Nativityof Our Lord, Midnight: "Light in the Darkness"

+ Nativity of Our Lord – Midnight Mass – December 24^th, 2012 +

Redeemer Lutheran, HB

Series C: Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20

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

Darkness is the enemy’s territory. Darkness brings out the worst in mankind; sin increases like a swarming plague of cockroaches. Wicked men cloak themselves in shadows intent on chaos, confusion and calamity. Darkness, sin, and death go together.

Darkness deepened as Eden’s radiance shrouded Adam and Eve, and all of us in temptation, doubt, sin, and death, exiled in the valley of the shadow of death.

Darkness thickened as Cain murdered his brother and became an outcast.

Darkness saturated the world wit flood and judgment for man’s heart was a heart of darkness.

Darkness covered Mt. Sinai while the children of Israel carried on in lawlessness below.

Darkness filled the land for centuries as God’s prophets proclaimed and prepared the way of the Lord and then fell silent.

But all of that changes tonight. The lamp of God’s Word is not snuffed out. The smoldering wick bursts forth with light. The night of sin and death are over. The pure Light walks the earth; the Light of the World comes to sit in darkness and thereby swallows it up. The darkness is cast out by uncreated Light.

And so it’s no accident that God’s shines forth in the night, foreshadowing Christ’s divine rescue.

Into the dark and formless void of the deep, God’s first recorded word in Scripture breaks into the chaotic nothingness : “Let there be Light.”

In the midst of gloomy judgment clouds and murky abysmal waters, God’s holy ark was a floating city of light set upon the hills of the deep.

Into the night of Abraham’s despair, YHWH enlightened him with an everlasting promise: “Look up toward heavens, and count the stars if you are able to number them…So shall your descendants be.”

In the center of the camp of Israel the Lord dwelt with his people by the holy firelight of his presence.

Into the camp of the Midianites, Gideon – God’s faithful judge of old – beamed forth the light of deliverance with simple jars of clay while God routed his enemies.

And tonight, the fulfillment of God’s promises come to pierce the darkness of sin, death and the devil. Once again, God dwells with us in darkness.

For in the shadowy hills surrounding Bethlehem, there were shepherds watching their flocks by night.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² 

Do not be afraid. We need to hear those words as much as the shepherds did. Christ’s holy light also reveals and exposes all of our lawless, sinful deeds. God’s fiery wrath blazes hot against sin. The radiance of God’s Law blinds us. But you need not cower in fear. Kneel in repentance, yes. Then rise in joy. Do not be afraid. Not tonight. Not ever again.

For tonight the Word made flesh speaks, breathing his Holy Spirit into the void and deep darkness of our sinful hearts: “Let there by life.” And it is so. 

Tonight, Jesus is his brother’s keeper; he is your keeper and brother, born in your human flesh to keep you from sin and death, sprinkling, washing and redeeming you by his blood that speaks a better word than Abel’s.

Tonight God’s holy ark is still surrounded by animals and straw, but it rests not upon the cresting waves of judgment, but beneath a baby, whose arms embrace your judgment in order to give Noah and you and the whole world, eternal rest in his holy ark, the Church.

Tonight, the light of God’s Law that exposes our sin is reflected in Christ’s perfect life lived on your behalf.  The fullness of time has come; Christ is born under the Law to redeem you from the law and to give you adoption as sons.

Tonight Abraham’s promised Son, the King of the nations is born and through baptism into his death and resurrection you are his descendants, his holy offspring – children of the Light.

Tonight, the Greater Gideon goes forth from his crib to route our Satanic oppressor, to break the yoke of sin’s burden and to trample death under his feet once and for all.

Tonight the Lord encamps and dwells in the midst of His people – not in the tent or the pillar of fire and cloud – but in the tabernacle of human flesh and in His holy temple of bread and wine.

Tonight, Christ is born in the darkness of a cave in order to bring the whole ruined world up again with him. To call us out of sinful darkness into His marvelous light.

And here’s the most remarkable thing of all: that this God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God comes down to earth from heaven in order to take earth into heaven with him. He becomes what you are – a child; so that you can become what he is – sons of the Father and heirs of heaven.

But don’t be disgusted that his first bedroom smelled of manure and hay. Don’t be scandalized by the weakness of this lowly infant. Of course, God could have come, incarnate as a majestic earthly king. But instead, he chose to be incarnate as man who weeps at Lazarus’ grave. Who sweats blood at Gethsemane. Who mourns over Jerusalem. Jesus bears your human weakness and frailty; your sin and death…for that is the kind of God-Man you needed.

Yes, this Christ child is no stranger to darkness. For that is why he was born. The light of Christmas shines all the way to the cross.  And there in the pitch black night of Good Friday – God works his greatest work for you. The Light of the world swallows up our darkness. Death is dead. Satan is cast out. Sin is defeated. And you are Forgiven. Redeemed. Rescued.

The same child laid in a manger for you was laid on the cross and in the tomb for you. But even the darkness of the grave could not hold him down. The Light of the World dawns once more from a cave with glorious resurrected light, victory over sin and death, and joy, the serious business of heaven.

The Advent season of sober reflection, expectation and waiting is over. The fast is ended; the feast is here. Raise your voices. Blow the trumpets. Sound the bells. Christ is born. God became Man.

No wonder the angels sang. But they do not sing alone; they sing for you…and with you. Tonight our voices join the angels and shepherds in triumphant joy. Tonight the vault of heaven sings with unrestrained joy. Heaven cannot contain its jubilation: Christ’s glory breaches the skies and fills the night and lights the earth. “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.

Now, come, let us go…Not to Bethlehem of old…but to the new Bethlehem, Christ’s house of Bread… filled with His life-giving flesh and His precious blood given for you.

Come, let make haste to receive this holy food and this holy Savior – whom the Lord has made known to us.

And as we go, we sing the ancient hymn of evening light:

Joyous light of glory: of the immortal Father; heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ. We have come to the setting of the sun, and we look to the evening light. We sing to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: You are worthy of being praised with pure voices forever. O Son of God, O Giver of life: the universe proclaims your glory.

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who led Your people Israel by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Enlighten our darkness by the light of your Christ; may his word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; for you are merciful, and your whole creation, and we, your creatures, glorify you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

A blessed Christmas to you…

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

Sermon for Advent 4: "Where Is God?"

+ Advent 4, December 23, 2012 +

Redeemer, HB
Series C: Micah 5:2-5; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-56

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

Where is God?
            A lot of people have been asking that question lately. Maybe you’re still wrestling with that question this morning: Where was God in Newtown, CT that Friday morning when 28 people, 20 of whom were children, were murdered for reasons we’ll never know? The politicians, pundits and religious zealots all have their opinions – personally, I’m tired of them all; no one has answers, at least none that will silence the questions.

            Maybe you’ve asked the same question for more personal reasons: as friends or family suffer in the ICU or on chemotherapy or recovering from surgery…or not. Maybe you’ve attended a few too many funerals this past year. Or maybe it’s all you can do to pay the bills and or keep your health insurance payments manageable. Here we sit, overwhelmed by the darkness of sin and surrounded by the shadow of death.
Where is God?

            We’re not the first ones to ask; look at the OT. Noah had the rainbow and Abraham Isaac. Moses had the burning bush and Israel had the tabernacle, the Ark and the pillar of fire and cloud. And David had the promise of an everlasting throne. But after hundreds of years in and one wicked king after another, after the temple was razed and Israel exiled, after the prophets’ preaching all the waiting, so much waiting…the question remained the same: Where is God?

            The world out there has all sorts of answers for you: “There is no god; why else would bad things happen to good people? There is no god; Jesus is just another myth, a crutch to make you feel better.” But that doesn’t answer our questions either. But here’s God’s unexpected answer: Mary was pregnant with God. God became man. Myth became fact.

            We don’t live in a world of mythological sin or make-believe evil; sin, death, and the crafty Serpent are all too real. And we don’t live in a world with an absent God. Hidden – yes. But not gone on endless vacation. No, not this God. Sin, death and hell are all too real for him as well.

            What would you do if your beloved creation and creatures that you pronounced “very good” were suffering? You’d want do what any parent would do if it was their child in trouble. You’d move heaven and earth to save them. You’d give your life – trade places with your child’s – if that meant sparing them from agony. You’d take a bullet for them. Well, so would Jesus. He already has, for the world…for you.

            For behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us; He became a child so that we should be called the children of God.  He moves heaven to earth, his throne to Mary’s womb and takes human flesh into God. He trades places with you in birth, life and death. And He rose from Adam’s dust to embrace you in his death and resurrection.
            This world is a lonely place – full of sin and death and dark deeds. You are not alone in the darkness. While we’re busy looking up to heaven, asking God, “Where are you?” God is busy coming down to us. God answers through Micah’s still, small prophetic voice:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
One who is Ruler in Israel,
Whose coming forth is from of old,
From ancient days.”

            Christ comes to us, not in the halls of Herod or the courts of Caesar, but in the darkness of Mary’s womb. Christ descends to our deepest abyss, the manger and the cross. He dwells with us in death’s dark shadows. The night will soon be ending; for Mary’s stomach grows like the rising sun. Elizabeth greets Mary’s womb as one greets daybreak after a long, dark night. John leaps for joy as the Light of the world dawns on men, himself a man. God one ups himself. Out of the nothingness of Mary’s womb, the Word who makes all things, makes for himself a human body. Once again, God calls forth: “Let there be Light”…and it was so. Light and Life in human frame. Behold the Light of God who takes away the darkness of the world. The Light that no darkness can overcome. And behold, He is very good.

            Where is God? Just ask Mary or Elizabeth...or better yet, John. From the watery pulpit of Elizabeth’s womb, John delivers his first sermon with his feet. Even in utero, John is the forerunner. He answers our question with an exuberant kick as if he was going to wiggle right out of Elizabeth’s womb - he leaped for joy. And well he should…and well should we.

            For if seas roar, and rivers clap their hands; if mountains and hills sing together; if the mouths of infants and nursing babes and unborn prophets shout for joy – if all these, with one heart and mouth, glorify God on the day of His visitation, how much more should we? For Mary’s song is the song of the redeemed. The Mighty One has done great things for Mary and Elizabeth and John and you. (Chad Bird).

            God is no longer in a burning bush, nor in a pillar of cloud, nor seated between the cherubim. The old things have passed away and new things have come. The God who in days of old brought forth Eve from Adam’s flesh now brings forth the New Adam from the New Eve’s flesh. “This One is now bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh; He shall be called Man, because He was taken out of woman.”(Bird).

            Although he is a week old and roughly the size of a blueberry, Jesus is both God and zygote, God and blastocyst, God and Man. Jesus is breathing, kicking, wiggling, death-defeating, devil-crushing life.  O sing unto the Lord a new song, for a woman is pregnant with Yahweh.

            Where is God? He sits enthroned in the womb of Mary. He is a growing child. He stands in the sinner’s stead in the Jordan. He is the dinner guest of tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners. He is your humble, suffering servant who lovingly placed your life and the world’s before his own. A lowly messiah who refused to use His divine power to feed his hunger or establish his kingdom. A meek messiah who endured the beatings of a world who didn’t want him. A crucified messiah who conquered the darkness by diving headlong into the darkness, who defeated Death by being swallowed up into Death, and took the world along for the ride. God is pleased as man with man to dwell. Emmanuel. God with us. God who is one of us. God for us.

            For under the cover of darkness, on a Friday afternoon, the innocent Son of God died for you and a world hell-bent on destroying itself. On the cross, Jesus is your fear and doubt, he is your guilt and sorrow, he is your sin and death; he is the beggar, the cancer patient, the homeless and hungry, he is the thief and liar and murderer. He removes the curse by becoming cursed. He fulfills the Law by bearing it for you. He takes your place in judgment. And he is the one crying out with you and for you: “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?”  Where is God?

            But don’t be fooled or scandalized by his weakness. For beneath Jesus’ weakness is power. Under His bruised heel is the crushed head of devil. Under the wounds of His hands, His feet, His side is the healing of the nations. Under his crown of thorns is the healing of Sin’s insanity. Under His cry of abandonment is the embrace and love of God for a world gone mad.

            This may not be the kind of God the world looks for, but this is the God who looks for you; who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, dead and buried. And on the third day he rose again.

            All so that when people ask…Where was God at Sandy Hook? He replies, “I was in the teachers and principal who gave their lives to save others. I was in the first responders, protecting and caring for those in distress. I am in the neighbors and friends serving and caring for their loved ones and neighbors.”

Where is God today?

            “I am with you always…right where I have promised to be: My creative Word again makes something out of nothing, saints out of sinners, the old man is drowned and a new man arises.” Today you will be with me in paradise, for you are baptized in My Name.”

            “John and Micah, my prophets and apostles point you to me, the Lamb of God, your Shepherd, your King, your Savior. My merciful absolution is yours from generation to generation.”

And once again God moves heaven to earth. Here the Bread of Life comes to you in his flesh to feed your flesh and satisfy your hungry bellies with good things: his holy body and blood.

            And God is in you for the neighbor. Christ hides himself in your words of compassion to the neighbor. Christ’s hands are hidden in your hands of mercy. You too are Christ’s manger where he comes to dwell with you in humble, sacrificial love for others.

            Why do we ask lament and ask such questions; is it because we doubt His Word or because we cling so tightly to Christ’s promises we don’t see how we can survive much longer in this world, or is it both? Simultaneously doubter and believer – yes, that’s us. It's ok to ask God where he is; to hold him to his promises. We may have more questions answers. So bring those questions, along with your doubts, fear, sin, guilt, death, sorrow and all that weighs you down – bring it all to the foot of Christ’s manger and his cross. There is God, for you.

           

And blessed are we who believe that there is a fulfillment of what was spoken to us from the Lord. 

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

Keep the Merry...and the Myth

“Keep the Merry…Dump the Myth.” According to a recent Fox News article, that’s the message the New Jersey chapter of American Atheists being shared with visitors in Times Square this Christmas, er sorry, winter solstice celebration season.

In recent years, various forms of atheist “evangelism” have become like Aunt Mable’s fruitcake: a regular scheduled holiday staple (my apologies to all fruit cake lovers and Aunt Mables out there). Not only that, the frequency of these messages have increased both in the size and scope with particular antagonism toward Christianity.

According to Silverman, a private donor gave over 25k for the sign to remain in Times Square until January 10, 2013. Now, I’m not going to so say the charitable atheist doesn’t exist. But I can’t help but wonder how that 25k could have been better spent elsewhere, say a homeless shelter in New York City or the struggling victims of Hurricane Sandy, a sleigh-full of toys for tots or one Big Apple size bell-ringing bucket full of change. To be sure, this isn’t the main thrust of the Christian apologetic – nor should it be. However, there is something to be said for an apologetic of mercy. [endnote 1] It is worth noting that this further illustrates the deep chasm between the Christian and the atheistic, naturalistic worldviews. What would most Christian churches you know do if they were given a gift of roughly 25k this time of the year? Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Or, as C.S. Lewis once said, “If you read history you’ll find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 134).

All that aside, here is the primary point: Christians should expect these kinds of messages in the public square to increase. We know they’re coming.

Here’s my take on this.

Avoid blazing the culture warrior warpath over whether or not we should say, “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” That will only leave you spinning your tires in the verbal snow.

Similarly, avoid the First Amendment issues of free speech and establishment clauses. Yes, it’s important to know the language and history of the Constitution, but this discussion will lead you down the wrong reindeer trail, away from Christ and closer to Caesar. That’s great if you’re in a political discussion. But if you’re trying to proclaim the Gospel, this will shoot your eye out.

Also, leave the debate about whether or not the United States is a Christian nation or not for another day. You only have so much time in a conversation with a skeptic. And so what if you can prove that the U.S. is based on a Judeo-Christian value system; that’s nowhere near the Gospel or saving faith in Christ and it doesn’t help one bit in demonstrating the truthfulness of the Christian claim that Christ’s death and resurrection is an historical event.

And finally, avoid beginning with emotional arguments such as, “I’m offended, therefore it should be taken down,” or appealing to nostalgic feelings of festive and holiday cheer. Offense, nostalgia and emotion have no bearing whatsoever when it comes to the truthfulness or falsehood of an assertion. For example, I thoroughly enjoy watching Charlie Brown’s Christmas but can’t stand Frosty the Snow Man, and yet, in either case, I have not demonstrated the truthfulness about either character’s existence.

Rather, Christians should deal with this billboard’s assertions head on: is it true that Christianity is just another myth to be dumped along the curbside with Santa’s sleigh and all the decorations on December 26th? And, when compared to the Christian worldview, does the atheistic, naturalistic explanation of the universe offer a better and more truthful explanation for the major questions in life (Where did I come from? What happens when we die? etc.). Of course, it is entirely possible that both the atheist and Christian worldviews are wrong, however, they cannot both be right. Questions of this nature simply cannot be answered on a billboard.

Atheists are quick to throw Jesus onto the island of misfit myths along with the likes of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, leprechauns, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, the Easter Bunny, and the like. You can understand why; it’s far easier to paint Jesus – and the Christian faith – as a foolish caricature and throw out a 25k “gotcha” message than it is to come meet the Christian claim on an intellectual, factual, evidential basis. Billboards like the one in New York have no interest in an open, honest debate. They are meant to poke fun and make assertions without examining any evidence for the Christian claim.

But Jesus is entirely different than any of the aforementioned mythical characters. It would be like comparing the nightly news to my daughter’s favorite cartoon world of Bubble Guppies.  In fact, the sign has it backwards.  The commercial version of Santa Claus is the myth. Whereas every reputable historian, from Tacitus forward, has acknowledged that Jesus existed as a historical person who lived and was crucified in Jerusalem.

Unlike any other world religion, the core message of Christianity is objective and uniquely historical: a specific guy lived at a specific time in history, and did specific things that were heard, seen and recorded by eyewitness. What’s more, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence, both from Christian and secular sources, by which we can investigate this claim. Jesus is qualitatively, empirically, and historically different than the atheists’ definition of myth.

If Christianity really is a myth – that is, a fictitious lie –  Christians would agree with the billboard (1 Corinthians 15). However, contrary to atheist dogma, Jesus is not a myth. He was a real historical figure who claimed to die on the cross and vindicated his claim by rising on the third day. Therefore, Christians can and should make a well-reasoned case for the truthfulness of the Christian claim that Christ was born, lived, died and rose.

You see, Christmas and apologetics go hand in hand. These events didn’t occur “once upon a time” or in a galaxy far, far away” but out in the open for all – skeptic and believer – to see and hear. It happened in the days when Quirinius was governor of Syria and Caesar Augustus decreed a census. To be sure, Luke (like the other gospel writers) presents the facts in historical narrative form. But the characters are nonetheless real historical figures: Caesar, Quirinius, Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas, John, Jesus, Mary, Peter, James, Paul, etc. These are real historical figures and real historical events. The facts of history simply do not fit the assertion made by this recent billboard.

The Christmas story reads more like an historical document at times than a proclamation of cosmic rescue from sin and death. In reality, it’s both a declaration and a defense. Proclamation was always accompanied by evidence for the veracity of the events themselves. Just read Acts, also written by Luke the historian and apologist. But don’t stop there. Examine the reliable eyewitness testimony. Look at the veracious historical records – both of Christian historians and secular. Study the numerous archaeological findings. Paul Maier spends almost ninety pages in his book, In the Fullness of Time going over the historical, archaeological, geographical and scriptural evidence for the empirical reliability of the events surrounding the Christmas story. [endnote 2] And Lee Strobel has also written a brief, but helpful book titled, The Case for Christmas.

Also, consider using the following pieces of information when shaping your opening statement in the courtroom of skepticism:

First, begin with a few basic principles historians utilize in establishing the credibility of historical claims: [endnote 3]

1. Multiple, independent sources support historical claims.
2. Attestation by an enemy supports historical claims.
3. Embarrassing admissions support historical claims.
4. Eyewitness testimony supports historical claims.
5. Early testimony supports historical claims.
In every case, the Christian claim passes the historical test easily.
Second, continue the apologetic discussion by using a “bare minimum facts” approach, which builds a case using those facts that demonstrate a high degree of certainty among both Christian and skeptical scholars.

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
2. Jesus’ disciples believed that he rose and appeared to them.
3. The church persecutor Paul was suddenly changed.
4. The skeptic James, brother of Jesus, was suddenly changed.
5. The tomb was empty.

The war on Christmas isn’t going to stop anytime soon. So, we need a little apologetics, right this very minute! Read the atheists’ books and tackle their arguments with critical thinking, answer their objections in truth and love, challenge your atheist friends or neighbors to be open-minded enough to look at the evidence, and continue steadfast in defense and confession of the orthodox Christian faith.
Christianity doesn’t ask us to check our brain at the door; rather, it is a faith founded on fact.  This message – Jesus died for your sins and rose again – is true. It is the greatest story ever told because it is also true.

And it shouldn’t be lost on us that this is also a story. Myths are stories that explain the world around us; but myth need not be a word defined purely by fiction or falsehood. A story that is true does not cease to be a myth and a myth certainly can be a true story, such as we find in the historic Christian faith.

The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact. The old myth of the Dying God, without ceasing to be myth, comes down from heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history. It happens – at a particular date, in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences. We pass from a Balder or an Osiris, dying nobody knows when or where, to a historical Person crucified (it is all in order) under Pontius Pilate. By becoming fact it does not cease to be a myth: that is the miracle…For this is the marriage of heaven and earth: Perfect Myth and Perfect Fact: claiming not only our love and our obedience, but also our wonder and delight, addressed to the savage, the child, the poet in each one of us no less than to the moralist, the scholar and the philosopher.

Lewis’s words remind us that the Christian Gospel – that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself – answers both the intellectual and existential questions of man. All of our questions about life and death, about God’s existence and his care for creation and our life after death are finally answered in the most unlikely places: Bethlehem and Jerusalem. God became man for you. God was in the manger for you. God was on the cross for you. So, this Christmas you can keep the merry and the myth, for the myth has become fact for you.

O Jesus Christ, Thy manger is

My paradise at which my soul reclineth.

For there, O Lord, Doth lie the Word

Made flesh for us; herein Thy grace forth shineth.

LSB 372:1

---

Endnotes –
[1] Here I have in mind books like Alvin Schmidt’s How Christianity Changed the World and Arthur C. Brooks’ Who Really Cares: America’s Charity Divine, Who Gives, Who Doesn’t and Why It Matters.
[2] Paul Maier, In the Fullness of Time: A Historian Looks at Christmas, Easter, And the Early Church. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1991.
[3] The following lists come from a book by Michael Licona and Gary Habermas, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2004.

Concerning "The Hobbit": A Movie Review

What do you mean it was a good movie? Do you wish me to see a good movie, or do you mean to say that this movie was good whether I like it or not; or that you feel good about this movie or that it is a movie worthy of being called good?

All of them at once.

I intentionally avoided all movie reviews and Hobbit related posts on the Internet until after I had seen the movie; although I have been collecting a few good links that will be read and re-posted in some format here. No doubt, the adjectives in praise of Peter Jackson's theatrical return to Middle-Earth will pile up higher than Smaug's treasure trove under Erebor. Good. Marvelous. Brilliant. Smashing. Fantastic. Superb. Sublime. Exceptional. Stellar. Tip-top. Anyhow, you get the point. But that is at it should be. The movie was worth all of those words and more.

However, there is a better word that any and every fan of The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings ought to know: Eucatastrophe. If you don't know about this word of Tolkien's coinage, I recommend reading his essay On Fairy Stories written for Charles Williams. If you want to understand Tolkien's worldview as a Christian and a writer and how that worldview is necessarily tied to good story telling,  fairy tales and fantasy in particular, then this piece is the one to read.

According to Tolkien, every good story has these three elements in it: recovery, escape and consolation. Because he couldn't find a word to adequately describe that joyous, sudden turn of events in a story (and in real life), he invented a word to describe it: eucatastrophe. It's a joyous catastrophe, the seemingly unthinkable, unbelievable moment when sorrow turns to joy; when all is despair and dead - like Samwise who had given up hope when he thought Frodo was dead - and hope and life break through. Lewis called these moments "stabs of joy," because they give us a glimpse of transcendent joy. And this Christian joy is such a strong emotion precisely because it is based on Primary Art.

Anytime I approach a review, a book about his work, media or any other work related to Tolkien and Middle-Earth, I look to see if the author, artist, musician, director, etc. captures Tolkien's idea of the eucatastrophe. It's not to say that they specifically (or always) have to use the word, but that the eucatastrophe is there, either explicitly or implicitly.

In his own prosaic manner of writing, Tolkien said as much in a letter to his son, Christopher, when describing his word, eucatastrophe, specifically in relation to the eagles in The Hobbit.

The resurrection was the greatest eucatastrophe possible in the greatest Fairy Story - and it produces that essential emotion: Christian joy which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow, because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, as selfishness and altruism are lost in Love. Of course I do not mean that the Gospels tell what is only a fairy story; but I do mean very strongly that they do tell a fairy story: the greatest. Man the story-teller would have to be redeemed in a manner consonant with his nature: by a moving story. But since the author of it is the supreme Artist of Reality, this one was also made to Be, to be true on the Primary Plane. So that in the Primary Miracle (the Resurrection) and the lesser Christian miracles too though less, you have not only that sudden glimpse of the truth behind the apparent Ananke [Greek for necessity, constraint] of our world, but a glimpse that is actually a ray of light through the very chinks of the universe about us...To descend to lesser things: I knew I had written a story of worth in 'The Hobbit' when reading it (after it was old enough to be detached from me) I had suddenly in a fairly strong measure the 'eucastrophic' emotion at Bilbo's exclamation: 'The Eagles! The Eagles are coming!" (Letters of Tolkien, p. 99).

Tolkien isn't suggesting an unbridled emotion, set free it to run wild like Radagast's Rhombostel Rabbits. Rather, Christian joy is such a uniquely different emotion (from fallen man's vain attempts at joy and happiness) precisely because it is founded on the objective facts, the greatest story, which also happens to be true: the Resurrection. It is not emotion that makes faith, but faith founded on fact works great emotion.

Just like the LOTR  movies, The Hobbit had several examples of Lewis's "stab of joy" and Tolkien's joyous turn: Gandalf striking the rock to expose the dawn's first light thereby turning the trolls to stone, the paradisaic vistas of the Shire and Bag End, the other-worldly, seraphic beauty of Rivendell and the elves, the escape from Goblin Town, and of course, one of my favorites, the eagles. I had guessed that the movie would end with, or shortly after, the eagles' rescue from the burning trees. It's a perfect place to stop. Turns out I was right.

And here, I must say, that this was the one scene where I was rather disappointed in Jackson's creative license, namely, the way the "into the fire" scene transpired. The whole reason the company went into the trees was because they were fleeing the wargs and goblins and neither of their enemies could climb trees. Once Gandalf lit the place up with flaming pine cones, the eagles' farsight saw this which precipitated their inquiry into the raucous. On the other hand, Jackson's butterfly inclusion - one of several carry overs from LOTR - was a very timely resurrection-like clue into Tolkien's writing device. But the battle scene on the ground between Thorin, Bilbo and the white orc drew my chagrin. I understand why Jackson did it - connecting his storyline both before, with Thorin's father's revenge (also a Jackson invention) and the inclusion of Bilbo into their ranks - I just didn't care for it. Both of these things came about in slightly different ways in the book. And the battle sequence made the scene more heroic and less despondent than Tolkien had originally wrote it.

Yet, I enjoyed the eagles and the homeward view of Erebor at the end of the movie; it's a natural transition in the book and made a successful cliff-hanger. Even the thrush made an early, but cleverly scripted, appearance. Here are a few other aspects of the movie that I enjoyed almost as much as a pint of ale from the Green Dragon and a nice pipe full of Longbottom leaf, well, I did say almost.

• Andy Serkis as Gollum. His return to Middle-Earth was greatly anticipated by fans new and old. I for one, was thrilled with his performance. He brings Gollum to life in much the way my imagination had depicted him. Although I have a good friend from college who could rival Serkis's Gollum voice.
• Ian McKellen was stellar as always. Although he's been in many other successful films and played the roles well (one of my other favorites being Magneto), he'll always be Gandalf.
• Martin Freeman captured both the Baggins and the Took side of Bilbo quite well I thought. I've seen him in other movies and shows on the BBC. He brought wit and humor and all the courage and unexpected pleasures I've come to expect from hobbits.
• The music by Howard Shore. Phenomenal. His capacity for knowing the mood of the scene and conveying it with the appropriate music is unparalleled. I'm looking forward to getting the soundtrack. And the sampling of LOTR music pulled from the trilogy, adjoined to the new music from the hobbit, is a musical wedding feast for the ears.
• Bag End. Who wouldn't want to live there?! I only hope to have a backyard someday to build a hobbit hole play house for Zoe and I to romp around and have adventures and second breakfast and afternoon tea in together.
• The dwarves' personality, especially at the unexpected party was cleverly devised. Though Jackson departed from the book in many ways here, he did so, I believe, to convey the inescapable sense of both individuality and communal character of the dwarves. From the costumes to their mannerisms I thought this was well achieved. We got to know the dwarves as Bilbo did, as the road goes ever on.
• Humor. Some of it was brought out from the book, i.e. the invention of golf. And some of it came through the screenwriters. Either way, it was usually well timed and fitting, adding to the overall joy of the movie and the story.

Now, beyond the "Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire" scene, I won't get too nit-picky; too much dissecting and the frog is no good for dinner. Of course there were the usual cases where the movie strays from the story's rich detail, for example: Bilbo met the dwarves at the Green Dragon, not on the road heading out of Hobbiton; Bilbo lost his buttons leaving the cave door surrounded by goblins with Gollum at his heels, not in a crevasse hiding along the way out of the tunnel; and Gandalf was with them in the mountain storm that led them to goblins' doorstep, not following their trail on account of a meeting with the white council. One thing I try - and that I find helpful in drawing a distinction between the books and the movies - is to remember that we're seeing the story told through Jackson's imagination - as we are with any movie. One of the many reasons why it's always good to read the book first. In fact, to this day, one of my favorite professors refuses to see any of the Tolkien movies on the silver screen. He doesn't want his mental  canvas painted by someone's imaginary pallet other than his own. I can respect that, even envy that. I couldn't wait to see the movie. But having read it numerous times, I was confident I could keep the two separate in my mind.

However, in the grand scope of the book, and to Jackson's credit, the predominant amount of time was spent letting Tolkien's work stand on its own. There were even some delightful additions to the story, that helped frame the larger context of the people and events in The Hobbit, much of which came later in Tolkien's writing as Middle-Earth developed, as LOTR took off like one of Radagast's rabbits (a whimsical, but helpful inclusion) and when Tolkien realized that Bilbo Baggins and his adventure were part of that same world and history. The opening scenes included a great deal of Middle-Earth history from both the Silmarillion, indices to LOTR and the wider context of Tolkien's work. This, coupled with the story being told to Frodo as Bilbo writes his book, introduces the viewer to the wide world of Tolkien's imagination and sub-creative genius.

Jackson's movies capture Tolkien's eucatastrophe quite well  -  even when he does add some of his own twists to accentuate the poignant parts. This is even though Jackson and Tolkien come from two very different worldviews. Jackson, not a Christian. Tolkien, a devout Roman Catholic. Jackson has even admitted his ignorance about Tolkien's religious worldview on occasion. And yet, despite the clash in metaphysics, Jackson is able to faithfully interpret and convey a hobbit's day full of images and scenes for the viewer to chew on. This simply goes to show that Tolkien's books stand on their own. But the point goes further; they stand on their own precisely because of Tolkien's thematic, mythic stories are grounded in the world of Primary Art, as he called it. Redemption. Sacrifice. Good triumphing over evil. Love. Loyalty. Homecoming. Eucatastrophe. All of these elements in Tolkien's sub-created world of Middle-Earth are reflections of their reality in this created, factual world. His stories are grounded in objective facts: chief among them, the death and resurrection of Christ. In this way, his books are much like Lewis's -albeit in a different mode of storytelling. In any case, fairy stories, such as these, are a Trojan horse and are often able to sneak past those watchful dragons all while declaring and defending the Gospel through pictures and story telling, a visual and literary "sermon." This is what apologists often call apologetics for the tender-minded, or what I have called right brained apologetics - something that is both beautiful and true; and beautiful precisely because it is true, or at least based on factual events, such as Tolkien, Lewis Charles Williams and Dorothy Sayers and others were so adept at doing. No wonder I find these books to be my literary home.

Which brings me to my final thought: one other dominant theme brought out and accented throughout the movie was the dwarves' sense of homeless wandering. They were pilgrims, sojourners without the home and heritage they once enjoyed under the Lonely Mountain. This homeward bound theme struck a chord of eucatastrophe with me as I watched the movie. It always has in Tolkien's writings when it appears. Reminds me of something C.S. Lewis once said, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world" (Mere Christianity, p. 136). It's true; we await the new heavens and the new earth, the home of righteousness. And so, the key and map Gandalf brought to Bag End at the outset of The Hobbit opened the way to more than jewels and treasure; they opened the way home.

For in the dwarves' quest for home we see that hole-in-the-heart agony that Augustine talks about. We see a glimpse of the Christian life, the same thing we encounter especially in Advent or at funerals, that tearful, eye-soaked joy of Christian longing for Christ to come quickly even while we know he is already among us. The dwarves' quest and longing for their true home bears a striking similarity to the Christian hope as written in the book of Hebrews: we long for the city whose foundations and builder is God, indeed, the city where there is no temple, only a Lamb standing victorious and yet slain for us men and for our salvation.

You see, in a way, our Lord has both a Baggins and a Took side. In order to bring us to our heavenly home with him, he undertook the greatest adventure possible; indeed, it was impossible for all but him. He walked all the way to the lonely mountain, not Erebor, but Golgotha, for you. And there he defeated the ancient dragon, Satan, for you.

The Son of God goes there and back again for us, bringing a whole company of sinners turned saints with him. He is the Great Burglar, who has broken his way into the dragon's den and has taken back what is rightfully his, you, his greatest treasure. He is also the great Key of David, the reality foreshadowed by Thror's key. Christ holds the keys to Death and Hades. And that's one lock that no one - not even death and hell, the devil and all his minions - will ever be able to pick or break into. The gates of hell will not prevail against this Rock of Christ's body nor the keys he holds in his pierced hands.

O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, You open and and no one can close, You close and no one can open: Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

In Advent, He comes for you. For He journeyed to the cross, plundered hell and pillaged the grave of their glory by burying the riches of his flesh in the earth. We receive life - home and an eternal heritage - from those jeweled crimson scars on His side and his hands. His diadem of thorns was born for you and He has purchased and won you, not with gold or silver or arkenstones, but with his holy, precious blood and his innocent suffering and death that you might be his own and live under him in his kingdom...that you might have a home. In Christ your wicked wandering days are done, your sinful sojourn has ended. Your exile from Paradise is over. Your true home has been prepared for you in the flesh of your Savior, himself the chief Cornerstone. The journey is done. Welcome home. Welcome to rest. Welcome to the road that goes ever on and on, further up and further in - the Highway to our Lord.

For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore...But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12)

Gandalf was right when he answered Bilbo's question: “Can you promise I will come back?”  “No... and if you do, you will not be the same.” And neither will anyone who reads The Hobbit, whether you see the movie or not.

Memorial Service Sermon for Pauline Kalthoff: "Service in the Blood"

+ In Memoriam: Pauline Kalthoff, December 15^th, 2012 +

September 20, 1923 – November 22, 2012
Psalm 121; Isaiah 12:2-6; John 14:1-6

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

 “The Lord God is my strength and my song and He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

             This was most certainly true for Pauline, especially in recent years. Plagued by recurring illnesses and a host of medical issues –the eyes of the world would look at Pauline and see only weakness and frailty. But that’s not what Christ, our Savior saw.

            He saw a sinner forgiven and redeemed by Christ; a child of God, holy and precious in his sight. He saw the mark of his crucifixion imprinted forever on her forehead in Baptism. Her heavenly Father looked upon her with favor even as her earthly father, a Lutheran pastor, drew water from the wells of salvation, washing away her sin.

            He saw his Word deeply rooted in her heart and mind as the Holy Spirit sowed the seeds of faith that sprouted and grew in her. He heard her faithfully confessing His Name from the same mouth into which he placed His own body and blood. He saw the love he freely gave her freely and joyfully given to others.

            And that’s the way it is for all who are called by Christ. The Father looks not at your strength and power – not at your great works and merits – but at Christ’s work and merit on our behalf. When the Father looks upon you, He no longer sees your sins or Pauline’s. He sees His Son, Jesus, standing in the sinner’s stead; He sees Jesus keeping the Law, living a perfect life and giving up his strength to save you on the cross. Your sin, guilt, illness, and death all belong to Jesus now –and you can’t have them back; they are buried forever in His tomb. And he is risen. And you are forgiven. Baptized. A holy child of God.

            And that’s why, despite all the doctors’ visits and medications, despite all earthly appearances, Pauline was one of the spunkiest, toughest ladies I know.   

            For she knew that her strength, health and life, her body and soul and all things– were not her own. She was bought with a price: Christ’s redemption. Jesus’ death and resurrection were all the strength she needed – for this life and the next.

             That was Pauline’s hope: the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. And this unique Christian hope is especially poignant during Advent: we wait as Christ prepares us for His glorious return and gives us a living hope in Christ’s promises.

             And no matter how long you were blessed to know Pauline, you knew this about her: that living hope and trust in Christ also bore living fruit for others. She organized one joyous adventure after another, delighted in family and church gatherings and greeted anyone she saw who needed a proper welcome, whether it was her turn to greet them on Sunday morning or not. For many years the church secretary desk was her post – and she manned it well. And after Len died, the church continued to be her family. She sang hymns with us. Read the Scriptures and studied the catechism with us. Just another day in the life of a Lutheran pastor’s daughter.

             That’s the Christian life. “It does not mean that we are to leave this present world as it is. For if you read history you’ll find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 134).

            That’s Pauline to a “T.”  Service was in her blood, you could say. She loved because Christ loved her. Service was in her blood because Christ had served her so richly with His. His blood, shed on the cross. His blood, poured out in the Sacrament of the Altar. His blood, coursing through his living, resurrected body. That’s what gave Pauline, and gives us, hope – that one day, together with her and all the saints will come to the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting – all because of the blood of the Lamb and his great service for you.   

            And so, it was no coincidence that the last time I saw Pauline before she died, she received the Lord’s Supper, Christ’s Divine Service in His blood.

            And though the world only sees only sickness and death, Christ sees something far different. He sees Pauline and all the faithful gathered in peace around his throne in heaven. We confess the same thing here during The Holy Supper: “with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.” Our visit that day closed the same way communion ends here: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace.”

            That is what Christ saw: Pauline departing in peace, asleep in Jesus. Therefore, let not your hearts be troubled. Christ is for you what he is for Pauline, your strength and your peace. He is your way when you are lost, your truth when you are in doubt, your life in death. That was Pauline’s hope and ours.

            One day we will see what Christ sees. We wait together with her for the resurrection of the dead and a joyful reunion in heaven. And we depart in peace. Go in peace, your sins are forgiven. Go in peace, knowing Christ will come again. Go in peace, for “The Lord God is your strength and your song and He has become your salvation.”

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