+
Second Sunday of Christmas - January 3rd, 2016 +
Redeemer Lutheran, HB
Series C: 1 Kings 3:4-15;
Ephesians 1:3-14; Luke 2:40-52
In the Name of the Father
and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Did you
not know that I must be in my Father's house?
God’s
house a loaded phrase in Scripture. It signifies who God’s people are,
his household, and the location where God dwells with us...in his house.
As St. John proclaims in Revelation: The dwelling place of God is with man.
The
mystery and wonder of Christ’s incarnation continue to amaze and astonish us,
just as it did Mary and Joseph. He whom no earthly temple can contain, sits before
the rabbis in the temple. He who is Wisdom grows in understanding.
Already at the age of 12
Jesus knows who he is and why he came among us: to keep the Law, to lay down
his life, to redeem us, to be our Passover Lamb.
Through Jesus, we become God’s
household, his holy people. Jesus in the temple is a reminder of why he was
born for you: to redeem you, to destroy the temple of his flesh, raise it up
three days later, and build his house with each of you as his living stones.
The Holy
Spirit made Mary’s womb a temple and once again, God dwelt with his people. Jesus goes to His Father’s
house, not for himself, but for us. For us who have the attention span of 12
year old boys, Jesus was perfectly attentive to God’s teaching. For us who have
disobeyed every letter of that Law, Jesus knew every word – and kept every word
of that Law for you. For us who fail to remember the Sabbath day by keeping it
holy, Jesus rejoiced in hearing and learning God’s word. For us who fail to
honor our father and mother, no matter our age, Jesus honored both his Heavenly
Father, and went down to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph and was submissive to
his earthly parents.
Did you
not know that I must be in my Father's house?
The foundations of this
house reach down through the ages, back to Genesis. We may not think of the
Garden of Eden as a temple, but it was. Beneath the verdant canopy, sacred
trees buttressed God’s garden cathedral; holy fruit adorned its walls and
ceilings; and God dwelt with Adam and Eve, giving them his goodness, mercy,
and life.
This was
the house that Jesus built for Adam and Eve and all humanity. But this house
would not stand forever. Adam and Eve preferred to fashion their own temple
with their own hands out of fig leaves. Another house was needed.
And so the
Lord told Moses to build a tabernacle. Wood. Gold. Silver. Bronze. Fine linens
and garments, gems and tapestries. Oil for the lamp stands. Incense and fire the
sacrifice. Every inch of that tabernacle was designed to give God’s holiness to
unholy people. God dwelt with his people, was present with his promises in
his holy house, and forgave sin by the shedding of blood.
This was
the house that Jesus built through Moses for all Israel, for the Passover,
foreshadowing Christ our Passover Lamb who is sacrificed for us. Still, another
house was needed.
And so the Lord commanded
David to build a house. The movable tabernacle became the magnificent temple.
From Mt. Sinai to Mt. Zion, God established his house. But it was Solomon, not
David who built a holy habitation for the Lord. God’s promise passed down
through the generations, from David to Solomon to Mary. When your days are
fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring
after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He
shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom
forever.
This was
the house that Jesus built through Solomon for Israel. And yet, as glorious as
Solomon’s temple was, it did not last forever. Solomon’s wisdom turned to folly.
But in the
fullness of time, Gabriel came to Mary fulfilling Isaiah’s words: Unto us a
child is born; unto us a Son is given.
I must be in my Father’s house. And he was, first in the temple of Mary’s womb, then in the
temple in Jerusalem. Born an infant priest to be our great high priest on the
cross.
Only now, everything that
was true about the temple of old resides in Jesus. Jesus is your holiness, your
cleansing, your redemption, your forgiveness. He hears your prayers and prays
for you. Jesus is your temple, not of stones and wood and brick, but flesh and
blood and bone, all for you.
I must be in my Father’s house.
The next time Jesus went up
to Jerusalem for the Passover, He went to be the Passover Lamb, who takes away
the sins of the world for you. And by his dying and rising, Jesus fashioned for
himself a new house, a holy habitation in his own body. With his pierced hands
Jesus builds his house and places you safely in his wounds.
As St. Paul writes, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and
members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole
structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him
you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
That’s God’s
gift given to you in Baptism. God dwells
with us and us with him. Jesus is here with you and for you, just as he was in
the temple at age 12. Here he resides in the temple of bread and wine. His
flesh and blood are given for you along with his peace, presence, and pardon
for sin.
Jesus must be in His
Father’s house, and so must we. For here in his house, we repent, receive, and
rejoice. As we prayed earlier...for this holy house and for all who offer here
their worship and praise.
You are the house that
Jesus built with his own flesh and blood, by his death and resurrection. You
are a holy habitation of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I must be in my Father’s house. And so must we, and not only today as we gather around the Lord’s
table, but forever in the heavenly temple prepared for you by Christ before the
foundation of the world. Jesus was in
the Father’s house so that you will be welcome in the Father’s house forever.
Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He
will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with
them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death
shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain
anymore, for the former things have passed away.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment