Category: Sermon Page

The Epiphany of Our Lord/ The Baptism of Our Lord
Sunday, January 9, 2022

“Epiphany, Baptism, and a Tale of Two Herods” (Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 3:15-22)

Every year, the Epiphany of Our Lord always falls on January 6, which was this past Thursday. The Gospel reading for Epiphany is the visit of the wise men, from Matthew 2. On the first Sunday after the Epiphany, which is today, we always observe the Baptism of Our Lord. And this year the Gospel reading is the account from Luke. This past Thursday, we had to cancel our Epiphany service. So now today, I decided to combine the readings for the two services, the Epiphany of Our Lord and the Baptism of Our Lord, into one message around a common theme: “Epiphany, Baptism, and a Tale of Two Herods.”

Two Herods? Yes, there is a Herod mentioned in both readings. In Matthew, it is Herod the Great. In Luke, it is his son, Herod Antipas. What they have in common is, they both are nasty dudes, powerful rulers who don’t like having their authority challenged. Both Herods will squash any opposition, even if it means killing them. Like father, like son.

First, Herod the Great, who ruled at the time of Jesus’ birth. Soon, wise men from the east come to Jerusalem, and they have a question for Herod: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews.?” Well, probably not the wisest question to ask the current king. “Where is the guy who’s going to replace you?” This does not sit well with Herod. He wants to eradicate this threat to his power. So he comes up with a scheme that will lead him to this upstart usurper, so he can get him out of the picture. He will use the wise men to locate the child for him, on the pretense that he too wants to go worship him. Of course, what he really wants to do is to kill him. Look, the powers of this world do not like it when their authority is threatened. They will go to extreme lengths to snuff the threat out.

And so the wise men set out to find the one born king of the Jews. The prophecies say the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, and to Bethlehem they go. They are guided by the star God provided to lead them to the place where the child was. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Notice, it doesn’t just say, “they rejoiced.” It doesn’t just say, “they rejoiced exceedingly.” Not even, “they rejoiced exceedingly with joy.” No, it says, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Why such exceedingly great joy? Because the star is leading them to an exceedingly great Savior! The prophecies of the Messiah tell of one who will be king not only of the Jews but of Gentiles also. These wise men, visitors from pagan lands to the east, will be included in his kingdom of blessing. They find the infant king. They fall down and worship him. “Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Costly gifts. Gifts fit for a king.

This child, the Christ, is the world’s true king. The powers of this world think that they are in charge, and so they want to get him out of the picture. That’s what Herod tried. But God had other plans. The wise men were warned not to return to Herod. So then Herod tried plan B. He had all the baby boys in Bethlehem slaughtered, figuring he’d get the one born king of the Jews in the process. But that didn’t work either. God had other plans.

Well, that was the first Herod, Herod the Great. Now we fast-forward about thirty years, and we come to his son, Herod Antipas. This Herod was no better than his father. He took his own brother’s wife to be with him, and he did a whole lot of other nasty deeds besides. So what did John the Baptist do about this? As a true and fearless prophet of God, he called Herod on it. John spoke truth to power, and it cost him. Herod threw John in prison.

But before John was arrested, he had time in his ministry to point people to a greater king: “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. 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.” John is talking about Jesus, of course. Jesus is the mightier one, who comes bringing both salvation and judgment with him–salvation for those who take refuge in him, but end-time judgment for those who refuse to repent, who think they don’t need a Savior. And that judgment will fall even on the most powerful rulers of this world.

The rulers of this world assert their power, and they persecute those who worship the Christ. They make their plans and their schemes, but in the end they will not prevail. As the psalmist says: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

Even so, even though they will not triumph in the end, the powers of this world will lash out at those who belong to Christ. We seem threatening to them, because we do not bow the knee to their supposed superiority. The god of this world right now, at least in Europe and North America, is secularism, which means, living without particular religious beliefs and practices. “Organized religion” is seen as the great enemy. That’s a put-down, by the way. “Oh, I don’t believe in organized religion.” See, it’s okay to be “spiritual,” whatever that means, but “religious”? That’s right out.

So Christians, because we make church a priority . . . because we believe in moral standards of right and wrong and call sin “sin” . . . because we do not worship the gods that the world worships, false gods like money and entertainment and pleasure . . . because we believe that Judgment Day is coming and there is only one Savior who can help us on that day, and that is Jesus Christ–for these reasons, the world hates us and wants to at least marginalize and mock us, if not outright kill us. By our very existence we are challenging their authority. Like the wise men, we worship and bow down only to one king, Jesus.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the king who is greater than all the kings of this world. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the only king we worship. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Friends, take refuge in the Son of God. He will protect you. The world will do its worst, but Christ Jesus will do his best for you.

Think of what Jesus has already done for you! The wise men called the one they were looking for the “king of the Jews.” When will he be called that again? The one born king of the Jews will die “king of the Jews” also. That’s the title Pilate placed over Jesus’ head when he was crucified. “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” On a cross. You can find this king hanging on a cross, wearing a crown of thorns. There you will see your Savior, shedding his holy blood to win your forgiveness and your salvation.

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” You can look in a tomb, but you won’t find him there anymore. Our king is alive and reigning forevermore. And he will share with you, all you who believe in and are baptized into Christ–he will share with you his resurrection unto eternal life.

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” Today you can find him right here, in this church and at this altar. Here he gives you his very body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. And “where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”

That’s something to rejoice over, isn’t it? The wise men, when they saw the star, “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Likewise, when we see all that God has done and will do for us in Christ, we too rejoice exceedingly with great joy.

The Herods of this world will do their worst, but Christ has done and will do his best. The world will label us with all sorts of nasty names: “religious kooks,” “weirdos.” But God will call us his own dear children, and I’m okay with that. The world will say we’re “out of step with the times.” Well, okay, I’ll take that too. I’m glad I’m out of step with the times! Christians will always be out of step with the world’s values. It comes with the territory. Get used to it.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, by acknowledging and worshiping the one true king, Jesus Christ, we present a challenge to all the false kings that the world worships. They feel threatened by it, but we feel greatly comforted. And, like the wise men, we rejoice exceedingly with great joy, for God’s grace is shining like a star, shining with the light of life, leading us to where our true king is.

Brothers and sisters, by calling sin “sin” and speaking truth to power, like John the Baptist we put ourselves at risk of ridicule or even worse. But let those Herods do their worst. Our king is Jesus Christ. By his epiphany, by his baptism, by his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, by his Word and Sacraments through which he strengthens us and gives us life, and by his coming again on the last day to save us and raise us up–our Lord Jesus has done, is doing, and will do his very best for you.

Second Sunday after Christmas
January 2, 2022

“Mary and Joseph, Did You Know?” (Luke 2:40-52)

Every year when the radio stations start playing Christmas music–like, when, around November 1? And then they stop playing Christmas music right on Christmas Day, when the Christmas season is just beginning, when there are eleven more days of Christmas still to go. But I digress. So, when the radio stations start playing Christmas music, there’s a song you will hear–oh, about 157 times–called “Mary, Did You Know?” And every time I hear it, I want to shout back at the radio, “Yes, of course she knew! The angel Gabriel told her!” Well, yes and no. Mary did know some things. But other things she probably did not know. So the question is, what exactly did she know and when did she know it?

The song says: “Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?” Well, yeah, Mary did know those sorts of big-picture things, because the angel Gabriel did tell her. Gabriel had said about the son she would bear: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” “The child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.” So, yes, Mary was told and she did know that Jesus is the very Son of God in the flesh and that he’s the Messiah who would have an everlasting kingdom. Mary did know that much.

But other things, certain particular things of what Jesus would do–maybe Mary did not know. She may not have anticipated how exactly his divine nature and his messianic mission would play out in the specific. For example, the song says, “Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?” Well, unless her baby boy was standing up on top of the water when she was giving him a bath in the sink, Mary may not have known that. “Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?” Again, while knowing that he had a divine nature and that he came to bring blessing to mankind, Mary may not have deduced that Jesus would give sight to a blind man.

What did Mary know and when did she know it? The same questions for Joseph. Joseph did know some things. An angel of the Lord had told him in a dream that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph knew that this child named Jesus would save his people from their sins. Joseph knew that Jesus was Immanuel, God with us. The Lord had told him those things. But how exactly that would play out in the specific, Joseph did not know.

Imagine being Mary and Joseph, knowing you’ve been given a very special child, unique, but not knowing exactly how that would play out. I don’t think there’s a Parenting 101 class on “Raising the Son of God in the Flesh with a Messianic Mission.” That would present some very unique challenges. As we see today in the incident of twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple. To which I ask, along with Jesus, “Mary and Joseph, Did You Know?”

But first, let’s get the backstory that leads up to this question. Last Sunday also we were in the temple, but that was when Jesus was forty days old, at his presentation. Now we fast-forward to when Jesus is twelve years old. And in between we’re told: “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.”

And Mary and Joseph have done a good job raising him. As good, pious Jews, they would go as a family from Nazareth to Jerusalem every year for the big pilgrimage festivals, including this one, Passover. And they would typically go in a caravan–no, not a Dodge Grand Caravan, but an actual human caravan, a whole big group of families all traveling together. So they’re there in Jerusalem for the festival, and now it’s time to go back north up to Galilee. Mary and Joseph set out, figuring that their boy Jesus is hanging out with other friends or relatives in the group. But when the day is ended and they look for their boy, they don’t see him. “Oh oh! Where is he?” They search through the whole group, and he’s not there. Panic time for parents! “I guess he missed the group when we set out. He must be back in Jerusalem.” Mary and Joseph turn around and head back there.

They get back to Jerusalem, and guess where they end up finding him? In the temple. Like he belongs there. And he does. Remember how it said that, growing up, Jesus was filled with wisdom? Well, now he’s displaying that wisdom. He’s sitting among the Jewish religious teachers, and they are amazed at the understanding and answers of this twelve-year-old boy! It’s like he knows the word of God better than they do! Which he does, because is the Word of God incarnate, in the flesh!

So Mary and Joseph find him there, and they can’t believe what they’re seeing: their son, sitting there, when he didn’t even bother to tell them that that’s where he would be. Mary and Joseph are thinking: “Didn’t you know, son, that we would be worried about you? We’ve been tearing our hair out, not knowing where you were!” And so Mary says: “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” Jesus, did you not know this?

But Jesus has a “did you not know” question for them: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Now Jesus is not being a snotty brat. Rather, Jesus has let Mary and Joseph go through this, in order to teach them an important lesson: that Jesus’ unique identity, his one-of-a-kind calling, will mean that he will have to do things they will not always enjoy or expect. Jesus has a higher calling than simply being Mary and Joseph’s obedient son, which he was. But Jesus has a heavenly Father, who has sent him on a singular, saving mission. And that will lead him to go places and do things they will not understand at first. This staying behind in Jerusalem will help to prepare them for that.

Mary, don’t you remember what Simeon told you way back at Jesus’ presentation when he was forty days old? “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also).” See, Mary, that’s something you did not understand at first. But you will experience it later.

Mary, your son Jesus will be opposed by many in Israel. By scribes and Pharisees, chief priests and elders. Maybe even some of these same priests sitting here in the temple today. And their opposition will boil and brew into outright hatred. These Jewish religious leaders will plot to put him to death. Jesus will go places and do things you won’t like. He will go to a cross, and there he will suffer and die. And you, Mary, you will see this happen, and it will be like a sword piercing through your soul.

Jesus’ unique, messianic mission–doing the will of his heavenly Father who sent him–this will mean going through pain and suffering, both for you, Mary, and for him. But this is the only way this mission can be accomplished. For Jesus, who is at the same time your son and the holy Son of God–he must die that we may live. It will take the death of God’s own Son to redeem us from our sins. He must shed his holy blood so that we may be cleansed. That’s the only solution that works. Jesus must be true man, so that he can fulfill God’s law as a man on our behalf, both in actively keeping the commandments that we so often break and in his passive obedience, dying under God’s judgment in our place. Our Savior had to be true man to do those things. But he must also be true God, because only God can save us. We poor sinners cannot save ourselves. God must do it.

And he has! Jesus Christ is our God-man Savior! He is your Savior, dear friends! Jesus kept the commandments for you! Jesus suffered and died for you! Jesus Christ rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will come back one day for you, to take you home to live with him forever! Did you not know this? You do! But it’s good to be reminded of it, again and again, to keep your faith strong and to keep your hope alive.

Brothers and sisters, as now we enter a new year, 2022, not knowing what we will face this year, whether some new virus or variant, know this for sure: The Alpha and the Omega is stronger than the Delta and the Omicron. Omicron is, quite literally, “the little o.” But our hope and our refuge is in the Omega, literally, “the Great Big O”!

And listen, you don’t have to go searching for Jesus. He’s right here in this temple. Jesus is here in this house, doing the things of his Father: forgiving our sins, refreshing our souls, strengthening our faith in God and our fervent love for one another. Every Sunday in 2022, let this be your custom: to find Jesus, doing his thing, right here in God’s house.

And Mary “treasured up all these things in her heart.” And so should you.

First Sunday after Christmas
December 26, 2021

“The Firstborn Son Is Presented in the Temple” (Luke 2:22-40)

Yesterday was Christmas, and now we’re into the days after Christmas. For us, these days mean eating leftovers, returning gifts that don’t fit, and taking down the decorations. But what about for Jesus? What did the days after his birth mean for him? Our text is one the few places we have an account of what happened during that time. It’s the story of what happened forty days after his birth, when “The Firstborn Son Is Presented in the Temple.”

Actually, the first event after Christmas we have is found in the one verse between Christ’s birth and our text today. In Luke 2:21, we’re told that on the eighth day he was circumcised and given the name Jesus. That was on the eighth day, one week after his birth. Then in verse 22, the beginning of our text today, we come to the next event Luke gives us in his infancy narrative. It’s the presentation of this firstborn son, on the fortieth day, at the temple in Jerusalem. That’s how these things were done in Jewish families. After forty days, the mother was purified, that is, she was considered ready to reenter the temple grounds after being ritually unclean after giving birth. And, after forty days, in the case of a firstborn son, which is what Jesus was, that son was presented to the Lord, consecrated to the Lord, at the temple. The purification of the mother and the presentation of the firstborn son both took place on the fortieth day, after the child’s birth. And for the presentation of the firstborn, sacrifices were offered at the temple in Jerusalem.

That’s what’s going on here: “And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.’”

Notice the emphasis on the Law being fulfilled. That’s what Jesus came to do, and he starts doing it even from infancy. The circumcision on the eighth day, when Christ first shed his holy blood. The presentation on the fortieth day, when Christ first entered the temple. Right off the bat little Jesus is busy fulfilling the Law of the Lord in our place. This will continue and reach its climax years later on the cross. But Jesus sets out on his Law-fulfilling work right away, even in his infancy, in the circumcision and the presentation.

There’s some history behind this practice of presenting the firstborn. It goes back to the Exodus and the plague of the death of the firstborn that the Lord sent upon Egypt. That was the tenth and last plague that led to the people of Israel being let go and set free from their bondage. All the firstborn in Egypt were struck down that night, save for the families of the Israelites, whose homes were marked with the blood of the lamb. The angel of death passed over them. The lives of the firstborn of Israel were spared. Therefore, all the firstborn sons of Israel thereafter were to be set apart, consecrated to the Lord’s service.

This law applied to all twelve tribes of Israel. The firstborn sons of all the tribes were to be set aside to the Lord’s service. But there was a substitute clause provided with the law. One tribe, the tribe of Levi, would serve as a kind of “designated hitter” for all the others. The Levites would “pinch-hit” for all those firstborn sons in the service of the Lord. The Levites were the “church worker” tribe, if you will. The men who worked at the tabernacle and later at the temple–the priests, especially–all came from the tribe of Levi. But for the firstborn sons from all the other tribes to “get out of the draft,” so to speak, their parents would offer up a sacrifice at the temple as the price that released their sons from that obligation. That’s what Mary and Joseph are doing for this firstborn son. They’re not from the tribe of Levi but from the tribe of Judah. Tribe of Judah, kings. Tribe of Levi, priests. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. But he is a firstborn son, and that’s why he’s presented at the temple on the fortieth day.

Even though he’s not from the tribe of Levi, and even though the sacrifice price is paid to get him out of priestly service, there is no “draft-dodging” for this boy. He truly is holy, consecrated to the Lord, as no other son is, whether firstborn or Levite or whatever. Jesus is drafted into the Lord’s service from the get-go, and there’s no going AWOL. Jesus will carry out the greatest priestly service when he offers up his life as the perfect sacrifice for all sin. His body and his blood are the offering, whole and complete and holy.

When Jesus is presented at the temple, this is a foreshadowing of his entire priestly service on our behalf. Years later, on Good Friday, Christ will shed his blood on the cross as the once-and-for-all atoning sacrifice, fulfilling the Law in our stead, paying the price by which our lives are spared. Death passes over us because we are marked with the blood of the Lamb of God. All this gets underway when this firstborn son is presented at the temple.

There are two aged saints at the temple who recognize this. Their names are Simeon and Anna. They see in this baby Jesus the Savior who came to fulfill the promises the Lord had given to Israel. Not only is Jesus the great High Priest, greater than any from the tribe of Levi, he is also the great King from the tribe of Judah. He is the Messiah, the Christ. Simeon and Anna can see this. Oh, it wasn’t as though there was a halo shining around this particular baby’s head, to mark him out as the Messiah. Rather, this was revealed to Simeon and Anna by a special work of the Holy Spirit. They see Jesus, and in him they see the Savior, the fulfillment of what they had been waiting for.

We first encounter Simeon: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God. . . .”

Notice what Simeon was waiting for: the “consolation of Israel.” “Consolation” means “comfort.” Think of that great prophecy from Isaiah 40: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” That’s the comfort, that’s the consolation, that Simeon was waiting for. The Lord had told him that he would not die before he saw the consolation come in the person of the Christ. Now, finally, he does see him, in the little baby being brought into the temple courts. Here is the long-awaited Messiah!

Simeon takes the little baby in his arms and says: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” This song of Simeon has come into the church’s liturgy as the canticle the Nunc Dimittis. We sing this song after Communion, because, having encountered Christ up close and personal, now we are ready to depart, whether that means departing the service or even departing this life. Now we can depart in peace. Through the child he held in his arms and beheld with his eyes, Simeon saw the Lord’s salvation in the person of the Christ. Same with us, brothers and sisters, when we receive Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament. We’re ready to depart in peace.

Simeon says that this child is the salvation God has prepared “in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” But how will this salvation come about? In darkness and in pain. The shadow of the cross is present at the presentation. Simeon says to Mary: “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Jesus will suffer opposition. He will be spoken against by his enemies. They will conspire against him and have him put to death. And the death of her firstborn son will be like a sword piercing Mary’s soul, causing her great grief, as she stands at the cross and sees her son dying.

But there could be no other way. This is the only way salvation could come. It takes the death of God’s only-begotten Son to do the job. Only his holy blood, only his priestly service of offering up the perfect sacrifice, would suffice. And it is more than enough to do the job for you. You are saved from eternal death and condemnation. You are saved for life at peace with God and eternal life forever. This is the consolation Simeon was waiting for and he found in Jesus.

There’s one other saint we want to meet, and that is Anna. It says that Anna was “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” “Redemption” means being set free, liberated. Anna sees her Redeemer, her liberator, in this child. Yes, Jesus Christ has redeemed us lost and condemned persons, purchased and won us from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. He redeemed us by his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. And the redemption he won for us is an eternal home in his kingdom.

Consolation and redemption, salvation and peace–these are the gifts Jesus brings with him when he enters the temple. He is the firstborn son, the infant priest. In the temple, here in this temple, we find the same Christ and receive his same gifts. In him we find our consolation and our redemption. In Christ, we find our salvation and our peace. Here in the temple, the firstborn son is presented for us. And so we sing with Simeon, “Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.”

The Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas Day
Saturday, December 25, 2021

“Making Known What the Lord Has Made Known to Us” (Luke 2:15-20)

Last night our message had to do with the “Good News of a Great Joy.” The news went out when Christ was born in Bethlehem. An angel appeared to some shepherds out in their field, telling them, “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.” And then a multitude of the heavenly host began praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” So that was the good news of a great joy that came to the shepherds.

But what did those shepherds do in response to getting the good news? That’s what we’ll take up this morning. Our text is from the last portion of Luke’s Christmas account, reading again these verses: “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.”

Notice, the shepherds first say, “Let’s go see that which the Lord has made known to us.” And after they see it–they see the baby in the manger just as they were told–then what do they do? It says they made known what had been told them concerning this child. And so our theme this morning: “Making Known What the Lord Has Made Known to Us.”

Notice what has to come first: The Lord has to make known to us what he has done. Otherwise, we would out standing in our field–not “outstanding,” but out, standing, out in left field somewhere, completely in the dark. We would not know what God has done–we would not even know God–unless God first acts and makes known what he has done to us. That’s the darkness we would be left in, if God had not acted to save us in the birth of Jesus Christ, and then made it known to us. We were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, but then Christ came to bring light and life. This is truly good news of a great joy!

Good news of a great joy, yes, but not only for those shepherds. Remember, the angel had said, “I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.” “For all the people,” not just the shepherds. This good news is meant for all the people of God. Now in this context, when the Bible says “the people,” it’s referring specifically to the people of Israel. They are “the people,” singular, the chosen people of God. And in this sense, Christmas is really a Jewish holiday.

Why? Because the birth of Jesus fulfilled the prophecies made to the Old Testament people of Israel. “Jesus” is his name; “Christ” is his title. The Christ, the Messiah: “Mashiach” is the Hebrew term; “Christos” is the Greek. They both mean the same thing, “the Anointed One,” which was a messianic title. Long ago the prophet Samuel had anointed David, pouring fragrant oil over his head, marking him as God’s choice to be the king of Israel. The anointing bestowed God’s blessing and the Spirit upon him. Some years later, the prophet Nathan came to King David and told him that one of David’s descendants would be the greatest king of all, bringing in an everlasting kingdom of heaven on earth. The term for this promised Son of David was the Messiah, the Christ. He would rule over the house of Jacob, that is, over Israel, forever. So the good news to the shepherds was first of all the fulfillment of the promise of a Messiah for the people of Israel.

The shepherds are told the good news of the birth of the Messiah. But what happens when the angels leave? The shepherds say to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” They want to go and see for themselves. The good news of the birth of the Savior creates a desire and an excitement in them. They want to go and see. That’s what they do: “And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.”

Well, gee, that’s great. I mean, good for those shepherds! They got to go see baby Jesus. I suppose after an hour or so they went home, had Christmas dinner, spent some time with the fam, and that was it. No, that isn’t what happened. Our text tells us: “And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.”

The shepherds make known what the Lord had known to them. The good news of a great joy was so good and so great that it had an effect on them. The shepherds just couldn’t keep it to themselves. They go out and tell others. That’s how it goes with the gospel. The good news is so good and the joy is so great that we want to share it with others.

And notice, the shepherds didn’t need a formal evangelism program to do this. They simply repeated what they had heard and seen. They told others what they knew to be the case about the Christ. That’s all that witnessing really is. Nothing fancy. No secret formula. Just tell others the good news you yourself have heard and received and believe.

Isn’t that how it goes when you get some wonderful news? You just naturally want to share it with others. You don’t need a 13-week program. You don’t need to be pressured or guilted into doing it. You’ve got something good to share, and you share it with others, so they can rejoice as well. You just do it. That’s the way it is with the gospel of Christ.

By the way, there’s nothing wrong with a good personal witnessing program. We’ve got a good one in our synod with the “Every One His Witness” workshop, and I’d like us to run that here in 2022.

See, I don’t need to pressure you or lay a guilt trip on you to get you to share the gospel with others. I just need to give you more Jesus. That’ll get you excited and joyful about what God has done for you in Christ. Think about it. Jesus is the Savior not just for the Jewish people, he’s the Savior of us Gentiles too. Christ is the Savior of the whole world, for every person on the planet. God loves you so much that he sent his one-and-only Son into our world, in our flesh, to redeem us from sin and death. This is the Big Solution to our Big Problem. The birth of Christ is such a monumental event that we even mark our history according to it, before or after his birth. The coming of Christ to redeem humanity, by his life, death, and resurrection–this is what all of history is all about. This is the meaning of it all. This is God’s Plan. Plan A, and there is no Plan B. This is it.

For all people everywhere, for all the people you know, for everyone you meet–the gospel of Christ is the good news of a great joy they need to hear and take hold of. Everyone who qualifies as sinner–and that would be everyone–needs to know Christ Jesus their Savior.

And God has put great joy into the good news in order to make that happen. We Christians, when we hear how wonderful the good news is, we are so relieved and we rejoice to know that God does not hate us but loves us . . . that Christ died for me, to forgive my sins . . . that the Holy Spirit has given me the gift of faith to trust in Christ . . . that God gives me eternal life, as well as the help I need to live as his child from day to day, to bear up under misfortune and adversity with a joy that goes deeper than my circumstances–when I realize and rejoice in all of this, I am glad and ready to bear witness to Christ my Savior. And I know that this is the best good news I can tell anyone else. The gospel of Christ is the one thing that everyone in the world needs, I’m sure of that.

The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. And when your heart is full of the good news of Jesus, guess what your mouth is going to speak? That’s right. We Christians like talking about Jesus. We know that God wants everyone to know their Savior. And when we have the opportunity, God will even use our feeble witness to spread the good news. Perhaps you’ll do that with the members of your family you’ll be spending time with today. Or with your friends or neighbors that you talk with. I’m not saying to browbeat people or pound them over the head with a pamphlet. I’m simply suggesting a natural witness that comes from a living faith, that speaks out of the joy we have and a genuine love for others.

Making known what the Lord has made known to us. We’re like those shepherds. We have heard and we know the good news of a great joy. And this news is too good and our joy is too great to keep it to ourselves.

Fourth Sunday in Advent
December 19, 2021

“The Miracle Moms and Their Baby Boys” (Luke 1:39-45)

Two expectant mothers–two miracle mothers, moms who shouldn’t have been–the two mothers meet, and they rejoice in their good fortune. They praise God for the wonderful work he is doing for them and through them. The Holy Spirit has given them faith to believe what God has spoken and what God is doing. And what God is doing will be done by the two babies they are carrying in their womb. Those two boys are going to change the world! They will change your world and turn it right-side up! And so our theme this morning: “The Miracle Moms and Their Baby Boys.”

The two expectant mothers, one old, one young. One is six months along; the other, newly pregnant. The fact that they each are expecting was totally unexpected! Both of them are pregnant when really neither one of them should have been. This meeting of the moms is the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the older woman; Mary, the younger. Elizabeth is in her sixth month; Mary’s pregnancy has just started. Neither one of them should have been pregnant in normal circumstances. But the circumstances are much better than normal! Mary goes to visit her older relative Elizabeth, traveling from her home in Nazareth in Galilee, to the home of Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah in the hill country of Judah. But the key to this story is not just the moms. It’s the two baby boys they are carrying inside of them. And it’s especially the baby that Mary is carrying who will change your world and turn it right-side up.

Now there is a back story to each of these pregnancies. Let’s start with Elizabeth. She was an older woman, well beyond her childbearing years. What’s more, she had never been able to have children, even when she was young. This was a great disappointment to Elizabeth and Zechariah. Zechariah was a priest who served in the temple in Jerusalem. One day when he was in the Holy Place, ministering at the altar of incense, an angel appeared to him. It was the angel Gabriel, who told Zechariah that he and Elizabeth were going to have a child. It will be a boy, and they are to name him John. The angel said that God would have a special calling on John’s life. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. He will be a great prophet like Elijah. He will go before the Lord to prepare his way. John will be the last great prophet before the coming of the Messiah. After receiving this awesome news, Zechariah goes home, Elizabeth becomes pregnant, and she is six months along when Mary comes for a visit.

What led Mary to go visit Elizabeth? It was that the angel Gabriel made another surprise announcement, this time to Mary. He told her that she also would be expecting a child she didn’t expect. But it wasn’t that Mary was too old or unable to have children. No, what made this pregnancy unusual was that Mary a virgin. She was not married; she had not been with a man. Mary became pregnant while remaining a virgin. That just does not happen. And this is the only time it ever would happen. But it was fitting that it would happen in this way, for the child Mary would bear himself would be totally unique.

Gabriel had told Mary many wonderful things about this boy to be born: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.” Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. True God and true man. This baby Jesus will be the Son of God in the flesh. He will be the Messiah promised so long ago. Gabriel then added: “And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.” That’s how Mary comes to visit Elizabeth. They’ve got these miracle pregnancies in common.

This is where we pick up the story today. Mary goes to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. She enters the house and greets Elizabeth. The sound of her greeting is picked up by baby John, in the womb, and he does a joyful little leap! Remember, Gabriel had said that John would be filled with the Spirit even in his mother’s womb. So when Mary greets Elizabeth, the Spirit causes John to recognize that Jesus is there, in the room, in her womb. Everywhere that Mary went, the Lamb was sure to go–the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, as John himself would call Jesus years later.

The presence of Christ among us brings us joy also. The gospel sound that greets us here in church tells us that Jesus is here, and so we rejoice. Some of us are past our leaping prime, but the coming of Christ in our midst should get at least ten Lutherans a-leaping.

John leaps, and Elizabeth too is filled with the Holy Spirit. She tells Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Mary, you have been given a great honor, to bear the Savior of the world. I mean, I am honored to bear the forerunner of the Lord, but you get to give birth to the Lord himself! What a wonderful blessing!

Elizabeth continues: “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Hear the humble faith in Elizabeth’s words. She realizes that she is not worthy of such a visitation. At the same time, she recognizes that her Lord is coming to her, bringing great blessing. Such a humble faith is truly the work of the Holy Spirit.

God grant us the humility and the faith of an Elizabeth: To recognize that you are not worthy to have God grace you with his presence. To know that you are a sinner. You and I do not deserve to have our Lord come to us with his blessing. It is purely by his grace and his mercy that he does. And God has given you the humility to realize this.

And God works faith in you, as well. As with Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit works in your heart, through the gospel, so that you trust in Jesus your Savior. You know that this little child came as our brother, in the flesh, so that he could do the job only he could do, to save us. Christ Jesus came to do the Father’s will, to keep God’s law perfectly on our behalf. And he came to offer up the perfect sacrifice that atones for all our sins. Jesus suffered and died a sinner’s death on the cross, taking the punishment that God’s law requires and that we deserve. Jesus came to be our peace and our life, shown forth gloriously when he rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death. He brings us blessing and joy by his grace.

When Jesus enters your house, you get all his blessings with him. This is enough to make a person leap for joy, as Elizabeth tells Mary, “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”

Elizabeth has one more word for Mary: “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” Faith–this is what we’re seeing here, all around. The Spirit gives Elizabeth the faith to know that this is no ordinary child Mary is bringing into the room. And Elizabeth commends Mary for her faith, that Mary believed the great things the angel had told her about the son she would bear.

These two miracle moms are two great women of faith. Both Mary and Elizabeth stand out as wonderful examples for us. They believe the Lord’s words, they receive his gifts, and they praise God for them. And listen, the Holy Spirit will work such faith in you, too.

Really, there’s a whole bunch of miracles in our text today. The way that both Elizabeth and Mary got pregnant, of course–in each case, it was miraculous. But also, the way that they both believe and rejoice in the good news of their Lord and Savior–that too is a miracle. Even little John gets in on the believing and rejoicing. Anytime anyone is given the gift of faith and joy in the Lord–this is always a miracle of God. The Holy Spirit works through the Word, working in our hearts, creating a saving faith and a blessed joy. And the great thing is, you and I have the same good news coming to us today. We have the same Holy Spirit at work in our hearts.

Today we have heard the story of these two miracle moms, Mary and Elizabeth. It was a meeting of the moms, yes, but don’t forget those baby boys! They meet also, Jesus and John do. And wherever Mary’s baby boy goes, he brings blessing with him. Even in the womb, he brings blessing and joy to the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah. And Jesus brings blessing and joy into our homes, too. When we gather with our family this merry Christmas–when Christ is the reason for our merriment–Jesus will bring the joy with him. And when we gather here with our church family, here in God’s house, Christ is surely present to bless us with his gifts. Christ is here, visiting us with his grace and favor. And because he is here, I’m about ready to leap for joy myself!