Nativity of Our Lord

Text: John 1:1-14

THE WORD BECAME FLESH
Rev. Kenneth W. Wieting

In many and various ways God spoke to His people of old by the prophets, but now in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Dear hearers of the Word made flesh:

The Word who was in the beginning; through whom all things were made; in whom was life; who was the light of men; became flesh! You have two hands and ten fingers; Since Christmas, God has two hands and ten fingers. Your have two feet, two eyes, two ears; God has two feet, two eyes, two ears. The Word became flesh! He was knit together in the womb of His virgin mother and born amid the smell of hay and animals. God is now with us in the flesh, skin and hair and sweat and all. And that can seem pretty unspiritual. By nature man has always sought to fashion his own spiritual idols.

New age mysticism invents a god who is at a distance, floating about in nature or in the universe, leaving the natural things of our body alone. This is nothing new, but a revival of ancient Gnosticism which held that the body (flesh) and the physical world is unimportant at best and evil at worst (something to be separated from the truly spiritual).. This heresy of second century intellectuals taught people to seek an inner spiritual glow unhindered by sin or guilt before God. The way of salvation was seen as superior wisdom or knowledge. Being on a sophisticated spiritual wave length supposedly gave one freedom to do with your body what you pleased. This heresy interpreted the virgin birth as a purely symbolic event – something that never really happened. This heresy is what Newsweek and other weekly magazines falsely promote when they describe the Gospel of Thomas or the Gospel of Judas as Christian gospels. Written a century after the apostles died, these works were never recognized by the Christian Church. They were known to be heretical right from the start and were never received as Scripture given by apostolic authority through the Holy Spirit. Christian gospels are exactly what they never were.

Modern-day America doesn’t care about that truth, however and therefore our culture has a strong case of the Gnostic bug. There are hosts of spiritual voices and celebrity voices and educational voices saying that you must discover who you really are as opposed to being saved by God’s grace through Christ. But dear Christians, you are not the spark of light. You are part of the problem. If you follow what’s deep in your heart like the Gnostic elitists did, you will actually mislead yourself and those you drag down with you (all very spiritual and wise and mature, of course). You see, if the Gnostics and new age mystics are right, then gathering together today and each Lord’s Day is a serious waste of your fleeting time. If they are right than there is nothing more meaningless than The Word made flesh and His gifts for you!

But they are wrong – dead wrong! The fact that they don’t receive The Word made flesh is not surprising. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. It is part and parcel of the sinful nature of us creatures to say to our creator, “get lost – we’ll find our way”. We are prone to worship nature or ourselves or imaginary idols of mind and spirit. Beloved, please know that such is our natural drift, our default setting. What feels right by nature is to spiritualize God in ways that we choose. We are not prone to worship The Word made flesh. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

How bad is this leaning away from Christ? He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. The ignorance of turning from the one true God is nothing new. It is always dressed up as spiritual or human wisdom of one kind or another. It is most often viewed as reaching higher, becoming uninhibited, finding oneself, being really spiritual. God in the flesh with hair and skin and sweat, tempted as we are, suffering as we do, can seem pretty unspiritual.

But beware of those who want Jesus to rise above the body. Beware of those who want spirituality to be primarily a mind thing or a heart thing or an emotions thing. Where your body is and what it does, is not just a physical detail. Where our body is and what it does helps identify whether our spiritual life is real or bogus! Sin of the soul gets fleshed out in the body. Faith also gets fleshed out in natural life. If we want to be left alone to do with our bodies whatever we choose, then we don’t want the Word made flesh. Beware of those who want Jesus to rise above the body and leave it alone. Beware of those who are a bit put off by the skin and hair and sweat of the Son of Man. Beware also of your own desires to keep God at a distance like some nebulous spirit. We are all tempted to do that!

He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Beloved, you who are born of God, this is the beating heart of our faith. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Born of the Virgin Mary, God is our brother – knowing the bodily mess that we are in..

You have hunger, Jesus knows hunger. You have turmoil, Jesus knows turmoil. You have physical weariness. Jesus knows physical weariness. You have temptation, God the Son had temptation – just like you – in every way like yours yet without sin. He can sympathize with your bodily struggles.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth. That’s God’s gift! That’s Christmas and nothing can ruin Christmas! You have a flesh and blood Savior! He gives Himself to you that you might be whole again body and soul. He loves you body and soul! He redeems you body and soul!

Isaiah the prophet foretold it this way, The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all nations and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” But who would have understood the wonder of how God bared his holy arm? That bare arm was so small and so weak, bound in swaddling clothes.

You have an arm. Since Christmas God has a flesh and blood arm. You have a mouth. Since Christmas, God the Son has a mouth just like you. His infant mouth which nursed at Mary’s breast would later rebuke the sea and rebuke Satan’s accusations and speak peace to you. In His body, on the way to the cross, His mouth got slapped for what comes out of yours and the prayer and praise that doesn’t come out as it should.

Dear Christians, see how God bares His holy arm to bring salvation. As He does so, the tender brow of the little one in Mary’s arms is being prepared to be pierced with thorns. The amazing wonder and beauty of infant hands and infant feet will in adulthood, feel the flesh-ripping pain of driven spikes. It’s the only reason this sacrificial Lamb took on our human skin. His hands got nailed for what my hands have done and failed to do. Your hands too! See what God does for us when He bares His holy arm?

The Word through whom all things were made became flesh and used that flesh for our forgiveness. The Word in whom was life, faced death willingly to defeat death for us. By His death on the cross He redeemed our race. That’s why a crucifix is never pretty, but ever so beautiful! Foolish talk if He’s just a man! But if He is God and Man, if God in the flesh died there in your stead, than it is good news of eternal happiness – happy, happy, happy!. His bodily resurrection trumpets how eternally good the news is! How beautiful are the feet of the risen Christ as He stands bodily in the midst of his disciples and says, “Peace be with you”. The Word became flesh and now flesh endures. The heavens and earth will wear out like a garment, but not you. There is now a place for you at God’s right hand.

He is still a man! He is still the Word made flesh! After making purification for sins he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. On this day He still upholds the universe by the word of His power. On this day He also upholds you by the word of His promise! Christmas is about being given to! He was born to give you second birth! So He did in your baptism! There He washed your precious human skin and hair to make you a new creation. By His Word of promise He also gives His flesh to you today in the Sacrament, His very body into your mouth! God is not at a distance. See how close the Word made flesh comes to you now. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Text: Luke 2:1-20

UNTO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY… A SAVIOR!
Rev. Kenneth W. Wieting

Merry Christmas to you! A Savior is born to you! Everything depends on the Baby first cradled in a manger coming to you – your salvation, your forgiveness, your life, your resurrection, your everything! How do you know the gift of this child is for you? The shepherds heard it first, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. You don’t have to be old enough or wise enough or wealthy enough or strong enough or good enough to qualify for this gift. I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. Merry Christmas to you!

Nothing new will be said tonight that these walls haven’t heard for some 90 years now. In text or song or sermon, the meaning of this night is the same this year as last year and as the year before that. Nothing new is ever added and yet it is always new. God give you ears to hear it anew tonight, to mull over and wonder about this holy mystery, to treasure up and ponder the birth of Christ, to know that this gift of God’s love is for you! Merry Christmas to you!

If you’re not in the mood for Christmas, whatever we think that is, that might be a plus, a distinct advantage. That might help you hear the truth of this night even better. For Christmas is not about our ever-changing, mixed up moods. Christmas is about God’s never-changing, marvelous grace. The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people (Titus 2:11).

That’s why nothing can ruin Christmas! Unbelief can ruin us eternally, but nothing can ruin Christmas! Nothing can ruin Christmas because it is God’s gift! Unto you is born this day…A Savior! Lack of snow cannot ruin Christmas! Modern culture pressuring us to say, “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas’ cannot ruin Christmas! Feeling low, facing sickness, being lonely, even being depressed cannot ruin Christmas! Good heavens, dear Christians, it’s because we sinners face all these things that Christ came down in Mary’s womb! The good news of great joy announced over Bethlehem’s fields is not because we have everything in hand. The good news of great joy is exactly because of our ongoing desperate need. Merry Christmas to you! Really, merry Christmas to you, whatever mood you’re in! Don’t be sucked in and swallowed up by unrealistic expectations about what this celebration and this season mean.

The truth is that no matter how we struggle and how we strive, no matter how often we think we’re in the mood or not in the mood for Christmas, we’re not going to get out of this world alive. We are dust and to dust we will return. Yet, even death cannot ruin Christmas. This baby was born to die and so defeat death for us. That’s the reason He took on flesh! Death, where is your sting? Grave where is your victory?

And the angel said to them, “Fear not…” We sinners have every reason to fear what comes to us from the realm of heaven. Not one sin will ever enter the presence of God’s holiness and look at the mess that festers in your heart. It looks a lot like the mess in mine and in the heart of every man and woman and child. Yet the messenger comes from attending God to announce how God is attending to our foremost need. “Fear not”.

You are not an evolutionary accident. You are one created in the very image of God and now fallen in the sin of Adam. But the God from whom you are estranged, the God against whom you rebel, reaches down to you with these words, “Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” This is not an imaginary new-age angel promising to show you your inner spiritual spark. This is a messenger from God’s presence proclaiming the fulfillment of all His promises. No matter how many promises God has made, they are “yes” in Christ Jesus (II Cor. 1:20.

Merry Christmas to you! The people walking in darkness have seen a great light! It happened! Nothing can ruin Christmas! God give you ears to hear it new, to mull over and wonder about this holy mystery. God has always loved you! He loves you now! In His undeserved love He by whom the heavens and earth were made came down. It actually happened and it happened “to you”, that is “for you”. “Unto you is born this day… a Savior!”

He is born in the city of David, Bethlehem. He is born in a stable. He is born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Knit together in her womb, He is born to you just what you need…a Savior! He is born to you not a mere spiritual advisor to give you a few pointers on cleaning up your life. He is born to you not a spiritual guide to show you how to find your own way through contact with your inner self. He is born to you not a sweet spiritual image to make you feel a certain way! He is born to you a flesh and blood Savior. Unto you is born…a Savior!

God give you ears to hear it new for our sluggish hearts so easily treat it as tired, old news, childish, sentimental stuff. We can easily drag through these busy days and miss the treasure. The true spirit of Christmas is not the spirit of sweet, generic cards about earthly peace and love in general. The spirit of Christmas is not that of the angel Clarence working off his sins in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The spirit of Christmas is not simply that of family time, helping people, or feeling good. The true spirit of Christmas is the Holy Spirit testifying to all that this child is and does for you. Unto you is born this day…a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Dear Christians, the beating heart of Christmas is first of all not what you feel and do, but what God did and continues to do. Christmas is about your being given to - like a little child is given to at Christmas. Do you ever remember delight and joy as a little one upon receiving a special, unique gift that caught you unawares? I can remember one such gift quite clearly almost a half century later. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it (Mark 10:15). In the Christ child your Heavenly Father brings to you and me the gift of gifts that far surpasses any earthly possession. In this child God gives you His love in the flesh. Merry Christmas to you!

He took up the flesh of Mary that He might be pierced and bleed in your place. He came naked from Mary’s womb in the darkness of a stable that He might hang naked in the darkness of God’s noonday wrath. He had no room in the inn that He might prepare room for you in heaven. He has always loved you and wants you with Him. He breathed your poisoned, covetous air that He might cry out and give up the Spirit for you. He slept in an animal’s feeding trough that he might feed you with the Bread of Life. He was clothed in swaddling clothes that He might later be wrapped in grave clothes, the completed sacrifice for the sin of the world. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes that needed changing and cleaning that He might exchange our filthy robes for the clean robes of His righteousness. He was nestled in His mother’s arms that, risen from the grave, He might enfold you in His arms for eternity.

He did it on purpose! He is glad He did it. Jesus helps those who cannot help themselves. There is salvation in no one else (Acts 4:12) but there is salvation in Him. He made peace with God for you by the blood of His cross. He made peace with God for you that makes the angels sing! Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will among men.

Unto you is born…a Savior. The Son of God is one of us. God and man are together again for He is both God and Man. There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. He has always loved us! He has come to save us from the evils that we have done. He also releases us from the evils done to us! For you see, in this troubled world we sinners are both predator and prey. Our tongues may injure another, but we also may be injured by the tongues of others. Our body and actions may hurt others, but the actions and bodies of others may also hurt us. Our Savior, who is Christ the Lord, rescues us from our transgressions against others. He also rescues us from self-pity and bitterness and revenge when we are sinned against. We don’t have to play the miserable victim and seek revenge. Why, because, “unto you is born…a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. What kind of sign is that for the Savior of the world? What God of sign is that for the coming of Satan’s worst nightmare, a wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace. It is God’s chosen sign, humble and ordinary and sure.

But Jesus isn’t a baby in the manger anymore. Nor is He on the cross where He won your salvation. He is risen and ascended and with His church more than ever. This is the new sign for you that is also humble and ordinary and sure. You will find the Savior hidden in the waters of Baptism. You will find Him wrapped in the swaddling clothes of Scripture and mangered in bread and wine. Tomorrow and each week in the Divine Liturgy He comes to teach and feed you and give you life. You worship Him chiefly by receiving in faith what He gives.

And that affects how you live and what you give to others. The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

You say you haven’t lived self-controlled and upright enough! You say you haven’t been zealous enough for good works. Praise God that you get it! That’s why Christ gave Himself to redeem you from all lawlessness! That’s why God doesn’t stop giving to you in Christ Jesus! You cannot rise to Him. He continues to come to you to cheer your wearied spirit and draw you unto Him.

Your loved ones who have died in Christ are not missing out on the true Christmas! Nothing can ruin Christmas! Through God’s redeeming love the people of His possession are enjoying the blessed hope for which you wait. While you wait, Merry Christmas to you! In the Name of Jesus, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be honor and glory now and forever. Amen.

4th Sunday of Advent

Text: Luke 1:39-56
Vicar Gary Schultz

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb... And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

The church has always rightly honored Mary, even traditionally calling her the Blessed Virgin Mary, taken from these words of Elizabeth here in Luke. But the church doesn’t honor Mary just for herself. When it was announced by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would be the Mother of Our Lord, she said: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). And during her visit with Elizabeth, Mary sang: “My soul magnifies the Lord… for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” Mary didn’t exalt in herself, but rejoiced that she would be blessed to be the Lord’s servant in the fulfillment of the Savior so long expected. Mary is revered in the church because of her important role in the life of Our Savior, for her role in Christ’s humiliation, in bringing God to His people.

Ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden, God’s people were waiting for deliverance. Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the garden, disobeying God’s will and bringing punishment upon all people for all generations to come. The fruit of the tree brought a curse upon mankind and upon all their descendants. There was now a need for God’s people to be delivered, to be saved from this curse of death. But Mary is the “second Eve.” By the fruit of her womb, Jesus Christ, God brings forth the promised salvation of His people, bringing righteousness for all people for all generations to come. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Certainly Mary should be rightly honored for the blessing of being the Mother of God, because the “fruit of her womb” brought God’s salvation to His people.

In today’s Old Testament, the prophet Micah speaks about the fulfillment for which God’s people were waiting. And just as God worked through the simple and unexpected means of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so also the place where God’s promise was fulfilled was unexpected. 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 origin is from of old, from ancient days. Bethlehem, a relatively unknown small town, would suddenly become honored for its place in salvation history.

The Lord, the Ancient of Days, promised a Savior at the time of the fall in the garden, so the Savior’s origin is from of old, from ancient days. Finally the time draws near for Our Lord to fulfill His promise to come to His people, to send a deliverer to stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord.

And he shall be their peace. This fulfillment of God’s promise brings peace to His people on earth. This “peace on earth” is not some nebulous, fairy-tale cooperation between the nations of the world. This is the peace which the world cannot give (Vespers Collect). In the midst of the wars and tribulations of the world, in the midst of sickness and injury, in the midst of disappointment and frustration, in the midst of the world’s holiday frenzy, he shall be their peace. Christ gives comfort and peace in the midst of our troubled lives in this troubled world. So that’s why He is the Prince of Peace – not to bring political stability or compromise between political entities. He’s not an earthly king, like many were looking for. His Kingdom is the church, and the church is at peace through the forgiveness that He brings. As members of the church, we have peace on earth in the hope that Our Lord’s coming brings.

God’s Kingdom in the Old Testament obtained God’s peace and forgiveness through sacrifices. They offered up bulls and goats and the blood was shed. The priests poured it on the altar, and sprinkled it on the people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life (Lev 17:11). But no longer do we sacrifice animals for peace and forgiveness, for when he said, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings… then he added, “Behold I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.

He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. The old covenant of sacrifice is abolished. That means of granting peace and forgiveness was ended when Christ established the new covenant – the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. His body and blood were offered up to make atonement by the life. Now there has been payment for sin, for the curse in the garden of Eden and for every sin since. Sin is replaced with forgiveness, offered in that atoning body and blood every Lord’s day and on other festivals, when the sacrament is made available to those who wish to partake of it… (Ap XXIV). He comes to us today to give us atonement by His life.

The fruit of the tree in the garden brought separation from God, pain and toil on this earth, and death. But the fruit of the tree of the cross turns that all around. The life of Jesus offered up for atonement – that is, a payment, has made things right, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by [His] grace and mercy (Collect). Christ’s atonement puts us back into the inheritance of a Garden of Paradise – the eternal dwelling of heaven.

Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And blessed are you. Blessed because of that fruit of Mary’s womb, the offering sacrificed on the cross to bring the blessings of peace and forgiveness, the fulfillment of what was spoken from the Lord first in the garden and later by the prophets. “Through [Christ] we have recovered both the seed of incorruption and the fruit of our heavenly inheritance, which we lost in Adam” (The Venerable Bede).

Let us rejoice and give thanks for the Blessed Virgin Mary because of the blessed fruit of her womb – Jesus Christ. Through this miraculous work of God, He comes to His people to restore life to us and we are eternally blessed and at peace.

“For know a blessed mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee;
Thy son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
Most highly favored lady.” Gloria! Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

3rd Sunday in Advent

BLESSED ARE THE POOR WHO HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM
Rev. Kenneth W. Wieting
Text: Luke 7:18-35

"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Luther Memorial Chapel and University Center, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What does it take for someone or something to offend you? Perhaps you remember the last time you were genuinely offended? Being offended can make us think, "Don’t they get it?" "Don’t they see my importance?" or "How dare they say that or do that?" Being offended is painful and it can have far reaching effects.

Our Lord Jesus was no stranger to offending people. In three short years He offended or scandalized all sorts of people in all sorts of ways. Some were offended by Jesus because He threatened their authority. Some were offended by Jesus because He gave sight to a blind man on the Sabbath (John 9:16) or ate with sinners and tax collectors.

There were times when His words were just too hard to swallow. The day after feeding the five thousand Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." Many of his disciples were so offended they said, "…who can listen to it?" and they turned back and no longer walked with him (John 6:52-66). On another occasion when Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I AM" they were so offended they picked up stones to hurl at Him (John 8:58, 59). Jesus’ words and actions were truly offensive to many.

However, what seems to have caused the greatest offense was not what He did, but what He left undone, what He seemingly failed to do. The people clearly wanted Him to perform miracles on demand, but He refused. The people clearly wanted to make Him a bread king but He refused. Dissatisfied with Jesus’, those people did look for anther.

And what about the expectations of those who greeted Jesus on Palm Sunday? On the first Sunday of Advent we heard again, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Their shouts were raised amid hopes that Jesus was a conquering hero. Here was a messianic king who would set things right politically and militarily, perhaps in every way.

But, Christ continued to offend people during Holy Week! He offered salvation instead of success, forgiveness instead of the fulfillment of favorite earthly plans. Human expectations were disappointed. They wanted a Messiah full of vengeance for their enemies and victory for themselves, not one full of mercy for all people.

That brings us to John the Baptizer. In His fire sermons he cried, "keep on repenting" "straighten up" "turn around". He also preached the good news of the Gospel of Christ. He proclaimed the truth even to Herod. That landed Him in prison. From that position John sent his disciples to ask Jesus this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

Fellow-redeemed, listen carefully to that question asked by John. Does it not shake away sentimental pretense about Jesus and His work for us sinners? Does it not point to the difficult mystery that God works through weakness and suffering to provide strength and salvation? "Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?"

Our text is the last record we have of earthly communication between John and Jesus. John was no reed shaken by the wind. "…among those born of women none is greater than John." John clearly proclaimed Jesus and stated that He must increase and John must decrease (John 3:30). But was the fore runner of Christ really to decrease like this? Was it truly God’s will for John to be subject to the perverse whims of Herod and his adulteress? Why were these people who played fast and loose with God’s gift of marriage in a position of power over him?

Zephaniah had prophesied of Christ’s coming, "The King of Israel, the LORD is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil." "Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies." If the Christ was to bring light and love, rescue and release into this world, than where was it for John? From the young, strong, devoted forerunner reduced to prison comes a moving question, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

Do you sometimes think that God should act differently than He does toward you? Are you ever offended by what God doesn’t seem to be doing in your life? Do you ever feel like you’re in the darkness of a prison, facing disappointment or distress or even depression? Do you sometimes wonder if you should look for a different kind of Jesus from the current smorgasbord of spiritual angels, gurus, crystals and methods? There are plenty of mood altering options available. "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

John’s question holds eternal value for us. Life in this sinful world is full of dungeons of suffering and satanic oppression. For some Christians there is open persecution, for others loneliness, for others there is ongoing struggle with sickness or pain or sadness. Sometimes the prospects for physical improvement are little or none. It is also true that death will one day stand at the door for each of us as it did for John in Herod’s prison. When affliction presses in on us, when weakness wearies us, when there appears to be no reversing dark conditions Paul’s exhortation seems impossible. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything… Isn’t that a bit offensive? How can there be constant joy? What is the answer to our anxieties?

"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." Note clearly what Jesus wants John to hear, especially the last two wonders He lists.

After such blessed works of release as restoring sight and cleansing lepers Jesus states that the dead are raised by His hand. Those actually in the state of death, were given life again by the Lord of Life! The most immediate subject was the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17). As his corpse was carried out for burial, Jesus touched the open coffin and said, "Young man, I say to you arise." And he did!

Surely this must be Jesus’ ultimate answer to John’s troubled question from prison. Are you the one who is to come? Yes, for the dead are raised. But it is not Jesus’ ultimate answer to any of us in our dungeons. In the last and highest position of Jesus’ response is this statement: "the poor have good news preached to them." It is then that He adds, "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

Here is the reason to rejoice always! Tell John in the darkness of his cell, "The poor have the gospel preached to them". Tell John as death closes in, "The poor have the gospel preached to them". Zacharias had sung of John at his birth, "you child will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins." Jesus is now telling John; "Your work is done, your voice has cried out truthfully and prepared the way. The voice of the Bridegroom is now bringing joy to the world. "The poor have the gospel preached to them."

Dear Christians, this is the purpose of John’s preparation and of Jesus’ provision! Jesus is the one who is to come and you should look for no other. In disappointment, in affliction, in the face of death, there is no other to look to. Jesus didn’t promise that His church would continue to have the power to raise the dead or to cleanse lepers or restore sight. He did promise that those He sent in His Name would be given the power to speak His word of absolution, to cleanse from the leprosy of sin, to open blind eyes to the sight of faith. He did promise that those He sent would have His authority to preach the Gospel to the poor. The poor is every descendent of Adam and Eve, including John the baptizer and including you. The poor are the poor in spirit, spiritual beggars before God. Blessed are those who know they are the poor.

This is the ultimate wonder that Jesus relays back to John at the end of John’s life! The poor have the gospel preached to them. This good news is nothing else than the free and full forgiveness of sins for the sake of Christ. He who was preaching it would soon provide it. He who was preaching it would soon be paraded before the same king Herod who executed John. Herod wanted to see Jesus do a miracle but Jesus wouldn’t perform in Herod’s court to please sinful curiosity. He did perform the miracle of miracles in God’s court to save sinful beggars. On the cross what John said of Christ was fully revealed, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world".

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. Why do you have reason for joy whatever your circumstances? Because the mighty one who baptized you is in your midst to rejoice over you with gladness! Risen from the grave He is here today to quiet you with His love, to change your shame into praise! He is aware of your dungeons and how dark life can be. He is aware of your questions about life’s burdens and bad outcomes. He knows your struggles with sin and when death will come to your door. His answer to you is the same as it was to John, "the poor have the gospel preached to them. "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

John drank no wine and they said he had a demon. The Son of Man did drink wine and they called Him a drunkard, a friend of sinners. They were wrong about His drunkenness, but not about Him being a friend of sinners. He is such a friend to you and me that today He gives us the new wine of His blood shed for our forgiveness. Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2nd Sunday in Advent

KEEP ON ASKING, “WHAT THEN SHALL WE DO?”
Rev. Kenneth W. Wieting
Text: Luke 3:1-20

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, make his paths straight.”…And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” Dear Advent worshipers of the Christ who comes into our midst this morning and who will come at last in judgment, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

In the sixth year of the presidency of George W. Bush, Jim Doyle being governor of Wisconsin, Tom Barrett, mayor of Milwaukee, during a time of spiritual and cultural decay, “prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”. In this wilderness, “keep on repenting”, “keep on preparing the way”. The proper question continues to be, “What then shall we do?”

John the Baptizer didn’t make house calls! He stayed in one place and the people came out to him. He was the voice of one shouting in the wilderness – “turn around” – “straighten up”, “keep on repenting”. Nothing mealy mouthed about John. No tip toeing around people’s sensitivities for him. The Lord told him when to preach. The Lord told him where to preach. The Lord also told him what to preach – a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

The repentance that John proclaimed differed from the repentance of Judaism in a fundamental way. Judaism said, “Repent, get your act together, then the kingdom of God will come”. John the Baptizer said, “repent” because the kingdom of God has come - it is upon you (Mt. 3:2). Simply stated, the repentance that John preached didn’t cause God’s coming but proceeded from God’s coming in Christ. “Turn around” – “straighten up” – “keep on repenting”.

John lived in a time of political corruption and cultural immorality; just like now. He lived in a time when the church dabbled in politics and politicians sometimes used religion for their benefit, just like now. He lived in a time of false spirituality and humanistic hopes, just like now. Yet these were not the chief dangers he shouted out. Rather, the foremost hazard, the great threat of the ax of God’s wrath came from one’s own unbelief. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”. The focus of John’s preaching was receiving Christ!

Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree…that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” If we have ears to hear, if we but listen, that is intensely troubling. If modernism and new age mysticism haven’t gutted scripture’s witness to hell from our hearts, then John’s warning is rightly unsettling. More often than not, we don’t produce the good fruit.

If the good fruit includes joy and contentment, why do we need so much more help being cheerful than being down? If the good fruit includes perfect trust in God, why do the things that worry us usually make a longer list than the ones that make us deep down happy? Why don’t we trust God’s care of us even in suffering rather than scheming to manufacture our own rescue? If the good fruit includes perfect love for God, why do we put love for ourselves and other people and the things of this passing world above God’s Word and worship?

Dear Christian, repent! Your road needs rebuilding this Advent, as does mine. The readiness God desires of us is not primarily one of sending cards or of decorating. The readiness God demands of us is of the heart - repentance. We need to recognize that the axe should hit us. In fact, this recognition is central to the difference between the wheat and the chaff. The chaff did not allow them selves to be accused by John’s preaching of repentance. They would not listen. They felt secure in their station in life, in defending their decisions, in their religious performance and in their pedigree as sons of Abraham. They did not ask in fear and faith, “What shall we do?”

Dear Christian, repent! Turn from your self-protection, self-pity, and self-promotion. Start again today from zero. Your pride will not do, for every mountain and hill shall be made low. Your doubt and despair will not do, for every valley shall be filled. Your own agenda mapped out by personal preference won’t do for the crooked shall become straight and the rough places level ways. Your road needs rebuilding this Advent as does mine. There is some heavy lifting and earth moving to be done and we are not up to the task. Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. “What, then shall we do?”

To some extent, that depends! Tax collectors came to be baptized and said, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” Soldiers 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.” How predictable! And, how painful! Repentance for the one baptized starts right where they are in life, exactly in their vocation! If we hear John and recognize no ways to turn around, to straighten out, then we are not listening.

What, then shall we do? Children, stop rebelling against your parents. Stop putting more value on what you think and on what your peers say than on what your parents teach you in Christ. Give them honor, which even goes beyond God’s command that you love them. Parents, stop believing what Dr. Spock wrote about raising children. He’s admitted that he was wrong and that his advice negatively impacted a whole generation. God gave parents the responsibility to bring up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6), not psychiatrists. Encourage them and discipline them and speak the truth in love to them, even when they dislike you for it. You can’t control the outcome, but do your God-given duty and thereby love them.

What then shall we do? Friends and neighbors, bridle your tongue. Gossip is a sin that soils not only another’s reputation but also the thoughts of the one whose tongue is wagging. Christ died for the one of whom you are speaking, so repent, defend your neighbor and explain everything in the kindest way. Pray for them.

What, then shall we do? Single and married, honor marriage and keep the marriage bed pure. Satan’s deceptions are as old as Eden and as new as contemporary media morality. Darkness is dressed up as light; ignorance is disguised as wisdom and slavery to sin masquerades as freedom - at least for awhile. But it is all so empty and destructive of God’s good gift. And the axe will be laid to the root of the tree. Love others enough to keep on speaking the truth. There is forgiveness in Christ, full and free, but how will hearts desire His forgiveness if people pretend. John the baptizer didn’t pretend.

What then shall we do? To the crowds John said, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” To each one of us the prophet’s voice still cries out “Don’t forget you are in a wilderness here. Don’t lay up treasures here on earth without first thought for the spiritual and physical clothing and food needed by others. Whose kingdom is it that you are building?”

What then shall we do? To Herod the tetrarch John said, get rid of your brother’s wife and take note of all the evil things you have done and repent. That’s no way to talk to your tetrarch if you’re worldly wise. But John loved him and kept on speaking the truth and got locked up in prison for his trouble.

Fellow-redeemed, God does not ask us to fight the sins of a different vocation. Nor does He ask us to invent impressive ways to serve Him. Rather, in Christ’s Advent, He asks us to live in His forgiveness and daily battle against the sins in front of us and within us. Both the strength and the joy for that battle come from the mightier one that John proclaimed. John said, I baptize you with water, be 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 with fire.”

When John referenced untying the strap of another’s sandals, he used an Old Testament figure of great significance. In biblical times, the removal of a sandal or a shoe was done by the one who redeemed or bought back another from slavery or poverty. John was thereby clearly stating that only Christ could redeem us. John preached Him! And when He saw the impending fire of God’s wrath against our sin, He essentially asked the same question of our text, what, then shall I do? The Father’s answer was John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”

What then shall the Messiah do? Be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Suffer under Pontius Pilate, be crucified, dead and buried. On the third day rise again and ascend into heaven. Beloved, the Father sent Him forth in saving vocation for us.

His baptism was with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Anointed by the Holy Spirit in the Jordan, He took the fire of God’s wrath in our place on Calvary. The axe of God’s fury struck Jesus on the cross. He was cut off from the land of the living (Is. 53:8). The one tree that produced perfect fruit was cast into the fire for all of us dry and withered and fruitless tress. Such are the freedom giving results of His bloody baptism on the cross.

Beloved, that is why you should never tire of hearing that you were baptized into His death, that is, into that fire! For in that washing of rebirth God reckons you as already having been consumed as chaff with Christ! His blood cleanses you from all sin. HihhClothed in Christ, God now sees nothing in you but the finest of wheat to be gathered into his barn. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Who can endure the day of His coming and who can stand when He appears? You can! By God’s grace you can! “What, then shall you do?” Keep on repenting, that is, keep on turning from the daily sins of your life right now and keep on receiving what Christ continues to do for you. “What then shall you do?” Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Behold your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation…

John the baptizer couldn’t even help Jesus take off his sandal to rescue you. Jesus alone redeemed you. John the baptizer pointed to the mightier one, but Jesus is the mightier one. John the baptizer didn’t make house calls but Jesus does. He is in this house of worship this morning to rescue you from the threatening perils of your sins and to enable you to serve Him with a pure mind. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.

1st Sunday in Advent

Text: Luke 19:28-40
Vicar Gary Schultz

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Today we begin a new year. The church year is about the life and work of Christ, so it is fitting that we begin the year with Christ’s coming. If this is so, it may appear a little strange to begin with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem a few days before He was crucified. Doesn’t this story go more toward the end? Isn’t this the story for Palm Sunday? Perhaps the readings for the church year need a little adjustment.

No, throughout many ages of church history, this account has been appointed for use on the First Sunday in Advent. Advent means, “He comes,” so it makes sense that the Gospel proclaims: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” Advent is about Christ’s coming and our repentant preparation. Advent is about more than just an historic remembrance or reenactment of the birth of Christ and the events leading up to it. The season of the Lord’s coming also involves our preparation for His coming again at the Last Day.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

Now the Lord fulfills His promise to His people of old. Christ, the Righteous Branch of David, springs up into His creation to execute justice and righteousness in the land. The many years of waiting were ended as God now comes to His people.

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” When we think of a king entering a city, we think of grand ceremony, elaborate clothing, and attendants riding majestically on horseback. So we’d like to think of the King coming in the name of the Lord with glory far greater than that of earthly kings. And He does. But it doesn’t look like it to us. God comes to us as a human being, like us. He comes to us as a man, to bear the world’s sin. He took on our flesh to live, be tempted, suffer, and die, just as we live, are tempted, suffer, and die.

Just as He came through the womb of the little-known Mary, was wrapped in swaddling clothes and was without a home, so His entrance into Jerusalem didn’t look that impressive either. No fancy clothes or attendants on horses. This Man comes riding humbly on a donkey. Some people quickly threw down their coats and some leaves. Though He’s the King of all creation, He’s not here for the glories of this world.

“If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” Why would the Lord, the Creator of everything, need to take a donkey? Jesus didn’t need the donkey for Himself. He needed it for His people. He needed it for us. Certainly there were other ways for Him to get from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. But it was the way God would fulfill His prophesy. It was the way this descendent of David would spring up to save His people. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey (Introit, Zech 9:9). On a lowly work animal, the King comes to us. God’s promise that Christ would be humble and mounted on a donkey makes the beast of burden a suitable ride for the King. He was journeying into the temple. He came into the holy city of Jerusalem, making His way toward the temple, the place of sacrifice and prayer, just as He was about to offer up Himself – His own body, the New Temple – and make a final, all-atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world, answering the prayer of His people for righteousness and salvation. This unassuming Man, riding on a donkey, comes to His creation to make them right with God, to save them from sin.

In Advent, we prepare for Christ’s coming. Not just for the upcoming celebration of His physical birth. We remember the repentant preparation of God’s people of the Old Testament as they waited for His birth even as we look forward with eager expectation and preparation to Christ’s coming again at the Last Day.

Advent is also about the preparation of our hearts. In repentance, we look at our need for salvation. On our own, we aren’t able to receive Our Lord when He comes. We ask that He would rescue us from the threatening perils of our sins (Collect). A peril is something that exposes us to danger. Our sins are threatening — they are threatening to our salvation. Sin has a binding effect on us. We like to look at our sin comparatively. We’d like to think that our sins aren’t as bad as our neighbors sins. Maybe we can see our sins we like to repeat as just bad habits. Maybe our gossiping, cheating, and evil and lustful thoughts are wrong, but it’s not sin. Now our sins have become threatening perils. Our sin puts our inheritance of God’s good gift of eternal life in danger. These threatening perils separate us from Our Father. They leave us spiritually dead. As we ask for forgiveness, we acknowledge our inability to make things right with God. In repentance, we ask to be made clean, free from the perils which put our inheritance in danger. Advent is a time to recognize our continual need for turning from our sins and receiving Christ’s forgiveness, so that Jerusalem will dwell securely. As the church that is the New Jerusalem, we can confess now gladly: The Lord is our righteousness.

While we wait in preparation for Our Lord’s second coming, we rejoice that He still comes to us today. Christ did not ascend into heaven never to be heard from again. The Lord which had need of the donkey to bring Him on His way into the holy city to work salvation also has need of water. He doesn’t need water for Himself. But He uses it to bring His people into His Kingdom when He washes them in Holy Baptism. He has need of bread and wine – not for Himself – but to carry Himself to His people today through His Holy Supper, feeding us with life and salvation.

Christ answers our prayer: Stir up your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance (Collect). We are saved by His mighty deliverance, His sacrificial and atoning death on the cross. His mighty deliverance is not just an historical remembrance. It was a real event that continues on in the celebration of His Supper in the church. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Cor 11:26). Until He comes – He comes to us while we wait for His reappearing at the second coming.

We look forward to Christ’s final coming at the Last Day, when he will establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. For us, who have been rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by His mighty deliverance, we have nothing to fear, for Christ has taken care of everything. Our hearts are now blameless. We prepare ourselves for that day when Christ will enter again into the world to bring us with Him in royal procession into the New Jerusalem. Thanks be to God for His gracious coming among us, His people, to deliver us from our sins and to save us by His mighty deliverance. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.