"You are Salt and Light" (Matthew 5:13-20)

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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: “You are the salt of the earth. … You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13a, 14a).

 

Last week, Jesus described how blessed are those who have faith in Him. Today, Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount as He declares that those who trust in Him are salt and light.

 

Salt is a preservative. Salt keeps food from spoiling. Salt is also used as a seasoning as it gives food more flavor. I, for one, like to always add salt to my fries, even before I even taste them. I am a fan of salt.

 

Now, what if you find yourself in a dark room. What do you do to bring light to that dark space? You could open the shades or curtains if there is daylight outside. You could flip a switch and let electricity light the room. You could light a candle. Or you could turn on a traditional flashlight or click the flashlight on your smartphone.

 

Although there are many ways to bring light to a dark room, there is only one way to pierce the darkness of sin and unbelief. This one way is Jesus. He is the Light of the world. Jesus alone is the Light that scatters the darkness of sin and unbelief. And it was the Holy Spirit who enlightened us to trust in Jesus.

 

When the disciples heard Jesus say to them, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), they were changed. You see, Jesus called them with authority, as only God can. And so, they listened and followed Jesus. We, too, had this change as we were taken out of the fallen world of sin and darkness and were brought the Light of Christ through Holy Baptism. For as St. Paul says in Ephesians 5:8: “For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

 

Now, light can also be painful. Maybe you have been awakened from a dead sleep by a bright light. Maybe you were awakened during REM and now you have that twitch. Being awakened by the light hurts. We say, “Turn it off!” That is how many reacted when they heard the Light of the World speak. You see, sin loves darkness. No wonder so many crimes happen at night and in the shadows. 

Light casts out darkness. And darkness is associated with evil, with danger, with the condition of being lost and unable to find one’s way. 

 

The world we live in, well, it’s in bad shape. It needs salt. It needs some preserving. It needs some flavor. The world is also a dark place. And there is a great need for light, so that people can see the truth and see what God is really like. 

 

And Jesus today calls us salt and light. 

 

He says, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house” (Matthew 5:13-15).

 

Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” So, what do you think about that? How do you respond to that proclamation? What are we to do? Well, we are to believe it.

 

But what happens if you don’t believe that you are salt and light? Well, that’s not the brightest idea, because what Jesus says is, well, always true. But if you don’t believe it, then, Jesus gives us the answer to that. He says, if you don’t believe that, then you will be “thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13b). That doesn’t sound like too much fun.

 

So, what are we to do? We should believe Jesus, because this is what Jesus says we are.

 

You see, our identity is created and preserved by the very Word of Jesus, who has also declared everyone in Christ to be blessed.

 

Now, we should not narrow the meaning of “salt” too precisely, because we can get caught up on what it means to be salty. “Salt” is parallel with “light,” and it is true that salt served many useful functions in the ancient world. And it is clear that the earth is evil, corrupt, and deficient. The earth needs to be salted: people need to be called to repent and believe the Good News that in Jesus “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

 

For, if Christ’s disciples – you and me – would become tasteless – by living unrepentant lives, then how would the earth be salted?

 

Jesus calls us salt and light. As salt and light, Jesus is giving us our vocation. He is declaring who we are in Christ.

 

You see, followers of Jesus do not just believe differently than unbelievers; we live differently. The truth is, if we can’t be easily distinguished from the unbelieving world, it’s either because they are becoming like us – which would be a great thing – or most likely, we are behaving like them – a very bad thing. If that’s the case, there’s as much wrong with us as with the unbelieving world.

 

To this, Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

 

Shades in windows are good for privacy, but don’t draw down the shades of your faith as you live through life. And a covered lamp is a waste of light – and a pretty stupid way to waste that light – and so is concealed faith.

 

We can’t hide our faith. We must live out our faith. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. James writes: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:14-17).

 

It is one thing to say you have faith. It’s another thing to live out that faith.

 

Now, what is expected when you flip a light switch? You expect Electricity to give power to the light and for the light to shine. Likewise, that Word that brought the light of faith to you and me is also the Word that enables us to bring that light of Christ to the world.

 

Again, Jesus declares that you and I are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This is our blessing in Christ and our responsibility in Christ. Again, following Jesus is not just for our personal benefit, but for the benefit of our neighbor. Being salt and light, Jesus calls us to be the hope in this dark world. 

 

So, Jesus calls us to do good works that are public and visible and done with one purpose in mind: that others may glorify the heavenly Father. And to glorify the heavenly Father, one must know Him rightly. And one can only know the heavenly Father rightly through the right knowledge of His only-begotten Son.

 

These good works are done in ordinary ways as we live out our daily vocations. But in these ordinary ways, Jesus calls us to be extraordinary as we are called to live lives of remarkable purity, faithfulness, piety, love, and generosity. So, we don’t live lives in the same ways that non-Christians do. We are called by Jesus to be extraordinary husbands and wives, remarkable neighbors and employees, powerful friends and citizens. So, how is this seen in action? Some may say going on a mission trip is a good work. But so is shoveling your neighbor’s sidewalk, or having devotions with them, or inviting them to church, or holding your temper, or not lying, or by confessing your sins and asking for forgiveness, instead of blaming others or finding excuses for your actions. You see, through our words and deeds, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be like salt and light in this darkness.

 

Again, both words and deeds are necessary. Words without deeds will not be heard. Deeds without words will bring no one to praise the Father in heaven.

 

Christ’s apostles were often dim in reflecting the Light of Christ, and so are we. Thanks be to God that He is patient and does not so quickly discard us when we fail. While we were still stuck in the mire of sin, God showed His love for us as He sent His Son Jesus to live our life and to suffer the death we all deserve because of our sins. On Good Friday, His lifeless body was laid in a cold, dark tomb. But in the bright light of Easter, Jesus threw open the door of the grave and death! He opened salvation to all who would believe in Him.

 

So, when we fail to be salt and light, the Holy Spirit leads us to repent as we renounce the ways of sin and darkness, as we are forgiven for the sake of Jesus’ cross, and we strive anew as we follow Him.

 

When we love as Christ loves, people will take notice. And that may lead others to see the Light of Christ, the light of hope in this dark world. And we can do nothing apart from Jesus, who declares us salt and light. So, listen to Jesus. All of God’s blessings belong to you. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Radical Love" (Luke 10:25-37)

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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 behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live’” (Luke 10:25-28).

 

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This is the question at the heart of today’s Gospel text. Now, the man asking this question is a lawyer. We may immediately think of this man as a defense attorney or a prosecuting attorney. But there, you’d be wrong. That was not the occupation of this lawyer. For this lawyer in our Gospel lesson is an expert on the Torah. He is an expert on the Old Testament.

 

Now, this lawyer actually knows the answer to his own question. He’s not stupid. He’s pretty smart. But he asks Jesus this question as to see if Jesus really knows what He is talking about. So, he’s testing Jesus. But shockingly, Jesus returns his question with a question: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26).

 

Now, that was not what this lawyer was expecting. He was expecting to stump Jesus, but now he has been put on the spot. So, he must answer the question that he posed to Jesus. So, he says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 20:27). Ding! Ding! Ding! This is the correct answer! To that, Jesus says, “Do this, and you will live” (Luke 10:28).

 

But this lawyer wasn’t just going to let Jesus win. He felt like a fool. He wanted retribution. He wanted to justify himself. So, he asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).

 

This lawyer wanted a legal definition of the term “neighbor.” He was not about to back down. You see, generally among the Jews, the “neighbor” was defined as a fellow countryman, one of the same race. So, his neighbor could only be a Jew and never a Gentile.

For this lawyer, it is likely that he had many friends, and knowing his occupation as an expert on God’s Law, he would be friendly with priests – those who served in the temple – and Levites – those who assisted the priests in the temple. And most certainly, this lawyer would say that the priests and Levites are his neighbors.

 

Knowing the heart of this lawyer, Jesus then tells this man a parable – a familiar parable for us – known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. A story about neighborly compassion. A story about friends and enemies. A story that was completely unexpected to a high-class Jew.

 

To him, Jesus tells of a man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho on a road that would have been very familiar to this lawyer. This road would have been very familiar to everyone. You see, this road was notorious for its danger. It would be like driving in a “bad neighborhood” today where everyone knows to keep their windows shut, doors locked, and to keep aware of your surroundings.

 

So, running into robbers on this road would not have been a shock, but what happened after the robbers stripped and beat a man, leaving him half dead, well, that is what was truly shocking. So, what happened next?

 

Well, one might expect a man of God to have compassion upon a man who was stripped, beaten up and left half dead on the side of the road, but he passed by on the other side. He ignored the man in dire need of a neighbor. And why? It is likely that this priest preferred to be ritually clean than assist the man. For if this half-dead man died in this priest’s presence, he would be ritually unclean, and he wouldn’t have been able to set foot inside the temple for days or even months. So, he was putting his own self-interests before this man in need.

 

Then, a Levite also passed by on the other side, and for likely the same reasons as the priest. 

 

But then comes the true shocker. A Samaritan man saw this poor man’s condition, showed compassion for him, and actually went to this man. He not only saw the man’s condition, but he also bound up his wounds. He poured oil and wine upon him. Then he brought this half-dead man to an inn so that he could heal from his injuries.

 

For this lawyer, this was criminal. How could a dirty, rotten, no-good, sinful Samaritan be the hero in this story? How could this dirty, rotten, no-good, sinful Samaritan be the one who cared?

You see, this lawyer was seeing his neighbor through the lens of partiality. He saw very little good in any person outside his own friends. And he certainly saw no good ever to come from a dirty, rotten, no-good, sinful Samaritan. You could say this lawyer was practicing DEI: “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” before it was cool.

 

But God is different. He is colorblind. He shows no partiality. He didn’t come to save a select chosen few, but all of humanity. He came to save the lawyer. He came to save you and me. You see, Jesus came to give eternal life to everyone and all by His grace through faith in Him. For as God’s Word says in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

God does not play favorites. That is the character and will of God. He says in Proverbs 24:23, “Partiality in judging is not good.” In Acts 10:34, St. Peter said, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality.” And elsewhere, St. James wrote, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (James 2:1).  

 

So, God calls on us His children to also not judge by outward appearances but love and serve everyone unconditionally. This is radical love. And no one besides Jesus has so radically fulfilled the commandment to love.

 

Jesus, then, poses this question to the lawyer: “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be the neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” (Luke 10:36). The lawyer thought for a moment and said, “The one who showed him mercy” (Luke 10:37a). And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37b).

 

So, what’s the point of the Parable of the Good Samaritan? We all began with the question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). And we heard the answer: we must love God with all our heart and our neighbor as yourself. But how well are we at doing that? How well are we fearing, loving, and trusting in God above all things? How well are we at truly loving our neighbor as yourself? To be honest, not really well. But that’s why you are here. You are at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church because this is a hospital for sinners. This is the place where Jesus restores us to right faith through His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments.

 

Here, in the Parable, we have a half-dead man lying on the side of the road. He is hopeless. He is stripped. He is beaten. He is bruised. He is bleeding. He is near death. He is us. This is the point of the Parable. We – you and me – are the half-dead man. 

 

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God, we have been constantly beaten up by Satan, the fallen world, and our own sinful nature. We are dead in our sins. We are dead in our trespasses. We are all on the side of the road bruised, beaten, and dying. We can’t get up to help ourselves off the side of the road to safety.

 

But then Jesus shows up. The Savior who was promised to Adam and Eve right after the Fall. God the Father showed compassion by sending prophet after prophet to tell of the coming Messiah. The Messiah came to rescue us from our foes: sin, death, and Satan. Jesus is who came down from heaven who remembered us all in our low estate.

 

Jesus saw our need. He is the Good Samaritan. He is the Good Neighbor. He rescued us from the ditch of sin and death. Then He covered the wounds of our sin by wrapping around us His robe of righteousness, which gives us eternal life. He brought us to safety. Jesus shows what true love is as He took upon Himself our wounds of sin upon the cross to suffer and die, so that we, by faith in Him, would live forever.

 

In Christ alone, we are reconciled. In Christ alone, we are brought back into the Father’s love.

 

And to this, Jesus says to us: “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37b). And these words of Christ remind us just how far we are from the loving, self-sacrificing behaviors the Lord expects. But that is why He became the Good Samaritan for us. He laid down His life, befriended us while we were yet His enemies, and He promises us through His Word and Sacraments full restoration and life everlasting. This is truly radical love! Through the working of the Holy Spirit in the Means of Grace, He helps us to be more like Him as we grow in faith and love toward our neighbor. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 16: "All or Nothing" (James 2:1-10, 14-18)

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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:

“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1).

 

If partiality is your “pet sin” – a sin you rationalize in keeping – today’s Epistle may not be what you wanted to hear. If you’re not sure if partiality is your pet sin, this has been a recurring sin for God’s people from time immemorial. 

 

A few weeks ago, we heard about this sin. Seven hundred years before the incarnation of Christ, “The Lord said: ‘Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me’” (Isaiah 29:13). This sin of partiality remained a problem during Christ’s first coming. For He also said, “Well did Isaiah prophecy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7:6-8).

 

So, what exactly is this sin of partiality? Partiality is favoritism. Typically, it’s never a smart idea to play favorites. Because whenever we play favorites, we are creating competition. You see, playing favorites based on outward appearances is the way of the fallen world. Now, the character and will of God starkly excludes partiality. God is one who condemns such action among people. This lack of partiality of Jesus was known by the Pharisees, even when they were plotting against Him. For they said to Jesus: “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances” (Matthew 22:16).

 

Even if the Pharisees were plotting against Jesus, their summation was true. For Christ never said, “It’s true that you are a sinner, but you are a little sinner compared to that other guy who is a murderer. That murderer is a really bad sinner. I don’t care about small sins.” You see, before God, all sins are damnable. So, if you are guilty of one part, you are guilty of it all. But at the same time, all are also justified freely by God’s grace.

 

The problem is that we are not like God. However, we are to grow up into Him by being made holy through His Word and Sacraments. So, how do we see this sin of partiality in our lives? Well, do you ever feel “split”? Do you ever find yourself trying to rationalize your personal views when they come in conflict with Biblical teachings? Do your Christian convictions only apply to a small part of your life? Sadly, for many Christians, Biblical convictions are rapidly shrinking.

 

What I am about to say may offend you, and if it does, repent and ask Jesus for forgiveness for your sin of partiality. And as it always goes, God’s Law afflicts the comfortable while also God’s forgiveness comforts the afflicted.

 

So, some examples of this sin of partiality are the following:

§  “I know Jesus taught forgiveness, but what if …”

§  “I know abortion is murder, but what about when…”

§  “I know marriage is a union of one man and one woman, but what about…”

§  “I know my Christian convictions should inform my vote, but what if…”

 

Partiality is when a Christian strips the Bible of the things they don’t like, and all that remains is a butchered book of what once was the Bible. Partiality is the Gospel, according to you. Partiality inevitably leads to a religion you’ve invented yourself. 

 

Jesus gave everything of Himself to us, so why do we struggle in remaining loyal to Him? Like God’s people of Isaiah’s time and in the time of Jesus’ ministry, too many Christians only honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him! Our modern world tears us apart as we are taught to separate our lives into independent sectors: education is education, politics is politics, science is science, and on, and on, and on. Our secular society – this fallen world – claims so much as “political,” but most often, it’s not, it’s spiritual. Remember, we are caught in a cosmic battle that we cannot see between good and evil, between God and Satan.

 

We are coerced into becoming partial Christians. And Jesus does not want only a part of us. Jesus doesn’t want split personalities. He doesn’t want us to be a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He wants all of us! In Luke 14, Jesus speaks of this saying, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. … So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26-27, 33).

 

As poor, miserable sinners, we have become partial people. For good or bad, we care how people look, dress, and speak. We even tend to divide people by age and skin pigmentation. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, James teaches us that any partiality has no place in God’s kingdom. Included in this sin of partiality are racism, quotas, and DEI: “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.” 

 

The fallen world convinces us that quotas and DEI are good, but they actually promote the division of people, and as Christians, we should have no part of this. Again, the Holy Spirit inspires James to say, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1).

 

To this sin of partiality, James reminds us of the Second Table of God’s Law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (James 2:8). And if we remember and live by the Ten Commandments, we are doing well. But if we revert into following the world, by showing partiality to our sinful nature, we are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as transgressors (James 2:9).

 

However, this sin of partiality doesn’t just stop here. You see, what is really going on with this sin, like all sins, is a faith issue. James writes, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14). That is a good question. This brings us right back to partiality. Here, we have faith put at odds with works.

 

As I said last week, Satan and his demons certainly believe in Jesus. So, simply saying that you believe in Jesus will not save you. Simply having the knowledge of Jesus does not save. This is what James is speaking about. He is discussing a false understanding of faith. A “faith” that is just mere knowledge – or just a claim – that “faith” has no effect on the person who has it. Faith is no passing matter. I hope this is not your faith! You see, faith itself cannot be seen. Faith is only known by its presence through proper confession and natural works. 

 

So, if a person declares that he has “faith,” but his “works” do not belong to such a faith, that person has no such true faith. So, if a person says, “I am a devout Christian,” and even attends weekly church services, but lives as heathen the rest of the week, is that faith able to save him? Well, what does Jesus say? He says: “You will recognize them by their fruits. … A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16, 18-20).

So, the absence of good works that flow from faith in Christ show that this “faith” is not genuine. This person has a false faith. He has the same faith as that of a demon, who certainly believes in Jesus, but will not cling to Jesus and follow Him.

 

So, without the inescapable evidence – the good works that inevitably emerge and accompany a genuine faith that grasps the Gospel of Christ alone for forgiveness, life, and salvation – then what good is that kind of “faith”? Faith with no evidence is a false, and dead faith. So, never let anyone offer you the comforting lie that such a false and dead faith counts for anything. In fact, in the end, such a dead, good-works-absent “faith” will be of no benefit to you.

 

You see, such a dead “faith” is simply not compatible with our new identity in Christ, which was bestowed on you at the Baptismal font, where, by divine grace, you became a child of God, and a brother or sister of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, a dead, inactive faith disavows the unity of Christ’s living body. Such a false and dead faith cannot stand up to the judgment of God, because once the Law is broken at one point, it is broken in all points.

 

So, how do we, as poor, miserable sinners, protect ourselves from the sin of partiality? How do we become a whole Christian? 

 

Well, we can only become whole through Christ who nourishes us with His Word. As He nourishes us with His holy Word and His blessed Sacraments, we become more like Him as He changes our hearts and our minds. For He is the Vine, and we are the branches and “whoever abides in [Christ] and [He] in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from [Christ we] can do nothing” (John 15:5).

 

It is only through Christ’s nourishment that our faith produces fruits of good works. Through Christ’s Means of Grace, your faith becomes living and active as we actually show our faith through our hearts, mouths, and hands and all in concert. As we grow in faith, we better follow Christ as our pattern of God’s grace and love and mercy to others. Just as Christ showed no partiality, we become like Him in showing no partiality. We look at every human being, even unbelievers, as fellow people who have been purchased by Jesus through His blood shed on the cross. Being forgiven, and with God’s help, we live our lives whole as we cling to Jesus and serve our neighbor in repentance and true faith. So, let us show no partiality as we hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  + SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Advent Midweek 1: "Wake, Awake, the Bridegroom is Coming!" (Matthew 25:1-13)

 

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:

[Intro]

Three days ago, we entered the season of Advent, which is a season of expectation, anticipation, and penitence, as the Church looks back to the past, looks at the now, and looks into the future. We remember how Christ came in our flesh at His first advent, we see Christ now through His Word and Sacraments, and we have the joyful expectation and certain hope of His coming again in our flesh on the Last Day.

The season of Advent is a countdown. Advent receives its significance from what is at the end of the countdown: Christmas.

Today on this first Wednesday in Advent, we will look at what is known as the King of the Lutheran Chorale: “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying.” In this jubilant hymn by Philipp Nicolai, we are introduced to the Advent parable about the countdown to Christ’s second coming in the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

The message of this parable and hymn is not about believers and unbelievers but is rather a warning to the Church here on Earth: Wake, awake!

Through this hymn and parable, Christ prepares us through the warning that He is nearing His Second Coming on the Last Day lest we be excluded from His kingdom. The countdown is nearing its end. He, the Bridegroom, is nearing to bring the faithful – His Bride, the Church – to be united to Him at the great wedding feast.

[Awake, O Church]

Tonight’s sermon hymn “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying” opens with watchmen on the battlements of a castle shouting the midnight cry “Awake, Jerusalem,” just as they would do if the city were being invaded. But this is a joyful shout, for the Bridegroom has arrived, and the wedding can commence.

Now, this is no ordinary wedding, for it is the Church, the new Jerusalem, who is gathered to await the coming of her Lord, to whom she is betrothed. 

“Wake, awake, for night is flying,”
The watchmen on the heights are crying;
    “Awake, Jerusalem, arise!”
Midnight hears the welcome voices
And at the thrilling cry rejoices:
    “Oh, where are ye, ye virgins wise?” 

Even with the loud midnight cry, the virgins are sleeping. Now, these virgins would be like bridesmaids today. In the days of Jesus’ first advent, the couple’s parents would have arranged the marriage. And as the wedding day drew nearer, part of the joy and anticipation included the bridegroom coming to meet his bride. It would be a surprise when he would come. He could come at any moment – in the daytime or even at midnight.

As for the bride, she was to be ready whenever her bridegroom came. So, it was the duty of her bridesmaids — the virgins in our parable — to keep her awake for the time he would arrive.

But “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept” (Matthew 25:5).

Suddenly, at midnight, there was a cry, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6).

So:

 Your lamps with gladness take!
    Alleluia!
With bridal care
Yourselves prepare
To meet the Bridegroom, who is near.

But there is a problem: none of the virgins was prepared. Instead of anticipating the bridegroom’s arrival, they were all asleep. But among them, Jesus teaches us that there is a difference among these virgins. He says that five of them were foolish and five were wise.

So, what makes one foolish and one wise? The foolish did not believe that the bridegroom would arrive in the middle of the night, so they didn’t bring any extra oil for their lamps. The wise believed that the bridegroom could come in the middle of the night, so they were prepared with extra oil for their lamps. But, even more than that, the wise virgins are wise, because they were not afraid to ask for forgiveness as they repented by trimming their lamps. Even when they failed to keep watch, the wise believed and had faith in the bridegroom’s coming. The wise are wise because they repented of their sin.

This parable is a warning to the Church. You see, every virgin in this parable is a Christian – the wise and the fool. 

Although all had fallen asleep, just as all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), the difference among the ten virgins was their faith in the Bridegroom. This faith is represented by the oil or lack of oil. This faith is confidence in God’s promises.

For us this day, I ask you this question: Is Christ actually coming? Yes! He says so! He always keeps His promises! We don’t go by our feelings on when we think He may or may not arrive, since due to our sinful nature, our feelings are flawed. We just trust His Word!

The difference between the virgins was genuine faith in the Bridegroom. You see, half of the virgins trusted in the Bridegroom’s coming, while the other half did not, yet they all claimed to be faithful.

Among Christianity, we have Christians who are true believers in Christ and His promises and we have Christians who claim to belong to God, but they do not trust in Christ.

This can also be illustrated by the doctrine known as the visible and invisible church. The visible church is before our eyes and it contains the marks of the church – Word and Sacrament – as well as true believers and hypocrites. The invisible church is unseen by our eyes as it is only seen by God. Membership in the invisible church is based on faith in Christ alone.

Among the invisible church, these Christians live their lives according to Christ in daily repentance.

You see, faith is not merely something in the head of the believer that is stored away in the brain. No, true faith is a living, pulsating, active thing. A faith that has no works of faith is not actually true faith. So, a person who is lacking in such works and yet lays claim to faith is deluding himself most tragically because “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).

But Christ — the Bridegroom — “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), so just as a father warns his child in order to protect the child from danger, Christ warns us — the church visible and church invisible — that He is coming soon!

[The Church Hears the Call and Rejoices through Repentance]

After the warning —

Zion hears the watchmen singing,
And all her heart with joy is springing;
    She wakes, she rises from her gloom. 

Zion is the Church — the Bride of Christ — and she is awake. She hears the watchmen singing this good news that is so joyous. Upon hearing the joyous call, the wise of the church heeds the call and rejoices! These wise Christians come to repentance, which is an act of this hope!

Meanwhile, the foolish in the church — who lack true faith, by not repenting of their sins — will come to the wise Christians and ask them for help saying, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out” (Matthew 25:8). In response, the wise refuse, since if they do help the fools, it may become too late for the wise to enter the banquet hall with the Bridegroom, and they would not share in the joys of the wedding festivities.

The Bridegroom eventually arrives and the wise enter with Him to the marriage feast.

Now come, Thou Blessèd One,
Lord Jesus, God’s own Son,
    Hail! Hosanna!
We enter all
The wedding hall
To eat the Supper at Thy call.

“And the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10). In the spiritual truth our Lord teaches here, He pictures the happy lot of all the true Christians — those of the invisible Church. They will be ready when He, the Bridegroom returns to earth “with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). For while they were eagerly waiting for Jesus to bring them to Himself, they kept watch. But how could they have kept watch by being asleep?

Like the foolish virgins, the wise virgins are sinners – like you and me – so they did not deserve to enter the marriage feast any more than the foolish virgins. But again, there is a difference. In this parable, Jesus is teaching us about His coming on the Last Day – the Day of Judgement – when the Bridegroom will return and call the faithful, repentant believers to the eternal marriage feast.

You see, we keep watch by feeding the oil of our faith through the proclamation of His Word and His Sacrament as He comes to us now! The foolish virgins prove that faith can be lost. So, faith requires constant replenishment. It is through constant replenishment — through His Means of Grace — that God keeps us with Himself.

Look at it this way: how do we keep ourselves from starving to death? We eat! Likewise, faith cannot survive without the Word and Sacraments. So, without God’s Word and His Sacrament, our faith will dry up and die. But with God’s Word and Sacrament, it won’t! True faith in Christ cannot burn out as long as it is strengthened by God’s Word and His Sacrament!

Even with all the words of warning, the foolish still cling to the idea that somehow Jesus will on the Last Day open heaven’s doors to them, even through they are unrepentant hypocrites. To them, Jesus says to them, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12).

But for all true repentant believers who confessed their sins to God the Father, received His forgiveness through faith in Christ and received His Means of Grace in Word and Sacrament, Christ will say: “I know you! The door is open! Enter now the wedding hall!”

[The Church Sings Eternally as the Bride of Christ]

Upon entering the marriage feast, the Bride of Christ begins singing:

Now let all the heav’ns adore Thee,
Let saints and angels sing before Thee
    With harp and cymbals’ clearest tone.
Of one pearl each shining portal,
Where, joining with the choir immortal,
    We gather round Thy radiant throne.
No eye has seen the light,
No ear has heard the might
    Of Thy glory;
Therefore will we
Eternally
Sing hymns of praise and joy to Thee! 

In the meantime, we watch, for we know neither the day nor the hour. We watch knowing that the Bridegroom is coming. We need not fear that day, for we are filled with Christ, made holy, forgiven, redeemed, prepared for just that day. And while we know right now that we are His holy Bride, we receive this day a foretaste of this marriage feast to come. Even so, the Church says to its Bridegroom, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.” The countdown is nearing its end, so wake, awake, the Bridegroom is coming! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T