Sermon for Advent 2: "The Way of the Lord"

 + 2^nd Sunday in Advent – December 7^th, 2025 +

Series A: Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

 

In the old tales when a hero goes on a quest there’s often a bridge to cross. A chasm to cross over. And there in the way – guarding the only way across – stands a messenger. You shall not pass. Unless of course, you answer three questions or solve the riddles. 

 

And like the old rhyme goes, there is no other way but forward. You must meet this strange messenger on your journey. You can’t go around him. Can’t go under him. Can’t go over him. You must go through him.

 

This is the way of Advent. The way of John the Baptist. The way of the one who prepares the way of the Lord Jesus.

 

John stands in the wilderness in our advent journey and we cannot get to Jesus without going through John. John is the crossing guard at the bridge. The herald on the journey. The messenger at the crossroads. The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

 

Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.

 

John stands in the wilderness in our advent pilgrimage not with riddles to solve or questions to answer, but with a message to proclaim. Holy words to sink into our ears, minds, and hearts.

 

Repent. For the Kingdom of God is at hand.

 

Truth be told, John the Baptist makes us uncomfortable. Uneasy. His camel’s hair clothing stands out like Scrooge at a Christmas party. His diet isn’t milk and cookies but locust and wild honey. He’s like that crazy uncle we all know and love. You’re never quite sure what he’s going to say when he opens his mouth. He’s untamed. Unkempt. Uncivilized. 

 

But it’s more than John’s strange diet and prophetic fashion sense that makes us squirm in our Christmas jammies. John is not safe. He’s wild and untamed, serving not himself, but Jesus the Lord whose way he prepares. The true untamed and wild Lion of Judah.

 

In a season of festivities John preaches repentance and forgiveness of sins. While we’re enjoying all of the cards, carols, and phone calls John calls out to the Pharisees, “Hey…You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” How’s that for a Christmas greeting card!

 

In a season where the world is decking the halls, having a merry little Christmas (a little too early), and trimming the trees, John preaches repentance. Self-denial. Death and resurrection. 

 

That is what God sends John ahead of his Son to do. To work repentance through the word. Repentance is a changing of the mind – not by you, but by the Spirit giving you a new mind. Repentance is a turning from darkness to life – but it’s not you who turns you; it’s the Spirit working through God’s word. Repentance, most of all, though is death.

 

John calls us to the Jordan River this advent journey. And John comes out swinging like Paul Bunyan, laying his axe to every idol that has taken root in our hearts and minds. John is God’s holy bulldozer sent into demo all of the altars we’ve built, all the places where we worship and fear and love and trust every god but the true one.

 

Yes, John is sent by God to deliver the death blow. The final knockout punch to our old Adam. This is John’s way. This is the way of repentance. 

 

To daily die to our old sinful self.

To die to our false desires that enslave us.

To die to our idols that over promise and underdeliver.

To die to viper’s serpentine voices that hiss out nothing but lies.

To die to our selfish, self-serving, self-righteous ways.

 

You can’t go around, or under, or over John’s message. The death of repentance. You must go through John. Through repentance. Through the grave.

 

And there in the darkness. In your death. In the dust and ashes. John holds out his finger. And lifts up his voice once again. He leads you out from under the crushing weight of your sin to the cross. To Christ whose way he prepares.

 

The Kingdom of God is at hand. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

 

John calls us to a new exodus. Out of slavery and into life and freedom in Christ. Out of the wilderness and into the new creation in Jesus. Out of darkness and into light. Out of the grave and into the resurrection that comes in Jesus’ dying and rising.

 

With one hand John points out your sin. But with the other, he points you to your Savior. To Jesus who comes to baptize. Cleanse. Gather. Rescue. Redeem. And raise you from the dead.

 

John declares that Jesus is the coming one who is mightier than he. And yet he who is mighty comes with great mercy for you. He who is holy, comes in utter humility to declare you holy in him. He who comes is full of compassion, grace, and steadfast love.

 

John proclaims that Jesus is the one whose sandals he is not worthy to stoop down and untie. And yet, Jesus is the one who comes to stoop down. The Son of God descends. Humbles himself. Dwells under the Law. He stoops low to wash feet. To heal. To go down to the lowest place of all, the grave. And to do it all for you. 

 

Jesus is the one who comes with the winnowing fork in his hand, but it comes in the shape of Roman nails. Cold and cruel and pounded into his flesh for you. God lets the axe fall on his Son the root of Jesse. On the tree of the cross God’s righteous branch is cut down. Broken. Bleeding. Breathing out his last to save John, the Pharisees, sinners, you and me.

 

Yes, John’s preaching of repentance means the death of us. But his preaching of the Kingdom that comes to you in Jesus, in his water, word, body and blood. This is your resurrection from the dead. 

 

This is your advent journey. No riddles. No questions. All you need is what John has: God’s word that kills and makes alive. Indeed, come to Christ’s table, for today the Kingdom of God is at hand. 

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

 

Thanksgiving Day Sermon: "The Ritual of the Redeemed"

 + Thanksgiving Day - November 27th, 2025 + 

Deuteronomy 8:1-10; Philippians 4:6-20; Luke 17:11-19

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Holidays are full of rituals. Thanksgiving is no different. Growing up in our family, the big Schuldheisz family thanksgiving day was full of ritual. The mad hustle and bustle to get to church. The greeting of family members outside the church. Greeting family members inside the church. Greeting family members in the pews. When your dad is the youngest of seven, there’s a lot of greeting to do. 

 

Eventually, we’d move to someone’s house - or church fellowship hall when we outgrew the house. Snacks appeared on the table. Drinks filled glasses. Soon enough, the parents and older cousins' table and kids’ table overflowed with food. We prayed. Laughed. Ate. Those who didn’t nap went outside to burn some calories. Came back inside for desert and more food and more stories and laughter. 

 

Your family, no doubt, has a few traditions of your own, passed down from generation to generation. Thanksgiving is a day of ritual. That’s what tradition is, in part, a familiar pattern. A lively dance that everyone knows. A rhythm. A heartbeat. Pumping with life.

 

When we turn to God’s Word we find the same rhythm and pattern. Wherever we receive God’s rescue and redemption, we find the ritual of rejoicing. We call it thanksgiving. 

 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

 

There’s a ritual, a pattern: God gives, bestows, blesses. Not a little. Not in moderation. Not in halves, quarters, or eights. But in whole. In fullness. In abundance. Generosity without limit. Grace overflowing. Free. Full. And more than we desire or deserve. 

 

God gives and then we receive. We rejoice. We give thanks. 

Our Lord speaks and we listen. His Word bestows what it says. Faith that is born from what is heard acknowledges the gifts received with eager thankfulness and praise.

Turn to any part of Scripture and you’ll find this ritual of redemption on full display. Wherever you find God’s people, you’ll find them giving thanks to God for his abundant mercy, gratuitous grace, and steadfast love and faithfulness.

 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

 

After God rescued Noah and his family in the ark, through the water. Through the deluge and downpour. Noah gave thanks. An altar. Sacrifice. Thanksgiving. Ritual. 

 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

 

After God rescued Israel out of slavery in Egypt, Moses and Miriam and Israel gave thanks by the shores of the Red Sea. They sang. Prayed. Praised. Gave thanks. 

 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

 

After God placed the ark of his presence in the tent of meeting for David. And after David was saved time and time again from his own sin and countless enemies. He sang. Prayed. Wrote psalms. Gave thanks to God. 

 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

 

After God blessed barren Hannah with a son, she too joined the ritual of the redeemed and rescued. She sang. Her heart exalted in the Lord. She rejoiced in YHWH’s salvation.

 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

 

After God sent Paul as his chosen apostle criss-crossing the Mediterranean proclaiming Christ crucified, Paul - in a beautiful ritual - writes thanksgiving after thanksgiving in his epistles. He hands down the ritual. but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

 

After God incarnate healed the 10 lepers, one of them - the unlikely Samaritan - understood the ritual. He received restoration from the Redeemer. He returned. Praised God. Fell at Jesus’ feet. And gave thanks. Thanksgiving is the ritual of the redeemed. 

 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

 

Wherever you find God’s people, you’ll find them giving thanks to God for his abundant mercy, gratuitous grace, and steadfast love and faithfulness.

 

And what about us? How do we respond? Truth be told, giving thanks to God - or anyone else for that matter - doesn’t come naturally to sinners like you and me. We feign gratitude but deep down we think we’re deserving. Entitled. That we’ve earned it. Owed it. Or that we’ve done it all by the callouses of our hands and our worn out bootstraps and our bloody knuckles and our labors. 

 

Thanksgiving calls us outside of us and away from ourselves. And this is no small thing. This means our death. But also our life. For in this hard truth, in this bitter pill to swallow, there is good news that is sweeter than the sweetest honey-ham and richer than the most brown-sugar, marshmallow coated sweet-potatoes. The gifts - all of them in body and soul - come from the good and gracious giver himself. The God who redeems, rescues, declares righteous, and restores you.

 

Everyone who has ever received anything from God in the Scriptures - and that’s everyone - from Noah to Israel, Hannah to David, the Samaritan leper to Paul - everyone receives everything we have by grace in Jesus. Free. Abundant. Without measure. God holds nothing back, not even his own Son. Who also holds nothing back. Not even his own flesh and blood or his back and hands and feet. He gives his all for you on the cross. 

 

Jesus becomes the sacrifice. The lamb slain. The blood spilled. Jesus gives. Bestows. Blesses. Not in part, half, or quarter. But in full. Paid by his blood. Redeemed. Rescued. Declared righteous. And what’s there left to do? Nothing but receive the gifts. Rejoice. And join the ritual of the redeemed.

 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

 

A blessed Thanksgiving to each of you…

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon for Advent 1: "Christ is Coming"

 + 1^st Sunday in Advent – November 30^th, 2025 +

Series A: Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 24:36-44

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Advent is a peculiar yet beautiful season of the church year. 

 

Peculiar because the world around us is telling us it’s cozy sweater weather and flooding your email, text messages, TVs and tablets with commercials and sales and deals and it’s enough to make you sympathetic with the Grinch for moment. 

 

But then Advent comes along. Out of place in our world. Out of touch. We get Isaiah and the prophets. John the Baptist – the ugly sweater champion of the world. Paul and Jesus all proclaiming the same message. “It shall come to pass.” The Judge is coming. The Day of the Lord is near. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. The Son of Man is coming soon. Hardly sounds like the Holly Jollies or marshmallows and hot cocoa we were expecting. 

 

And yet Advent comes as an airhorn in your slumber. Arise! Awake! Advent comes as a splash of cold water for someone in a stupor, drunk on the distractions of the world. Get up! Watch! Prepare. Advent comes like a thief in the night, Jesus says. 

 

The beauty of Advent is found in its peculiarity. For Advent is a foghorn in the storm and tempest. Advent is a lighthouse in the bleak midwinter. Advent is the lantern approaching closer and closer on the horizon. The dawn about to break. The light piercing the darkness. The newsboy standing on the corner shouting out: “extra, extra! Read all about it! Christ is coming! Christ is near. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Soon!”

 

And so Advent is a blessed interruption from our idolatry. A sacred summons to holiness and peace in Jesus word and promises. A slowing down. Roots digging deep into Christ the vine who sprouts forth from the stump of Jesse. In Advent our Lord invites us to pause. Breath. Be awake. Watch. Wait. Slow down. Sit. Listen. 

 

Hear the word of the Lord. He comes to rescue. Deliver. Save. And yes…

 

He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

 

That’s no ordinary judgment. Isaiah announces a war to end all wars. A black flag hoisted against the powers of hell and death and darkness. The Son of Man is coming and he will give no quarter to the ancient serpent. No safe harbor for hell and death. Jesus comes to hoist the Jolly Roger over the bones of Adam and our old sinful flesh as well. 

 

And Jesus fights this battle. Makes his judgment in the most peculiar yet beautiful way. Something unimaginable to us. Impossible for us. Yet exactly what we need. Jesus comes as the Judge and takes upon himself your judgment. Christ the Judge lets the gavel fall on three Roman spikes, pounded into his flesh to set you free. Jesus, the Judge of the living and the dead, steps off his bench and is hoisted up onto the cross. For you. The innocent for the guilty. His life for yours. Your sin became his. Your grave and mine became his. Your judgment and mine…all his. All for you. 

 

And this is the Judge that we await for on the Last Day. This is the coming Son of Man. The Son of Mary. Son of David. The Son of God. Our crucified and risen King. Your redeemer. Rescuer. 

 

 

And in a way, the Last Day has already come. Your judgment has already happened. On the cross.

And in Baptism where he declared you washed. Cleansed. Holy. His own dear child. You belong to him. And… “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

 

For you who are in Christ, this day of reckoning is a day of redemption. This day of judgment is a day of joy. This day of consummation is a day of consolation. 

 

This is what makes Advent so peculiar and yet so beautiful. Advent teaches us exactly how to live in the last days. To wait. Watch. Listen. 

 

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

 

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

 

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

 

Although Jesus will come on a day we do not expect. At his coming, we know exactly what to expect. For he promises.

 

You are dressed in Jesus. You are clothed in the King’s righteousness. You are Advent people. Children of the day. You are bought and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus.

 

So, do not fear living in these last days. Because of what Jesus did on Good Friday and Easter Sunday there’s nothing to fear on the Last Day.

 

After all, you know how the story ends. It ends with the trumpets blaring. Angels and saints shouting for joy. The bells of the new creation pealing. And the Lamb returning. Raising you from the dead. Wiping away all tears. All pain. All sorrow. 

 

And you’ll find out that the Judge is the Lamb all along. Slain for you. sitting on the throne for you. speaking his promises to you: 

 

Behold, I am coming soon. 

 

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.