Epiphany of Our Lord – 6 January 2019 – 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 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 rose 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

Advent 3 – 16 December 2018 – Year C

Grace to you 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:1–20

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilatebeing 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 toJohn 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 ^fin 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 lTax collectors also came to be baptized 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. 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.

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 Old Testament reading and as Luke points out as he quotes 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 notpolitically 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 snaketake us back to Eden where the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit.  The word broodis 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.

This message of repentance should serve as a warning to us.  One of the lies that our sinful nature tries to tell us is 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 are all children of the devil.  He warns us that there is nothing in our heritage that makes us right before God.  All of us are, in fact, sinners.

What is the punishment for sin?  John used the metaphor of an axe chopping down a tree for fire wood.  “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 words warn all sinners that they will burn in hell unless someone does something about their sin.  This beginningof repentance as described by Dr Martin Luther ^“is the true terror of conscience, which feels that God is angry with sin and grieves that it has sinned.”  

Now, if this terror was all that there was to repentance, then we should be overcome in despair.  But this is not all there is to repentance.  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.

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 me and all the dead and will give eternal life to me and 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.  Never the less, 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

Advent 2 – 9 December 2018 – Year C

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

The text for this meditation is written in the third chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 1 – 6:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler[b] of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler[c] of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

    make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled,

    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

    and the rough ways made smooth; 

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

December has to be, by far, the craziest month of the year – wouldn’t you agree? If someone from another planet were to come and watch our world during this month, that visitor would conclude that we have completely lost our minds. Why is this month so crazy? It’s because we are preparing, aren’t we. People balancing precariously on ladders, hanging the Christmas decorations in just the right spot  -preparing. Crowds of men and women hit the shopping malls with a high level of intensity and aggressiveness – they’re preparing. Throughout the suburbs, houses become filled with the smell of cooking, and radio stations play old nostalgic songs about chestnuts and a winter wonderland – (in the hot Australian summer??) – but people are preparing, because it’s December and soon, it will be Christmas time. 

In the church year, Christians are also in a season of preparation; it’s called “Advent.” Advent is a Latin word which means “coming”, and is that time of the year when we, as Christians, prepare for the arrival of Christ. This preparation is twofold: Firstly, we prepare to celebrate his first arrival, his humble, quiet birth in Bethlehem; and secondly we’re also preparing for His second coming, when Christ will come in all of his majesty, with the loud, trumpet call of God on Judgment Day.

In this month of December, this season of Advent it seems to be so easy to get caught up in the commercial and secular madness of preparing for a festive Christmas holiday. Somehow we all get caught up in the preparation rituals of presents and food and all the trimmings, we just have to be ready!  For me, the real question is “how do we prepare for the coming of Christ?”  You know, this is a mystery for many people. I think it reflects how many people are at this time of the year. “I am ready for Christmas! – But, am I ready for Christ? and what does that really mean?

In our text we hear from someone who teaches us how to do this, we usually read about him each (December) Advent time. No it’s not Rudolph or Frosty or Santa – it’s “John the Baptist.”  John was a rugged man who held his “services” in the desert – no chairs, no air-con, no robe with decorations – his church was out in the desert, by the Jordan River. Verse 3 of our text tells us that “He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”  He was called the “Baptist” because he encouraged people to be baptised, and, he encouraged people to repent.

This wilderness ministry wasn’t an idea that John decided upon out of the blue. Friends, this was John’s destiny – this was God’s purpose for his life – John was talked about hundreds of years before he lived, as it says in verse 4: as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord”.

John had been called by God to prepare people for the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ who was coming to start his public ministry among His people, and John was preparing people, getting them ready and he did that by teaching the people to repent!

How often do we hear the word “repent”, how often are does the Holy Biblical Scriptures call us to repentance; what is the significance of this calling? The dictionary explains: “to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; to be penitent; to remember or regard with self-reproach or contrition; to repent one's injustice to another.  Therefore in calling all people to “repent”, John was telling them to make a U-turn in their lives, to change direction. John was telling the people to search their souls and replace sin and pride with remorse, to ask for forgiveness of wrongs committed. To be going any other way was to be unprepared for Christ. John told them and is telling us to turn from looking in at our own selfish motives and go the other way in service to our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

This, my friends, is how we can prepare for Christ. Repent. Think of repentance this way – first we identify ourselves as the sinful beings that we are, as Adam and Eve became sinful, so are we; and then, through the power of our Holy Baptism, we pray for the strength to overcome temptation, to love, to forgive and to serve. This will take some quiet time; Turn off the TV, the radio in your car; the computer; the mobile ‘phone. Take a break from shopping and decorating. Be still just sit and maybe meditate on Psalm 46: Verse 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." – Then Join with Paul as written in 1 Timothy 1: Vs 15 “Here is a saying that you can trust. It should be accepted completely. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst sinner of all.” John calls for us to openly admit before God who we really are; he calls for us to turn our intentions and goals towards a God pleasing life; he wants us to put on the ‘Armor of Salvation’ that we can face our sin head on. That is really what repentance is about, that is what John is calling us to do.

Friends in Christ, John is calling us to prepare for Christ’s coming; he is calling us to repentance; but the sad fact is that as hard as we may try, we will never be able to be fully pleasing to God without the salvation that comes through God’s abundant grace in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, without our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, true repentance is impossible, try as we may, we can never work enough to earn salvation, but with Christ, all things are possible. In repentance we lay our sins at the foot of the cross of salvation. If we confess our shortcomings to Christ we can rejoice, because He forgives us all of our sins. “I forgive you,” Christ says. “I died on the cross for all those faults you have. I was punished for your weaknesses. I forgive you.” “I have risen to the right hand of the Father that you may have life eternal with me.”

Friends, if we really want to make changes in our lives, Christ will give us the strength you need. As Philippians chapter four says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” That’s repentance. That’s what John the Baptist was talking about in the desert. John pointed the people to Christ; John continues to point us to Christ even today; in the Word; in the Holy Sacraments; in the embodiment of our brothers and sisters in Christ; that is where we see him; that is where our salvation lies.

Are we ready for Christmas this year? More importantly, are we ready for Christ? Are we ready to celebrate his first coming? Are we ready to receive him, when he comes again in all of his glory? If you listen closely, over the songs about Rudolph and Frosty and Santa you hear at the mall – if you listen closely, you will hear a voice, a voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord. That is the message of Advent – repent. Amen

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

Advent 1 – 2 December 2018 – 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 21^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 25 - 38

"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

And He told them a parable: "Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  Even so you, too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.  Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

"Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.  But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

We played a game when I was a young lad.  You may know of it.  It worked best in the late afternoon just on dark.  One of our group would be the "wolf" and they would hide somewhere. Then we would walk, usually huddled together, unable to see the “wolf”, toward the area where he was most likely hidden, all the time knowing that he was there and that he was near.  ‘What time is it, Mr Wolf?’ we would ask, and he would softly tell us a time. Scared, we would venture closer, peering, asking the time, still unable to see him – until - we got really close and the “wolf” would jump out and shout out "midnight!" and chase us like a monster and we would flee in panic, trying not to be caught by the "wolf".

When I read through the Gospel text, I think immediately of our childhood game; I clearly relate ‘midnight’ as the ‘end of the day’. Our text tells us that there is a day coming that will be unlike any other, an ‘end day’ for another day will not follow it.  We don't know when, exactly, but we know it’s getting ever closer.  The end of the world, the final day of reckoning, the day of our salvation or the day of our doom, is coming.  Jesus tells us how we should stand in readiness for that great and terrible day, always being alert to the signs of the times.  Like my childhood game, we go through life calling "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

According to the words of Jesus, the signs of this coming catastrophe are pretty clear and pretty dramatic.  There will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars.  Of course the details of those signs are not made clear, and we are no longer a people who read signs in the stars as they did back then.  We are too scientific.  The signs could be as simple as the scientific discovery that a meteor or a comet will strike the earth and annihilate the human race.  It could be the physical and robotic exploration of the moon and planets, and the wonders of the galaxy that we behold through space bourn telescopes.  We, as humans put a lot of time and money into searching for “signs in sun and moon and stars”. - "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

Then Jesus says another sign is dismay on earth among the nations, identified with a perplexity at the roaring of the seas and the waves.  Now that sounds distinctly environmentalist, doesn't it?  The dismay at the seas.  Nations have become extremely agitated of late at the Ocean.  The ice caps are said to be melting.  The ocean is said to be polluted.  Life forms are disappearing from it.  It seems like the last ten years all we have heard in regard to weather patterns is whether we are experiencing either El Niño or La Niña. These oceanic conditions determine the water at the surface being too hot or alternatively one if the water is unusually cold.  Weather reports continually give us crash courses on how these phenomena affect our weather dramatically, and we have seen a remarkable increase in cyclone (or hurricane) activity across the planet causing many people a great deal of alarm. This is another sign Jesus gave, mankind fainting from fear and the expectation of the things that are coming upon the world.  

Fear is certainly not in short supply in today’s world, worldwide, people are quaking with fear over what is happening or what they think is about to happen.  There is widespread fear of terrorism and extreme ideologies.  People are frightened by the control and invasiveness of information technology, and the changes that will make in our world.  People are afraid of running out of resources, afraid of global warming, and afraid that some natural disaster, like fire flood or earthquake, or those meteors or some new super epidemic, that will wipe out mankind, or life itself from this world. -  "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

Could it be that we the people of God’s creation are afraid because we have lost the faith in and the knowledge of God and of His great love for us.  Do we no longer recognise His reality, and have we lost sense of His divine providence.  That is a definite recipe for fear.  Friends in Christ, that fear, that dismay, and that perplexity is the sign that Jesus pointed to as the sure and certain sign that He is coming back. That will happen for sure, but not the way the doom and gloom prophets predict.  The end of the world is a certainty.  The end of our participation in it is a far nearer certainty, - but – take heart, that should not be the cause of fear for us the children of God, Baptised into a Holy and eternal fellowship with our Great Triune God.  Admittedly when we, as Christians, read of and speak of the Biblical catastrophes that produces terror in the hearts of worldly people today, there would be few very few of us who also would not feel some fear.  You would have to be a pretty remarkable person if you didn’t.  Our weakness is our humanity. -  "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

Friends, Jesus knows all this, and he urges us to have courage, to have faith in Him.  “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."  Rather than fear, Jesus inspires us to confidence and hope.  Lift up your heads!  Don't cower in fear as though something unexpected is happening.  Straighten up and lift up your heads.  You know what is happening, and what it means.  It means that we are following the carefully laid plan of God.  The end is coming, and soon.  It is not going to be global flooding, or global warming, or a monster rock from outer space.  It will be the return of Jesus Christ with the fulfilment of our salvation in His hands!

Jesus even tells the parable of the fig tree to make His point.  Just as we recognise the signs of the seasons, and know that everything is happening just as it should, Jesus invites us to know the signs of the ages, and understand that it is not a terror for us.  Nothing bad is happening.  They are the signs of the return of the Lord that we see. He is the same Lord who loved us so much that He became man for us.  It is the same Lord who suffered such agonies in our stead, for our sin, so that we would not need to.  It is the same Lord who forgives us all our sins, and gives us eternal life.  Remember that for the child of God the worst thing that can happen, a physical death that our sinful flesh rejects, is also the best thing that can happen, for it is the door to life everlasting in glory with Him!

Jesus said that it will happen, and then He reminds us that His promises and His salvation and His love is more permanent than the earth below us or the sky above us.  Even as we see this world come unravelled and undone, His love and His promises and His salvation are unshaken and sure!  “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” 

Friends, in the light of this, we remember the complex prophecy of the ancient Mayan civilisation, which for so long (up to six years hence) held the undivided attention of so many worldly academics, the prediction that the 5,125 year life cycle of the earth would end on 22^nd December 2012, at which time the world would come to a cataclysmic end.

Is it any wonder that Jesus says, be prepared:  Be on guard:  Those are the words He used.  Be on guard against the unrealistic and unbelieving fears.  Be on guard against the foolishness that cannot understand the events around us.  Be on guard that your hearts may not be weighed down with dissipation (the squandering of life’s blessings) and drunkenness (debilitating escape from reality and self control) and the worries of life, (the car payments and the house repairs, the opinion of our neighbours about us, and the endless stream of health scares) Jesus doesn't say not to take care of such things, He simply warns us not to be crushed by them or so distracted that we do not see the coming of the day of the Lord, and that day comes on us suddenly like a trap. - "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

The signs have always been with us. They have been and are still there because God has so arranged this world that they would be there for His people to see because that end day is coming, and God would not have us be distressed by its approach, or surprised by its arrival.

It will happen Jesus said so, it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.  How do we prepare?  Pray for strength and endurance in all the many circumstance of this world, “But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Jesus is all the preparation that we need.  He did what we needed done.  He paid for our sins.  He forgives us all our guilt.  He has given us eternal life in our Baptism.  He who is baptised and in penitence, allows the grace of God to flow into and through their lives, are saved.  In this world, among all the challenges and pains and sorrows of this life, our trust in the will of God in our lives is all the preparation you really need, ultimately, it is the only real hope we have in this life into eternity. - What time is it, Mr Wolf? – it is the time of our Lord; it is time to live in unity with Him. 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

Christ the King – 25 November 2018 – Year B

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

The text for this meditation is written in the 18^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St John: Verses 33 – 37:

³³ Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" ³⁴ "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?" ³⁵ "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?" ³⁶ Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." ³⁷ "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." 

I would like to ask the question: Who was interrogating whom in that account? The answer seems obvious, “Pilate – the governor of Judea – is clearly interrogating Jesus as to who he claims to be.” Well, let us look at the text, could it be that Jesus was interrogating Pilate?

When you look at it on a worldly level, Pilate is the man asking the questions. But if you look at it through the eyes of faith, you see Pilate standing before the King of heaven and earth being asked what He believes. 

You see when the world looks at Jesus, it sees a mere man – a historical figure at best – who is just like the rest of us. It scoffs at us for believing that Jesus is the almighty King of heaven and earth. I mean, really – does Jesus look like a king as he stands before Pilate and allows himself to suffer such great injustice? Humanly speaking, no. But that’s because Jesus is a King like no other. 1) He is patient with his enemies. 2) His kingship is divine, and 3) He is truth personified. 

He is patient with his enemies. 

When I think of how earthly kings deal with their enemies, I imagine them as being somewhat arrogant, wrathful and maybe even a little impetuous. But I don’t imagine a King patiently and lovingly trying to instruct an enemy who is insulting him. Do you? 

And yet this is exactly what our King Jesus was doing with Pilate. Here is the situation: the leaders of the Jews wanted Jesus crucified because He told the truth about himself being the Messiah. The problem was that the Jews were not allowed to legally kill anyone without the consent of the Roman governor. This is why the Jewish leaders charged Jesus with this: ^{(Luke 23:2)}"We have found this mansubverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king." 

Pilate knew that this was a blatant lie. He was not a stupid governor. Jesus’ ministry was not conducted in a vacuum. Just a few days earlier (on Palm Sunday) Jesus was hailed by a large crowd as the ^{(John 12:13)}“King of the Israel”. Now if there was anything the Romans investigated and dealt with swiftly, it was any hint of possible rebellion. We can certainly imagine that Pilate – who is known to have assassinated innocent people for merely hanging around possible rebels – had spies checking Jesus out the minute the crowds started to hail him as king. The fact that Pilate didn’t arrest Jesus then shows us that He wasn’t all too worried about him. 

Still, Pilate had to investigate, so he went back into his palace and summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus responded, "Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?" 

At first glance it might seem as if Jesus is being flippant, but in fact He is calling Pilate to consider his ways. As I said before, Pilate probably kept tabs on Jesus. Did Jesus ever give Pilate any reason to consider him rebellious; or was Pilate merely complying with the wishes of the crowd? Jesus was trying to get Pilate to think about his actions because He knew the great danger Pilate was in. The cowardly injustice that lay deep in Pilate’s heart would soon erupt into ordering the crucifixion of God. Jesus is nevertheless patient with him, wanting Pilate to come to repentance and faith. Hence his question "Is that your own idea – are you, as judge over Judea, truly worried about me rebelling against Rome; or did others talk to you about me – are you merely following the whims of this mob and sinfully not following the course that justice dictates.” 

Pilate isn’t the only one Jesus is patient with. The inspired pen of St. Peter wrote: ^{(2 Peter 3:9)}“[Jesus] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”. Yes, what a blessing it is that Jesus is not like other kings, whose tempers can easily flare. If Jesus were like other kings, we would all be in hell right now due to the numerous times we rebelled against him. 

But God is patient with us, not wanting a single one of us to perish. By means of his Holy Word he calls us to consider the intentions of our heart – much like he did with Pilate. His law leads us to look deep inside of us to see the evil that lurks there – that is ready to crucify Jesus in order to pursue a sinful course. Patiently he leads us to that conclusion – all the while well aware of our stubborn, arrogant hearts. And when we finally do acknowledge our total depravity? Then he is there to patiently remind us of his love and strengthen us with his forgiveness that we might live a new life of humble obedience to him. Praise God that our Jesus has patience, unlike any other king! 

His kingship is divine. 

Another way Jesus is different than any other King is in regard to his divinity. In the ancient world many kings claimed to be gods. They wanted their people to worship them so as to keep them under their control. The Romans emperors (whom Pilate represented) were not exempt from this false idea. Ancient kings would build statues to themselves, brag about how they were supposedly divine, and force people to worship them. 

How different is King Jesus! He did not have his followers build statues of him. He did not go around boasting and bragging. He doesn’t force anyone to worship him. He simply let his teaching and miracles speak for themselves. The Holy Scriptures leaves us with no doubt that Jesus most certainly is divine. 

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." 

The fact that there was no rebellion, no one storming the palace to rescue Jesus, shows that He is a different kind of king. It shows that his kingdom is from heaven. God appointed his Son to be king over all because of the salvation he would earn for mankind through his suffering and death on the cross. The Old Testament scriptures are filled with quotations and prophecies about this fact, for example Daniel 7:14, pictures Jesus before the heavenly throne of God. “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world – and what a comfort this is for believers. On this earth, Christians can expect suffering. We see the godless prosper and false teaching spread. Sometimes it seems as if believers are God’s enemies because of what they suffer. What a comfort it is to know that Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom is not seen in how materially successful we are or how little we suffer. God’s rule is found in the heart of those who, through the Holy Spirit, believe, and hold on to the promise that they are reconciled with God in Christ, and that Jesus will work in all these for their eternal good - to deliver them safely home to his eternal kingdom. 

With this reassurance, the Christian is ready for the challenges of this world – knowing that they will not be overcome and that nothing can separate them from the love of Christ and his gracious rule on our behalf. With this knowledge, the Christian can cry out with Timothy: ^{(2 Tim 4:9-18)}“And do what they will -- Hate, steal, hurt, or kill -- Though all may be gone, Our victory is won; The kingdom's ours forever!” 

Praise God that our Jesus is truly divine, unlike any other king! 

He is truth personified 

Winston Churchill once said“A Diplomat Is a Person Who Can Tell You To Go To Hell in Such a Tactful Way That You’ll Look Forward with Pleasure To Making the Trip”.

In other words diplomacy is chock full of empty promises and half-truths. Kings and world leaders are excellent diplomats! 

King Jesus is not a diplomat? He always testifies to the truth. He is, in fact, truth personified. 

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

What does it mean that Jesus is the truth and testifies to the truth? What truth are we talking about here? It is the truth of who we are, who God is and how we are saved. 

Jesus, out of love for mankind, does not hold back any punches. He tells us in His Word: “We are completely corrupt. There is not a single intent of our sinful hearts that is even remotely pleasing to me. We are a hopelessly miserable, evil people – a sinner who has no hope of saving yourself. But fear not, because I have come to save you. I will live the perfect life you failed to live and thereby earn the righteousness that my Father demands of you. I will then take your sins upon myself, go to the cross and suffer and die for them all. This sacrifice will satisfy God’s demand for justice. I will send out my Holy Spirit through the preaching of my Gospel, to call you to repentance and create faith in your hearts. Through faith you will receive as your very own the righteousness and forgiveness I won for you. I will adopt you into my family. You will be my dearly loved children, and I will give you eternal life as your inheritance.” 

Jesus also tells us in the Bible: “If, however, you refuse to believe in me, want to attempt to earn your own way into heaven or chose to be a hypocrite – loving sin more than me and trying to use my salvation as a license to sin – then know this: you will have no part of salvation. You are still in your sins. When you die, you will die as my enemy and be cast into hell for all eternity. Therefore I call upon you today to repent, turn from away from your sins. Turn to me for forgiveness, and you will have eternal life.” 

To know Jesus is to know God and his love for us. To believe in Jesus is to have him as our glorious king. It is to be under his protection – knowing that he works in all things for our eternal good. It is to have hope in the coming deliverance that he will bring about on the last day. This is the truth, and all who believe in Jesus are on the side of truth. They will have eternal life. 

Before Jesus stood Pilate – the Roman’s emperor’s ambassador, questioning Jesus’ claim. Before Pilate stood Jesus – God’s own Son, the almighty King of heaven and earth – probing Pilate’s heart for faith. Our dear Jesus is certainly a king unlike any other. 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