Pastor Tim Weiser
Due to the winter weather, Church was canceled; however, Pastor’s service can be found on his Facebook account linked below.
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Sermon Page
ADVENT 4, DECEMBER 22, 2024, Holiness in the Body of Jesus Text: Hebrews 10:5–10 Other Lessons: Micah 5:2–5a; Psalm 80:1–7; Luke 1:39–45 (46–56)
Sermon Theme:
God wants to make you holy; for that he needs a body.
Sermon Goal: That seeing the contrast that the letter to the Hebrews makes between the new covenant and the old, you are strengthened in faith that God makes you holy by the bodily sacrifice of Jesus, which you share in the Sacrament of his body and blood. Based on a sermon in Concordia Pulpit Resources by Rev. Dr. Geoffrey R. Boyle
Sermon: God alone is holy. He’s totally other, uncommon, undefiled, and free from the stain of sin and death. His holiness reveals his one-of-a-kind-ness. No other god and nothing within creation is holy like our God. Yet this holy God—the one who made man in his image, who created everything out of nothing, and who still preserves it all to this day by his grace—this holy God desires above all that you, too, would share in his holiness. He wants to sanctify you. Of course, there’s much that stands in the way of his holiness—first and foremost, our sin. We’re not only unholy; we’re also unclean. Defiled without and within—in thought, word, and deed—what right do we have to share in his holiness? What right do we have to draw near to God, to approach his holy presence, to be sanctified, sharing in his holiness? None at all. No one comes before God on his own terms, with his own plans, by his own means or merit, no matter how great it may seem at the time. But none of this stops God from coming to you, making you holy, and giving you access to him, and he has his particular way to do it. God Wants to Make You Holy; For That He Needs a Body. Actually, that’s how it’s always been. God has always wanted to make his people holy, and he’s always done so with a body. That’s what the whole sacrificial system at the tabernacle and temple was all about: atoning for Israel’s sins and drawing his people near to him, making them holy.
It’s a shared holiness. Israel never was nor ever could be holy in themselves. They could never be totally other, set apart, one-of-a-kind—at least, not like their God was. But they were given to share in his holiness, given to draw near to him, be separate with him, and reflect his one-of-a-kind-ness to the world. “For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:45). But the only way to approach this holy God is on his terms, according to his Word, by the means that he so graciously establishes for them. That’s what the book of Leviticus is all about—God’s gracious means of access to his holiness. All the rules and rubrics of timing, location, and animal—everything laid out so that Israel could draw near to God and that he might sanctify them. There’s no works righteousness in the Old Testament. It’s not a different God or a different way of being God. Salvation is always and only through faith in Jesus Christ. Holiness is always a participation in his presence, sanctified by his Holy Spirit. But the way we’re given to approach him and share in his presence differs. Holiness in the old covenant came through the bodily sacrifice of animals. Then it was by bulls and goats;now it’s by bread and wine, water and Word.Then it was by daily, monthly, and yearly offerings;now it’s by one Baptism and the ongoing feeding at the altar and hearing the preached Word.
The letter to the Hebrews doesn’t deny that the saints of old were sanctified by their sacrifices. But it does strongly warn against going back to what is old when the new has come! When Christ came into the world, he came taking a body. And with this body he came to do the will of God—to atone for the sins of the world and sanctify all who would believe in him.
But why a body? Why not just up and forgive the world? Why not simply thunder a word of absolution from heaven, avoiding the messiness of flesh and blood? Well, as it was of old, so it always will be. To forgive and make holy requires a body because it requires blood. And without blood there is no forgiveness. The letter to the Hebrews says: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (9:22).
Now Christ has come. And the body prepared for him was a body prepared for death, for the shedding of blood, for the forgiveness of sins and sanctifying of his people. Holiness in the new covenant comes through the bodily sacrifice of Christ.
It was never the body and blood of animals that took away sins or gave access to God’s holiness. But it was by these that the atoning work of Jesus was given to them. Through sacrifices as through sacraments, Israel gained access to God and shared in his holiness. They were types, figures, and means of God’s grace, delivering the One whose blood alone forgives sin. No wonder the body and blood of these animals were so central to the worship of God’s people! But when Jesus came, everything changed. His body offered on the cross, and the blood that flowed from his hands and feet, this was the once-and-for-all sacrifice. This wasthe real deal, the real sacrament, the opening of heaven, the forgiveness of sins won for the whole world. Here, in the body of Jesus, we have full and final access to God; here we share in his holiness.
God certainly never intended for anyone to trust in the sacrifice itself but rather to look to him who promised to sanctify by his Word, through these slain bodies and shed blood.
God wants to sanctify his people. He wants to make you holy. For that he needs a body—a body prepared for him that he might offer it once and for all. Through him and his offering we have access to God; we’re invited to share in his holiness. The old is gone; the new has come. Sacrifices and offerings no longer grant access to God, but here he comes to you today. He gives you his body and his blood with this bread and this wine. Again, he speaks his promise of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Here he draws close to you that you might be found with him. He has come to do the Father’s will. He has come to make you holy, for he is holy. So take and eat the very body of Christ given for you. Amen.
Advent 3 Rejoice in the Lord Always!
Text: Philippians 4:4–7 Other Lessons: Zephaniah 3:14–20; Psalm 85; Luke 7:18–28 (29–35)
Sermon Theme: Where can we find true joy?
Sermon Goal: That we extol the true joy that comes from Christ and is found in his presence, distinguishing it from the false and fading joy that masks our sorrow and loneliness. Based on a sermon in Concordia Pulpit Resources by Rev. Dr. Geoffrey R. Boyle,
Sermon: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (v 4). “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!” (Zeph 3:14). “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” It’s easy to have joy this time of year for most of us. Just wear the right ugly sweater, drink a proper portion of eggnog, and decorate the house with ornaments, lights, and a Christmas tree, while pop-Christmas songs play in the background. Go to the parties, watch A Christmas Story, exchange presents. Everyone can do it. Everyone does. But for many, there’s no real joy in it. And some are actually at their breaking point—will this be the last Christmas they put on a smile and fake it? Lord, have mercy!
It’s hard to rejoice this time of year for many. Some have lost a husband or wife. For others, it’s a son or daughter no longer willing or welcome to come home. Then there’s the loneliness, barrenness, and hopelessness rampant in our broken world. Whether they’ve been taken from us or not yet given, it’s difficult to “rejoice and exult with all your heart.” So we fake it. It’s just easier that way. We try to blend in so that no one asks. And the truth is that we really do want to rejoice! We want our hearts to sing. We want joy and gladness and the peace that surpasses all understanding. But when we look at our life—our job, our family, even our own mind and heart—we find little joy and little song. Where Can We Find True Joy? How can we, too, rejoice and sing and shout aloud? How can these Scriptures today be for us? The prophet Zephaniah locates this joy in the Lord’s promises to his people: “I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes” (Zeph 3:18–20). This is the Lord’s promise. He will do it. He will gather us. He will take away our reproach. He will deal with our enemies. He will save us and gather us and change our shame into praise and renown in all the earth. This gives us hope and sets us on the path toward joy. But when will this be? When will he gather those of us who mourn for the festival? When will we no longer suffer reproach? When will our oppressors be put to shame—and the lame and outcast be gathered together? When will he bring us in, gather us together, and restore our fortunes before our eyes? That was John the Baptizer’s question too. “Are you the one? Or shall we look for another?” The answer that’s given comforts everyone—John, us, and all who would hear this proclamation!) John the Baptist leads us to Jesus. Is Jesus the one who will bring God’s promises to me? In that hour [Jesus] healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered [John’s disciples], ‘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’ ” (Lk 7:21–23). Jesus answered John’s question of who he is and when these things will be by fulfilling the promises before their very eyes. Jesus is the Coming One. There is no other. Where he is, there the promises are fulfilled and joy can be found! And as he came in the midst of his people, he came to comfort them in their fear and sorrow and shame and sickness. He came to undo all that saps the joy from us. He came to take away their sin and ours. Where Jesus is, there is our joy. If you’re wondering where you might find joy—especially this time of year—then don’t look in the tinsel or wrapping paper, mulled wine or eggnog. Look to where Christ is. That’s the reason Zephaniah tells us to sing aloud and shout, rejoice and exult. “The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst” (Zeph 3:15). Paul also locates all of his joy in the presence of Christ. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again [he says], rejoice. . . . The Lord is at hand” (vv 4–5). And when Jesus sent the men to John, declaring all that they had seen and heard, joy sprang into John’s prison cell. It filled his and their worried hearts, and ours too! Wherever Christ and his work can be heard, where the promises of healing and restoration ring out, there you’ll find a peace that surpasses all understanding. So it goes for you—you who mourn, who suffer, who feign joy because you can’t find any within: Rejoice and be glad, shout and sing aloud! The Lord is in your midst too! He’s here among us—here in the church, here in the preaching, here in the bread and wine, here in and among the baptized. Here he comes to take away the judgment against you, to cast out your fear, and to strengthen your weak hands and timid hearts. He comes with the promises fulfilled, the forgiveness of sin, and he gives you “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, [and which] will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (v 7). He’s here. “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil” (Zeph 3:15). So rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, rejoice! Not a feigned or momentary joy, but eternal joy here and now in Christ, who is with you and for you and today is in your midst. Amen.
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