Epiphany 2 –17 January 2016 – Year C

Epiphany 2 –17 January 2016 – Year C

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 John: Verses 1 – 11.

¹On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, ²and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." ⁴"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." ⁵His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."  ⁶Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. ⁸Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, ⁹and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realise where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." ¹¹This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”

Let us pray: Father, may your Word of truth lead us to recognise the signs of Jesus visual presence in our lives. We pray this in His name. Amen.

The account of Jesus at the wedding feast at Cana is often used as an example of the high place Jesus gives to the sanctity of marriage or how he often gives much more than we sinners either desire or deserve. Now, whilst it is true that Jesus does honour marriage – after all, He is the one who instituted and sanctified marriage – and while it is also true that Jesus gives to all his creation, both the evil and the good, much more than they deserve (like life and salvation when what we really deserve is death and condemnation) – John does not tell this story of Jesus at the wedding feast for those reasons. John relates what happened that day for one purpose and one purpose alone; as written in John 20:31: "But these are written so that you may believe that, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name". That, is to say, the wedding in Cana is one of those moments when Jesus gives us signs that reveal him as our salvation.

John tells us in verse 11; "This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him" But John does not speak of signs as we think of them. Often, we think of signs as symbols, or something that symbolically stands in the place of something else. For John, this is not the case. For John, the Word sign really means something that points to, or is somehow linked with, something else; quite literally, the Greek word that we translate as "sign" here means "mystery." In the same way, ''mystery'' in Latin is translated as "sacrament" A sacrament is a mystery and a mystery is a sign that points to something or reveals something hidden from ordinary sight.

So these signs in Holy Scripture reveal something that we wouldn’t otherwise know or recognise unless someone or something revealed them to us. A sign is something like a gift waiting to be opened. Because we are weak in our faith, God gives signs as something visible for our faith to hold on to. So it is that the Lord's holy gifts of Baptism and his Supper, manifested in lowly water, simple bread, and wine, are signs, mysteries, Sacraments. They point to Jesus because they are inseparably linked to Jesus. They are signs of Christ Jesus' real bodily presence among us as Creator and Redeemer. In these signs we experience the death Jesus died to give us life.

Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that every time Jesus performs a miracle we have a new sacrament. What I am saving is that Jesus' miracles are sacramental in nature. They are sacramental signs that point to him and reveal him as the Son of God. These signs point to spiritual truth of the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One who took on our flesh, lived among us, and experienced everything that we experience. They reveal Jesus, who, while fully human and like us in every way, except without sin, is also fully God. These miracles are signs, visible sacramental displays that reveal Jesus for who he really is, namely, the Word made flesh, who created all things and who upholds all things in himself. They reveal the glory of the one and only Son of God, Jesus Christ.

This is how Jesus has chosen to reveal himself to us and to come to us, in signs in which his Word resides; but there is a problem. The problem is not in the signs. The problem is that, these are not the signs that we would choose. We are by human nature an evil and faithless generation; we seek after all kinds of signs, just not the signs that Jesus has given to us. Therefore, we would seek Jesus in heartfelt emotions, which would lift us to heaven so that we can feel his presence; and yet, we often despise and overlook his very presence among us in the water, Word, bread, and wine. We pray for signs from God instead of relying on the signs he has already provided. We are afraid that Jesus will not do what he has promised unless we see or experience some sort of miraculous sign.

Because of that fear, because we can't find comfort in what Jesus has already given, we often seek Jesus, by trying to earn our way into Heaven (the legalistic method – referred to a the Law). Friends, the Law is empty, and regardless of how hard we try to be perfect in God’s sight, we fail – Our efforts can not save us; they can only accuse and destroy. We, like the wedding guests at Cana, have drunk this inferior wine to the dregs, and still we are not satisfied. The jars are empty, and all we find is pain, despair, sickness, and death.

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ came to fulfil the Law, to pay the price for us. Just as there were six jars to be filled, so Jesus on the sixth day of the week fulfilled all the Law and the Prophets. Just as mankind was created on the sixth day, so the Creator re‑creates his creation on the sixth day with his holy body and blood. On the sixth day, Jesus died on his cross and was placed in his grave. It is finished. His hour had come. Our Saviour became the sacrificial lamb as a substitute for us.

The very good news is that this is not the end of the story. The One who has died is no longer dead; he lives! The new and greater Jonah, after spending three days in the belly of the earth, gives us his greatest sign. The grave is empty. He is not there. Jesus lives! He has filled the Law to the brim, He paid our price for our Sin; and now our cup runs over with eternal forgiveness and life with Him. He replaces the Law and the old covenant with a new and better wine, the wine of Grace! We are not purified by the Law, but by his blood. The risen body of Christ is the beginning of the new order of things. In him and through him, creation is renewed and revitalised. Although this renewal is perceived now only by faith, we see signs of it in the miracles and the Sacraments Jesus has given to us.

Jesus continues to provide, as he does this day, signs that point to him. He has provided to us mysteries in the holy Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. There, Jesus is hidden in lowly water and simple bread and wine. In these miracles, he is revealed to us; He brings us His means of Grace! In the Sacraments, Jesus, who revealed at Cana that he is Lord of the elements, continues to reveal himself as Lord over all creation.

In the waters of Baptism, Jesus makes us his own. It is not that the waters of Baptism are more noble than plain water; in fact, they are plain water, except that Jesus has added his Word and commandment to it. As he turned the water into wine, with his Word and by his command, he also gave water the power to redeem us into eternity. As it is written in 1 Pet 3:21, "Baptism ... now saves you" and in Titus 3:5 Baptism is a "washing of regeneration" – Baptism is a re‑creation of that which was dead in sin. Baptism re‑creates us in newness of life in Christ Jesus.

In the same way, the Lord's Supper is a sign of our redemption in Jesus Christ. As written in 1 John 1:7, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin. The miracle of Jesus' true body and true blood under the elements of bread and wine reveals the mystery of our salvation in a blessed and holy sacramental union with Jesus. It is as though Jesus takes us as his bride and the two become one flesh.

On that day at the wedding celebration in Cana, our Lord revealed who he is, to us and to the world. In "this, the first of his signs" (v 11), Jesus points us to the restoration of creation that he would accomplish on the great third day, Easter morning. Through his first miracle, indeed, through all his miracles, Jesus manifested his glory and revealed to us a foretaste of what was to come: the restoration of our life in our God as it is meant to be.

Friends, Jesus has given to us a sign. At Cana, at Calvary, in the font, and on the altar, Jesus gives to us a sign of his glory; and his glory revealed is also a sign: a sign of his love for us. At Cana, in the font, and on the altar, our Lord has given us signs of the renewed creation won for us on the cross at Calvary. These signs are renewed here every time we gather in worship. During every Holy Baptism; Every time we come to the communion rail, there is a sign, a mystery, a Sacrament revealing the glory of Jesus Christ. Here Jesus reveals that his life and death are ours. Every time we come to the Lord’s table Jesus reveals that his body was given for us and his blood was shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus reveals to us his glory, the glory of his death for our righteousness. This Divine Service is his wedding party given for us. He is the groom, the wine steward, and the wine. We are the bride and the honoured guest.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, put aside your doubts, be uplifted in faith at the very presence of Jesus, let us heed the advice of Mary, "Do whatever he tells you"  - Jesus says, "Take eat, take drink, for in this humble bread and wine I have hidden myself to give you life." Do this and hear Jesus say, "I forgive you all your sins."  Amen

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

Baptism of our Lord – 10 January 2016 – Year C

Baptism of our Lord – 10 January 2016 – Year C

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

The text for this meditation is written in the 3^rd Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 15 – 22.

¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, ¹⁶ John 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. ¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰ added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

When the disciples were going about the process of replacing Judas the betrayer, they wanted a man who had witnessed Jesus’ work.  One of the things this does for us is define the beginning and end of Jesus public, earthly ministry.  Peter said, ^{[Acts 1:21-22] 21} So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”  So we see that as far as the early church was concerned, Jesus’ public ministry began when John baptised Him and it ended when Jesus ascended into heaven.  Today’s gospel tells us about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as He was baptised.

The Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us something about John baptising Jesus and although John the Evangelist does not specifically tell of the baptism itself, he does tell how John the Baptiser testified about the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus.  So, directly or indirectly all four Gospels and the book of Acts tell us about John baptising Jesus.

During this season of Epiphany, we consider the things that God showed to His people.  It is not too hard to figure out what God wants us to see in today’s Gospel: … the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  That should get your attention.  It is not every day that God opens up the sky and proclaims something to us.  It is not every day that the Holy Spirit takes on the form of a dove and flies down to rest on someone.  In fact, I think it would be safe to say that this is the only time that all these things happened together in the entire history of the world.

Think about it.  Today’s Gospel tells us that the crowds wonder if John is the Christ.  They are ready.  All the prophecies have come true.  All that’s left is for the Christ to actually show up.  John is out there by the Jordan saying, “I’m not Him, but He is coming.  Prepare the way for the Lord.”  Then one day the Lord Himself steps down into the Jordan and tells John, “Baptise me.”  After the Baptism, the sky opens up, the Holy Spirit comes down, and there is this voice.  Now that really is an Epiphany !!

The wonderful thing about this epiphany is that we get to see our Lord and Saviour beginning His public ministry as He battles to take back what is rightfully His. 

God created all things and therefore all things belong to Him.  When He created humanity, He said, ^{[Genesis 1:28]} “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  With these words God established humanity as His stewards over all of creation.  He established Adam and Eve as the lord and lady of all they surveyed.  Everything was perfect.

Then the devil spoke with the voice of the serpent and asked, “Did God really say …” God had given everything except the fruit of the one tree to Adam and Eve and yet Satan convinced Eve that God had held something back – that God did not have their best interest at heart.  Satan leveraged that seed of doubt until both Adam and Eve lost confidence in God and ate the fruit. 

On that day, the universe changed forever.  The relationship between God and Man was closed.  The relationship between Man and woman was closed.  A wave of sin swept through the entire universe just as a large tidal wave sweeps over an island.  Mankind had turned the keys of the worldly kingdom over to the devil.  From that time forward our enemy and his allies have had their way with us.  As we say in the order of baptism: The Word of God … teaches that we are all conceived and born sinful and are under the power of the devil until Christ claims us as His own.  We would be lost forever unless delivered from sin, death, and everlasting condemnation.

At Christmas we celebrated God’s action to infiltrate this world and take it back.  He entered this world as a baby – as one of us.  He stepped onto the battlefield as a baby in a manger and then grew up to be a man.  Now, here, at his baptism, God the Father proclaimed His intention to all who were there with John the Baptiser at the Jordan.

We should  get all excited about this epiphany.  Jesus is on the move.  The people who were there witnessed the inauguration of Christ’s public ministry.  The One for whom they have waited, has arrived.  This is a time of celebration; heralding bugles and drums, maybe even some fireworks!!

There are however, other eyes that see this epiphany.  There are those who have dreaded this day.  God made a promise way back in Genesis, ^{[Genesis 3:15]}  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”  The servants of the enemy also see this epiphany.  They are the servants of the one who is in danger of getting his head crushed.  For these servants, it is time to go on red alert.  The Christ is about to start His offensive.

Although we do not read the account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness until Lent, it actually takes place right after Jesus’ baptism.  The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to do battle with the enemy and the devil wasted no time in hitting Jesus with every devious resource at his disposal.  The Holy Spirit inspired the writer to the Hebrews to say that Jesus is the ^{[Hebrews 4:15]} one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  This teaches us that Jesus endured every temptation that the devil and all his allies have ever used against any person in any place and at any time.  The devil pulled out all the stops because he knew that if he can get Jesus to sin just once, the plan of salvation would lie in ruins.

Yet this sentence from Hebrews tells us that although Jesus was tempted as we are, He was different than us in that He did not sin.  This meant that Jesus’ baptism was the opposite of our baptisms.  We enter the waters of baptism covered in sin and leave those waters covered in God’s Righteousness.  Jesus entered the water covered in righteousness and left the water covered in sin – our sin.  Jesus began to carry the burden of our sin at His baptism.  As we pray in the order of baptism: Through the Baptism in the Jordan of Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, You sanctified and instituted all waters to be a blessed flood and a lavish washing away of sin.  As Jesus went down into the water, He was the only holy man on the earth.  As he came up from the water, He was the greatest sinner on the earth – not with His own sin, but with the sin of every man, woman, and child who has lived or ever will live.  He carried it all.

God the Father and God the Holy Spirit acknowledged the sacrifice Jesus made as he took our sin onto Himself and clothed us in His righteousness.  When Jesus also had been baptised and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  Christ’s mission to open heaven is the will and work of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit puts in a rare appearance in physical form – like a dove.  The Father declares His pleasure with the Son.  While Jesus is the member of the Trinity who became flesh and died on the cross, we see in this reading that all three members of the Trinity are actively involved in opening the way to heaven.

Jesus was a marked man after His baptism.  He was marked as the target of Satan’s temptation.  He was also marked as the target of God’s wrath.  He was marked as the one who would open heaven for all believers.

Jesus endured the full fire of Satan’s temptation.  He endured not only the temptation in the wilderness, but Satan never really stopped tempting Jesus.  He even tempted him through His friends and followers.  Jesus endured these temptations, as we never will.  Jesus’ perfect perseverance under Satan’s fiery temptation was part of the mission to open heaven for us.

In spite of the fact that Jesus never sinned, He was the target of God’s wrath – a wrath that was so severe that Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”  Jesus suffered the original baptism of fire in our place.  He fulfilled John’s prophecy of baptism by fire in order to open heaven for us.

Jesus blazed a trail through death that leads to life.  He conquered death and rose from the dead.  Through His triumph, the way to heaven is open.

Here at His baptism, Jesus took our place under the burden of our sin.  As our substitute, He carried out God’s plan perfectly.  The mission that Jesus began at His baptism was successful.  He opened a way to heaven.  He offers to join us to Himself through baptism.  The Holy Spirit gives us the faith that receives that offer.  God the Father adopts us into His family by that faith.  When the time comes for us to leave this world, the heavens will open, the angels will carry us home and we will hear the Father say, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  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

Epiphany of Our Lord – 3 January 2016 – Year C

Epiphany of Our Lord – 3 January 2016 – Year C

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.

The Visit of the Wise Men

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men¹ from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose² and have come to worship him.” ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶  “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

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. I don’t know if Woody knew it or not, but his words agree with 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 truth in those words.  You see, the account of the visit of the magi shows God working very directly to change people’s plans.

I suppose we could take that all the way back to the visit that the angel Gabriel paid 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”. 

Then there is the place of the birth.  Did Mary plan to give birth to the child in Bethlehem?  God did. ^{[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.  Who knows what they had planned when they noticed that there was a new light in the sky … a light unlike any light they had seen before … a light that caused them to set out in search of a newborn king.  They planned to find the king in Jerusalem, but He wasn’t there.

King Herod told the magi to look for the king in Bethlehem, but when the magi set out from Jerusalem, the star showed them the true location of the newborn king.  By now everyone expects the new born king to be in Bethlehem, but if we read the account carefully, it doesn’t really tell us where they found the child.  Maybe they found the child in Bethlehem, maybe they didn’t.  The Bible doesn’t say.

The magi planned to worship the new born king and then return to Herod, but God had other plans.  An angel appeared to them in a dream and warned them to return by another route.

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.  He planned to murder the newborn king.  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 man.  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.

Man’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 sons”. 

Man expects 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 … they haven’t got a clue.  The account of the magi visiting the Christ child once again shows us that our lives are 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.  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