much better is it for us to ponder Luke’s beautiful scene. Here we see a wonderful affirmation of life. Here we see beautiful faith as it is given by God. Consider Mary. At hearing that she would be the mother of our Lord, Mary did not succumb to vanity or engage in empty boasting. She has no ideas of self-promotion or self-fulfilment. Instead, she finds herself raised and graced by what the Lord has done. She finds her fulfilment in what the Lord has promised. Yes, Mary’s beauty is in her humility and trust. In response to the angel’s word, she said simply, ^{(v 38)} “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”.

 

This was not blind obedience or passive ignorance. No, Mary trusted in the Lord because she knew that he is, in fact, trustworthy. Throughout the ages, our Lord had kept his promises. He has a long history of raising the lowly and showing kindness to the poor. Mary knew that through her child, God would do great things.

 

And so in great joy, Mary began to sing her wonderful song: ^{(vv 46–48)} “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed”. Yes, in her Son, she would see the proud scattered and the mighty knocked off their thrones. In her Son, she could see the humble exalted and the hungry filled with good things. In her Son, she could see the salvation of Israel and her own exaltation as well.

 

Maybe that’s the point of all of this. Mary had the right point of view. Society teaches young women to look in the mirror and judge themselves by appearance. But what’s the result? Either vanity or despair. Because, finally, there’s nothing there. Mary and Elizabeth, on the other hand, were women of substance. They did not vainly look in the mirror but were happy for each other, and more important, they put their focus on Christ. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was most excited by the fact that Mary would give birth to the Saviour. And because of that, Elizabeth could rejoice with Mary, apart from jealousy. Nor was Mary vain. Rather than look at the mirror of her own loveliness, she looked at what God had done for her and saw the One who would come forth and save her. Yes, the attention of both Elizabeth and Mary was on our Lord.

Because they were focusing on Christ, they were beautiful women. They looked into the face of the Lord and reflected his beauty.

 

So, what does this all mean for us in our world of superficiality and vanity? I suppose that in this season of Advent, we do well to take some time out of our busy schedules and reflect once more on what it’s all about. We all do well to look beyond the tinsel and Christmas lights, fixing our eyes on the Christ Child, finding our glory in the cross that he would take up on our behalf.

 

This means teaching our children the counter-cultural values that Mary sang about in her Magnificat. Earthly beauty is a gift from God. And cosmetics are fine. But earthly beauty fades. Jesus calls us to move away from the vanity of the mirror and the ugliness of pride. to adorn ourselves with Him and to put on his Spirit of holiness. We do better to place Christ before our eyes and before the eyes of our daughters and sons.

 

Sure, our Lord could have chosen to be born in beautiful Jerusalem, or, for that matter, in glorious Rome. Instead, he chose to be born in lowly Bethlehem, least among the cities of Judah. He could have chosen to enter into the family of the high priest or be born into the imperial family of Emperor Augustus, but instead he chose to be born into the family of a carpenter, with a poor young maiden as his mother. I have no doubt that Mary was beautiful and that she had a beautiful child. More important, he became a beautiful Saviour, willingly bearing the scars and nail marks. As Isaiah would say of him: (Is 53:2) “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him”. Ah, but that’s true beauty! As he endures the ugliness of the cross, we indeed see the true beauty of His heart!

 

No, our Lord did not choose to enter into some perfect and ideal world. He chose, instead, to enter our world, with all of its flaws and blemishes. Why? Because he loves us, with all of our flaws and blemishes. Indeed, he comes to wash away the blemish of our sins. He presents us, his Church, as his Bride, clothed in baptismal splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that we might be holy, without blemish. Now this, my Friends, is true beauty, the beauty of the incarnation, the beauty of Christmas. Amen

 

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

 

Advent 3 – 12 December 2021 – Year C

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

The text for this meditation is written in the 3^rdChapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses:1–18

 

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, 

 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 

 ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,¹

make his paths straight. 

⁵ Every valley shall be filled, 

and every mountain and hill shall be made low, 

and the crooked shall become straight, 

and the rough places shall become level ways, 

⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” 

⁷ He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

¹⁰ And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” ¹¹ And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” ¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptised and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” ¹³ And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” ¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” 

¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, ¹⁶John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.

There is one basic difference between the church of the Old Testament and the church of the New Testament.  The Old Testament and New Testament saints all have the same faith in the same Saviour. The only difference is that the coming of the Saviour was a future promise in the Old Testament while it is an ongoing reality in the New Testament.

 

The New Testament church lives during the coming of the Saviour.  The New Testament church lives after the coming of the Saviour to earn our salvation.  We live during the time when He comes to bring that salvation to us.  We look forward to the time when He will come to end time as we know it and take His church into eternity.  

 

John the Baptist was the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets.  As an Old Testament prophet, he pointed forward to the coming Messiah – the Christ – the anointed one.  The wonderful thing about his prophetic ministry is that the Christ would actually reveal Himself to the world during that ministry.  John was the forerunner of Jesus.  Jesus would actually begin His public ministry even while John proclaimed His coming.  In fact, John the Baptist was the fulfillment of many prophecies as we read in today’s Gospel as Luke quotes from the Book of Isaiah. John Himself was a sign that the Saviour was about to appear on the scene in a public way.

 

John did what prophets do.  He spoke the truth as God gave it to him.  John was not interested in winning friends or influencing people.  He was interested in the truth – even if it cost him his life.  The truth that God gave John to proclaim was not popular, it was not nice, and it was definitely not politically correct.

 

John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  In this respect, he was already following the instructions that Jesus would later give to the church.  For near the end of the Gospel according to Luke – after the resurrection – Jesus appeared to His disciples and ^{[Luke 24:45–47]}He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem”. Jesus made it very clear that the job of the church is to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins. The entire work of the church is wrapped around the proclamation of repentance and forgiveness of sins in the name of the Christ.

 

In true prophetic fashion God revealed this focus of the church to John before Jesus even began His public ministry.  So, when we learn from today’s Gospel that [John] went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, we already see John following the instructions of Jesus just about three years before Jesus even gave those instructions to the disciples.

 

The proclamation of repentance begins by making people aware that they are, in fact, sinners. In today’s Gospel, we hear the proclamation of repentance that John has for those who think they are righteous: “You brood of vipers!”

 

In this context, words like viper, serpent, and snake take us back to Eden where the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit.  The word brood is a synonym of offspring.  Basically, John is telling these people that they may think they are righteous, but they are in fact children of the devil.

 

John went on to say that these self-righteous people are not entitled to any special treatment because of their heritage: “Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”  The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to explain it this way.  ^{[Romans 9:7–8] “}Not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring … This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring”.  The true children of Abraham are those who are children by faith and not by biology. Those who believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins are the true children of Abraham.  Those who believe in their own righteousness, even though they may be biological children of Abraham, are not true children of Abraham. In fact, they betray the faith of Abraham.

(Tensions between the Jewish faith and Christianity revolve around that point)

 

This message of repentance should serve as a warning to us.  It’s a fact that our sinful nature continually tries to deceive us into believing that we are not all that sinful – that there is some sort of goodness buried deep down inside of us. All we need is a chance to get at it. John’s words serve as a warning that deep down inside of us, we too are a ‘brood of vipers’.  He warns us that there is nothing in our heritage that makes us right before God.  All of us are, in fact, sinners in God’s sight.

 

What is the punishment for sin?  John used the metaphor of an axe chopping down a tree for firewood.  “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”  These strong words warn all sinners that they are fated for the depths of the eternal fire unless someone does something about their sin.  This beginning of repentance as described by Dr Martin Luther ^“is the true terror of our conscience, which feels that God is angry with our sin and grieves that it has sinned.”  - I am sure that we can all relate to that terrible feeling of guilt on our conscience.

Now, if this terror was all that there was to repentance, then we would be overcome by despair.  But there is always hope for the repentant sinner.  In the second part of repentance, we have faith in Christ. Luther goes on to tell us “The Gospel, in which the forgiveness of sins is freely promised concerning Christ, should be presented to consciences in these terrors.  They should believe that, for Christ’s sake, their sins are freely forgiven.”

 

The preaching and baptism of John prepared people for the Christ who would soon come to earn the forgiveness of sin for the world.  In fact, many of the people who came to John thought that he himself might be the Christ.  As we heard in today’s Gospel: the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ.  This gave John the opportunity to tell the people about the true Christ.

 

John answered them all, saying, “I baptise you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  John took the opportunity to tell the people that he was not the Christ, but that the Christ would soon come.  He took the opportunity to tell the people how mighty the Christ would truly be.

 

The mighty Christ is none other than Jesus.  He is the one whom the prophets proclaimed, and He is the one in whom they believed. This mighty Christ is the solution to our problem of sin.  He is the one who earned forgiveness for our sins and offers that forgiveness to us for free.  He is the one who makes us holy in God’s sight.

 

How did He do this? As mighty as Jesus is, He demonstrated His might in weakness.  Even though we are not worthy to touch His feet, He allowed mere men to nail Him to a cross.  It was from the apparent weakness of that cross that Jesus demonstrated His greatest might.  In the apparent defeat of death, Christ conquered death.  He became the solution for sin by taking our sin onto Himself and paying the price for it.  It is only through Him that we receive the forgiveness of sins.

 

Dear friends, we can have absolute confidence in Christ’s forgiveness because He did not remain in the tomb after He died on the cross.  He rose from the dead and that gives us confidence that the day will come when He will raise up you, me and all the dead and will freely give eternal life to all believers in Christ.

 

God sent John to prepare the way for the Lord.  John did this by making people intensely aware of their sins.  It is the calling of all of God’s servants to make His people aware of their sin.  This is the way that God makes people aware of their need for their Saviour.  The more we understand our sin, the more we appreciate our Saviour.  The deeper we grieve over sin, the more we rejoice over our salvation.  As hard as it is to examine ourselves in the light of God’s commands, it is the way we prepare for the coming of the Lord.

 

John the Baptiser was indeed a great prophet of God.  Even so, the one who followed him was even greater; for the one who followed him is God in flesh and blood.  He is the one who took our sins to the cross and exchanged them for His righteousness as He shed His precious blood for us and died to pay for our sins.  He is the one who baptises us with the Spirit when water is combined with Word.  He is the one who works through the Spirit to give us the faith that believes.  It is His coming that marks the season of Advent as we remember how He came long ago in manger and cross, how He will come again in future clouds of Glory, and how He comes today in Word and Sacrament.

 

May this season prepare us so that when Jesus says, ^{[Revelation 22:20]} “Surely I am coming soon,” we can join God’s people and reply, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”  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