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Midweek Advent Matins
Wednesday, December 2, 2020

“The Genealogy of Jesus Christ: From Abraham to David” (Matthew 1:1-6a)

I am interested in family histories and genealogies. My own, for example. I am a direct descendant of Peter Gunnarsson Rambo, one of the first Swedish settlers in America back in 1640 and one of the founders of the colony New Sweden along the east coast. Peter Rambo’s name, by the way, was the inspiration for the movie character Rambo. My maternal grandmother was Grace Rambo Clark, and, through that Clark connection, I am related to William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and governor of Missouri. So some of my family heritage is pretty noble and famous.

On the other hand, some of it is shaded in scandal. My father was put up for adoption in an orphanage in Chicago, probably because he was born out of wedlock. So I joined up with Ancestry.com, and I’m trying to find out who I’m related to by way of my father’s birth name.

Fame and scandal, historical standouts and skeletons in the closet–this is what you find in any person’s family history. And Jesus is no different. The Bible tells us about Jesus’ ancestry. And this Advent we’re going to explore his family history, under the theme, “The Genealogy of Jesus Christ.” We begin today with the section that goes “From Abraham to David.”

Our text is the genealogy found in Matthew chapter 1. This is how St. Matthew begins his gospel, how we begins the story of Jesus. His opening words are carefully chosen: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

“The book of the genealogy.” The Greek words here are “Biblos geneseos,” “biblos” meaning “book” or “record,” and “geneseos” or “genesis” meaning “generation” or “genealogy” or “origin.” You could really translate it, “the book of the generation” or “the book of the genesis.” You see, Matthew is deliberately choosing words that recall the first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis. In fact, that same exact phrase, “the book of the generation,” is used a number of times in the Book of Genesis–you know, those places where you have all those “begats.” What Matthew is saying here is that Jesus Christ sums up–he brings to fulfillment–all the salvation history that God began way back in the Book of Genesis.

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” What else is Matthew saying? He’s saying that Jesus Christ is true man, truly human. Jesus has human ancestors, real people who led flesh-and-blood lives here in human history. Jesus is no strange visitor from another planet. He is no phantom from the spirit world who doesn’t know what life is all about. No, Jesus had human ancestors. Here are their names. You can look ’em up.

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.” Jesus is his name. Christ is his title. His name, “Jesus,” means “Savior.” His title, “Christ,” tells us of his office. “Christ” means “Messiah,” the “Anointed One,” the God-sent deliverer promised from long ago.

“Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Now that’s interesting. Out of all the possible ancestors he could choose from, Matthew focuses on these two in particular: Abraham and David. Jesus is the son of David, who in turn was a descendant of Abraham. These two famous figures from the Old Testament get special attention. “The son of David” tells us that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. “Son of David” had that special meaning. Then it says, “the son of Abraham.” Notice that Matthew does not go all the way back to Adam in his genealogy, like Luke does. Instead, Matthew takes us back as far as Abraham, the patriarch, the father of the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people.

Jesus is “the son of Abraham.” Matthew here is recalling the promise made to Abraham back in Genesis 12. The Lord called Abram, as he was then known, out of paganism, and he promised to bless him. And the Lord promised to make him a blessing, that through him–that is, through Abraham and his seed, his offspring–all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

So Abraham became the father of a line of promise, a family line that would carry the Lord’s promise to bless all mankind. This line of promise would be very precise, very specific. And it would be clear that it is all by the Lord’s doing.

Our text says, “Abraham was the father of Isaac.” Which is true. But remember that Abraham first had another son, didn’t he? Ishmael was the son of Abraham’s own efforts, when he got tired of waiting, but Ishmael was not the son of promise. That son would come by the Lord’s miraculous doing, and that son was Isaac. Likewise, Isaac was the father of Jacob, who continued the line of promise, whereas Isaac’s other son, Esau, did not. You see, it all depends on the Lord’s doing, the Lord’s choosing, the Lord’s word of promise.

Then it says, “Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.” Do you notice the extra information in there? Matthew could have just said, “Jacob the father of Judah” and gone on, but he adds, “and his brothers.” This means the whole nation, all twelve tribes of Israel. The point is that all of Israel’s history, Israel’s status as the chosen people of God, comes funneled down into this one descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, namely, Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan. He is the fulfillment of salvation history. Jesus is Israel reduced to one.

The genealogy continues: “Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar.” Again, there’s extra information included. Not just, “Judah the father of Perez,” but the father of Perez and Zerah by their mother Tamar. This extra information–the mention of Tamar–recalls a particularly sordid affair by which those children were born. The point here is that God is able to work through weak and sinful human beings to bring about something good. The Savior of sinners would come through a line of sinners, in order to rescue them. And that means that God is able to deal with your sins, as well. Even the great patriarch Judah, the father of a line of kings, was a sinner like you and I.

The line of promise continues: “Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab.” Now we’re fast-forwarding through the genealogy. But notice the mention of Rahab. Another woman, like Tamar. Keep in mind, women were not usually mentioned in this type of father-to-son genealogy. But Rahab, a second woman now, is mentioned. Rahab the Gentile. Rahab the prostitute. God is acting to bring into his people those Gentiles he promised to bless through Abraham’s seed. And again, this includes real-live sinners. If God can rescue a harlot and make her an ancestress of the Messiah, he can certainly deal with the likes of you and me. God is in the business of rescuing sinners and turning outsiders into insiders.

“Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth.” Another woman is mentioned, this time, Ruth. Ruth the Moabitess. Another foreigner brought into God’s people and into the line of the Messiah. “In your seed, Abraham, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”

“Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.” Now there appears a king coming out of this somewhat dysfunctional family. But even among Jesse’s sons, David was not the most prominent. He wasn’t the one you’d expect to become king. Yet God works through weak and lowly means to accomplish his purposes. His ways are not our ways. All the glory goes to God. It’s not by our might or strength that salvation is accomplished. No, it is God’s doing.

So this then is our first stopping point on our way through the genealogy. We have gone from Abraham to David. Next week we’ll hear more about Jesus as the son of David, as we move from David through the time of the kings. But the main message for today–the thing that Matthew is telling us up to this point–is that Jesus is the son of Abraham. That is to say, Jesus is the fulfillment of the great promise made to Abraham. God had promised to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham’s seed, and Jesus is it.

During this Advent season, Jesus, the son of Abraham, comes to bless you and your family. He blesses you by forgiving your sins, whatever they may be. He can deal with your sordid past, those family secrets, the skeletons in your closet. The things that you’re ashamed of, Jesus forgives. He renews your life. Jesus won your forgiveness by dying in your place, as your substitute. Remember how God provided a substitute–a ram caught in the thicket–when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac. And God has provided his only Son, Jesus Christ, to be the sacrifice for your sin and the substitute for all sinners everywhere.

The genealogy of Jesus Christ is a line of promise. It is a line of blessing. This line of promise comes down to you and your family, to your address, right here today. Jesus is the son of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all those saints and sinners named in the first part of this genealogy. God takes in outcasts and outsiders, people like you and me, and he makes us part of his family.

In Galatians 3, Paul writes: “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” Listen, my fellow baptized brothers and sisters: In Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham, you–whatever your history, whatever your past–you are included in God’s forever family!

First Sunday in Advent
November 29, 2020

“Reserved for a King” (Mark 11:1-10)

Happy New Year! No, I’m not time-traveling ahead to January 1. But it is a new year today. A new church year, that is. Because today is the First Sunday in Advent, and thus the start of a new church year. And every year on the First Sunday in Advent, we have as the Gospel reading an account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Which seems a little odd, doesn’t it? Here we are in Advent, the season leading up to Christmas, and we get a reading for the start of Holy Week, which leads into Good Friday and Easter. But that’s the point. It’s a way of saying that the whole church year is focused on our Lord Jesus Christ going to the cross to die for our salvation and rising from the dead in victory over sin and death. So, this reading today to kick off the church year directs our attention to those central events of the Christian faith.

What’s more, the reading today is a good way to start the season of Advent. The word “Advent” means “coming,” and this is the season in which we anticipate the coming of our King. We are preparing for Christ’s coming at Christmas, and beyond that, we’re preparing for his coming again at the Last Day. Advent prepares us for both, as well as for how our Lord comes to us even now in Word and Sacrament.

Today’s reading serves that Advent purpose well. For in our text from Mark 11, we join with the crowds welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem with their joyous cry: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” Truly, this is a welcome fit for a king.

But that’s not the only thing in this story fit for a king. There’s something else, too, and it may seem a little surprising. What I’m talking about here is . . . the colt! Yes, the colt that Jesus rides into town on. What struck me this year as I read through the text from Mark is that, out of the ten verses in the text, the first seven verses have to do with the colt! Why so much attention on this colt? That was the question that intrigued me. Well, the donkey’s colt on which Jesus rides–believe it or not, this too is something appropriate for this king. It’s like when the disciples go to get the colt, it’s as though it should have a sign by it that says, “Reserved for a King.”

And now I’ll explain why. So, Jesus and the disciples are heading for Jerusalem, to celebrate the upcoming Passover. But before they get there, Jesus dispatches a couple of his disciples to go ahead into the next village, and he tells them that there they will find a particular colt, a donkey’s colt, tied up, right as they get into town. Now normally there would be no way for someone to know this, but Jesus is the Son of God, after all, so he can have that kind of knowledge. Jesus is picking out his special ride for when he gets to Jerusalem and enters the city. He has a purpose for doing this.

And there is something special about this particular colt. Note what Jesus says: “You will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.” That is significant. This is a young colt, on which no one has ridden yet. It’s like it has been reserved just for this purpose, a sacred purpose, to carry the king of Israel–indeed, the King of kings and the Lord of lords–to carry the Messiah into his holy city.

I read an article this past week in which a pastor makes an interesting comparison on that point. He writes: “When the president of the United States flies, he takes Air Force One, the aircraft specifically reserved for his use. When Air Force One lands in an airport, it means only one thing: The president has arrived. The donkey which carries Jesus into the city of Jerusalem also brings with it a similar significance. It signals to the people that their Messiah has arrived. . . . Just as Air Force One is reserved for the president, the donkey on which the king rode could not be used by anyone else.”

So, this donkey’s colt in our story is sort of like Air Force One. Not just anybody can ride on that airplane, only the President of the United States can. It’s reserved for his use. Well, here is the King of the world, Jesus Christ, and so it is appropriate that he have a ride that has been set aside for his special use. This colt has been reserved for a king.

And the people welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem recognize this royal ride. They shout: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” But what is it about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt that would lead them to think that this was the Messiah? Well, in the Old Testament, when King David was about to hand over the throne to his son Solomon, he directed that Solomon ride on his own, that is, David’s, mule. That was a sign that Solomon, the son of David, was the designated successor as king. Now here comes Jesus, the ultimate Son of David, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt, a sign that he is the one to usher in the everlasting kingdom of blessing that had been promised to one of David’s sons.

On top of that, there was the messianic prophecy from the Book of Zechariah: “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, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Again, Jesus riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey, is a signal that the promise of the coming Messiah now is being fulfilled. This is a ride reserved for a king!

Friends, this king riding into town is your king too! He is righteous and has salvation, and he gives his righteousness and salvation to you, freely. Yet at great cost. It is the cost of his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death that win your salvation. For this king will, strangely, take up his throne on a cross and wear a crown of thorns. There on the cross the King of the Jews will suffer and die for you, taking your sins upon him, suffering the judgment you and I deserve. Christ’s blood covers our sins and the sins of the whole world, seeing as he is the one and only Son of God come in the flesh. Nothing is more valuable than that.

So, this colt is carrying valuable cargo into town. Amazon Prime has got nothing on this foal of a donkey! This is a ride fit for a king. But a unique king with a unique mission. Jesus rides a humble beast of burden, befitting this king who will bear the burden of our sins.

Reserved for a king. That Jesus would ride in on a colt “on which no one has ever sat,” well, that’s appropriate for this one-of-a-kind king. But that’s nothing new for Jesus. After all, there was a special vessel set aside for Jesus to enter this world at Christmas, and that was the womb of the virgin Mary. And then when Jesus dies, there is a special tomb set aside for his use, the tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. Except, Jesus is only going to use that tomb for a couple of days. Not going to stay there long. Jesus rises from the dead on Easter morning.

And now, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus shares his resurrection life with you. You are baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection, assuring your forgiveness and everlasting life. You are a new person in Christ. He has purchased and won you with his precious blood, so that now you belong to him. To what end? That you “may be his own and live under him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”

In other words, you–yes, you–have been set aside for a sacred purpose! You, dear Christians, you are his holy people! You have been reserved for this king. In a way, you and I are like that donkey’s colt. It is a high honor to carry Christ with you. We bear his name. Our lives display Christ to the world. We belong to King Jesus. What’s better than that?

Of course, you and I are pretty humble donkeys to ride. But Jesus can still use us to display his glory and his grace. Jesus is quite able to use lowly means. Like in church today. Jesus uses a very imperfect pastor to deliver his message to you. Jesus uses humble means, bread and wine, as the vehicles to give you his body and blood. Humble means, priceless treasures. That’s how King Jesus rolls–and rules!

And as Jesus comes into our midst this morning–and every Sunday morning for this whole new church year–we welcome our king as he comes to us in Word and Sacrament. We praise him and worship him, singing those same words that the crowds in Jerusalem shouted: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Last Sunday of the Church Year
November 22, 2020

“The End Is Coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Matthew 25:31-46)

The end is coming. The end of the church year, I mean. In fact, today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. Next week we’ll begin a brand-new church year with the First Sunday in Advent. But the thing is, the church year mirrors the life of Christ and the course of history. That’s why, in these darkening days of November, our readings and hymns deal with the last things, the end times, and the return of Christ on the Last Day. Think of the hymns we’ve been singing this month: “Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying”; “The Day Is Surely Drawing Near”: or the one we just sang, “The Clouds of Judgment Gather.” The point is, the end of the church year serves to focus our attention on the very biblical teaching that “The End Is Coming.”

The end is coming, and we need to be ready for it. We don’t know when that day will come, but we do know that it is coming. And what will happen when the end comes–that we know also, for the Bible tells us. We heard about it in our readings today. These things will happen, all together: the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and, for the righteous, entering into eternal life.

If those events sound familiar, it’s probably because we confess them every Sunday in the church’s creeds. As we just said in the Apostles’ Creed: “From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.” And later we have the phrases, “the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” These are the things we’re talking about when we say that the end is coming.

The end is coming. Usually when we hear the term “the end,” we think, “That’s the end of the story; there’s nothing more.” The movie screen shows “The End,” and that’s it. End of story. The end. But that’s not the thought here when we’re talking about “the end.” No, here I’m using the term “the end” in the sense of “the goal” that we’re heading toward.

“Then comes the end,” it says in our reading from 1 Corinthians 15:24. “Then comes the end”: The Greek word that’s used there is “telos,” which means “goal.” The goal, the destination that we’re heading for, will have been reached. All of history is moving toward that goal. Life on this planet is not a series of random events with no purpose or direction. No, God has a plan, and he is moving things toward that goal. You and I may not see how he’s doing that, but rest assured, we’re moving toward the goal. There is an end purpose to all the seeming craziness that’s going on in this world. God has a plan. He has an end in sight.

And his plan is for our good. The end that God has in sight is for your blessing and benefit. It’s good stuff that we’re talking about today: Christ’s second coming, our being raised from the dead, the final judgment, being welcomed into eternal life. This is our hope. This is what we have to look forward to. Lift up your heads, dear friends; your redemption draweth nigh!

The end is coming, and it is focused on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The events that will happen at Christ’s second coming are the result, the outcome, of Christ’s first coming. What Jesus accomplished by his coming in the flesh 2,000 years ago–his suffering and death for our salvation, his resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven–the results of all that will reach their consummation when Christ comes again on the Last Day.

This is why we have nothing to fear about the end. On the contrary, we look forward to Christ’s return with great excitement and expectation. It’s going to be wonderful what will happen when the end comes. Because Jesus makes it so.

Think about what Christ has done to make us ready for his return. You and I were lost in our sins, with only death and the grave and hell staring us in the face. That is a truly terrifying prospect. But Christ came to undo all of that. Jesus came to reverse the curse, to save us, to rescue us from God’s wrath. God’s own Son came in the flesh and dwelt among us, calling us to repentance and faith. Jesus calls us to follow him, which is the only way out of death and hell. We are not able to rescue ourselves. God has to do it.

And so Christ came, making God known to us. In Christ, we know God as our kind and loving heavenly Father. God has had mercy on us, and sent his Son to save us. Jesus shed his blood on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins and paying the price for our forgiveness and redemption. Jesus then rose on the third day, to show that death could not hold him. Life is the result of what Jesus has done. And so, through faith in Christ, we have what we need to stand as righteous on the Day of Judgment.

What Christ did at his first coming is the basis for our hope at his second coming. Trust in Jesus, and you will be alright at his coming–literally, all right, right in body and soul, right with God, right forever. Your “rightness” comes from Christ.

The end is coming. When Jesus returns, it will all come to light, the results of what he has done. One result will be the resurrection of the dead. Paul writes about it in 1 Corinthians 15: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”

It’s like this: Christ rose from the dead, and so we who belong to Christ will be raised also at his coming. Christ is the firstfruits. “Firstfruits” means there’s more to follow. Jesus leads the way; we will follow. Jesus rose, in victory over death. So we too will rise, bodily, because Jesus shares his victory with us. You were joined to Jesus and his resurrection in your baptism.

Your body is in need of a divine restart. You can feel it; so can I. This old bag of bones is falling apart and racked with aches and pains. This mortal body is subject to disease and death. If the coronavirus doesn’t catch you, something else will. No mask can shield you from death.

But God has redeemed your body. That’s why God poured the water on your body in Holy Baptism. That’s why Jesus puts his own life-giving body into your body in Holy Communion. God has redeemed your body, not just your soul. And God is going to do something new with your body, long after it has been laid in the grave.

At Christ’s return, the trumpet will sound, and Christ will raise you up, whole and complete and better than ever. We don’t know exactly what that will look like in every respect. The Bible doesn’t give us all the details. But the Bible does tell us that you will be you, that you will have a body–your body, raised and restored and made glorious–and that your body will no longer be subject to all that ails and afflicts you now. No more sin, no more sorrow, no more tears or headaches or heartaches. Friends, I am looking forward to that day!

The end is coming, and what else will happen? Clustered together, biblically speaking, are the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment. The judgment scene is portrayed for us in the reading from Matthew 25. Christ the King comes and is seated on his throne. The sheep and the goats are gathered before him, the righteous and the cursed. There will be a separation, a sorting out. The difference will be faith or unbelief. On the one hand, Christ will welcome into his kingdom the righteous, that is, those who are righteous through faith in him. A true faith, a genuine faith, is one that is connected to Christ. And to show that it was a living faith, the evidence cited will be works of mercy flowing from faith in Christ as its natural fruit. On the other hand, the cursed will be those who rejected the only Savior from sin. They will be judged because they had no connection to Christ and thus no works done from faith. It’s not that our works save us. No, we are saved by grace through faith, apart from works. But a true and living faith in Christ will naturally produce good works as its fruit.

By God’s grace, you have faith in Christ your Savior. Sustained in this faith by the Holy Spirit, strengthened in faith by Word and Sacrament, your life will produce works of love and mercy done in connection with Christ. And these are what will be cited when you stand before the throne of judgment. Not your sins. No, they have been forgiven and forgotten. The good works you have done–these will show that you indeed had a genuine faith.

So you have nothing to fear on the Day of Judgment. Christ has taken care of that. Your judge is also your Savior. The end is coming, and that will be a day of joyous welcome, a happy homecoming, when we enter into the eternal kingdom God has prepared for us.

The end is coming, but when it comes, that will be only the beginning. Death–destroyed. Eternal life, with glorified bodies in a restored creation–this is what we will behold. Safe and secure, like sheep with their Shepherd. What a joy it will be! All the company of heaven, gathered together for an unending Thanksgiving feast–no mask mandates, no social distancing needed–praising God, in perfect peace and fellowship. And you will be there!

The end is coming. The end, the goal, is this: Christ will deliver the kingdom to God the Father, having accomplished everything he set out to do. Christ will have destroyed death. He will share with us his resurrection victory. And he will welcome us into his eternal kingdom. That is the end, that is the goal, that’s what we have to look forward to . . . namely, The End.

Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
November 15, 2020

“Living as Children of the Day” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30; Zephaniah 1:7-16)

“Christ has brought us out of darkness, made us children of the day.” The hymn we just sang was written to go with the three Scripture readings assigned for this day. Each stanza corresponds to one of the readings. The point of the lessons and of the hymn is this: The day of the Lord–that is, the return of Christ–the day of the Lord is drawing near, a day of both judgment and salvation. For us it will be a day of joy, because of what Christ has done for us. And our waiting for that day will not be a slothful, dreary time of inactivity. No, it will be an active waiting, using the talents God has given us, faithfully serving our Master. And we have a hope to sustain us as we look forward to that day. And so our theme this morning: “Living as Children of the Day.”

As I say, the three hymn stanzas correspond to the three Scripture readings, so I’ll read them one at a time to get us into the text. Stanza 1:

Christ has brought us out of darkness,
Made us children of the day;
With his blood our Lord has bought us,
Clothed us round in bright array.
Faith and love will be our breastplate;
Hope, our helmet, staves off fear.
Watchful, wakeful, we are waiting,
As we see the Day draw near.

This stanza sums up the Epistle reading from 1 Thessalonians 5. There the apostle Paul tells the Thessalonians that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” That means it will come unexpectedly, and sudden destruction will fall on the unbelieving world. This world is not looking for the return of Christ. They’re preoccupied with a thousand different things, but they are in the dark, they are clueless, about the coming of Christ. They are not at all ready for that day. But the day of the Lord’s return should not catch the Thessalonians off guard, Paul says. “You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” Paul reminds them of who they are in Christ: “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.”

And the same applies to us, dear brothers and sisters. You, my fellow Christians, you are all children of light, children of the day. God made you children of the day on the day you were baptized. You are children of light, because the Holy Spirit has enlightened you with his gifts. You have the gift of faith, so that you are trusting in Christ Jesus your Savior. “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” This is the gospel! This is the good news! God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, died for you! He shed his holy blood for you and purchased your forgiveness. Christ rose from the dead and now lives forever! Through him, you will be saved from the wrath and destruction that are coming on this world.

And now, while we are waiting, we have the armor of God to protect us. These are days of spiritual danger, and we need the protection that God provides: “the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” Are you aware that the devil has you targeted for temptation and spiritual attack? Satan is shooting his darts at you, his fiery arrows. He wants you to lose your faith. Maybe you have felt his assaults and attacks. So you need to be wearing the armor God has given us, the breastplate and helmet, that is, the faith and love and hope that God supplies. “Watchful, wakeful, we are waiting, as we see the Day draw near.”

Now stanza 2:

Christ the Lord, our gracious Master,
Takes our sin and guilt away,
Gives us gifts and grace to use them,
So at last we’ll hear him say:
“Well done, good and faithful servant,
Faithful in your Lord’s employ.
Over much I now will set you;
Enter now your Master’s joy.”

Stanza 2 corresponds to the Gospel reading for today, the Parable of the Talents. In the story that Jesus tells, a master gives his servants varying amounts of talents, varying amounts of money, and he expects them to use them in his service until the time when he returns. One servant gets five talents and uses them to make five more. Another servant gets two talents and uses them to make two more. On the master’s return each of them is commended with the same words: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” However, the servant who was given one talent didn’t do anything with it. He buried the talent he was given. This servant is not commended. Instead, he is condemned. For he is an unbelieving, faithless servant, wicked and slothful. Rather than entering into the joy of his master, he is cast into outer darkness.

This parable is about what to do while we are waiting for the return of our Lord. You and I are like the servants in this story. God has given us the talents we have, and he expects us to use them in his service. We don’t all have the same talents. Some are gifted with more than others, and that’s okay. The important thing is to be faithful with what you have been given.

What are the talents you have been given? Are you good with your brain? With your hands? With your heart? With your words? Use what you have been given for God’s purposes. This includes churchly service, but is not limited to it. Churchly service can include things like ushering, altar guild, repair of the facilities, or serving in a congregational office. But it also includes inviting your friends or family, unchurched people you know or inactive church members–inviting them to join you here at church, where they can find the true meaning of life in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And beyond specifically churchly service, your daily life of love and good works is the main way you put your faith into action. Whatever your various vocations in life, live out your faith in action, using the talents God has given you. You have talents on loan from God.

In the parable, the word “talents” means units of money. And while we use the word “talents” more broadly, to mean the abilities and skills we have, our “talents” also do include the money we have. It all belongs to God, 100% of it, but we can set aside a portion of our finances to be used directly in the service of God’s kingdom, through the church. A good starting point that many Christians use is 10%. They give a tithe, that is, a tenth, of their income as offerings in the plate over the course of the year. Whatever the percentage you choose, your intentional, firstfruits, regular, proportionate, cheerful giving is a good habit to develop, and your church could really use it.

Our stewardship of the gifts God has given us includes our time, our talents, and our treasures. This is the life we live as servants of our Master, who has already bought us with his lifeblood as the price. And when he returns, he will welcome us with those same words: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.”

Finally, we come to the Old Testament reading for today, from Zephaniah 1. The prophet Zephaniah warns the people of Judah about the coming day of the Lord. For them it will be a day of darkness and devastation: “A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” Because of their unrepentant sin, the day of the Lord will mean judgment on Judah and Jerusalem. The Babylonian conquerors will come and level their city and take them captive.

This doom-and-gloom prophecy is pointing ahead to the day of judgment coming on this world when Christ “will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead.” That day is coming, dear friends. We don’t know when it will come, but it will come. “The day is surely drawing near.” How will we stand on that day? The good news is that our judge is also our Savior! Our robes have been washed white in the blood of the Lamb! Our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life! We have the sure hope of eternal life to sustain us in this life.

Christ has brought us out of darkness and made us children of the day. And God will help us to live as children of the day. The day of the Lord is coming! This is the best news we can hear! And this is why we can pray, with confidence, the words of stanza 3:

Lord, we see the Day approaching,
Dawn is breaking through the night;
Help us live as faithful servants
And as children of the light.
From the day of devastation
Save us, Lord, we humbly pray;
Give us joy and life eternal
On that great and glorious Day!

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
November 8, 2020

“The Parable of the Ten Virgins” (Matthew 25:1-13)

Today we are entering the last three Sundays of the church year. And, appropriately enough, the readings these weeks all have to do with the end times and the second coming of Christ. You see, the church year mirrors the life of our Lord, culminating in his return on the Last Day. And so the last things of this age are emphasized in the last days of the church’s calendar. But while we know exactly when the church year will end, we do not know when our Lord Jesus Christ will return. “You know neither the day nor the hour,” Jesus says. Thus the need for the church, for us, to be ready for his coming. He may return tonight or tomorrow or next year or a hundred years from now. We don’t know when. But we do know that–that he is coming back to take his church home to himself. So we want to be ready whenever he comes. And that’s what our Gospel reading today is about: being ready, whenever Jesus comes again. Jesus urges this upon us, this need for readiness, in the story that he tells us today, “The Parable of the Ten Virgins.”

The story involves a wedding procession that would accompany a first-century Jewish wedding. The customs back then were a little different from today, so I guess I need to explain. A man and a woman would first become betrothed, which was more than our being engaged, but not quite our being married. The man and the woman would not yet be living under the same roof. But having become betrothed, the actual wedding would follow after some amount of time. Which could vary. What would happen is, the bridegroom would leave his house, head over to the woman’s parents’ house, where she was living, and bring her back to his place. There would be an evening wedding procession, kind of like a torchlight parade, with the friends of the couple accompanying them back to the man’s house for the big marriage feast.

So, for instance, the girl’s friends would be stationed somewhere near her house, oil lamps or torches at the ready, waiting for the bridegroom to appear, the exact time of which could be something of a surprise. The lamp or torch would need oil to work, olive oil, most likely. So it was important that you not only would have a lamp or torch, but also oil, or else your lamp would not stay lit. Well, that’s the setting for the story that Jesus tells.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.” As in most of the parables, Jesus is telling a story to let us know something about the kingdom of heaven. This one is about how people will be either ready or not ready to meet Christ at his return. The people are portrayed here as ten virgins, ten young women. We might also translate, “ten maidens.”

“Five of them were foolish, and five were wise,” Jesus says. The term for “wise” could also be translated, “sensible.” How these five will act will be sensible, wise, because they will be ready and prepared for the bridegroom’s coming. The other girls in the story are described as “foolish.” The Greek word used here is related to our word, “morons.” They were morons, because they were not ready. They were not prepared for what was coming. They were “stuck on stupid,” as we might say. “Foolish” girls, these five.

“For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” The foolish girls had lamps or torches alright, but they didn’t bring anything to keep their lamps lit! No oil! That was dumb! The smart girls know you need oil, if you’re going to participate in a torchlight parade.

So these gals, all ten of them, know that the bridegroom is coming. They’ve been told that much, and they’re waiting to meet him. But some are prepared, and some are not. This is a picture of the outward, visible church, all of whom should be in a position to greet their returning Lord. But mixed together in the visible church, there are some who are ready and some who are not. There are some in the church who are true believers, and some who are only hypocrites–outwardly associated with a visible church, perhaps, but that’s all. They may be church members, but they are not really believing in, trusting in, looking forward to, the Lord Jesus Christ when he returns.

“As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’” Well, the bridegroom takes longer than any of them expect, not early evening, but late evening, even as late as midnight. They all fall asleep, all ten of them, the wise and the foolish. But in this story, the sleeping is there only to indicate the long delay, not to show any negligence or unpreparedness on the part of the wise virgins. They were wise, after all, and they did come prepared with oil for their lamps. The foolish girls, on the other hand–they would have been foolish even if the groom had come earlier, because they had brought no oil in the first place.

The delay of the bridegroom corresponds to the relative “delay” of the return of Christ. He would not come again within the lifetime of the apostles or during the early church. In fact, we are still waiting for him today. It seems like a delay. But God is working all things out in his own good time. When Christ will return, we do not know. It could be a while yet, but whenever he comes, we want to be ready. So the question is: Do you have oil for your lamp?

“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’” The moment they had been waiting for has arrived. Time for the wedding procession! Get your lamp lit! Trim off the charred edge, and light it up! “Oops!” say the foolish virgins, “we forgot to bring any oil!”

“But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you. . . .” Apparently, they did not have any extra . . . virgin . . . olive oil. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) “‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’” The foolish girls are faced with an existential crisis. The other girls have no oil to spare, it’s midnight, and now they have to scramble to find what they need for the wedding–which they could have had, which they should have had, earlier on, if only they had not been so foolish.

“And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” Too late. There will come a time when it is too late. “The door was shut.” Ominous words.

“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” This is the danger of being foolish, being unprepared. It will be too late, and you will be shut out. And you do not want to be shut out of this wedding feast. No, for this will be the great and eternal feast.

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” That’s the bottom line. Be ready. Be prepared. Don’t think that just because there’s been a delay, that the bridegroom is not coming. No, he is coming, he could come at any moment, so don’t put off being prepared.

So now the question obviously comes: How do we get prepared? You need to have oil for your lamp. Just having a lamp is not enough. Merely having some outward association with the church–even sitting in a pew occasionally–is not the same as actually believing in and trusting in and looking forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank God, the good news today is this: 1) It is not too late, and 2) the oil is free and plentifully available. First, it’s not too late. It’s not midnight yet. Jesus has not yet returned. This is the opportune time to check and see if you have the oil that you need. Listen: “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” In other words, repent and believe the gospel. Realize that you are a sinner who cannot stand in the day of judgment on your own. You need what only Jesus can give you: Forgiveness for all of your sins. Righteousness, his perfect righteousness, to stand before God on Judgment Day. Trust in Christ your Savior. That’s the only sensible thing to do. Don’t be stuck on stupid. Now is the time to receive and rely on the free gifts Christ has to give you, to be received by faith, so that your lamp will be burning brightly at his return.

And so, second, the oil is free, and it is plentifully available. It’s like the invitation in Isaiah 55: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk”–or, in this case, oil–“without money and without price.” Christ has bought all the oil you need for you, and he gives it to you as a free gift. It’s the righteousness you need, as well as the faith to believe it. That righteousness, Christ won for you at great cost, the cost of his holy precious blood shed for you on the cross. That faith, the Holy Spirit works in you through the gospel, through the means of grace. This Spirit-given faith is yours in plentiful supply, as plentiful as the Word and Sacrament you receive here week by week. Friends, there is no oil shortage. And the price could not be any lower.

Oil for your lamps? You got it! No oil shortage here! Instead, there is a free and plentiful supply: purchased by Christ your Savior, supplied by the Spirit, through the means of grace distributed here at this filling station called the church. Fill, baby, fill! And you will be ready, wise ones, whenever our Lord returns.