"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 +

"Set Free" (John 8:31-36)

Listen to the Sounding the Scriptures POPcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

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 the Jews who had believe in Him, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

 

Today, the one holy Christian and apostolic Church observes Reformation Day. We set today apart, or in particular October 31, as we remember how the triune God inspired an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther to bring His Church back to its roots, the source – the very Word of God in teaching the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ so that we would be set free from sin, death and the devil.

 

But prior to the Lutheran Reformation, most people had no clue that anything was wrong with the Church. The people just did as the Church told them. Normally, this kind of faith would be admired, but not when the Church is corrupt. You see, at this time, the Roman Church had become hopelessly corrupt. It was so corrupt spiritually as hardly anyone was being taught or could even recite the Ten Commandments, the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer and yet, the Roman Church still called them Christians. They didn’t know the basics of the faith. On top of this, the Roman Church was fiscally corrupt as it funded the construction of the new Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome through indulgences, which through the pope’s authority would “supposedly” shorten temporal punishment in purgatory still due for sins.

 

There were so many problems. The Roman Church was certainly corrupt. And the people were enslaved to this corruption. 

 

The people back then likely did not hear much about today’s text but they surely knew of the Church’s traditions.

 

Now, in today’s text, Jesus is addressing those who believe, and yet, they do not believe. To be sure, Jesus is speaking today to people who were willing to listen to Him, but they did not quite trust Him. You could say, they had a belief in Jesus that was superficial.

 

We hear about this elsewhere in the Gospels, of those many who desired to crown Jesus as their king, but very shortly, they just walked away. We hear about this vividly in the Parable of the Sower. There, Jesus described those on the rocky soil as those who, “when they hear the Word, [they] receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away” (Luke 8:13).

 

There is certainly some faith there, but it was superficial, so when any stress comes upon them from the world, they walk away. This was the fact of many who could confess Jesus as their Lord privately, but they wouldn’t dare confess Jesus as Lord publicly out of fear of being put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). 

 

So, why the fear? Well, it’s because they needed to be set free!

 

The problem is that the hearers don’t realize that they need to be set free. They think everything is just hunky dory. 

 

So, Jesus says to them: “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). To this, the hearers respond: “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” (John 8:33).

 

Apparently, these Jews needed a lesson in their own history as a people. They have been enslaved by so many civilizations: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Syria. Even at that present time, they were subjects of Rome. So, from all outward appearances, they were far from being free. In fact, one of the ideas for the promised Messiah was to be a mighty warrior so the Jews would have control of their land. So, this idea that the Jewish people were never enslaved was very far-fetched.

 

Plus, just a relationship to Abraham will not save anyone. Abraham was saved by His faith in the one true God. He wasn’t saved by his blood type or by who he knew. He was saved purely by God’s grace through His faith in Him.

 

But Jesus goes deeper than just outward appearances. Jesus is never just at surface level. Jesus is never satisfied with just talking about the symptoms. You see, Jesus always gets to the root causes. He gets to the problem.

 

Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the Son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36).

All people need to be set free from slavery. And this slavery is the bondage to sin. Just before today’s text, Jesus said: “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). Jesus followed this up with: “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).

 

Like the Jews then, we too, often believe that we are not enslaved. And what does it mean to be enslaved? Well, to be a slave is to be totally under the control of another and is not able to free oneself. Sin is akin to an addiction. We sin and keep on sinning. Sin entices us. It’s that forbidden fruit that feels so good to bite, but it leaves us with nothing. Sin causes us to lust at others who are not your spouse, but ends up with committing adultery with them in your heart. Sin causes us to lose our tempers; to hold grudges; to harbor resentment. Sin causes us to gossip and listen to rumors; to take pleasure in talking about the faults of your neighbor.

 

Today’s world does not like to admit that it is enslaved. Even, we Christians, God’s own dear children, can find ourselves living and acting as though we were still in chains – not free to be for God or for others what He has set us free to be.

 

So, what is going on here? What is this slavery?

 

Well, it’s a slavery of the ears. It is caused by listening. But listening to the wrong voices and to the wrong message. The Jews back then were listening to anything, anything other than Jesus’ own words. Jesus said, “Abide in My Word,” but they would have none of that. They didn’t want to accept all of His teaching and remain faithful to His Word. No way!

 

But it is Christ’s Word that sets us free! He sets us free from the slavery to other voices, so that we can listen to Him! 

 

Earlier in John 8, the Pharisees asked Jesus: “Who are you?” (John 8:25). Who is this Jesus? “Before Abraham was, I am,” He says (John 8:58). Jesus is the perfect Son of the Father, from eternity, fully and completely God and man.

 

As the perfect Son, Jesus obeys the Father. He carries out the Father’s will as no one else ever had, and as no one ever could. He completes the work. He even puts the stamp on completion by saying: “It is finished” (John 19:30).

 

The only way for sinners to be released from our bondage to sin and its penalty, which is eternal death, is to be united by faith in Jesus Christ, who in His death and bodily resurrection provides deliverance. Christ died so that we would live and live forever by faith in Him! 

 

Having died to sin in Christ, sin is no longer our master. Instead, we become free to be servants of God and of His righteousness. So, listen to the voice of Jesus and be set free! 

 

Back then, the Jews just would not listen. They stopped their ears. For you and me, on this Reformation Day, listen to Jesus’ voice and be set free from slavery to sin.

 

Jesus, who is Truth incarnate, set us free as He willingly laid down His life for you and me. Upon His crucifixion on the cross, Jesus set us free from our slavery to sin, so that we could live forever by repentance and faith in Him!

 

Despite our filthy sin, Jesus is greater than all sin. He died for you. He rose for you. He ascended for you. He declares that you are His. He died, so that all who cling to Him would live forever!

 

Jesus died and rose, so that we can always turn to Him in our times of need: when we lust, lose our tempers, hold grudges, gossip, or any other kind of sin. So, when the fallen world, our sinful nature, and the devil tell us to pursue sin that flows from our desires, listen to Jesus. Turn from that sin and turn to Him.

 

Jesus says you belong to Him. And since you belong to Him, He promises to always protect you, so that you are free to serve Him.

 

Here in the Divine Service, Jesus declares us free as He releases us from slavery to sin. Here, we listen to Jesus’ liberating words of our absolution. Here is where yours and my faith is strengthened through Christ’s body and blood given to us which forgives our sins as He leads us to resist slavery to sin.

 

Jesus has set us free! Through His death, we are free from slavery to sin, death, and the devil. Through His death, He declared us sons and daughters of God! So, let us abide in His Word! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"The Source of Eternal Salvation" (Hebrews 5:7-9)

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In Jesus’ Name. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9).

 

What is it that we are gathered here tonight to celebrate – the death of an innocent man? Is that truly a cause for celebration? Is it that the Lord knows what we go through because He has tasted the bitterness of extreme suffering and death? Why are we here tonight?

 

The reading of the Passion tells us the facts of tonight, but it is tonight’s epistle that opens our eyes to see what these facts mean. These are the facts: Jesus of Nazareth is nailed to a wooden cross. He suffers. He lacks breath. He speaks, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He dies. What makes Good Friday, good? What is there to celebrate? Why should there be any joy in the death of Jesus?

 

To this question, the Book of Hebrews gives us the answer: “[Jesus] was heard because of His reverence. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:7-9).

 

If we want to truly understand what Good Friday meant to Jesus, it is “reverent submission.” Jesus is clear that the events of Good Friday came to Him from His Father. He received the gifts His Father gave, even the gift of suffering and the gift of death. As He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will”(Matthew 26:39). 

 

Now, Jesus is fully and completely God, but even as God, He learned as He became fully man. He learned obedience from what He suffered. And what does God require of all of us? He requires obedience. He requires the obedience that we refuse to render.

 

God loves you. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son so that you could have eternal life by faith in Him. Jesus came in human flesh so that He would be the Man who would be man enough to be obedient to God the Father.

 

The eternal Son of God took on our human flesh knowing that He would suffer and die for all of humanity. He took on our human flesh knowing that the only way for mankind to be reconciled to God was through the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins. So, Jesus said to His Father: “Your will be done.”

 

Tonight is a day of celebration, because God provided us Jesus as our substitute, who was perfectly obedient to God the Father, even through extreme agony. So, all of the obedience we have failed to render to God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ goes forth to render on behalf of all – for you, for me.

 

As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the darkness of the world’s sin wrapped around Him and the horror of the world’s damnation washed over Him, but He remained completely attuned and perfectly submissive to His Father’s holy will for us. Jesus learned the full cost of that obedience, carrying it beyond anyone else has ever taken. “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). And “being made perfect” through the cross and tomb, He “became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9). The high priests of old had to offer sacrifices year after year, but Jesus, the Great High Priest, His blood “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

 

But is there a caveat here? Salvation is only for those who obey Jesus? Yes. But you and I are poor, miserable sinners. How do we obey Jesus? Well, we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him and “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 3:23). Faith is obedience to God and is worked in us by God’s grace through His Means of Grace – Word and Sacrament. Just as our faith is not our doing, but God’s. So is how we obey. We learn to obey as God’s gift through the Holy Spirit so that we can live with God and for God through faith’s obedience.

 

This is the joy of Good Friday. God has given us the source of salvation – the only source of salvation – and that is faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s gift of salvation for you! Through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in you, you know that your sins have been completely paid for on the cross of Jesus, that your death has been destroyed in His dying, and that you will pass with your Lord through the gate of death to a joyful resurrection. 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 Good Friday: "Experiencing Death - For You!" (Isaiah 52:12-53:12)

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:

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

 

On Good Friday, we deal with death up close. We stand not beside a casket of a parent, grandparent, child, or another family member; we stand at the foot of the cross of Christ. Tonight, we experience the reality of death, His death. We realize that death does come close. Death comes close to each of us. Death is our enemy. 

 

Death would be cold and dark and empty, except that Jesus has come close to us and has faced death for us. His death changes our experience of death. Now, we stand before His cross and feel the impact of His love for us as He experienced death up close.

 

We are not immune to death. To live in this fallen world, we must face death. Death can be frightening. Sometimes death invades our lives with blazing speed. Sometimes death is slow and relentless as it stalks its target.

 

Death comes in many ways, but death still comes. It doesn’t always seem fair. Death can surprise and shock. Death can pierce like a knife. To be human after the Fall is to live a life that is fragile. Death comes close to us. And death would indeed leave us terrorized and empty, except for what took place today nearly 2,000 years ago. We call today Good Friday, because it was this day that Jesus experienced death – for us.

 

In this evening’s Old Testament lesson from Isaiah, the prophet paints a poetic picture of what Good Friday would be. Isaiah describes the Savior – the Suffering Servant – who would stand in our place and experience death up close. For fallen humanity, death is justice. Death is the verdict that fits the crime. We have disobeyed God’s commands through our thoughts, our speech, and our actions, and thus, we deserve the punishment that fits the crime: death. But for us and for our salvation, the Suffering Servant comes near. 

 

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief … surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows … He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities … the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all … He was cut off out of the land of the living … and made His grave with the wicked” (Isaiah 53:3-9).

 

What a comfort it is that when we face danger, we have the Savior who seeks to come near! 

 

The greatest miracle of Jesus was His Incarnation. It was when God became man – Emmanuel. On Christmas, we rejoice at how much God the Father loves His creation, as God was born in human flesh. But the power of the Incarnation is not just that God became man to join us in this fallen world. No, the power of the Incarnation was so He would also join us in death. Jesus is no distant God, viewing our world from a heavenly palace. No, Jesus comes to be close to the pain. He comes to walk with us in our sorrow. He comes to carry us in our infirmities. He comes to be near to us in all that causes us heartache. He comes to be rejected by His own people as He suffers as an outcast. He comes to face it all with us.

 

The Suffering Servant knows death up close. He felt the bite of death. He winced at the piercing of the nails through His flesh and bones. He endured the taunting of the crowd and the unjust accusations. He didn’t simply view death from a casual distance. He was no simple spectator. He joined Himself to us and absorbed the blows of the hammer that should have been ours. In His death, He carried our sorrows. He came to the scene of our guilt. He stretched out His hands to receive our sin. He looked death in the eye. He left nothing undone. He said, “Tetelestai”: “It is finished” (John 19:30a). He tasted death. He “bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30b). He died.

 

At the moment of His death, all was accomplished: The obligation paid. He closed the book on our failure. The debt was settled.

 

Tonight, we stand at the foot of the cross to view Christ the Crucified, our Savior. We experience death up close – the death of our Suffering Servant. But something has changed. In fact, because of Jesus, everything has changed. By grace through faith in Jesus, we can now look into the eyes of death and no longer see a conquering Satan but an enemy who is conquered. We can now see through the eyes of faith. Tonight is a sad day, but tonight is also a great day. Today is Good Friday. Today is the day of salvation! Salvation was won for you on Good Friday! 

 

Through Christ’s death, we can now find hope in sorrow. We have the Suffering Servant who experienced death – for you! 

 

As we experience death, it is great knowing that for those in Christ, you and me, death is not the end, but only serves as the portal to eternal life. Even in our pain and suffering, Jesus is near. In those moments, Jesus is bringing that peace that passes all human understanding. In Jesus Name. 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 the Transfiguration of Our Lord: "Transforming Us Into the Image of God" (2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6)

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 we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

 

Today, we celebrate the Transfiguration of Our Lord, and we remember how Peter, James, and John were given a glimpse of Christ’s unveiled glory upon the Mount of Transfiguration. But it is the Apostle Paul who will help us understand what truly took place upon that mountaintop. Essentially, it was the lesser – the Law – giving away to the greater – the Gospel. It is through this experience that we too are transformed into the image of God.

 

As great as the Old Covenant was, it was meant to only be temporary. The Old Covenant as revealed in the Old Testament Torah and the Prophets was never to be an end in themselves, but merely served God’s people as a guardian until the Messiah would come.

 

Well, that time has come! So, upon the Mount of Transfiguration, we see Moses and Elijah passing the torch to Jesus. The time of Moses and Elijah had passed. They served as types of the coming Messiah. They served to prepare us for the coming Messiah. There atop the mountain, Moses and Elijah, who represent the Old Covenant, which cannot save, point us to Jesus, who is the promised Savior.

 

Now, the Old Covenant also came with glory, as we heard about Moses’ shining face in our Old Testament lesson, but that glory was only “reflected” glory. Here, in our epistle, Paul compares that glory to a fading glory, because Moses’ glowing face would come to an end, so, “Moses … would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end” (2 Corinthians 3:13).

 

This is teaching us that the Law cannot save us. For the Law can only show us our sin and our need for something more permanent. Even if we kept the Torah, we would never reach the perfection God demands. In fact, in Galatians 3, Paul reminds us that the Law of Moses only had a teaching function. The Law of Moses was to only serve as a guardian instructing Israel on how sins would be truly atoned. So, with each animal that was sacrificed, Israel was being taught that without the shedding of blood, there could be no atonement. With every Passover celebration, Israel would be taught to look to the “Lamb of God,” who would once and for all take away the sins of the world.

 

That was the Old Covenant. It was glorious, but it was also veiled, and it was intended to fade away.

 

Sadly, many have never seen beyond that Old Covenant. So, a veil remains. 

 

For the Jews of Paul’s day through today, a veil remains. Each Sabbath day, they hear a public reading of the Law of Moses – and they hear it the same way as the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai heard it. They view the Law of Moses as the final word, the cure-all and end-all. They fail to see that it is only temporary. They have rejected Jesus as the Christ, for only in Christ is the veil taken away. 

 

But this veil is not just over the hearts of the Jews, this veil is over all who have not yet been enlightened by the Gospel. We all know family, friends, and neighbors who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. For many of our unbelieving friends and neighbors, it is actually “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) that has blinded their minds from seeing the light of Christ. It is the devil himself, who holds the veil over the hearts of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel.

 

By our own reason and strength, we cannot remove this veil. This veil is only removed when the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us through Word and Sacrament as He “calls, gathers, enlightens … in the one true faith.” Otherwise, we miss seeing the One who is behind the veil: Jesus Christ on every page in Scripture, Jesus absolving your sins, and Jesus under the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper!

 

It is only through the Holy Spirit’s work in us that we are able to recognize Jesus for who He truly is.

 

Paul and the Church at Corinth have true hope in the Gospel. God had indeed chosen them in Christ just as He has chosen you. 

And yet, this veil remains for many. This veil remains because of our sinful condition, since we came into this world turned from God, due to original sin. It is because of sin that this veil has kept many in Israel from receiving Jesus and it is because of this veil that many refuse to enter a church building. Remember, “[Christ] came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:11-13).

 

God became man with the purpose of being glorified. Not through the glory atop the Mount of Transfiguration, but glorified by being lifted up on the cross. As Jesus was lifted up, the Old Covenant was being fulfilled. Through Jesus’ shed blood, the veil was lifted. As Jesus draws His dying breath, He cries out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The veil is not only being lifted, but it is also being torn from top to bottom.

 

As soon as God died on the cross, many were brought to repentance, but this conversion was only by the grace of God. As the veil is shredded, we can now see Jesus for who He truly is: our Savior from the Law, our Savior from sin, death, and the devil.

 

Through the power of Holy Spirit and His dwelling in us, it is not just Jesus who is transformed, but also you and me. By God’s grace, we have unveiled faces, so we reflect the glory of Christ as the Gospel dwells in us. The Law of Moses could never produce such a change, because we cannot keep it perfectly. But the Gospel can, because the Gospel is all about Jesus and what He accomplished for us on the cross!

 

At the Fall, we lost the image of God. But through Christ’s atoning death and His glorious resurrection, we are gradually being transformed back into the image and likeness of God. Through the Holy Spirit, the veil of spiritual dullness and misunderstanding has been removed. So, as believers in Christ, we are in the same sense like Moses at Mount Sinai. So, the glory of God shines on us directly. But we have something more than Moses, for we have the glory of the New Covenant, the gospel of forgiveness and freedom and life. “For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:16).

 

The message of the Gospel produces a metamorphosis in Christians. This is a daily transformation, which the message of the Old Covenant, the Law, could never do. This daily transformation comes from the New Covenant, the Gospel, for which we receive in Word and Sacrament, God’s Means of Grace.

 

Now, this daily transformation will not be complete until we either die in Christ or Christ returns in glory on the Last Day – whichever comes first.

 

Until that Day, the Holy Spirit continues His transforming, His transfiguring work, in us as we continue to hear the Word and receive the Sacraments.

 

As we grow in our transformation into the lost image of God, we fear, love, and trust in God above all things; we gladly hear, learn and take to heart the preaching of the Gospel and in Bible studies; we partake of His gifts; we love our neighbor as ourselves; and simply confess Christ when and where God gives us the opportunity.

 

We, as baptized believers in Christ, are those whom the Holy Spirit has lifted the veil, so we can become bold confessors of the New Covenant, like Paul, for God said, “Let light shine out of the darkness” (2 Corinthians 4:6) for Christ has “called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). 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 Christmas Eve: "No Room in the Inn" (Luke 2:1-20)

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 also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:4-7).

 

When we think of Christmas, it’s easy to think of miracles. Angels make special appearances to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and to shepherds in a field.

 

Then there are miracles that don’t appear to be miracles. From what seems to be a typical government ordeal turns out to be arranged by God Himself. Remember, Mary and Joseph did not live in Bethlehem; they lived some 80 miles away in Nazareth. But they had to return to their ancestorial hometown to be registered for the census. And it was the Prophet Micah who prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

 

Of course, the greatest miracle of miracles is how God became man: Emmanuel, God with us! This Child was born of a virgin. This Child born is none other than the eternal God.

 

And no event in human history has been so celebrated in word and song than that of the birth of Jesus Christ! As the world celebrates “Happy Holidays,” we know what holiday is being celebrated. Yes, Hanukkah and Kwanza are among these days, but Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday and Kwanza is a made-up American day. The real holiday is Christmas, for which we remember the birth of the Savior from our sins.

 

But as it was then on this night in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago, there was no fanfare. The Savior had been born and there was no parade. There was no festival. There was no room. A census was being taken, so there was a great influx of people into Bethlehem, and Bethlehem was not exactly a large town. It was a small town with no surplus of lodging available to visitors. 

So, it would not be surprising that Mary and Joseph had difficulty in getting a room for they were not alone in losing out in supply and demand.

 

What is truly astonishing is that the Almighty God would choose such circumstances for the birth of the Messiah. The Savior of the world is to be born, the One who came to take upon Himself the guilt and sin of the entire world, the One who came to conquer death and open the gates of heaven to all who would cling to Him. How could there be no room?

 

This Child is the Creator of heaven and earth. He created all things. He is the One who gives breath to all, food to all who eat. How can this Child be born in a manger, a feeding trough, as His crib? This is just wrong that God would be received by His own creation in such a way. How can there be no room for Him?

 

There is no room in Bethlehem for the Creator of the world and true King of Israel. But what happened in Bethlehem on the night of His birth would become the theme for His earthly life. When the Magi would later arrive with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and worshipped Him, Mary and Joseph found a place for their small family in a house in Bethlehem. But shortly after the Magi left, the wrath of Herod the Great made it clear again that there was no room in Bethlehem for this holy Child. So, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to protect their Son from Herod’s murdering soldiers. Again, there was no room for Jesus in Bethlehem.

 

After some time in Egypt, the Holy Family returned to Nazareth, where Jesus would grow up. Now that Jesus is in Nazareth, there must be room for Him there! One Sabbath at the Nazareth synagogue, Jesus was given the scroll of Isaiah. But when He proclaimed to the people of Nazareth the precious news of the Gospel, when He said that the promised Savior had come “to bring good news to the poor” (Isaiah 61:1), what did they do? They rejected Him. They rose up and drove Him out of Nazareth and tried to throw Him off a cliff. So, there was no room for Jesus in Nazareth.

 

From here, Jesus went north to Capernaum. While living there, He crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gadarenes. There, Jesus cast out demons from two possessed men and sent them into a herd of pigs. When the demons were cast into the herd of pigs, they all rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. When the people heard about this, they came to Jesus and begged Him to leave (Matthew 8:28-34). So, there was no room for Jesus among the Gedarenes.

 

Later, on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through Samaria. He sent messengers ahead to find a place to stay, but the people of Samaria made it clear that they didn’t want Jesus there. Jesus said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). So, there was no room for Jesus in Samaria.

 

Next, we come to Palm Sunday. The crowds came out to meet Jesus. Men, women, and children sang the praises of “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9). They were welcoming Jesus as their King! But by the end of the week, the crowds were shouting something quite different, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” (John 19:6). Now they were crying out to Pontius Pilate against Jesus. And rather than see Jesus let go, they demanded the freedom of Barabbas, who was a murderer, a robber, and an insurrectionist. There was no room for Jesus in Jerusalem.

 

Now, Pilate wanted to let Jesus go as he insisted that he had found no guilt in Jesus. But to show the sheer strength of the Roman Empire, Pilate, despite finding no guilt, would still whip Jesus. And in order to keep his position safe, Pilate released Barabbas and Jesus would be crucified. No room for Jesus on earth.

 

As Jesus is nailed to a cross, He is wracked by pain, thirst, and insults. Then it goes from horrible to worse. Jesus cries out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me” (Matthew 27:46). God the Father pours out His righteous anger on Jesus, the One who has come to bear the sin and the guilt of the world. Jesus would face the punishment for all the sins of every man, woman, and child who would ever live. God the Father punishes Jesus, who knew no sin, for the sins of all the world. Jesus dies for you and me on that cross. He is abandoned by God the Father.

 

There is no room for Jesus. It all began in Bethlehem, and it continued all the way through His earthly life until He died on the cross. Why? Why did it have to be this way? 

 

This was the only way. This was the only way that you and me could be saved from the power of sin, death, hell, and Satan. Christ took our place in what should have been our death, because of our sin. Christ was obedient, even to the point of death. Christ was obedient, honest, and truthful where we are not. He took upon Himself our sin and suffered for it. He was rejected and despised so that our Father in heaven could look at you and say, “You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.”

Because there was no room for Jesus in Bethlehem, in Nazareth, in Samaria, in Jerusalem, there is now room for you. There is always room in the Church for you. No matter your past, no matter how you have failed, there is room here for you. No matter how long you have strayed from Jesus, no matter how greatly you have sinned against God, there is room for you here. And there will always be room here. For this place is the hospital for sinners that is doctored by the Great Physician Jesus, who not only died, but rose from the dead, and lives and reigns to this day. It is He who gives us His medicine of immortality in His Means of Grace: His Word and Sacrament.

 

So, how sad it is when not all humanity is open to Jesus. How tragic it is that so many say that they have no room for Jesus in their lives.

 

Even in the celebration of His birth, Jesus is crowded out to make room for reindeer, snowmen, and Christmas songs that have nothing to do with Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this evening. More and more there is no room for Jesus in our lives.

 

May it never be so with us! May we be willing to lose every secular and cultural attachment to this holiday if only we keep the baby Jesus. Let them take our trees, let them take our presents, let them take our snowmen as long as we can keep Christ, the Lord, born to the virgin Mary in Bethlehem to be the Savior of the world.

 

So, may there always be room in our hearts for this Christ Child who brings salvation and life to all who cling to Him. May the Holy Spirit so work in us that we always belong to Christ. Let us join the angelic choirs to praise Him not just this evening, but at every Divine Service and every day of our life, for He freely gives us forgiveness, life, and salvation and all by grace through faith in Him! 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 +