Funeral For Alice Kruse

Funeral for Alice Kruse

In the Name of Christ Jesus our Advent King +

Janet, Ruth, Ron, Ken, Jerry, Wayne, Karl, Randy, and Lori, grandkids and greatgrandkids, friends and family of our sister in Christ Alice, grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. It is easy to tell that Alice, in her heyday, must have been a strong, wise, and powerful woman. To raise nine kids, especially some as feisty and precocious as these folks, I can't imagine the strength and willpower that she must have had. But we've spent the last few years, the last few months seeing that strength ebb away. Thus is the way of things in this fallen world. But we are not gathered here today in the ways of the world, we are gathered here today in the Name of Christ Jesus our Lord, who Himself declared that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And we are rightly gathered together in the Name of Christ Jesus, because Alice is a baptized child of God, forgiven and redeemed, and now is with her Lord. Coming so lately into Alice's life, I may not have seen her at her 9-kid wrangling best... but I saw her, even in the midst of her frailty look to her Lord and Savior for mercy, for love, for care, for support. Of course she did – that shouldn't surprise us – especially those of you who received decades of love and care from her. That love that she showed to you was the same love that she had received from Christ Jesus, reflected from Alice on to you. Because in reality, it never was about Alice's strength or power, but about Christ's power for Alice and in Alice.

I'm guessing it was Pastor Sauer who picked out Alice's confirmation verse, and he picked a good one for her, one that fit her well. We just heard it a few moments ago – For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. This is what we saw played out in Alice's life, where even when she showed such love fantastic, she didn't put her trust in her own strength or works. Alice looked not to her own strength, not to her own power, but looked to Christ Jesus to be her Savior, to bring her salvation. She laid her sins on Jesus, for in spite of all that she accomplished, the love that she showed, Alice was well aware of her own sinfulness, and thus she knew her need for Christ Jesus. She relied upon Christ Jesus and His power, and indeed, Christ her Lord was powerful for her. Her crucified and risen Savior richly and daily forgave her all her sins. He guided her, He supported her, and indeed, He showed powerful love to you through her. And that is a wondrous thing.

But as we are gathered here today, we must not think of Alice and the love of Christ for her as merely a thing of the past. While she may have died, she is not gone. And I do not mean this in a “she lives on in our hearts” sort of way. No, that's not where she lives right now. Hear again the words of our Lord. “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.” Christ's power, the power of the Gospel, is no mere temporary thing. It is eternal, and with this almighty and eternal love that Christ Jesus has for Alice, He has called her to His own side in heaven, where there she dwells with Him, this instant, with the Lord. Where He is, there Alice is – because that's what the Gospel, the power of God for salvation accomplishes, and specifically what it has brought about for Alice. And there with her Lord, she awaits the Last Day, the resurrection of the body. And when Christ comes again, Alice will come with Him. She will rise again, because the power of God for salvation is by no means a weak or slight thing. Death has nothing on Christ, and as such death has nothing on Alice. And all because of the goodness, the greatness of Christ Jesus and His love for Alice, indeed, His love for you.

And so my dear friends in Christ, while this is a sad day, even if we all knew it was coming, we remember that Christ Jesus still remains the Way, the Truth, and the Life, even today. He remains the way in which Alice received forgiveness, the way by which she was taken to the Lord's side in heaven. Thus, even in the midst of our sorrows, we took to that day when she and all of us will rise again to life, true life in Christ, life with death done away with and gone. For in truth, Christ Jesus has won Alice salvation; He has won you salvation, and as assurdedly as He once came in humility, born in a stable in Bethlehem, He shall come again in great power to see that we are reunited with Alice. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King +

You Complain About Your Own Sins

With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁶ with the purified you show yourself pure;
    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
²⁷ For you save a humble people,
    but the haughty eyes you bring down. - Psalm 18:25-27

I want to let people in on an obvious little secret, something that we should know, especially pastors, but really everyone.  When you complain about the sins of other folks, you really are complaining about your own sin, the things that bother you about yourself, the things that frighten you about yourself.

Seriously, it's true.  How often has it happened where the famous preacher who goes on and on about the evil of homosexuality is the one who gets caught in that part of that park propositioning the undercover cop?  Or how often is it a matter of the person who complains about gossip is in fact one of the worst gossips, or the fellow who complains how unwelcoming the congregation is ends up being one of the rudest folks around?

This is how God's law works.  It pricks us... and when we are pricked, there are only two options.  We can confess our sin, or we can deflect and blame others to assert in our minds our superiority.  We can be humble and receive mercy,or we can be haughty and demonstrative, all the while our eyes are brought lower and lower by our own shame, that shame we think we've hidden but really is sort of obvious to anyone.

This leads to the question I'd pose for consideration this morning.

What are you complaining about in your neighbor?  What accusations do you level towards them?

And do you realize those are the things that you are really fighting against yourself?

Do you say that they are greedy or stingy?  You realize that's because you yourself think in terms of money, and wish you could control how they use theirs.

Do you complain about their sexual behaviors?  That's your own coming out at you, because you're viewing them as sexual animals.

Do you complain about their pride, their ego, their desire for fame?  That's your own pride coming out, because you view everything in terms of how you yourself are viewed and what people think of you.

Do you complain about how they are disdainful of order, they don't respect authority?  That's your own desire for control, a desire to make others obey you even when God has not placed you in authority over others.

Alright, let's get the complaint out of the way.  "Now wait a minute Brown, we have to address sin!"

Yes.  We do.  But why?  What is the goal in addressing sin?  Is it not to prepare the way for the Gospel?  So if you are complaining about "those folks"... are you ever getting to the Gospel with them?  I mean, it's one thing if you go to Bob and say, "Bob, you need to work on this" - and it's another thing if you sit around and say, "I can't believe what a jerk Bob is."  Even if it is true that Bob is the biggest jerk in the world... theologically what good does it do to complain.

Because, at our core, at the center of our being as Christians, we are to be proclaimers of forgiveness.  We are to be the peacemakers, proclaiming the forgiveness of sins.  Because *that* is the point, the center of all things.  That is knowing Christ and Him Crucified - not that you ignore the Law, but that you always drive to the Gospel.

And you know, folks?  That thing you've been complaining about concerning your neighbor.  Christ Jesus has died for that sin that is messing with you, and you are forgiven.  Really.  That's the reality.

God grant that I remember His mercy more than the sins I fear that I see in my neighbor!

Advent 4 – December 19^th/20^th, 2015 – John 1:19-28

In the Name of Christ Jesus our Advent King +

Just who are you? Who do you think you are John, that you would be out here in the desert, causing all this ruckus and commotion? That’s the real question that gets asked of John today in our Gospel lesson. Who are you, and why should we bother listening to you? John’s authority is attacked – he’s basically told to quiet down. Yet John doesn’t. Why? How? Where does he get this boldness from – how does he stand in the face of these attacks? John has this strength not because he knew who he was, but because John knew who Christ was. That was the key, that was the source of His strength, and it is also the source of our strength as we face life in this world.

The Apostle John uses interesting words speaking of John the Baptist here. These words set us up, prepare us for the rest of the text. Listen to the first two verses again. “And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”” Two very important words there that should catch our attention. First, testimony. Witness. Martyr in the Greek. That’s the word that is used here. John is giving testimony. Now, in certain parts of American Christianity today, a testimony or a testimonial is a weighted word – it refers to some person up at the front of the Church going on and on and on about how he used to be such a sinner but now he’s great and right with Jesus. That’s not what John is doing, and that’s not what testimony or witnessing is about. Not at all. Testimony isn’t about you, testimony is all about the truth. If you are called to be a witness in court, if you are called to give testimony, you’re not there to talk about yourself but about what you have seen. You are called to the stand and then you are sworn in. If you haven’t been in court, I’m sure you’ve seen the TV shows – Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? What John says here is the truth, he is speaking truly, he is giving the account of what really is. He’s not tooting his own horn, he’s not feeding people what they want to hear. In fact, he's not at all interested in himself; he has come to bear witness.

The second word is confess. The Gospel uses the word “confessed” twice to describe what John is doing. To confess is to speak together, and here John is speaking along with God God's own truth. He’s not going to make his part look bigger, he’s not going to try to shift the focus or placate folks – when they come from the priests and the Levites, John will say what he must say – the truth – even though it will end up with him in prison. John’s confession here is his death warrant, it means his head on a silver platter for a spoiled young girl.

So what is this testimony, this confession that John gives? It starts with, “I’m not the Christ.” The focus isn't about me, you should be looking towards the One who is coming – repent for His Kingdom is at hand! Well, then, who are you? Are you someone important? Can we give you an important title? John says no. Just stonewalls them. And so these folks from Jerusalem get a bit frustrated: “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” [John] said “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’ as the prophet Isaiah foretold.” What humility. What simple humility. Here John could have taken credit for himself. He could have claimed that he is a mighty preacher. He could have claimed that he is a prophet like Moses, turning the hearts of the fathers to their sons. He could even have called himself the promised Elijah – that’s what Jesus will call him. But John’s not interested in himself. Who are you, John? Eh, I’m just a voice – a voice foretold by the prophet Isaiah – I’m just a man pointing to one who greater. How wonderful is that? John minimizes himself – he doesn’t puff himself up. I mean, this is John the Baptist– John the Forerunner – John the Baptizer -- he’s so important that we’ve given him multiple titles – but he doesn’t claim one for himself. Why not?

Hear what John says. “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” John looks at these proud, power hungry underlings from the bigwigs in Jerusalem and confesses that he is nothing – at least not compared to Christ. This is the heart of what John is all about – it’s not about me, it’s not about who I am and what I can do – this isn’t about my glory, my fame. There is One who is coming, and He is coming quickly, and we all best get ready. He is the One you should be looking for, He is the One you should be preparing for, for He is the Christ, He is the Messiah, He shall baptize with the Holy Spirit and with Fire, He will win Salvation for His people. For John, it always all comes down to Christ. We hear folks saying that Jesus is my all in all – well that’s what you actually see when you look at John in the desert – it’s all about Jesus for John.

In this John teaches us. To be a Christian is to turn away from your own glory, your own praise, your own desires. To be a Christian is to repent. And I’m not saying this because I’m mean or because I’m cranky. Rather, Christ Jesus and His forgiveness frees you from the burden of trying to prove yourself right, of trying to justify yourself. It’s hard work coming up with excuses. It’s hard work doing the song and dance, it’s hard work trying to convince your neighbors that you are wonderful all the time. It’s hard work, because we are sinners. Each of us has dropped the ball on something this past week, we’ve hurt people by what we’ve done, by what we’ve left undone, and our initial response is to try and convince everyone that we really are good people. John shows us that we don’t have to. We don't have to build up our reputation; our task in life isn’t to try and impress our neighbor – we are to love them. And those times when we don’t love our neighbor – we apologize to them, and we confess our sin to God. And then like John, we look to Christ. The Cross is where we see our sin covered, the cross is where our forgiveness is won. . . we look to Christ our Crucified Lord, the Holy, Righteous One who has died in our stead to win for us forgiveness. There's a reason that's a giant cross and not a giant mirror. The Cross is where we take our hope from, that’s where we constantly look to, that’s where we get life. We come to the altar humbly confessing our sin, trusting in His Words take and eat, given for you, shed for you, delighting in His forgiveness.

John is also the example for our witnessing, our proclamation of the Gospel. It can be hard to talk to others about the faith, can’t it? I have a hard time doing it myself often enough. . . the nervous feeling in your stomach, the hesitation, should I say something, what if I upset them, is this the right time, what will they think of me, what do I say? Or your mind races nervously while you stand there and don’t say anything. John teaches us. Simply point to Christ. Witnessing, proclaiming the Gospel is simply that. . . proclaiming the Gospel, the Good News, telling people what Jesus has done for them. And you know what Jesus has done for them, because Jesus has done it for you too. When you see someone in pain, someone suffering, someone feeling bad over something they’ve done – you’ve felt all those things too. Just as Christ comforts and forgives you, so too He forgives and comforts that person, and sometimes even through you. Simply point to Christ. Don’t worry about trying to convince the person how wonderful you are or how your life has gotten better because you’re a Christian, don't try to tell them that it's not that bad or what they did wasn't that bad – that’s not what they need – they don’t need your awesomeness, they don’t need promises of a dream life. They need Jesus and His forgiveness and the life He brings – show them, point them to Christ. Proclaiming the Gospel isn’t about you. Our Lord has told us that it is the Holy Spirit working in us, speaking through us – let Him do His work.

And know this – John does not merely teach us as individual Christians. He teaches this Congregation what we are to be as a congregation. Just like John, we are to point to Christ in everything we do. And that is such a comfort – because we know that Christ Jesus is the point of this place – and that Christ Jesus Himself will tend it. I’ve been around plenty of congregations, and one of the things I’ve noticed is that there is a temptation to always try to paint a pretty picture, to pretend that there are no warts, to pretend that we are always just perfect and loving to each other. Ain’t the case. A congregation is a family, and there’s always warts and rumblings and grumblings in any family. And the temptation we face is to try to focus so much on putting on a well made-up face for the community, for our neighbors that we forget our purpose. This building wasn’t built in order to prove to our neighbors how wonderful we are, it wasn’t built to make us look wonderful – it was built to be a place of God. This is a place where God’s Word is read, where it is preached, where it is sung in our hymns and liturgy. This is a place where God comes to us in His Own Body and Blood for the forgiveness of our sins. It is God’s house – the place where God deigns to come and give Himself to us. On this, let us be ever more and more eager to focus upon Christ – to admit our own unworthiness, and invite our equally unworthy friends here to behold Christ and His gifts to us. And as long as He wishes to come to people in this place, He will provide. When we remember this, we remain humble and let God be God, and it’s a great thing, for God always comes to save His people. That's what He delights in. It's why Christ Jesus comes in the first place. The trouble really only comes in when we no longer look to Him and rather try to focus upon ourselves.

That was the problem in Jerusalem. People wanted to see their own rank and glory and power, so John told the people of his day that one stands among them whom they did not know. But thanks be to God, you do know Him – Christ Jesus the Lord has brought you here to His house. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He has washed you richly in His forgiveness, lavished His love upon you. He brings you every blessing of life and salvation, he frees you from your guilt, frees you from the burdens you place on yourself. And so, in response, we gather together and we praise Him, we point to Christ and Christ alone, waiting for Him to come and give us His blessings, both now and eternally. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, Come quickly. In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King +

Sermon for Tim Marcotte

Funeral for Timothy Marcotte, December 19^th, 2015

In the Name of Christ Jesus our Advent King, Amen

Kris, Sarah and Jacob, Andrew and Sara, Matthew, friends and family of our brother in Christ Jesus Tim, Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Well, this isn't a day any of us were expecting. At least not yet. Maybe this day would have come 30, 40 years down the road. At least that's the way we think it is supposed to work. As a culture we've told ourselves that death is just a natural part of life – but today feels wrong. And it should, not because Tim was too young, but because the truth of it is that death, all death, is wrong. Even if today were decades down the road, it would still be wrong then. We were not created by God to die – And God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. God's own breath, a living creature. That's what we were created to be. And then the fall, then sin enters the world, then death, and then we are stuck with lousy mornings like today that are just flat out wrong, that just aren't the way things should be.

God knows this. God, the Creator of the world, indeed, Tim's Creator knows far better than we do just how wrong today is. Which is why He has done something about it. Which is why the Father sent Christ Jesus into this world, had Him be born of a virgin. Which is why there's a Christmas. We don't have Christmas to boost the economy or have a reason to go Target – we have Christmas because Jesus saw this day, even from eternity, and He would not let this day stand, not let this day be the end. And so Jesus became Man, was born of a virgin mother, and lived perfectly, lived without sin – and yet, Jesus Himself faced down death. And He did so for His Tim. Hear again what our Lord says of Tim in John 10 - “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Tim heard the voice of His shepherd, loved to hear it, heard the Word preached all the time, and Christ Jesus most certainly knows His Tim... and Tim follows Jesus. Christ Jesus our Lord came down into this world, came into a life like ours precisely so that Tim, so that we here, would follow Him. And Jesus Christ, for Tim's sake, went to the Cross and died Himself, and then He rose. And while this day is wrong, Christ is setting it right. Tim's death is now Tim following Christ into death, and Tim has followed Christ to heaven, and Tim shall follow Christ to everlasting life, to the resurrection of the body, to the life of the world to come. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” Do you hear how defiant Christ Jesus is, how He looks at the wrongness of this day, all days like this, and He shouts death down. No, death, you don't get to keep Tim, you don't get to keep any of My sheep, you don't get the final world. I give Tim eternal life, and Tim will not perish, rather he will live.

This day is hard – it would be foolish to try to pretend otherwise. But over and against this day stands the even greater truth that Christ Jesus is Tim's Lord and Savior, who claimed Tim in the waters of Holy Baptism, who daily and richly forgave all Tim's sin, who gave Tim His own Body and Blood for the remission of all of Tim's sins – and as such, Tim is with His Lord, the sheep has followed the Shepherd, even having walked through the valley of the shadow of death, and he did it without fear, for Christ Tim's Good Shepherd was with him, and even now Tim dwells with Christ Jesus, and when Jesus comes again, Tim will be coming with Jesus. That's the truth. Doesn't mean we don't have sorrow, that we don't see the wrongness of this day – but it means that we also see beyond it.

Which is why St. Paul writes to us, “Rejoice in the Lord, always; again I will say rejoice.” Because even on days like this, the Lord reigns. Because even as we face our own sorrows, we know that Tim beholds the joys of heaven and waits the resurrection. This is the very peace of God that surpasses all human understanding – it is too big and wondrous for us to wrap our minds around, though we confess it, we sing it. Therefore with angels and archangels, with Tim and all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify Thy glorious name, ever more praising, that is rejoicing in the Lord always... and the peace of the Lord be with you always. The wonders of Christ's love for Tim, for us – we know it – but Tim knows it now, knows it better than us. We see in the mirror dimly, Tim sees face to face.

And so my friends in Christ – we are free to mourn this day – today is not how we'd want it to be. But Christ Jesus will and does make things right – and Tim is well taken care off, far better off right now than any of us. But you too belong to Christ, and you, like Tim, have been forgiven, and when Christ and Tim come back, we will all be raised together, and that's going to be something. As we so often say in Advent, come quickly, Lord Jesus. In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King +

Advent Midweek 3

Advent Midweek 3

In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King +

Tonight, we move to the end of the Te Deum, the great hymn of the Church. So far in the hymn we have praised our Creator who is involved with us, who is not a distant god but is in fact The Lord, the God who dwells with man. We have proclaimed the plan of salvation that the Triune God has, namely sending Christ Jesus down to become man, true man. Indeed, Jesus' incarnation, His taking up human flesh, is the chief thing we celebrate this Christmas. And Jesus, being true man, goes to the cross, confronts sin, suffers and dies and then rises so that we are forgiven and given life everlasting.

So now what? The last part of the Te Deum shifts from the story of salvation to the here and now. Right now, in our lives – so what? What does all this stuff about the Father and Jesus and the Spirit – what does it have to do with me, living here in Herscher in the middle of December? Or, if I might ask the question in the traditional Lutheran fashion – what does this mean? Hear now the answer that the Te Deum gives. We therefore pray You to help Your servants whom You have redeemed with Your precious blood. This is what it means. We have all this stuff in the Bible, 66 books of things that happened thousands of years ago – Revelation is the closest to us in time, and it's over 1900 years old. But here is the impact it has now. You are God's servant, and when God views you, when the Lord God who has a relationship with you looks at you, He always sees you through the lens of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. You are washed in the blood of the Lamb, you are clothed with Christ's righteousness. When God the Father sees you, He sees all the joy and love and obedience and holiness of Christ Jesus. Because you are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. So God will help you. You realize, God isn't sitting up in heaven debating whether or not to smite you because you let a frivolous “Oh God” slip out this afternoon. As Paul in Romans says, There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Of course not – He used all His condemnation up upon the cross! Because of Christ, the relationship between you and God is fixed, is healthy. Now, we're still sinners in a sinful world – at least until He returns, and so we do need help. Our own sinful stupidity can get us into a lot of trouble, but God will aid us, help us.

Now when I say that – I don't mean, “Pastor said God helps me, so I'm going to drive 120 mph on icy roads.” No, this is what we really mean by help. Make them to be numbered with Your saints, in glory everlasting. Help us get through this mess of a world, dear Lord, and preserve our faith in You. Help us get through the temptations that Satan and the World and even our own sinful flesh toss at us that would make us forget you, make us forget that we are indeed Your servants who have been redeemed by Your precious blood. Make us remember who we are in You, remember who You have made us to be.

This gets spelled out in verses 8 and 9. You might have noticed that they are in italics – they aren't in the earliest version – that means they've only been sung for 1000 years and not 1500, oh well. They are still fantastic. O Lord, save Your people and bless Your heritage. You are God's heritage, His legacy, His enduring joy. He's not going to treat you like junk. No, He will save you, preserve you. Indeed, He will govern them and lift them up forever. God doesn't leave you to face the temptations of this world alone. He is your king, your ruler; He governs you. His Word instructs, guides, chides, and reshapes you. And indeed, His Word lifts you up when you have fallen. You are forgiven on account of Christ – now let's go have the Supper and receive His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins – lift up your hearts... and this He does forever.

Thus, our response is this: Day by day we magnify You and we worship Your name forever and ever. I like that word “magnify”. It's so old fashioned – but it's part of Mary's Magnificant. To magnify means to make something big and great, to make it magnificent. And this is what we do as Christians – day by day we worship God – that is we consider what He has done for us and we look at seen just how great and wondrous it is, and we proclaim it. And seeing how wondrous our God is, we pray. Grant, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin. God, keep us from messing up. It's the Alan Shephard prayer from the first space mission. Protect us from ourselves, O God. And yet, the Te Deum is realistic – even if outwardly our day seems virtuous and full of good works, we remain sinful, and so we cry out O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us. O Lord, let Your mercy be upon us as our trust is in You. Three times we call out for mercy – give us great and full and complete mercy, O God, for we need it. Indeed, we do not trust ourselves, for if left to our own devices and on our own, we would surely ruin it all. Instead, we cling to You. O Lord, in You have I trusted; let me never be confounded. You have give me the gift of faith, O Lord, so I trust in You. Never let me lose that faith and trust.

And there is. A great confession of faith, a great hymn, declaring, dare I say magnifying once again all that God has done for us in creating us, in redeeming us, in giving us faith and keeping us in the faith. It's the same pattern as we confess in the Creed, it's the same lessons taught in the explanations to the creed in Luther's Small Catechism. And thus, we do praise God, for all His benefits that He richly and freely showers upon us, with no merit of our own, but solely on account of the love He has for us and has shown us in Christ Jesus. All thanks be to Christ Jesus our King. In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Advent King +

Sarah and Jacob's Wedding

In the Name of Christ Jesus our Advent King +

Sarah, Jacob, friends and families, greeting in the Name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. This is a good, good day. A joyous day. It's about as near as we get to the life of the world to come this side of that life of the world to come. And I mean that completely literally – as we just heard, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” That's the image we get for the new heavens and the new earth, the image we get for the life of the world to come. Jacob, the closest you get to heaven before you get there was watching Sarah walking down the aisle. That is a wondrously neat thing.

And now I'm going to be a bit of a downer. While it's the closest thing we get to heaven on earth – alas, we aren't there yet. This isn't the life of the world to come yet – and you two are here, joined together by God, to sustain and support each other in this life, in this world, where things get messed up. John tells us of that time that ^“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” This marriage is God's gift to you preparing you to handle all the former things you are yet to see. The things that do cause tears, and mourning, and pain.

One of the wonderful things about our God is that He is an utter realist. God never lives in denial, His Word is Truth, not pie in the sky. And God knows what life in the fallen world is like, and so God has joined the two of you together to face down this world. You are His own two beloved children, tied together by Him. Sarah, God has given this man here, Jacob, to you, to support you, to protect you, to comfort you, and to settle you, to help you remain on a nice even keel. And that's good for you. And Jacob, God has given this woman, Sarah, to you, to support you, to encourage you, to motivate you and spur you on to accomplish things you wouldn't have done on your own. In the two of you, God has assembled a good team, a good partnership; one that is able to confront challenges, confront difficulties, and overcome them. It's a great thing.

And yet, because we are honest, because we are lovers of the truth, you do realize that sometimes the challenges that you will face will be each other. That's just reality; the two of you are both sinful human beings. I mean, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know – but ponder this. While God has put you together to act as a check on each others sin – Sarah, you know there will be times when Jacob will keep you from doing stupid stuff, and likewise, Jacob, Sarah's going to pull your bacon out of the frying pan often enough – but even more importantly, you are placed into each others lives to remind, to declare, to proclaim the forgiveness that Christ has won for you. Sarah, when you do mess up, Jacob is your husband, and he will point you to Christ. Jacob, when you mess up, Sarah is your wife, and she will point you to Christ. That's part of why you are placed together, so that you don't sit and face your sins alone, but that God has given you someone to speak His love, His love and mercy and forgiveness to you.

Be in His Word together, as you have been since I've known you. Be in Church, hear preaching, receive the Supper, be strengthened in Christ, not only for yourselves, but for each other. Because that is why God has brought you here today, that you may each love and serve the other, according to God's holy will. And that's a great thing... so let's get to it. The Lord bless you both through all your years together, in the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King +

Advent 3

Advent 3 – December 12/13, 2015 – Matthew 10:2-11

In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King +

We are on to my favorite week of Advent – the third week, the pink week. It's the time in Advent where things lighten up a bit, where we sort of prime the pump and get ready for the last push towards our celebrations of our Lord's incarnation on Christmas Day. Now wait just a second, pastor, did you say that things lighten up? The Gospel text is John the Baptist stuck in prison feeling miserable! How in tarnation is that supposed to be a “lightening up” sort of text? Well, let's find out.

Now, when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?” It might surprise you, but this is one of the most debated passages in the New Testament. Some people will look at this text and say, “Oh, surely John wouldn't be doubting, John wouldn't be struggling – he's not really asking, he's just trying to send his disciples off to Jesus!” It's a very nice, pious way of looking at things... except, back in the day, if you wanted to send your disciples to another teacher, you'd just say, “I can't teach you any more, you're going to go follow so and so.” Moreover... Jesus sends the disciples back to John - “Go and tell John...” So no, here is what is going on. There is John. And he has given his life to serving the Lord. His whole life, even from before birth – dedicated to God. He eschewed the comforts and joys of civilization and society, he ate locusts and wild honey in the wilderness, he preached and preached, angering the powers that be in society, and now finally, there he is in jail. And we know what happens. His head on a silver platter because some gal does a sultry dance for Herod. That's how John goes out – not even in a blaze of preaching glory – not like St. Stephen who gets stoned to death while preaching (we'll hear about this on December 26^th). No, John, the great preacher, stuck by himself in a prison, waiting to be killed.

And that cell was cold, and dark, and dank. And John is left there with his own thoughts, with his own doubts. It's easy to be strong when you are preaching to others, it's much harder when you are alone with your fears. And so there is John, and he has his disciples run to Jesus and ask Him, “Are you the One?” Are you the one Jesus, was I right when I said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”... or did I mess up? Because right now, seeing the four walls of this prison cell, it's really easy to think I messed up.

So what's our Lord's response? Does He start ranting against John – John you should have known better! You get what you deserve, I hope you rot and die you doubter! No. There is not a single ounce, not a drop of disdain or condescension towards John from our Lord. Instead, there is utter care. “And Jesus answered them, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.” Do you see what Jesus does? John had been looking at his own doubts, his own fears. The lousiness of his own life was creeping in on him and driving him to doubt and despair. And so Jesus takes John's disciples and tells John – no, quit looking at the walls of those cells, quit looking at your doubts and fears, quit looking at your quaking heart. Here's what you should be looking at – here's how you will be refreshed. Here's what you need to behold (eh, eh, see the third candle on the banner).

The list Jesus gives to John is the classic list of what the Messiah would do, what would happen when the Messiah comes. The blind see. The lame walk. Lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. And the Dead are raised. It's a good list, a great list – all things that Christ has done. But the final one – and the poor have good news preached to them – that's the kicker. Alright John – you feeling poor and miserable right now? Well, I'm sending your disciples back to you to preach a bit of Good news. Yes, I am the Messiah – and you know what that means? You ain't see anything but the walls of your cell? You will see eternal life. Stuck in that cage, chained and bound? You will walk freely in the courts of the New Jerusalem in the glory of the Lord. Is that dungeon grimy and dirty? You will be spotless, washed in the blood of the Lamb, for I am indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Have you been hearing nothing but the sounds of your own doubts? Hear the word of the Lord. Even though you die, even though Herod will take your head and I will not see you again in this life, I am the Lord your God who suffers and dies for you, who rises for you, so you will be raised. There's your good news John. And you are not offended by Me, you are blessed. While what Jesus tells John at first sounds strange to our ears, to John there would have been nothing more beautiful to hear, nothing more refreshing, nothing more restoring. As beautiful as “I Know that My Redeemer Lives” ringing out, even in the midst of a funeral service. Good news.

And then as John's disciples go Jesus addresses the crowd. “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” Why did you go to listen to John people – did you think he was a reed shaken by the wind? Did you think he was something weak rooted and insubstantial that was just spouting the latest and greatest craze and fad? He wasn't merely that. “What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.” Were you wanting some money advice, someone who would help you become rich and wealthy and powerful? Those sorts live in palaces – not the palace dungeon. What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.' No, you went out to John because he was preaching repentance, repentance because the Lord was coming. And I am here, and the time of salvation being won, your salvation, is at hand.

So then my dear friends in Christ, what do we see and learn from this text?

Well, first things first – never let anyone tell you that a real Christian never struggles with doubts or fears. Never. Jesus says of John, “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist” - and yet, what do we see in John? Are we going to say John wasn't a real Christian? Poppycock! But there is this idea, especially running around in American Christianity, where we feel compelled to pretend, to put on this always happy mask, to act as though we are never hurt, never scared, never fearful, never worried, and especially at Christmas time, which isn't always a happy time for all of us. “Oh well, just fake it.” Here's why that's dangerous. It isolates us. John was stuck in a cell, and he was isolated... and doubts and fears grew. And we've been trained by culture and stupid false piety to think that when we are hurt we should just be quiet, don't let anyone know, tough it out... and we throw ourselves into a prison of our own devising, and the hurt and the doubt and the fear grows... all the while we struggle to keep up appearances. Have you not heard, dear friends, that Faith comes by... hearing. Your faith is buttressed, is strengthened not by your ability to tough it out, not by your ability to keep a stiff upper lip – but faith comes by hearing. That's what Jesus teaches in this text – look, John is struggling... so Christ says, “Go tell John” - go speak to him, for faith, even for John, comes by hearing.

And hearing what? Not platitudes. Not sappy advice. Not the sentimentality of the season. Go tell John what Christ Jesus is doing, because you know what John, that is what Jesus is doing for you. And likewise, my dear friends, when you are hurt, when you are suffering, when your sin looms large, when guilt attacks, when there's fear, when your body breaks, when you see failure – you too need to hear what Christ Jesus has done for you. You see, all this stuff comes with shame, and we close up, we get fearful. You do realize none of this surprises Christ Jesus? He is all knowing, you're never going to shock Him. Indeed, He knows your troubles better than you do – and so Christ Jesus says to you, “Behold, I am Your Lord, I am your Savior, I know your troubles... I knew them even before you were born... and in fact because of your troubles, Behold, I Myself came down from heaven and was born, I Myself came and took My place in this fallen world, I Myself came and faced all these sorts of fears and trials and troubles, I even faced down death. For you. So that I would rise and have the authority to say, all your sins are forgiven and even though you should die, yet you shall live.”

It's actually pretty neat. Satan and your flesh will want to rub your nose in your sin and fears and doubts – there's a reason Satan is called the accuser. Instead, Jesus says, “there's something else I want you to look at – something else for you to behold. Me and My love for you which never fails.” And seeing Christ, and hearing His Word of life, hearing forgiveness, remembering our baptism, tasting and seeing that the Lord is good in His Supper – we are refreshed. Not by our strength, but by His. Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Come quickly, Lord Jesus! In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King +

Advent Midweek 2

In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King +

Tonight, we will be looking at the second part of the Te Deum, verses 5 and 6. And these are some wonderful verses, they teach, they proclaim what Christ has done – indeed, the whole point of Advent, of Christ's coming is shown here in these verses. The point is that Christ Jesus comes down from heaven to be our Savior. And before we get to the text, this is a prime example of music, of melody and harmony, teaching in concert with the words. The beginning of the Te Deum, where we are praising God for creation is high, lofty, in a major key. (Dan, would you play a line?) It's bright, it's bold. But then we get to the second part – and there is a key change. We move into the relative minor – the notes shift down. (Dan, again, would you play the opening line). That's intentional. Why? Because this section, this passage is about what happens when Christ Jesus comes down from heaven. If you remember back to your Catechism days, you might have heard this described as the “stages of humiliation” - where Christ humbles Himself, where He doesn't use His divine power, but lets stuff happen to Him. Was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. And to key in to this – our tones which we sing drop down as well. It's kind of neat, in a music nerd sort of way.

And what is it precisely that we sing? When you took upon Yourself to deliver man, You humbled Yourself to be born of a virgin. This is a wonderfully profound statement, of beauty and wonder. It drives to the heart of what we call the Incarnation, the truth that God becomes a man. You see, with sin and the fall and all that, mankind messed things up. Man dug the pit, as it were. So thus, for mankind to be redeemed, a man would have to fix things. Only one problem with that – none of us on our own would be able to do that. We're sinners – we excel at messing things up, not fixing them. And so, in order that there would be a righteous man, a holy man, a perfect man – God takes matters into His own hands, and He becomes man. Jesus is true man – man as man was meant to be. Man who lives perfectly righteously, who loves totally and completely. We call this is “active” righteousness – that Jesus actively does everything that God requires of man. But here's the thing – He has to be a real, true man for this to work. So when Jesus becomes man, He doesn't get to take any short cuts. He doesn't just say “poof” and appear one day all fully grown. He becomes man in a fallen world, and puts up with all the junk that we people in a fallen world have to put up with. He humbles Himself and accepts all our junk. Like being born.

You see, not only does Christ show forth an active righteousness, He shows what is called His passive righteousness. He suffers – He takes it all. Even when He doesn't deserve it. All the problems of life in a fallen world, He takes up. Now ponder this with me for a moment. There is Jesus Christ, God almighty, the Word by Whom all things were created. And He, for our salvation, comes down from heaven, and is born of Mary. So there's God, the creator of all things... and He can't talk. If He's hungry, He has to wait on Mary. When He pees or poops, He sits in it until someone changes Him. He humbles Himself. When He comes to deliver us, He comes and takes up all the junk we get in this life, all the humiliating things we deal with in a fallen world. He had baby teeth fall out, He had shin splits and pimples and His voice cracked when He hit puberty – because He humbled Himself to become a man. And yet, through all of this, He remains utterly perfect and righteous – doing all that God commands. It's a wondrous thing.

Yet, not only that – When you had overcome the sharpness of death, You opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Let's be honest about what all this junk in life we face is. St. Paul notes that the wages of sin is death. All this junk, all this humiliation is just bits of death popping up before death comes in full. Stuff falls apart. The body doesn't work right. That's just little bits of death. You know that ache in your bones – that's a little preshock of death. That sickness, that cold – just a reminder that your body's defenses fail – a bit now, but one day in full. Why? Because the wages of sin is death. And yet there stands the man Christ Jesus – who had no sin. And what does He do? He lets the wages of sin come crashing on to Him – He takes up in full the punishment, the burden, the cost of sin into His own body – even to the point of death, as cruel and harsh and humiliating a death as you can think of. It doesn't get more embarrassing than to be hung up naked on a cross and left to suffocate. That's a sharp death. Yet what does this do – Christ is actively and passively righteous – everything in the Law He does, its commands, its threats, its punishments. And what remains for you and I? The Kingdom of heaven. The i's are dotted, the t's are crossed, and only salvation for you who believe in Him is left. Death has lost its sting, for we will rise and be with Christ.

The proof? You sit at the right hand of God in the Glory of the Father. Christ has risen, Christ has ascended. He has triumphed over death and rules all creation from heaven. And more than that – We believe that You will come, to be our judge. Does that sound scary? It shouldn't. Jesus is a good judge for you – if the judge has paid your fine, He's not going to levy any more for you. If He's served your punishment for you, He's not going to add anything. Instead, He will come, and say, “Because of My own work for you, I declare you not guilty – now come, My eternal Kingdom waits.” This is what Christ came down to win, to set up, to establish – and He shall come again to see that we have it in full.

And so my dear friends, it is an awesome, wondrous thing, that Christ Jesus comes down from heaven so humbly to rescue us. It is the heart of our faith, that which we confess and proclaim, the reason we give thanks and praise. Christ has humbled Himself for our sake, and now He is exalted, and He shall come again to raise us up unto life everlasting, that we may share in His exultation, all thanks and praise be to Him! In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King!

Advent 2 Sermon

Advent 2 – Luke 21 – December 5^th and 6^th, 2015

In the Name of Christ Jesus our Advent King +

Advent means “coming” - and so in Advent, in this time of year where the days grow shorter and shorter, we remember not only our Lord's first coming, but we do look ahead to our Lord's second coming, His return. The same Christ Jesus who came down from heaven to win salvation will come again in glory. So, how to prepare for this? That's the theme of this week – see the 2^nd Candle on the banner – prepare. Now, while this Luke text is similar to what we heard just a few weeks ago in Mark, we are going to go through it with especial focus on the idea of being prepared for Christ's coming. So, let's dive in.

And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the seas and waves, people fainting with fear and with forebooding of what is coming on the world. So, what is the sign, what is the reminder to us that Christ Jesus shall come again? Not to put too fine a point on it, but basically life in the world. The evening news. Now, I will often complain about modern journalism, and I'd say rightfully so, but what happens every night on the news, what do we see? Nations all perplexed. Seas and waves and storms. Typhoons and hurricanes and earthquakes. Literally the earth is shaking itself apart, and the people who live on the earth are acting like fools and causing chaos and trouble. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. This is a subtle twist, a little nuance that we can miss. Even as we sit and watch things fall apart – nature falling apart, kingdoms and nations falling apart – or even closer to home – families falling apart, friendships breaking, our bodies failing – even as it all goes to pot, there is One who isn't shaken or weakened in the slightest. That is Christ Jesus our Lord. You see, what Jesus had described here as the signs – these are all just impacts of sin. This is all just the fall playing out – it is creation continuing its steady fall, falling apart. Yet Christ Jesus has come, and He has triumphed over sin and death with His holy, perfect life, with His suffering and death, with His resurrection. Sin ain't got nothing on Him – and even as sin brings its wrack and ruin on the world – Christ Jesus shall come – and how? With power and glory. Is the power of the earth shattering, is its glory fading, is the bloom coming off the rose of this life – so be it. It's got nothing on Christ – and He will come back in full power and glory.

Therefore: “Now, when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” It's the great advent hymn which we will sing to end this service – lift up your heads, ye mighty gates! Think on that for a moment – think on how defiant we are as Christians, how confident we are in Christ. Okay, when the end of the world comes – straighten up. Stand up. Lift up your heads, chin up, be bright, be happy. Why? Your redemption is here. Christ Jesus is coming, and then we will be done with all this junk we face in a sinful world, and we will be redeemed and raised and perfected, we will inherit eternal life, and it will be better, vastly better than what we see now, so much better we can't even wrap our minds around it. I for one can't imagine what it will be like to be without sin, without those nagging stupid desires, without those creeping alterior motives, without the times I flat out do something utterly dumb and foolish. But we will be raised and will be without sin, and it will be good – so stand up straight – because you will be better then than you've ever been.

Next we get the passage about the fig tree – just to reiterate very briefly. When we see the trees starting to leaf out, it means the summer is coming. It means this lousy, stinking cold winter is done, the time of the fall and death is gone, and new life is coming. It's a good thing, a happy sign. And Luke gives us a nice little nuance here that I'd like to expand upon. Jesus says, “So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the Kingdom of God is near.” I want to talk briefly about kingdoms. We tend not to think about Kingdoms – we're Americans, we fought a war to get ourselves out of a kingdom, thank you very much. But the Scriptures do deal with Kingdoms, especially God's Kingdom – so, let's ponder it. Too often, when we think of a Kingdom we can think of lines on a map – a place, some boundries. That's not what a Kingdom is in the Scriptures. A Kingdom is where the King is, it's where the King's power resides, where we are under His rule. And God's Kingdom is near. Yes, near, right now. Where is the place where God's power, His power for redemption and forgiveness resides? For one – this place, this time, this service. I forgive you all your sins, take and eat, take and drink, all your sins have been forgiven by Christ the Crucified. Whenever Christ and His Word is proclaimed in this place, there the Kingdom of God reigns! But even more than that – you are baptized into Christ, you yourselves are temples of the Holy Spirit. And what happens during the week? You too speak God's Word to your friends, your neighbors, your family. You forgive people, you tell them what Christ has done... and whenever you do that, you bring the Kingdom of God to those people, so that they are prepared for when Christ comes again. It's an awesome, cool thing. In the midst of this fallen world, God's Kingdom comes to us and through us.

Although our Lord does leave us with a warning. He warns us of the ways in which we can learn to ignore and avoid His kingdom – how the world and our own sinful flesh will try to distract us. He says, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” Three dangers, three avenues of attack our Lord mentions here. Three ways our hearts can be weighed down. First – dissipation. Alright, I'm guessing that none of you used the word dissipation in your general conversation this past week – I wouldn't have if not for the fact that I was talking to other pastors about this text. So, what is dissipation? Dissipation refers to just the normal, hum-drum stuff of life. The chores you have to do, the running around, the daily grind. You know what that can do? It can wear you down. In fact, that is what it is trying to do – to slowly grind you down and numb you so that you go through this life without thinking, without keeping your eyes open and remembering your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who comes to you in His Word and brings you forgiveness and His Kingdom. Don't let the hum-drum lull you to sleep so that you forget the mind-boggling awesomeness of God's Love.

And then the second danger that Jesus mentions is drunkenness. Now, I am not going to go off on some diatribe about the evils of demon rum or some such tea-totaler rubbish. That misses the point. Christ here is speaking to a reaction to hardships and troubles in the world. And what's one option when we see hardship in the world? To party it up; to strive after any or every pleasure that we can find – in drink, in drugs, in sex, in food, in money, in tons of things. This is more than just a warning against booze – it's a warning against living your life where you give into vices as a means of denying the harshness of the world, as a means of pretending it isn't bad. Why is this to be avoided? It's a false deliverance. Life **is** rough, and even if I get hammered out of my mind tonight – it will still be rough tomorrow, except I'll just wake up with a hangover. Same with all the other forms of escapism – they don't really provide a way of true escape – so if we turn them into idols, if we over-indulge, if we try to live for them, we don't make anything better. Instead we drastically mess up our own lives, and on top of that we blind and deafen ourselves to our Savior. Straighten up, lift up your heads, look to Christ and remember Him... not dive into the gutter. And I say this not with condescenion, not with a holier-than-thou, “I'd never do that” attitude. There are times life stinks on ice, and sometimes the gutter looks appealing. Jesus just reminds us here that this appeal is a lie, and not good for you.

And the final thing to be wary of – the cares of this life. The idea here isn't the everyday stuff – but the big things that pop up, the drama, as it were. And what's the temptation when drama comes? To make a scene, to carry on, to form massive grudges, to fight, to bicker, to be angry. What does any of that have to do with Christ Jesus and forgiveness? What does any of that have to do with mercy and love? It doesn't – and that's the temptation. With the cares of this life, we can change how we view the world, how we view ourselves. Rather than seeing ourselves as poor, miserable sinners in a sinful world, we start thinking of ourselves as victims, thinking of how everyone is against us, thinking how we have to fight against those bad people. And that's a miserable way to live. And more than that, living like that tries to blind us to Christ and His love, His love for us, His love shown through us to our neighbor. Be on guard against this.

Having warned us of these three dangers, Christ encourages us. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man. Now, let's think about this. Is there a place where we gather to pray, and not only that, but a place where we come into the presence of God, into Christ's presence – indeed where we will stand (or kneel as the case may be) right before the Son of Man, and receive from Him strength? Now may this true Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ... strength and keep you in the one true faith until the life everlasting – that is until that day when He comes again. Do you see the connection? Do you realize that gathering together in God's House is preparation for the End Days? What happens here? We step away from the dissipations of life, we crawl away from the gutter, we put aside the cares of life and the stupid grudges we make – and here in this place, all together, we see, we are awake. We were awake to the realities of life when we confessed our sins together. We were awakened to Christ's love and forgiveness when we heard His Absolution, when we heard the Word proclaimed, when we sang it together in hymns and back and forth at each other in our Liturgy. Even now in the sermon, we are being awakened (so don't fall asleep in the sermon!) - and then there's the Supper, where we are given Christ's own Body and Blood to strengthen us. Christ comes to us, brings His Kingdom to us so that we are ready for His second coming.

And so dear friends, this advent day, we are prepared – not by our own efforts, but Christ comes to us and makes us ready and prepared to meet Him – be that in our death or in His return. He meets us here in His Church, and we are thus prepared for whatever the future holds, for we are His forgiven children, declared righteous because of His death and resurrection, and Christ's victory is ours. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King. Amen.

Advent Midweek Sermon 1

Advent Midweek 1 – December 2^nd, 2015

In the Name of Christ Jesus our Advent King +

This year for our Advent Midweek services, we will be going over one of the great songs of the Church – the Te Deum, which is part of our Matins service. I'm doing this in part because here we aren't really familiar with the Te Deum, which is a shame. The Te Deum is in some ways the most important, most popular hymn in the history of the Christian Church (and I'm not saying that just because tradition says that St. Ambrose of Milan was its author). Luther referred to it as the 4^th Creed. Throughout the history of the Church, this was the song of thanksgiving – when wars ended people joined in singing together the Te Deum. And more than that, the Te Deum is a powerful confession of the faith. So, we are going to break the Te Deum up into its main three parts, and we will ponder what it teaches us these next few weeks. Let's dive in.

We praise You, O God, we acknowledge you to be the Lord. One of the things in the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament, is that God is referred to in two different ways. When speaking of God in just His abstract power and majesty – like in Genesis 1, the Scriptures use “God” - Elohim in Hebrew. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. However, there is a second term used for God – His Name. Some people pronounce it Yahweh, Jehovah, Adonai – it's translated into English as “The Lord”. And this is used whenever God is interacting with us people – like in Genesis 2. Then the Lord caused the man to fall into a deep sleep – or Genesis 3 – they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the Garden. So what we have here to start out is an important confession. We praise You, O God, we acknowledge You to be the Lord. This is declaring that God is not just some big, transcendent being that couldn't care less about us. He is the Lord – that is, He is the One who comes and interacts directly with mankind for our benefit. Our God is not merely some being watching us from a distance – He is our Lord, in relationship with us. That's a bold statement – and not many other religions can make it.

Moreover – All the earth now worships You, the Father everlasting. To you all the angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein, to You cherubim continually do cry. God the Father is praised by all creation. He is worshipped by all creation. To simply behold the world, all the things visible which God has created, is to see His glory. The whole of creation declares the glory of its Creator. But not only that which we see – He is God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. The angels He created, they praise God. Constantly. Continually. All things that exist will ultimately acknowledge their Creator. 

 

Yet, we do know that in this fallen world, this praise is not as it should be. The world, creation itself, groans under the weight of sin. Some of the angels fell. Things are messy. Oh well – for our God is powerful. Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, heavenly and earth are full of the majesty of Your glory. Our God is the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Holy, Holy, Holy. And He is the Lord God of Sabaoth – which is the word for the heavenly armies. Are things falling apart – so be it, for God is the One who comes to put it right. Does sin tarnish creation – have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God? Then God will come to restore that glory, to renew creation, to win you forgiveness with the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus the Lord upon the Cross. And what does that mean, what does that look like? The glorious company of the apostles praise You, the goodly fellowship of the prophets praise you. The noble army of martyrs praise You. Now, we can almost want to scoot on by there – sure prophets and apostles and even marytrs praise God. What's the big deal about that? The big deal is this – they are dead. By rights, after the fall, if God left us alone, the dead wouldn't be praising God – they'd be stuck in hell with Satan in misery and torment. Yet God is the Lord, the One who is in relationship with mankind, who loves mankind, who will save and deliver mankind. And so there is redemption and forgiveness – to where even those who have died in the faith, instead of suffering now dwell with God and sing His praise.

But not just those who have died but live with God praise Him – the Holy Church throughout all the world does acknowledge You: - We are part of the Church – we join in our praises along with the praises of the prophets, the apostles, those who have gone before us in the faith. We join in our praises with brothers and sisters in Christ from every continent. It is safe to say that today, this Te Deum, has been sung on every continent, probably in 40 or 50 different languages. Because God has His people, His children the world round – and we gather together to worship the Triune God. And who is the Triune God – The Father of an infinite majesty, Your adorable, true, and only Son; also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all worshiped and praised together. And here, to close, the first part of the Te Deum makes a transition. For the chief, the center of our worship is Christ Jesus our Lord, who came down to win us salvation (which we will focus on in great detail next week). But now we sing You are the King of Glory, O Christ; You are the everlasting Son of the Father. Christ is King. He is not only true God, son of the Father, but He is true man – the son of David, the promised Redeemer and Savior, who wins us salvation, who restores us to the glory God created us to have.

So then – what do we hear and sing and learn. We learn of the God we praise – who is not merely some distant God, cold and indifferent. No, Our God is our Creator, and when His creation falters, He sends His Son to redeem and restore that creation, to rescue and redeem His people. You don't have a distant God, you worship the Lord. And, as is our especial focus in Advent – your Lord comes to you to be with you, to forgive you, to redeem you. All praise be to our God and Lord, the Father, Son, and Spirit. In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Advent King + Amen.