Isaiah – Confident.Faith

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord. Although the feast of Epiphany commemorates no particular, concrete event, it is one of the most important days in the liturgical calendar — one of the principal feasts. On Epiphany, we remember that the God who became man in Bethlehem — that the Babe in the manger — needed present no proof that He was true man, but that He did indeed need to prove that He was true God. He did this superabundantly with the manifestations of the Trinity and the signs, wonders, and miracles that dot the pages of the New Testament record. In the Western Church tradition, Epiphany has become associated with the visit of the Magi, and this is fitting, for the Magi represent all the nations that were brought into the New Covenant through Christ — the true epiphany being the revelation of Christ as Lord, God, Savior, and King.

Today we commemorate J. K. Wilhelm Löhe, Pastor. Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe served as the pastor of Neuendettelsau in the Bavarian Alps in the 1800s. Although he never left Germany, Löhe had a significant impact on Lutheranism in North America. Recognizing the need for Church workers, Löhe assisted in the training of missionary pastors to be sent to the New World and Australia. A number of the men sent by Löhe would become founders of what is today the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (the LCMS). It was also due in part to Löhe’s financial backing that a theological school in Fort Wayne, IN, and a teachers’ institute in Saginaw, MI, were established. Löhe is widely recognized and fondly remembered for his confessional integrity and his dedication to Christian charity.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus. Per tradition, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day and given the name “Jesus” as the angel had proclaimed. Under the Old Covenant, circumcision brought the benefits of forgiveness of sins, justification, and incorporation into the people of God. Under the New Covenant, circumcision is no longer necessary or effective; it has been replaced by Baptism, which is called, by St. Paul, a “circumcision made without hands” and “the circumcision of Christ”.

Today we commemorate David. David was the greatest of the kings of OT Israel, and ruled from about 1010 to 970 BC. Although David’s private conduct showed a mixture of good and bad, it was his fierce loyalty to God that defined his life and his reign. Under David, God fulfilled many of the promises to OT Israel, notably uniting Israel into a single nation with its capital at Jerusalem. Of course, God’s greatest promise would be fulfilled through the promised King — Christ, our Lord.