Second Midweek Advent Sermon: "Seven Great Works of God"

+ Advent Midweek 2 – December 12^th, 2012 +

The Magnificat: 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Luke 1:46-56

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

            You may not be able to judge a book by its cover. But you can sure tell a lot about a book by its title. Now, if Mary was a book, we’d most likely pass her by on the shelf at Barnes & Noble.           

             It didn’t seem like Mary had a whole lot going for her at all, a poor country girl from Nazareth in the boonies of Galilee, unwed and pregnant and the child wasn’t Joseph’s, her fiancé. And yet she had this going for her, the Lord looked on her with favor. Her glory is found neither in her humility nor her pride, neither in her worthiness nor her unworthiness, but solely in the Lord’s mercy. God has regarded me. And that is why she sings.

            Mary isn’t just another book on the shelf, but a hymnal replete with God’s Word set to music – yet another handmaiden of the gospel. She too is a vehicle, carrying the Divine Word upon her lips. She sings. She praises. She rejoices. She magnifies the Lord.

            That’s tonight’s song of Advent: the Magnificat. Like the Benedictus last week, its title comes from the first word of the canticle in Latin: Magnificat. My soul magnifies the Lord. With that little word, “magnifies,” Mary gives us a divine music lesson on the great works of God; for she sang it not for herself alone, but for us to sing after her.

            Think of Mary’s song like a seven verse hymn, each proclaiming the great works of God (although there certainly could be more!). [1]

Verse 1 – His mercy is on those who fear Him, from generation to generation.

            Mercy – let alone God’s mercy - is an unknown song to the world’s ears; it’s laughable and hated by the devil, the world and our own sinful nature. To receive mercy is to admit defeat – that we’re powerless and incapable of saving ourselves. “Oh, poor thing,” we’re tempted to say, “so weak and foolish; what a pity…you know, God only helps those who helps themselves.”

            But God’s mercy isn’t found in your restless work for God, but in Christ’s restless mercy for you. Where man’s strength ends, Christ’s begins. God’s mercy isn’t bound by our definition of mercy; he’s not a tame God. His mercy is wild and free and he seeks out the poor and downcast. God hides his great strength and mercy in the weakness and foolishness of His suffering Son, on the cross. Jesus is mocked, jeered, hated by the world, and clothed in all the un-mercy of man. Jesus receives no mercy to ensure His mercy rests upon you from generation to generation.

Verse 2 – He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

            In the Scriptures God’s arm is his power. Might. Strength. God’s power and might are evident in creation and the shape of history, those secret works known only to hindsight and fulfillment. But we dare not search the invisible, naked power of God; it will only bring terror and despair. The world seeks after such hidden power. But such worldly wisdom is scattered as Christ stretches out his arms from the manger to the cross. For He replaces our selfish pride with joyful boasting in his self-sacrifice for our salvation.

            For just like God’s mercy, God’s power and majesty are found in the exact opposite of what we would expect.  For when Christ was powerless on the cross, there He performed His mightiest work for you, conquering sin, death, world, hell, devil, and all evil.

Verses 3 and 4 – He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly.

            God is a God of great reversal. Luther says, “He breaks what is whole and makes whole what is broken.”

            He’s done it before; He brought down Pharaoh and lifted up broken Israel. God pulls one earthly kingdom down and raises another to serve His Kingdom which has no end.

            For the heart has room enough for one King. And so, Christ leads a cosmic coup against the prince of this world.  Satan’s reign of deception is over. Sin’s oppression is halted and death’s tyranny is ended. Christ’s death on the cross delivered a crushing blow to our enemies. And Holy Baptism is your regime change. Christ dethrones our old and man makes you a throne room fit for the Holy Spirit.

            Mary’s song reveals that the throne of God is now set “in humanity’s deepest abyss, in the manger” (DBW 13:345). Here’s the greatest reversal of all: Christ comes as a lowly King for lowly sinners. Christ is pulled from his heavenly throne to suffer torture and hell, sin and death for you. Christ is crowned with thorns and you receive the crown of life. Christ is brought low. You are exalted. Christ dies your death and you receive his life. Jesus is your King and kingdom. And of the peace of his government there will be no end. From heaven above to earth the King comes in his flesh, enthroned in bread and wine, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.

           

Verses 5 and 6 – He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.
            There’s a reason the Scriptures talk so much about food and riches and the lurking danger of earthly possessions. It’s not because Jesus was against earthly possessions – after all, they are His gifts. But Jesus knows that man is an expert idol craftsman. Mary’s words foreshadow her Son’s: “You cannot serve God and mammon.”

            And though we have failed to fear, love and trust in God above all things, His Son, Jesus, hasn’t. He loves. Fears and trusts God for you. You are his greatest treasure. He stopped at nothing to possess you for his own forever. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:8).

            God gives of his abundance to we who lack everything. “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it,” says the Lord (Ps 81:10), “fill it with good things: Daily bread…and the daily bread of My flesh and blood.”

Verse 7

            Mary concludes the Magnificat by praising the very greatest of all God’s works – the incarnation of the Son of God: God’s mercy en-fleshed; the Holy one in human form; the mighty arm of God twitches with infant exuberance. The King of heaven enthrones himself as flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. Emmanuel – God with us. God for us. God who is one of us.

            Upon a manger filled with hay

            In poverty, content He lay

            With milk was fed the Lord of all

            Who feeds the ravens when they call.  TLH 104:5

            So it had to be. Nothing less than true God and true man would do. If Mary gave birth to someone less than God, then more is needed. Jesus becomes like us in all things and remains like His Father in all things, that in all things he might redeem us. Christ is your perfect substitute in the flesh and your perfect mediator before the Father.

            Jesus is born of a woman, born under the Law to redeem us who were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons. Christ triumphed where Adam – and we, his descendants - failed. Jesus fulfilled the Law for you, suffered for you, overcame sin, death and the devil for you, rose from the dead for you, and will come again for you.

            All so that tonight, through the voice of His mother, Mary, He proclaims His mercy and love, His promise and faithful Word, His grace and peace delivered through her mouth and from her womb to you.

            Come; let us join in Mary’s song: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” 

            In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

---

[1] Luther identifies seven great works of God in the Magnificat in his commentary on the same.  The outline follows his seven works. For further commentary, check out Luther's Works, vol. 21:332-355.

The Sounds of Christmas: An Outreach Concert Devotion

The following is a brief devotion given on Sunday at Redeemer's annual Christmas Outreach Concert.

Good evening and welcome to Redeemer Lutheran's Christmas Outreach Concert: The Sounds of Christmas. It is a joy to see you all here as the we celebrate the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. Advent means coming and this is a season where we look forward and anticipate with joy and hope, Christ’s coming.
 

Christ’s coming at his incarnation, to bear our flesh and be our Savior

Christ’s coming again in glory and the joys of a new heaven and a new earth.

And Christ’s coming here in his Word and Sacraments.

And the one thing that ties all of Christ’s Advents together is music. This afternoon we've heard the many gifted voices and musical talents our Lord has given us at Redeemer. From our daily work and leisure to Christ’s work for us in His Church, music is a vital part of life – so much so that in The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S Lewis depicts Aslan creating and singing his magical world into existence with his life-giving voice.

Maybe you’ve seen the t-shirt: music is life, the rest is just details. When God's Word of life is set to tune, music really is life. Which reminds me of something the famous Helen Keller once said. As you may know, she was both deaf and blind. Someone once asked her, if given the choice between receiving her eyesight or her hearing back, which would she rather have. “I’d rather be blind,” she said, “That way I could still be connected with people and I could hear music.”

Helen is right, Music connects people. It is a language all its own and yet it is a also vehicle for the greatest message language can contain: the Gospel. Martin Luther once said that music is a handmaiden to the Gospel. Through the lips and the vocal chords, the trumpet and reeds, the bells and symbols, the tympani and strings – we sing the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. In Advent, at Christmas, and all year round, music is connecting people to Jesus here in his Church. Every bar, line, and key, every note from A to G, points us to the Christ child in the manger and the Christ on the cross. Singing hymns is like praying, it is the voice of faith proclaiming the gospel for all to hear.

Unlike our world’s demands, there is no copyright protection on this song, this message of hope and comfort. Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection are free; Christ has done all things well for you and your children. For your family members and neighbors. Jesus comes in Advent for you. To save you, heal you and bring you hope and joy. There’s no lengthy iTunes contract agreement needed (like we'd read it anyway). The Gospel is free. Unconditional love. No strings attached. The only strings we have here are the ones that point our song to Jesus.
 

There are many songs you can listen to this Advent and Christmas season. The world is full of music this time of the year – much of it is commendable. Much of it, however, tempts us to sing a solo that is in dissonance with our Lord and his Word and his ways. And so if you’re tired, overwhelmed, in need of joy and hope this year; if you’re ears are ringing from the sirens song around you; and if you're in need of a song that puts to rest your guilt and sin and answers the pains and sorrows of death; if you need a new song to sing – one of peace and eternal consolation – one that doesn’t end; well then, you’ve come to the right place. In the Church, we sing with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.

Here at Redeemer, music will not overwhelm you with sadness and sorrow – although it may with joy and gladness at Christ’s salvation for you. The Gospel has that effect: it changes our hearts and minds and fills our lips with songs of joy.

To paraphrase one of my other favorite authors, J.R.R. Tolkien,“If you don’t already do so, make the habit of singing the hymns and the songs of the Church. I use them much," he says, “For if you have these by heart you will never need for words of joy ” (Letters of Tolkien).
 

Christ opens our lips that our mouths and fills our lips and hearts and minds with the joy of sin forgiven. Death conquered. He breaks into his creation as a creature amidst the songs of heaven for heaven has come to earth to save us.

We sing with Mary at the announcement of Jesus’ coming birth: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior!
 

We sing with the angels as they visited the shepherds: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace on those with whom he is pleased.”

We have a lot to sing about here at Redeemer and we pray you'll join us. We hope you have enjoyed this concert, The Sounds of Christmas. Because it's really just another way of saying, come and hear the Good News of Jesus’ birth, life death and resurrection for you. And what else is there to do but sing – and enjoy the sounds of our Savior - the greatest sound of Christmas: your sins are forgiven.

So, on behalf of Redeemer Lutheran and all our musicians, good night; we hope to see and hear you again soon. Advent and Christmas blessings to you and your family. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

John the Baptizer: Grinch Style

Every now and then I get an idea for a sermon that would lead down all sorts of rabbit trails and perhaps lose people into a wonderland of confusion. Since I couldn't quite complete the entire poem in time for Sunday (and still haven't as you can tell), I left this out of the sermon on Luke 3 for this past Sunday. At any rate, here's a bit of a start on something that may or not ever be finished or polished off. But if you have any verses to contribute that move the story along, feel free and post them, otherwise this might end up an unfinished tale.

In the end though, I hope that the "singer" of this song will come to the realization that John is not nearly the mean guy he thought he was and that in fact John means to do a great deal of good; it just so happens that our Old Man has a different meaning of good and John has a different definition of Christmas.

You’re a mean one, John the Baptizer

You really are a fright

You’re a locust eating vagrant, the Christmas Kryptonite, John the Baptizer

You smell like a camel’s rear and your leather britches are too tight.

Sermon for Advent 2: "An Unexpected Party Crasher"

+ 2^nd Sunday in Advent – December 9^th, 2012 +

Redeemer Lutheran, HB

Series C: Malachi 3:1-7; Philippians 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-14

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

           Are you ready? Prepared? Cards sent out? Shopping done? House decorated? Cookies baked? Parties planned? Made a list and checked it twice? Only 16 days till Christmas. Oh, there’s so much to prepare for.

           And then John the Baptizer has the nerve to show up uninvited, and throw a steaming pile of coal on all our Christmas planning, roasting chestnuts on the judgment fire and leveling our mountains of pride and telling us to prepare. Prepare? John, can’t you see that’s what I’m doing?

           But John doesn’t seem to give a camel’s behind about our preparations: the cookies, lights or holiday cheer. He’s got a message to deliver: Prepare the way of the Lord.
           Who do you think you are, John, telling me to prepare and repent?  To our Old sinful nature, John is the Christmas spirit Kryptonite, the Holiday humbug, the Grinch who stole our festive desires.

           This desert preacher minces no words – he calls his visitors a bunch of snakes (not very seeker sensitive is he?). Undomesticated, uncivilized, untamable. And unkempt, maybe even a bit smelly. John is cut from the same prophetic hide as Elijah, clothed in camel’s hair and leather. He stands in the wilderness with one foot firmly planted in each Testament; he’s the last prophetic voice of the Old covenant and the harbinger of the new covenant in the coming Christ. He’s the herald, the forerunner, the way-preparer, the messenger who goes before the Lord to fill in the valleys, level the mountains, straighten out the crooked and smooth over the rough.

           And so it came to pass that, “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea, Herod the tetrarch of Galilee, Herod’s brother Philip the tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanius the tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the Word of the Lord came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”
           John the Baptizer may sound strange, but Luke wants you to know that he's no mythical character. These things didn’t happen “once upon a time” or “in a galaxy far, far away.”

           Luke gives us all the exhausting historical nitty-gritty: Places. Names. Dates. Who. When. Where. The events of Christianity are founded on fact, specific events at specific times. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection aren’t some abstract myth or philosophical idea, but historical events with evidence and eyewitnesses. This separates Christianity from every other world religion. Your faith is founded on fact, not fiction.
           Although, wouldn’t it be convenient for our old sinful nature if John was a mythical figure? At least then we could avoid him, dismiss his message and brand him a fanatic, a radical, a loon. We could finally get John the Baptizer out of those camel skins and into something more civilized, you know, maybe a red suit or a green hat with pointy ears – anything but those stinky old threads. Or better yet, rewrite history and repackage his message.
           “Come, John, leave your axe at the door, let the mountains and valleys be; rest your voice and your wilderness wearied body – you just need to be happy and relax, not repent - have some eggnog and sit by the fire. It’s much more comfortable this way.”
           But there’s the problem. That’s the whole reason John is crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord! He doesn’t want you to be chopped down and thrown into the fire. He doesn’t want you comfortable, sitting on your prideful mountaintop, dwelling in the valley of the shadow of death, crooked and twisted in sin.  For your salvation’s sake, John will not be silent. He’ll shout it from the Jordan all the way to prison, until he loses his head – even in death, he cries out: Prepare the way of the Lord.

           How do we prepare the way of the Lord? Californians, of all people, should understand John’s highway imagery. Fill in potholes. Move mountains. Straighten crooked paths and smooth out bumpy roads. Make a highway for the Lord.

           In other words: repent. Turn away from sin and self. Return to the Lord. You were going that way; now walk this way. Lose your self-righteousness and your pride and repent of all you have and haven’t done.

           Just as in John’s day, today, on the 9th day of the 12th month of 2012, the Word of the Lord comes to Redeemer. God sends the bulldozer of His law right down the main streets of our lives. The highway of the Lord runs right through the middle our hearts and minds. And that’s why John makes us so uncomfortable. He shows us the truth about ourselves, and we don’t like what we see. We’re sinful and unclean. Our thoughts, desires, actions – even the best and most noble of them – are hopelessly in need of a bath.
           You may not think it, but this is a gift. Repentance is God’s work in us. It’s good to be uncomfortable in our sin. To cry out with St. Paul, “Oh wretched man that I am; who will deliver me from this body of death?  Well, what’s your answer, John? Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
           Yes, John calls us out the wilderness to strip away all pride and pretence, to demolish everything that stands in our way before Christ’s coming – yes, even to die in the wilderness. But John doesn’t leave you for dead. He points you to living water in the desert. John’s baptism of repentance was completed and fulfilled the moment Jesus stepped into the Jordan to be baptized as a sinner, to stand with us and in our place. In the wilderness, you lose your sin and death but find the oasis of Christ’s Baptism, life, death and resurrection for you; you have a new life now: dying and rising.

           Repentance, therefore, isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a way of life. It’s what it means to be a Christian. Daily the old man drowns and dies in baptismal water; daily a new man rises up alive in Christ, clothed with His righteousness, covered with His holiness, living in His perfection.

           That’s the gift of your Baptism at work, the Spirit at work in you. Like repentance, it too is a daily gift. Daily God’s Word kills and makes alive, cleansed to live in our vocations serving God our neighbor.
           John warns you to flee from God’s wrath for your own good; head for the hills outside Jerusalem, to Jesus, to the cross. In Christ Crucified you will find shelter from the storm, a shield from divine judgment. For God’s wrath has fled from you onto Jesus. Behold the Lamb of God who walked the straight and narrow path, to the top of the mountain and was crucified, made low for you. He who knew no sin became crooked and twisted sin for you. He filled in the valley of the shadow of death with his own body: crucified, dead, buried and risen. Jesus is the highway to our Lord.
           For the axe that was laid to the root of Israel fell upon Jesus. The wrath of God that threatens our condemnation is poured out upon Jesus. The fire of God’s judgment against our sin came upon Jesus. Jesus is the good tree that bears the good fruit on behalf of all of humanity.
           You are grafted into Him in baptismal faith, joined to Jesus as branches to a living Vine; and feed off of His death and life. That means you too are a good tree. And good trees produce good fruit. Not hypothetical fruit. John gets specific. So should we.
           Have enough clothes? Share with someone who has none. Are you well fed? Feed someone who isn’t. Know any neighbors or friends without hope or comfort? Tell them Jesus died for their sins; invite them to church.

Go about your daily lives and vocations in honesty and integrity. Tax collectors – collect only the legal taxation. Soldiers – don’t use your authority to extort money; be content with your wages. In other words, fulfill your God-given callings with honesty, integrity and uprightness.
God’s work of repentance leads to forgiveness and forgiveness leads us to love the neighbor. Not works – but love, Christ’s love – motivates you to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

And by the fruit of Christ’s death and resurrection you are prepared for his coming – at his incarnation. His second coming. Here in the Lord’s Supper.
The world couldn’t silence John the Baptizer’s voice. Will it silence yours this Advent season? Will the world’s Christmas plans and preparations overwhelm you as you prepare the way of the Lord? John beckons us to flee the wrath to come by looking to Jesus

And there’s no better place for all your holiday preparations than the Divine Service. No better way to prepare the way of the Lord than receiving the Lord’s Supper where he is preparing you for his Advent. Here, Isaiah’s prophecy continues to be fulfilled: all flesh shall see the salvation of our God.
For the Christian life is a lot like Advent – time spent waiting, preparing in repentant and joyful expectation of Christ’s coming, in the manger and in glory; and cradled in bread and wine, in the glory of His holy body and blood.

By pointing us to Christ’s second coming John is preparing us to celebrate Advent and Christmas aright.  While the world around us parties like there’s no tomorrow, we wait in hopeful expectation and joy because there is a tomorrow, an endless day.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the Day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

First Advent Midweek Sermon: "The Grammar of Salvation"

+ Advent Midweek 1 – December 5^th, 2012 +

Redeemer Lutheran, HB

The Benedictus: Genesis 15:1-21; 1 Chronicles 29:10-19; Luke 1:67-80

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

            Maybe you’re like me and you remember sitting in English class, fighting the after lunch head nods, eyes glazed over, thinking to yourself: “Please, no more sentence diagrams. Is it recess time yet?”

            Sorry to burst your inner-junior-high bubble. But your English teacher was right: grammar saves lives.  One little comma is all that separates a kind dinner invitation to grandma from outright cannibalism. “It’s time to eat, Grandma. It’s time to eat grandma.”

            That’s absurd. Perhaps, but this absurd example expresses an important truth: Words matter. What you say. How you say it. Definitions. Sentence structure. Punctuation. Words matter.

             It’s true with language. How much more so with Scripture: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Christ spoke Words to the holy prophets, gave his apostles brains to think and hands to write, and moved their tongues with his Spirit-filled Word: Christ is Crucified and Risen for you.

            God’s oath is his Word. His Word is life. His life comes to you in Words. Jesus speaks your language: Greek and Hebrew are translated into myriads of languages; Jesus’ Word spoken over water. Jesus’ Word spoken in absolution. Jesus’ Word eaten in the Lord’s Supper. Words matter.

            And none more than the words we hear out of Zechariah’s mouth…for they’re not really Zechariah’s words, but God’s Word set to music, a canticle or hymn. Zechariah’s song isn’t some mindless repetition of religious sounding words, but a faithful interpretation and exposition of God’s oath and covenant, pointing to Scripture’s greatest Word: Christ. He who chants prays twice,” St. Augustine once said. A good Lutheran hymn will do exactly what Zechariah’s song did: proclaim Christ’s deliverance in the past, present and future.

                   
 So this Advent, we’ll be taking a closer look at three canticles in Luke’s gospel – Mary’s Magnificat, Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis and tonight, the song of Zechariah , the Benedictus. The title is Latin for “blessed.”  Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, Zechariah chants. 

            What does it mean to bless the Lord? It’s not like he needs a pat on the back, “Why thank you, I am pretty awesome, aren’t I?”

            When we say “bless the we Lord” we confess with Zechariah that it’s the Lord who gives and bestows all blessing…and here’s how he did it. Blessing the Lord is less about our work for him and more about his work for us.

            Zechariah sings the grammar of salvation. Remember, words and grammar matter. So listen to the verbs again…Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.

            Visited. Redeemed. Raised up.

             Christ visits us like a dying person in hospice care, like a prisoner on death row. “I have not come for the righteous but for sinners.”

            Visited and redeemed. You were a slave to sin; in bondage to death. Held in Satan’s captivity. But Christ has paid your ransom. Died your death. Crushed Satan. Death and the devil have no more power over you. You are redeemed. Delivered. Released. Free to serve God without fear.

            Visited. Redeemed. Raised up. A horn is power, deliverance, victory. The infinite power of God gift-wrapped for you in the humble flesh of the infant growing in Mary’s womb. The infinite power of God, raised up and hidden in the suffering of the cross. God’s mighty deliverance wrapped in naked shame as your victory is sealed with blood.      

            This is the language of Christ’s love, the punctuation of salvation. Visited. Redeemed. Raised up – all for you. Period.

             Zechariah's divine grammar lesson is a musical masterpiece, recounting YHWH’s entire salvation. Christ’s visiting, redeeming and saving work fills the Past, present, future tense. Jesus is in the verbs.

            By the way, this is an excellent tool for reading and hearing sermons. What verbs is the pastor using? Is it about improving your behavior or self esteem; do they glorify and exalt your moral fortitude and old Adam’s favorite topic: yourself? Or do the verbs proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection? Delivered. Saved. Shown mercy. Redeemed. Is Jesus the one running the verbs or are you? Is Christ’s work the action of the sentence or is it yours?

             Not only is Jesus in the verbs… Jesus is the verbs. He is the Visitor. The Redeemer. The Horn of Salvation. He is the voice of the prophets and apostles. He is our rescuer from all enemies. He is our mercy giver. He swears an oath on his own life: “If they break this oath, I’ll take the punishment; the innocent will die for the guilty.” He remembers his covenant. He gives light to us who sit in darkness and guides our feet in the way of his crucified peace.

            These verbs point us to the very heart of Zechariah’s song and to the heart of God himself: God remembers his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham.

            In the OT, covenant making was a bloody mess. Blood at circumcision. Blood in sacrifice. Blood over the doorposts. Blood on the people. All of YHWH’s covenants in the OT – for Abraham, Noah, David, Jeremiah and Israel – flow downstream. To the Blood on the cross. Blood in a cup of blessing.

From the cross to the chalice, Jesus’ blood makes a new, everlasting covenant with you. Even the pages of Scripture are covered in red ink – not typos – but with Christ’s blood, shed for you.

          This is why Zechariah’s song is such a good hymn. The focus isn’t on us - like a lot of so-called Christian music out there. Zechariah’s verbs exalt Christ and his greatest work for you. How He Visited. Redeemed. Raised you up up. How He remembers his holy covenant with you.

            Yes, Zechariah sang of your salvation too: “that we, being delivered from the fear of our enemies.” You are an heir of this YHWH’s oath sworn to Abraham. Not by Abraham’s blood or by his works, but by the blood of Christ and his righteousness that covers you.

            But here’s the strange thing about most of the verbs in Zechariah’s song. He used the past tense: Visited. Redeemed. Raised up. Seems odd doesn’t it? Why is that?  God’s Word is action. “Let there be light.” “Arise, your sins are forgiven.” When God says it, it's done.

             “By these words Zechariah was telling, by way of prophecy, as if it had already come to pass. What he had seen in the Spirit had begun and would soon come to pass” (Bede).  Zechariah was so sure that God would keep his promises that he speaks as if the events had already happened. And why not? He had God’s Word on it, God’s oath. He sang of the triumph of the Messiah even while He was still growing in Mary’s womb.

            So, tonight we sing with Zechariah in righteous, joyous confidence, in the past tense, knowing that God promises have already been accomplished. And thankfully, there’s no copyright or iTunes licensing on Zechariah’s song. We boldly join Zechariah’s choir. For the Lord has visited and redeemed and raised up a horn of salvation for Zechariah and for you.

            And He opens your lips that your mouth might declare his praises –to friends, family and neighbors, to a community that needs to hear Christ’s grammar of salvation. You, dear children are also prophets of the most high, to go before him to prepare his way and He will guide your feet and your lips in the way of his crucified and risen peace.

            For in this song, whose spirit-filled lyrics prepared the way for John the Baptizer, Christ prepares you for His coming. His Advent in Bethlehem. His Advent on the cross and from the grave. His Advent in glory and His Advent among us in the Lord’s Supper. Here you are visited. Redeemed. Raised up.                                                

A blessed Advent to you all…

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

Goodnight Advent

The Redeemer Lutheran LWML hosted their annual Advent by Candlelight this past Thursday. It is always a joy to be asked to give their evening Advent devotion after the ladies have dined on the finest of teas, coffees and desserts. Last year I did an Advent twist on a secular Christmas classic: Twas the Very First Advent. This year, since the advent of our little Zoe, my reading hours have been influenced by some of the great children's "theologians" of our day: Dr. Seuss, Max and Ruby and of course, Goodnight Moon, a must-have in a child's library. In my limited poetic skills, I have tried to recreate the Advent story of the Scriptures in the style of Goodnight Moon. A blessed beginning of Advent to you all.

 

Book I

In a great green garden

There was a sacred tree

And the fruit forbidden

And a vision of –

The paradise of God on earth

And the moon jumping into the sky

And garden lush

And chirping thrush

And all the plants

And all the ants

And noble creatures

With fantastic features

And clay became man

And rib became woman

And all was well

Before man fell

But there was a crafty old serpent whispering “hush”

Goodnight truth

Goodnight mirth

Goodnight paradise on earth

Goodnight flora

And goodnight fauna

Goodnight noble creatures

And goodnight perfect features

Goodnight Adam,

To dust you return

And goodnight Eve

Labor pains to spurn

Goodnight garden lush

And goodnight chirping thrush

Goodnight because the serpent whispered “hush”

Goodnight Sabbath rest

Goodnight sinless air

Goodnight good everywhere

Book II

In David’s smallest town

There was an inn with no room

And a grotto of wood and stone

And a vision of –

An angelic host in radiant song

And there were shepherds watching their flock

And two little sighs

And a pair of eyes

And a bed of straw

And a donkey, “hee-haw”

And a manger and a cloth and a newborn’s blush

And a pondering young Virgin who was whispering “hush”

Goodnight David’s town

Goodnight shepherds

And goodnight flocks

Goodnight Joseph

And goodnight rocks

Goodnight innkeeper

And goodnight infant sleeper

Goodnight straw

And goodnight “hee-haw”

Goodnight manger

And goodnight stranger

Goodnight shush

And goodnight to the young Virgin whispering “hush”

Goodnight Promised One

And goodnight Son

And goodnight fear…your Savior is here.

Goodnight grave and cursed ground

Goodnight, the Christ Child has been found

Goodnight stars

Goodnight air

Goodnight Advent everywhere

 

 

Book III

Near a great green garden

There was a cursed tree

And a stone cocoon

And a vision of -

An angel guarding the tomb

And there were three tearful women with spice for the linens

And three pairs of eyes

And Peter’s surprise

And on the 3^rd day

As Jesus did say

An angel’s word

And Good News was heard

And death’s release

And Sabbath peace

For behold, My scars: Look and touch

And there was Jesus, whispering “hush”

Goodnight sorrow

Goodnight tomb

Goodnight everlasting doom

Goodnight Satan’s lies

And goodnight tearful eyes

Goodnight Adam’s curse

Goodnight guilty blush

And goodnight to the serpent, his whispers now “hushed”

Goodnight sin

Goodnight doubt

Goodnight death, forever cast out

Goodnight cursed tree

Goodnight, you are free

Good morning resurrection

And good morning mirth

Good morning new dawn, new heaven, new earth

Good morning to all

Good morning so fare

Good morning Advent everywhere