"To Husbands and to Wives" (Luther's Table of Duties)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

Lent is a season of repentance as we reflect on why our Lord died on the cross for us. But Lent is also about catechesis, because Lent is a catechetical season.

 

Tonight, we continue to make our way through the Christian “house rules” on how we deal with each other. These “house rules” serve as our groundwork on our Lutheran worldview of vocation. These vocations are the duties or responsibilities that we each owe to our neighbor.

 

As a reminder: Luther’s intention in including the Table of Duties was to serve us as our guide – the Third Use of the Law – in how we ought to live in this world and what is our duty to one another. But as it always is, when the Law is at play, we often hear the Law as its Second Use – mirror, because the Law always accuses, but again, the primary use and focus of the Table of Duties is to encourage us as we live out our lives in the various vocations that God has placed you and I in.

 

Tonight, we will focus on the first of the Three Estates: family, as we consider the next two pairs in the Table of Duties: “To Husbands” and “To Wives.”

 

We live in a strange world. Much of our strange world would fit in episodes of “The Twilight Zone.” Just imagine you have entered into a world that says men and women are the same. Just imagine you have entered into a world where a man can decide that he is a woman, and a woman can decide she is a man and everyone acts as if this is the way things have always been. These appear like stories from “The Twilight Zone.” But this is our strange world, our fallen world.

 

Today, in this Twilight Zone-like world, it is asserted that men and women are completely interchangeable, and so marriage can occur between a man and a woman, or between two men, or between two women, or even among throuples.

 

The basic idea that men and women are the same has been the focus of feminism in this fallen world. But reality has a way of not cooperating. The truth is that men and women are not the same. Men are physically stronger than women. Men and women are different. 

When children feel ill or are injured, who do they turn to practically every time? Their mom. It’s because women are naturally better at nurturing and comforting than men. Because, again, men and women are different.

 

Men and women are different, because God created men and women to be different. God first created Adam. And then God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). A woman complements the man. They are not the same, because a woman corresponds to the man in ways needed to serve as a helper to him. The ultimate proof that men and women are not the same is that the one flesh union of man and woman is necessary to produce the outcome of marriage – a child. 

 

God’s Word describes an ordering to the creation of man and woman, to husband and wife. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11(:8-9): “For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.”

 

Woman was created for man. Woman was created for man, as the helper corresponding to him. The fallen world may not want to hear this, but this is a fact grounded in creation itself.

 

These facts of creation – this order of creation – then determines how husband and wife relate in marriage. In Ephesians 5(:22-24), St. Paul writes, “Wives, submit to your husband as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.”

 

Luther cites this “Wives, submit to your husband as to the Lord” as of first importance in his section on “To Wives.” He also includes “They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear” from 1 Peter 3:5-6.

 

To the fallen world, they hear words like “submit” and “submission” meaning inequality, or that women have less worth or less value than men.

Yet, this exact same language is used of the relation between God the Father and God the Son. In 1 Corinthians 15(:28), St. Paul writes, “When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all.” And what do we confess about the triune God? We confess that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are coequal.

 

For St. Paul, submission does not mean a relationship where one side gives and gives, and the other side takes and takes. You see, husbands and wives are to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).

 

But God did give us an order. The husband is the head of the household, and the wife is to be her husband’s co-equal helper. He, the provider. She, the nurturer. But so often, we don’t see it that way. And we don’t see it this way because of sin.

 

After the Fall into sin, God said to Eve in Genesis 3(:16), according to the New Living Translation: “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” Since the Fall, woman finds herself drawn to men who act in self-serving ways. And since the Fall, women also strive against men, competing for the headship that contradicts their own creation. 

 

We all act this way. Selfishness and pride. Husbands and wives act in selfish ways that put themselves before their spouse. Men abuse the headship position to get what they want, when they want it. Women subvert the headship to get what they want.

 

Guided by culture of feminism, many women disparage motherhood and instead seek to act like men. And men bought the same lie as so many fail in their own responsibilities of being a husband. 

 

When we see the ways we fail to live in God’s order of creation in marriage – and confess our sin, always know that there is forgiveness in Christ. And it is in Christ that we find the ability to live in God’s design for marriage. The Holy Spirit who has regenerated us and given us faith, moves us to live the life of faith in our marriages. This is why Luther included the Table of Duties, so that Christians could better care for each other.

 

The Table of Duties lists “To Husbands” first, and rightly so. Man has been created for headship in marriage and family. And the conduct of this headship is modeled after Christ. St. Peter writes in 1 Peter 3(:7): “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as your live with you wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

 

It is true that the wife is weaker, but the husband is to live in a way that reflects the knowledge of what God has done for both of them in Christ, and of the gift the husband has received from God in his wife – as his helper. The husband is to honor his wife and recognize the unique status they share together and that they are co-heirs of God’s saving grace.

 

Luther also includes a passage from Colossians 3(:19) addressed to husbands which reads: “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”

 

And this should not be forgotten, for after St. Paul’s brief statement about wives, he writes in Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” This sacrificial love of Jesus Christ for His Church is the pattern that is to guide the husband’s behavior.

 

If tonight’s sermon is hitting you hard, seek forgiveness through Christ’s blood and merit and seek forgiveness with your spouse. Remember, Luther’s Table of Duties isn’t intended to be gospel, but as our guide, so that we would be encouraged as we live out our daily vocations.

 

Certainly, men and women are different. Thank God for that! God joins husband and wife together as one flesh. Husband and wife are ordered in marriage in a way that reflects God’s creation of Adam and Eve – the first husband and wife. Uniquely distinct from one another, husband and wife each are needed for marriage and family to be the blessing God has given. Through the Holy Spirit, the union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind support each other through mutual companionship as they love, honor, and strengthen each other through sickness and in health. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"God's Obedient Son" (Luke 2:40-52)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: 

“[Jesus] said to [Mary and Joseph], ‘Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?’” (Luke 2:49).

 

If you are like me, when you heard today’s Gospel text, you may have thought about the 1990 movie “Home Alone.” In that movie, Peter and Kate McCallister accidently left their son Kevin at home as they traveled with their extended family to Florida for Christmas break. But, while in a hurry one morning to get out the door in order to get to O’Hare on time, they forgot to check upstairs for their son Kevin. It was only later, while flying the friendly skies that Kevin’s mother realizes that her son was missing. Frantically, Kevin’s parents – and especially his mom – immediately begin looking for ways to get back home to find their lost son.

 

In a similar fashion, Mary and Joseph search frantically for their lost Son. Except, their Son was not lost. For Jesus remained at the temple in Jerusalem for a purpose. 

 

“Now [Christ’s] parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to custom” (Luke 2:41-42).

 

If you thought driving to the airport was stressful, the trip from Nazareth to Jerusalem was a grueling one of about 80 miles, which lasted three to four days. Thankfully, Mary, Joseph, and young Jesus did not travel alone, but with a large company of people in a caravan. And this caravan served multi-purposes. First, it offered an opportunity for fellowship among family and local townsfolk. Second, any large group provided for protection from the threat of highway robbers.

 

And when the Holy Family arrived in Jerusalem, they would have found the city teeming with hundreds of thousands of fellow pilgrims, who would have been trying to find lodging and a place to celebrate the Passover meal, along with purchasing their sacrificial animals. The Holy Family would have witnessed a city filled with the noise of hundreds of thousands of sheep, which the priests would have been busy butchering. Beggars would have been in full force. Roman soldiers would have been on patrol, jostlying the crowds and trying to keep some semblance of order. 

Joseph, too, would have taken their family’s lamb to be sacrificed, and one can only guess what was going through his mind. The scene in Jerusalem would have been frantic. 

 

And although the Holy Family traveled to Jerusalem every year for the Passover festival – to celebrate the redemption of the people of Israel from Egypt, this year would mark something different. Luke tells us that Jesus was 12 years old. Being a boy at 12 or 13 years of age was especially significant, for this would be when Jesus would be considered a man at His Bar Mitzvah ceremony. At the Bar Mitzvah, Jesus would now be under the full obligation of the Law.

 

“And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing Him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for Him among their relatives and acquaintances” (Luke 2:43-44).

 

At first, being in a large caravan, Mary and Joseph never suspected that Jesus was not among the group. But when they stopped at nightfall, they noticed that Jesus was nowhere to be found. Like the McCallister parents in search for Kevin, Mary and Joseph began their search. They searched everywhere! Until as it often is, they found Jesus at the last place they looked, the place that should have been obvious from the start: the temple in Jerusalem.

 

And when Mary and Joseph located Jesus at the temple courts, they were astonished at what they witnessed. Jesus wasn’t battling home invaders. Jesus was not playing with the boys. Instead, He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. There was twelve-year-old Jesus, sitting cross-legged on the floor sitting among the rabbis. “And all who heard [Jesus] were amazed at His understanding and His answers” (Luke 2:47).

 

Jesus, who is fully and completely God, was being filled with human wisdom. He was not only asking questions, but He was listening to their answers. And Jesus’ questions displayed the depth of His understanding of Scripture truth. And His answers to the teachers’ questions likewise revealed how far advanced Jesus was in His grasp of divine truth. Now, Jesus wasn’t a child prodigy. He wasn’t a “Doogie Howser.” This was the divine wisdom which was imparted to His human nature. Jesus through these conversations was receiving more confirmation on why He took upon human flesh.

You see, God demands perfect obedience to the Law. And all of the descendants of Adam share in Adam’s disobedience to the Word of God. Our sinful nature that we inherited from Adam manifests itself in our daily lives and in our daily vocations: Instead of using God’s name to pray and give thanks, sinful man is more inclined to use God’s name to curse and lie. Instead of holding God’s Word sacred and gladly hearing and learning it, sinful man would rather grumble and complain if the sermon or Divine Service goes too long, or if I would preach a truth of God that sinful man does not want to hear. Instead of speaking well of our neighbor, sinful man would rather tell lies about our neighbor.

 

All the descendants of Adam share in Adam’s condemnation and judgment. And what was Adam’s condemnation and judgment? It’s death. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). And “For as in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22a). All we can do is beg God for mercy as we confess our sins to Him.

 

But Jesus is the perfectly obedient Son of God.

 

On that day in the temple, as Jesus was listening to the teachers and asking them questions, He knew His mission. He, along with the thousands in attendance at the Passover festival were there to remember God’s grace as the angel of death killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians, but “passed over” the firstborn of the Israelites, because of the blood of a lamb on their lintels and door posts.

 

And now, God the Father has shown even more grace and mercy in giving us His Son, His only-begotten Son, who is God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, … who for us men and for our salvation has come down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man. 

 

The Word became flesh, our own flesh, by taking the form of a servant, so that He could keep the Law of God in the place of sinful man. The Son of God obeyed His Father’s will for us!

 

Now, what Jesus did that day in the temple was not an act of rebellion against His parents. For Jesus remained perfectly obedient to His parents as demonstrated on their return to Nazareth. But there could be more here. Luke tells us that Mary “treasured up all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51b). What could this be?

 

 

This event could have served as a further reminder that Jesus was not just an ordinary son, but the Son of God. For the last time Luke used that phrase, Mary was reminded what the shepherds said concerning her Child from the angel that her very Son is the Christ, the One who has come to save His people from their sins.

 

Jesus would remain obedient to His parents just as the Fourth Commandment requires. And Jesus would identify Himself fully and completely with sinners. Finally, Jesus, as the always obedient Son, would suffer an agonizing death as He would drink the cup of His Father’s wrath for us as He would be crucified to bring atonement for yours and my sins.

 

Jesus, who at twelve years old upheld His Bar Mitzvah as He perfectly kept the Law for us.

 

So, through Christ’s obedience, by repentance and faith in Him, our disobedience is forgiven through His blood and merit. For “in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). By faith in Christ alone, we now stand before God the Father as righteous and obedient children, covered by the robe of Christ’s perfect righteousness and obedience.

 

Through our adoption through Christ in Holy Baptism, we now put off the old man, the old sinful Adam, with His disobedience and have now put on Christ. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, we follow Christ’s example of humility before God and our neighbor as we keep His Word and obey His commandments.

 

Instead of fearing, loving, and trusting in other things, we begin in faith to fear, love and trust in God above all things. We learn to trust Him as our only hope and refuge. We resist the temptation to use God’s name to lie and deceive and instead call upon His name in every trouble as we pray, praise, and give thanks. We begin to hold God’s Word sacred as we gladly hear and learn it. And we resist the sinful urge tell lies and instead defend and speak well of our neighbor.

 

We do all of this out of love for God, and not out of fear of punishment or condemnation, but joyfully and gladly because of Christ’s perfect obedience that has been credited to us. In Christ alone, we are counted as righteous and obedient before God through our faith in His obedient Son. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"How Majestic is Your Name" (Psalm 8)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: 

“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1).

 

The year 2025 has ended. Welcome to 2026! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

With a new year, often comes renewed hope and positive thinking. Fitness clubs thrive on hope and positive thinking these first days and weeks of January. They advertise deals in their hope that you would join their club, pay the fees, and maybe actually exercise.

 

There is something about a new year. It is a renewal. It feels like a fresh start. And each newly arrived year reminds us that we have arrived to another year of our Lord. And that “Year of Our Lord” – that A.D. “Anno Domini – comes with peace, hope, certainty and joy. The Year of Our Lord 2026 is truly in the hands of our Lord!

 

You see, your future is not in the hands of fate, or chance, or any random occurrence. Your future is in the hands of the Lord! You know, the One who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, who was placed in a manger, who was nailed to a cross for you, who died and rose for you to give you forgiveness, life and salvation! He reigns for you as everything is under His feet!

 

Today’s reading from Psalm 8 is fitting for a New Year as it speaks how majestic God’s Name is in all the earth. The triune God is certainly majestic! He showed “His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

 

We spoke together earlier: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1). As we spoke those words, we are calling on Yahweh, the very personal name of God as our King, our Ruler. We are confessing the name of the only true God as our Ruler.

 

And His Name is majestic! Yahweh alone is, and always has been, and always will be the One who exists and, by extension, is always present to act on our behalf for us and for our salvation!

 

God’s majesty is also found all throughout the created order. Yahweh is praised by huge galaxies and by tiny babies. The sun, the moon, and the stars testify to the majesty, power, and wisdom of God. But their testimony is without words. Their testimony is without love. But more precious than the testimony of huge galaxies are the simple prayers and songs of a little child. Even infants, who cannot communicate without crying, can praise God in ways that we do not understand.

 

The Psalmist writes: “When I look at your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the Son of Man that you care for Him?” (Psalm 8:3-4).

 

For our majestic God, His work of creating galaxies was detailed handiwork, like fine needlepoint. But man? What is man compared to the sun, moon, and stars? Man is but a speck compared to just one of God’s stars!

 

Yet, God created Adam and Eve to have dominion over the universe. He created the sun, moon, and stars to serve them.

 

God created man and woman in His very image, so that humanity could be righteous and holy and live in happy fellowship with Him. In the grand scheme of created things, man appears to be insignificant, but God created everything for you and me.

 

But through Adam’s Fall into sin, humanity’s fellowship with God was broken – it was completely split apart. And because of the Fall, man’s dominion over the universe was gone. Now, we can still use our intelligence that God has given us to maintain partial control of things, but in the grand scheme of things, we no longer have uncontested dominion over the world God gave us to steward.

 

Now animals kill human beings. Human beings kill animals. Human beings slaughter other human beings. Earthquakes, floods, tornados, hurricanes can wipe us out. Even the tiniest of viruses can kill us. We now live in a hostile environment. And one day, unless Christ returns first, we must return to the ground from which we were all created.

 

The Psalmist writes: “Yet You have made Him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned Him with glory and honor. You have given Him dominion over the works of Your hands; you have put all things under His feet” (Psalm 8:5-6).

 

 

Psalm 8 is quoted twice in the New Testament as a messianic prophecy that was fulfilled when Jesus Christ came and regained dominion over the world for us.

 

Certainly, as true God, Jesus already had dominion over the whole universe. But when He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, He took on a human nature like ours, though without sin. In this state, the Second Person of the Trinity undertook the work of regaining our lost dominion for us.

 

As how puny humanity may seem in the grand scheme of things of the entire universe, God created humanity in His image. God created the sun, moon, and stars, and all of creation for us humans. God loves humanity so much that He took upon Himself our flesh to save us.

 

As God became man for us, Jesus made Himself lower than the heavenly beings – the angels. (Hebrews 2:6-8)

 

And during His ministry on earth, Jesus did not appear to look like God or even an angel, but like an ordinary man.

 

Psalm 8 was fulfilled throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth when He assumed the form of a humble servant. Jesus was “made a little lower than the heavenly beings” when He was helped by angels at the time of His temptation and in Gethsemane. Psalm 8 was fulfilled when Jesus’ enemies refused to recognize Him as God and instead ridiculed Him as a lowly carpenter and when they mocked Him while crucified on the cross. Psalm 8 was fulfilled at Calvary when Jesus cried out: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).

 

But Jesus would not stay in this humble condition. You see, when He had finished His work of defeating sin, death and the power of the devil, He ascended to heaven and was seated at the right hand of God. He now has all power in heaven and on earth. He is crowned with honor and glory. St. Paul quotes Psalm 8 in 1 Corinthians 15:27 saying: “For God has put all things in subjection under His feet.” Paul writes this to remind us that Jesus rules over all things – in heaven and on earth – for us!

 

So, just as Adam brought death to all people, so Christ, the second Adam, won life for all people. Adam lost the dominion that had been entrusted to him, but Christ is now ruling the world for the benefit of His people. And by faith in Him, we are given the reward of Christ’s victory as we are now heirs of His kingdom, including the new heaven and new earth.

On this New Year’s Day – the eighth day of Christmas, the day we remember the circumcision and naming of our Lord, the Second Person of the Trinity received His name: “Jesus,” which means “the Lord saves.” 

 

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is the name of Jesus, who has come to save us! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Grieving in Hope and Faith" (Matthew 2:13-18) - The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: 

“And [Joseph] rose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son’” (Matthew 2:14-15).

 

The days on our Church calendar following Christmas Day can leave us wondering: where has the joy of Christmas gone?

 

What happened to “Joy to the World”? What happened to “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled”?

 

These days following Christmas are very strange. Just one day after Christmas was the Festival of St. Stephen, Martyr. Two days after Christmas was the Festival of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. And that leads us to today: the Festival of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs. It has been said St. Stephen was a martyr for Christ in both will and deed. St. John was Christ’s martyr in will, but not in deed. And the Holy Innocents, to which we observe today, were Christ’s martyrs not in will, but in deed.

 

This is so very strange. Again, just a few short days ago, we were gathered in unbridled joy. But now? Today, we heard of the death of children. Now we are gathered in deep sorrow. Instead of singing “Joy to the World,” we are crying out to God about rescuing us from “the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 71:1, today’s Gradual), and from the strangers who “have risen against me; [the] ruthless men [who] seek my life” (Psalm 54:3)

 

Then in today’s Gospel lesson, we heard of crying and deep sorrow. For the mothers in Bethlehem, they are like Rachel before them as they refuse to be comforted because their children are no more.

 

The pendulum of our life together in the Church has swung drastically since Christmas Day. But this is what life is like out there as we live in a fallen and sinful world. One minute you are living your life in joy, and then the next minute is filled with sorrow.

 

Just look at Bethlehem. At the announcement of the birth of the Christ Child, there were angels singing in the fields: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14). Upon hearing this, the shepherds run to see the promised Savior of the world. 

 

Sometime later, wise men came from afar to Bethlehem to see the one “who has been born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). 

 

Then Joseph, as solid and reliable as a husband and father could be, is warned by an angel in a dream that his family is in immediate danger, and he doesn’t waste a minute. He, Mary, and the Christ Child depart before morning to Egypt.

 

To be sure, there was so much joy happening in Bethlehem! But then, in the blink of an eye, there is sudden and unexpected death.

 

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.’ When Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him …” (Matthew 2:1-3).

 

Herod the Great was well known for his social concern and at the same time being cruel and merciless. Herod during a time of severe economic hardship gave back tax money collected from the people. And during a great famine, Herod melted down various gold objects in the palace to buy food for the poor. He built theaters, racetracks, and other structures to provide entertainment for the people. And he began the reconstruction project of the Temple in Jerusalem.

 

But as I said, Herod was also cruel and merciless. Herod was known for being incredibly jealous, suspicious, and afraid for his own position and power. For Herod, any potential threat would be dealt with. He had his wife’s brother drowned. He had his wife Mariamne killed. He had her mother killed. He had three of his own sons killed. And shortly before he would die, Herod had the most distinguished citizens of Jerusalem arrested and imprisoned to be executed the very moment he would die and just to guarantee that there would be mourning in Jerusalem. If not for him, it would be for those men. But there would still be mourning.

 

So, it is not far-fetched that when Herod was troubled, then all of Jerusalem would be troubled right along with him.

As the magi wandered around Jerusalem attempting to locate “he who has been born king of the Jews,” the people began to be concerned.

 

Knowing the past, anyone even suspected of doing Herod harm or threatening his position or power was in considerable danger. In Herod’s sweeping carnage many innocent people were often destroyed. Although Herod’s anger was not vented this time against Jerusalem, it would soon be vented against the nearby town of Bethlehem.

 

I wish I could say that sorrow is only unique to Bethlehem, but I can’t. The slaughter of children two years old and younger by Herod is unique. But not the deep sorrow. That’s what makes this time of year so hard for many.

 

Yes, just days ago, we sang “Joy to the World,” but what happened when that service ended? You either went home or spent time with loved ones, your family and friends. But some of us had people missing from this year’s gatherings – and not because they couldn’t make it because of other gatherings or travel distance – it was because they died.

 

Last Christmas, or some Christmas before, you were spending time with those whom you love: opening presents, talking and eating, singing, and going to church with them. But then, something sudden happened. Something unexpected happened. Something happened to take them away from you: a car accident, a fall, a heart attack, a stroke, cancer. You name it. It happens. Suddenly and unexpectedly, death happens. And now, this Christmas season, you join yourself with those grieving parents in Bethlehem.

 

Now, deep sorrow is bad enough, but when you are shaken to the core, it’s the questions that drive us nuts. It’s those questions that hurt the most. They range from the simple “why?” to the more complex “Why did this happen? Why did God allow this to happen? Why doesn’t God hear my prayer? Why does God allow suffering? Has God abandoned me?”

 

Sometimes, there are clear answers to the “why” questions. Like in our Old Testament lesson. There, God told them directly to love and worship Him only. What did Israel do? They refused. They turned their hearts away from God. They worshipped other gods. And for their idolatry, for their sin of unbelief, they received and suffered a consequence: 70 years of slavery, suffering, pain, and death at the hands of the Babylonians. 

Also, in our Gospel lesson. There, the “why” is answered because Herod feared losing his power. He was also furious that the magi did not return.

 

However, other times, there is no clear answer to our “whys.” Sometimes, there is not a clear cause and effect that we can easily point to. All we can point to is that we are poor, miserable sinners who live in a fallen world, which gives suffering, pain, evil and death. This is the world we live in thanks to Adam and Eve’s disobedience. “Sin came into the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

 

And for those “whys” that lack an answer, Jesus teaches us this: “In the world, you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). So, trouble is to be expected. Trouble is now considered normal.

 

Sadly, as we live in this fallen world of sin, suffering, pain, and death happen all the time. And in just a blink of an eye. One moment you are driving down the road and the next moment a truck turns right out in front of you.

 

Sometimes, we just don’t have the answer to the why question. We still wonder. We wonder where God is in all of this?

 

On this day of the Festival of the Holy Innocents, God gives us real hope for real people in the midst of sorrow.

 

Remember: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This is why “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). He came down into this fallen world to bear our sin and be our Savior. He came to save those Holy Innocents and He came to save you!

 

And nothing can stop Jesus from accomplishing that goal! Herod certainly tried. He tried to kill Jesus, but Joseph followed the command of the angel. And some years later, a son of Herod – one who lived – would attempt to prevent Jesus from going to the cross. But nothing can stop Jesus from accomplishing His goal! Jesus would finish His course. Jesus would cry out: “It is finished” (John 19:30). 

 

Then, in the blink of an eye, Jesus would bodily resurrect from the dead! And because Christ lives, we – by faith in Him – will live also! For everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him has eternal life, and God will raise him up on the Last Day! In Christ alone there is truly joy to the world!

 

Until that day of Christ’s final coming, you and I will grieve, but our grieving is mixed with hope as our tears are mixed with faith and our sadness is mixed with joy knowing that in the twinkle of an eye, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed as our bodies become immortal (1 Corinthians 15)! In Christ alone, there is true joy! Merry Christmas! Amen!

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Awakened in Christ" (Mark 10:14; Psalm 139)

Dear Christian friends, especially you, the grieving parents: Bryana and Corey; grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Before us this day are shattered hopes and dreams. While all deaths are difficult, there is something really unfair about the death of a child. It’s like planting a flower garden, imagining the glory that will come later in the summer. Then, just as tender shoots begin to appear, the rabbits and other rodents chew them up. It’s like watching for months as a new house takes shape only to have a fire destroy it just as you are able to move in. All the hopes and dreams with a baby registry. Then suddenly, you are preparing for a funeral. Melissa and I have been there. The hope and then the shock. We grieve with you. 

 

Today empty arms now hunger for hugs that will have to wait until the grand reunion in heaven. 

 

Amanda Jean Elaine. How we all wish we could have held her longer. How we wish we could have heard her giggle of delight. How we all wish we could have known her longer and seen her grow up.

 

But our gracious God knew her. And He still knows her. Amanda Jean’s frame was not hidden from our Lord when she was being made in secret, intricately woven in the deep darkness of her mother’s womb. The eyes of our living Lord saw Amanda Jean’s unformed substance, the days formed for her, few though they may have been on this side of heaven.

 

So, we gather here today with hearts aching, minds numbed, eyes filled with tears … and yet, you should still be hopeful in the midst of loss. You should be daring to rejoice in the midst of sorrow.

 

We rejoice in our tears because of the gift of Holy Baptism that God gave to Amanda Jean. Today, Jesus meets us in our grief head on and reminds us that in Holy Baptism, we are immersed in His death, His burial, and His resurrection (Romans 6:3-11).

 

But even in the joy of knowing Amanda Jean’s salvation through her baptism into Christ, we still mourn and grieve. We mourn and grieve because every human being has inherited that dreadful disease known as the original sin of Adam and Eve. Were it not for sin, there would not be death. Death is the consequence of the Fall into sin. So, we long for that day when Christ comes again to finally put an end to death.

 

Until that day, we mourn, but mourning is a good and godly work. Remember, Jesus wept at the death of His friend Lazarus. Jesus wept, because He loved His friend, so weeping and mourning the death of Amanda Jean or any of our loved ones is, indeed, a good and godly work.

 

But in Christ Jesus and in His Church, we have the ultimate medicine that brings true healing to our broken hearts, genuine ointment for our numbness, and the ultimate wiping away of our tears. What is it? It’s called the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Yes, we grieve, but our grieving is mixed with hope. And this hope isn’t a wish. This hope is sure and certain. So, our tears are mixed with faith. Our sadness is mixed with joy, because one day in the future “we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed … [as] this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51b-52, 53b).

 

Jesus loves all the little children. He says, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). Jesus has given little Amanda Jean the kingdom. The same goes for you.

 

And how did we earn the kingdom of God? By God’s grace. It is because the very Son of God came down from heaven. He took upon Himself our flesh and became man. Just try to imagine that. God became man for Amanda Jean. God became man for you, too. He came to take upon Himself yours and my sins. He suffered, bled and died. But He did not remain dead and buried. He rose! He rose three days later. Through His perfect life and atoning death, Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel – life and immortality for all of us, including little Amanda Jean.

 

And just like you and me, Amanda Jean did nothing to deserve this gift. She received life and immortality. She did nothing to deserve it, but she received it. She received it from her Creator who knew her even in her mother’s womb. Today, she receives life from her Savior to carry her into eternity.

 

All we can do is receive. We are all on the receiving end of God’s life-giving ways no matter how many hours, days, weeks, months, or years we are given. We receive everything from our Father’s hands, through His Son and the Holy Spirit. This new life is given through Holy Baptism. And He keeps us in the one true faith through His Means of Grace, His Word and His Sacraments. 

 

Each week at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, we hear God’s healing words of absolution. Each week, He literally puts forgiveness, life, and salvation in our mouths with the living Body and Blood of Jesus every time we receive His Supper. God gives and we receive.

 

Meanwhile tears will continue to flow, there will still be heartache and numbness, but we can actually find comfort and rejoice in the midst of sorrow. God knows you and He knows what you are going through. Bryana and Corey, you are still Amanda Jean’s parents. You have been Amanda’s parents since she was conceived and made in secret.

 

The Psalmist writes: “How precious are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with You” (Psalm 139:17-18).

 

Today, little Amanda Jean is awake as she is in the very presence of her Savior, Jesus Christ, the very Lamb of God. And one day, by God’s grace, you will see her again with all the saints and angels in heaven.

 

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +