Reflections

Daily Lectionary: Job 3:11-26; John 1:35-51

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord, (The Small Catechism: The Creed, Second Article, Part 1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Merry Christmas! You can’t say it any simpler than that. True God. True man. Is Jesus God? Yes! Is Jesus a man? Yes! Well, which is He, God or man? Yes!

God’s being a baby and growing into a man just doesn’t square with our notions of what God is like or should do. People think of the “Supreme Being” as “outside of time” and “present everywhere” and all sorts of other really awesome things. What people mostly DON’T think of when they hear “God” is “baby.”

After all, a baby in a manger doesn’t look particularly God-like. A baby in a manger looks kind of weak and harmless. And that’s a foreshadowing. When that Baby grew up and was nailed to the tree, He really, really didn’t look like God! He really, really looked weak and helpless and sad and pathetic!

And there is the mystery of the Christian faith, that on Calvary, God being most God (remember, Yahweh saving us) looks least like God. At least to our notions of God. Weak. Bleeding. Mocked. Sad. Thirsty. Dying. Dead. That’s God?

Indeed. Because God is all about one thing: saving you from your sins. That’s why He becomes man. True God. True man. Both in one Person, Jesus Christ. To do what? Save sinners. Save you. Die and rise for you. Wash, teach, and feed you. That’s what makes this Jesus, true God and true man, your Lord.

This is why we confess the Apostles (and Nicene and Athanasian) Creed. It’s our constant reminder of just who this Jesus is. We confess what He Himself has taught us. He is God and man. And that means He’s our Lord and Savior from sin. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Let the earth now praise the Lord, Who has truly kept His word And at last to us did send Christ, the sinner’s help and friend. (Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord, LSB 352:1)

Today’s Reading: Romans 8:18-23

Daily Lectionary: Job 2:1-3:10; John 1:19-34

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:22-23)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Time for a quick science lesson on the Second Law of Thermodynamics, also known as entropy. In a closed system, such as earth, everything is subject to heat, death, decay, and destruction. Although St. Paul didn’t use this technical jargon, he’s saying what scientists have observed for centuries: Creation is groaning.

Every earthquake, hurricane, tornado, typhoon, tsunami, or natural disaster is a reminder that creation is also subject to sin and the Fall. Creation is broken and so are we.

Adam sinned. Adam died. That’s the pattern of our lives east of Eden: sin and death. By Adam’s disobedience all were made sinners. And so we groan with creation. We long for rescue. We eagerly wait for adoption as sons.

But where Adam failed—and where we fail—there is One who succeeds: Jesus. Just as Adam’s disobedience led to condemnation, so Jesus’ act of righteousness leads to justification for all men. Adam disobeyed. We disobey. Adam sinned. We’re sinners, too. Christ obeys, and by His obedience we are made righteous.

Our hope isn’t in Old Adam, but in a New Adam. Our hope isn’t in a fallen creation, but a New Creation. Our hope isn’t found in the periodic table or scientific method, but in the historical facts of Jesus’ physical death and resurrection for us.

Even as you wait, eagerly groaning with creation, for the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting, redemption is already yours. Your adoption papers are in, signed and sealed by Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Baptism, Jesus, your New Adam, has made you a new creation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Come, Jesus, come, Messiah Lord, Lost Paradise restore; Lead past the angel’s flaming sword—Come open heaven’s door. (What Hope! An Eden Prophesied, LSB 342:4)

Today’s Reading: Jonah 1:1-17

Daily Lectionary: Job 1:1-22; John 1:1-18

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Word of the Lord came to Jonah. And Jonah ran the other way. The Lord said, “Arise, go to Nineveh.” And Jonah rose to flee the Lord’s presence. Jonah even tried hiding in the cargo hold of a ship. But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea. Jonah couldn’t hide. He was hurled overboard. The sea was calm. The men on board worshiped the Lord. And Jonah was in the belly of a great fish.

In Jonah we see both our sin and our Savior. We’re a lot like Jonah. The Word of the Lord says, “Love the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” And we go and do the opposite. We love ourselves, just like Jonah. We run away from the Lord’s Word, just like Jonah. Why? Because we’re sinners just like Jonah. And sinners don’t need a little rehab, a spiritual make-over, or a little remodeling. Sinners need to die and rise.

And that’s exactly what happened to Jonah in that great fish. He was buried in the water and the fish spat him out. Death and resurrection. The same is true for you. Your rebellious, self-serving, self-righteous sins and death are buried in water. Christ hurls His mighty wind of the Holy Spirit upon you, throws you into the sea of Baptism, and drowns your old sinful flesh. Like the great fish, Jesus (like the Greek acronym, Icthus) swallows your sin and death and spits you out of the font, alive and well.

For Jesus is your Greater Jonah. Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man was three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. And behold, someone greater than Jonah is here for you. Jesus, the Word of the Lord in human flesh, comes for you in the font, the altar, and the pulpit, bringing His death and resurrection for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

All the earth with joy is sounding: Christ has risen from the dead! He, the greater Jonah, bounding From the grave, His three-day bed, Wins the prize: Death’s demise—Songs of triumph fill the skies. (All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding, LSB 462:1)

Today’s Reading: Matthew 8:23-27

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 14:1-21; Titus 2:7-3:15

And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” (Matthew 8:25)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The disciples were right. They were perishing. But the storm-tossed boat wasn’t the only thing sinking. Their faith was being swamped by panic, doubt, and despair.

“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Jesus’ words to His disciples reveal the same sin in them that we see in ourselves. We do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Like the disciples, times of distress cause us to doubt Christ’s promises, despair of His grace—or worse yet—doubt that He is with us just as He was with the disciples. So Jesus rebukes the disciples’ sin and then He rebukes the wind and waves. He rebukes our sin, and then He calms our distressing, doubtful, despairing hearts with the same Word.

Do not be afraid of the world, no matter how ugly and wicked it gets. “I have overcome the world,” says Jesus. Do not be afraid of the devil’s fiery darts of temptation. Every one of them is quenched by the liquid shield of your Baptism. And the devil is defeated, crushed, and conquered in My death for you. Do not be afraid of your own sinful flesh. “For behold, I make all things new.”

With the same Word which He used to rebuke the wind and waves, Jesus says, “It is finished.” Your sin is rebuked. It’s gone. And your death, too. It’s all paid for in Jesus. You have nothing to fear. With that same marvelous Word, Jesus replaces your doubt and despair with the gift of faith and joy in Him. Who is this that even sin and death obey? It is Jesus, the great Captain of your salvation who went down with the ship to save you. And you are anchored firmly to His cross forever by water, Word, Body and Blood. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Praise the One who breaks the darkness With a liberating light; Praise the One who frees the pris’ners Turning blindness into sight. Praise the One who preached the Gospel, Healing ev’ry dread disease, Calming storms and feeding thousands With the very Bread of peace. (Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness, LSB 849:1)

Today’s Reading: Luke 2:22-40

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 12:1-13:9; Titus 1:1-2:6

Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:22-24)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Let’s get one thing straight. If there is one man who doesn’t have to do what the Law says, it’s Jesus. He made the Law. He wrote it on the stone tablets. He is perfect and holy and sinless. If there’s one Man who doesn’t need to offer a sacrifice after his birth, it’s Jesus. So why do His parents do this? Why is Jesus treated as if He’s under the Law? Why does He have to be presented to the Lord? Because He has come to put Himself under the Law―to make it apply to Him just as it applies to you. But the difference between Him and you is that He is going to keep that Law. Fulfill it. Do it. Never break it. And then He’s going to give that law-keeping to you.

In the Old Testament, the firstborn child had to be redeemed, “bought back” with a sacrifice. This was a reminder of the firstborn of Egypt who had died when the Lord set His people free. But it also pointed ahead to God’s only-begotten Son, His firstborn and Mary’s. He would give His life to save all children regardless of birth order.

Jesus puts Himself under the Law both ways―under its requirements and under its curses. In His life, He keeps the commandments perfectly, living the life you could not. On the cross, He suffers the judgment and curse of the Law, dying the death you deserved. He lived your life and died your death. And in doing both, He has saved you.

Likely your parents brought you to church when you were a baby. Not to fulfill the Law, but to have put upon you in Holy Baptism the law-keeping perfection and salvation of Jesus. You, like Simeon, can depart in peace. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus, by Your presentation, When they blessed You, weak and poor, Make us see Your great salvation, Seal us with Your promise sure; And present us in Your glory To Your Father, cleansed and pure. (In His Temple Now Behold Him, LSB 519:3)

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 11:4-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-18

The Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. (2 Timothy 4:17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul had it rough near the end of his life on earth. Friends and fellow pastors had abandoned him, and some had abandoned the faith! He was imprisoned. Yet, in spite of it all, he was diligent in exercising his pastoral duties. He confessed: “The Lord stood with me and strengthened me.” This isn’t just so he could tough it out, so he could cope with the stress. No, it was for the sake of the Gospel: “That the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear.” This is what the Lord does: He makes pastors and strengthens them in their duties.

You and I are the Gentiles. We are the far-off ones, the ones outside the kingdom. Yet Paul’s preaching rang out, and that preaching creates faith. That’s how the Spirit works. Through the preaching of the Gospel, He creates, sustains, and strengthens faith. The Spirit used Paul’s preaching, which created faith in the hearers. Still more pastors through the ages proclaim the Gospel that “all the Gentiles might hear” —that you and I might hear. It may have been first to some ancient ancestor, your grandparents, parents, or maybe just to you, but some pastor has preached. The Spirit has used that Word to call you from unbelief, to give you faith in Jesus, who died for you and shed His blood for you on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, thus giving you the fruit of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Yes, the Lord makes pastors. For you. He’s given you one— one to baptize, absolve, preach, and give you Jesus’ Body and Blood. Paul was strengthened in his ministry by the Lord. May all our pastors be thus strengthened, and may there be an increase of laborers for the harvest so that the Gospel might ring out, that Christ and Him crucified might be clearly preached even in these latter days. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Spirit, who didst once restore Thy Church that it might be again The bringer of good news to men, Breathe on Thy cloven Church once more, That in these gray and latter days There may be men whose life is praise, Each life a high doxology To Father, Son, and unto Thee. (O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth, LSB 834:4)

Today’s Reading: Romans 12:16-21

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 10:1-11:3; 2 Timothy 3:1-17

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. (Romans 12:17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you carry a grudge against someone? Are you waiting to get even? You know the saying about payback! They did it to you. Something bad happens to them and we joke about “karma.” What goes around comes around. This is the world’s way of teaching us to deal with people who hurt us. Hurt them back.

Compare that to Jesus. He was arrested. He was tried. He didn’t even try to defend Himself. All He ever did was speak the truth. He was handed over, beaten mercilessly and swapped for a murderer. He hung on the cross while everyone made fun of Him for what? For nothing at all. Perhaps the world was most mad that He didn’t even try to stick up for Himself. But what the world forgets is that if Jesus HAD stood up for Himself, we would have perished eternally.

By not defending Himself, by not striking back, by not taking revenge, Jesus saves those who always want payback to happen. He saves you. Those sins of wanting to get back at others are what put your Lord on a cross. Yet, it is His being on that cross and dying for you that wipes out those wicked desires to see bad things happen to the people you don’t like!

And here are two promises the Lord gives. First is His promise that by your Baptism into His Name, your Lord forgives your desire for revenge and harm to others. Second, He promises by that same Baptism and through His Word and Sacraments to grant you the Holy Spirit to work in you the godly desires to overcome that lust for vengeance. The Spirit works in you to teach you the true way of living as a follower of Jesus: by NOT paying people back with what they deserve.

After all, the Lord does not deal with your evil by being evil back, but by being your Savior and forgiving your sins. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord let me win my foes With kindly words and actions, And let me find good friends For counsel and correction. Help me, as You have taught, To love both great and small And by Your Spirit’s might To live in peace with all. (O God, My Faithful God, LSB 696:4)

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 9:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:1-26

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. What does this mean? …He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true. (The Small Catechism: The Creed, First Article, Part 3)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A dog looks to its master, eagerly expecting its food. A child looks to his mother to comfort him from imagined monsters. As Christ’s people, we look to our heavenly Father, expecting Him to take care of whatever might hurt us. Evil things frighten us because we take our eyes off the Lord and we forget He will save us.

When the Father sends Jesus to save us from our sins, the image of Jesus on the cross is forever given to us as one of comfort. Whenever you see a cross or crucifix, whenever you make the sign of the cross, whenever you see a picture or painting of Jesus on Calvary, and whenever that crucified Jesus is preached to you, then remember: Your heavenly Father delivers you from all evil.

What the creed is teaching us here is that there is nothing that can truly harm you. Yes, you can get sick. You might suffer pain or some other hurt. You will even die. But none of those things is an evil that can harm or destroy you. That’s because all that is ever truly evil has landed on Jesus on Calvary and His empty tomb of Easter is the proof that there is nothing that can keep the Son of God down. Therefore, there is nothing that can keep you down, now that you have been baptized into Christ.

Your heavenly Father truly does protect and deliver you from all that is evil. There is nothing that can snatch you from His hand because you are there in Jesus. There is no evil that has not been defeated, no matter how awful, by the death and resurrection of Jesus and therefore by your Baptism and His Word and Body and Blood. This really does call forth our thanks and praise! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“Yes, Father, yes, most willingly I’ll bear what You command Me. My will conforms to Your decree, I’ll do what You have asked Me.” O wondrous Love, what have You done! The Father offers up His Son, Desiring our salvation. O Love, how strong You are to save! You lay the One into the grave Who built the earth’s foundation. (A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth, LSB 438:3)

Today’s Reading: Romans 1:8-17

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 8:1-23; 2 Timothy 1:1-18

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Sometimes the English language just doesn’t cut it. Most translations say the Gospel is the “power” of God for salvation. It’s not a bad translation. We know what that means. The Gospel is the power that gives salvation to us. But the Greek is so much better. The word is dunamis, the same word from which we get dynamite!

What a great word for Epiphany. The Gospel is God’s dynamite! An explosion of light and salvation. That’s what Epiphany is all about: Jesus revealing the Gospel. Jesus revealing that He is the promised Savior of the Old Testament. Jesus revealing that His Word is the dynamite, flash-bang grenade of God’s grace. Boom! Your sins are forgiven. Flash! Bang! The darkness of your sin is swallowed up in the Light of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Where we deserved to be blasted away by God’s wrath, Jesus took our sin and death on Mt. Calvary. Where we deserved the darkness of the grave for our sin, Jesus reveals the light of His resurrection for us and an endless day in the new creation. Where we deserved to die in unrighteousness, Jesus gives and reveals His righteousness for us in the Gospel.

This is the same righteousness that comes to you by the power (dynamis) of the Gospel in the Sacraments. So Baptism is the power of God to save you. Absolution is the power of God to announce, “Your sins are forgiven!” The Lord’s Supper is the power of God to deliver salvation right into your mouth. By the Gospel in action in Word, water, Body and Blood you are righteous. And the righteous live by faith. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

It is the pow’r of God to save From sin and Satan and the grave; It works the faith which firmly clings To all the treasures which it brings (The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace, LSB 580:4)

Today’s Reading: Malachi 4:1-6

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:20-27:13; 1 John 4:1-21

For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch.” (Malachi 4:1)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Wow. What a week! First sun and moon being darkened and now the day burning like an oven! What’s with all the fire and brimstone and freaky astronomical stuff for the Second Week of Advent? Some preachers live to preach just that stuff. They figure that they need to scare people away from their sins and so their whole ministry is all about the “End Times” and “Left Behind” and “The Apocalypse” and “Armageddon.” They love to talk on and on about the Beast and the coming together of world events that are prophesied in the Scriptures. The problem is, they don’t talk about Jesus and that’s what makes them fear-mongering, false preachers!

When Jesus and the prophets describe the passing away of this world and this creation, it is done to call us to repentance and faith in Jesus, whose words keep us from passing away with the world. God’s Word teaches us what the future of this fallen world is, so that we won’t love it so much we want to cling to it as it burns up and passes away!

Apart from Jesus, this future is scary! It’s terrifying. But in Christ, it’s the ending of this sinful and fallen world and the beginning of an eternal paradise with the Lord. Christ has come and suffered and died on the cross in order to save us from what is to come. He has come and died for our sins so that our sins won’t be punished with what’s coming on the Last Day. Rather, because our sins are taken care of, we have eternal life and everlasting joy in the new heavens and new earth. Or, as Malachi puts it: “He will arise with healing in His wings.”

This healing is the forgiveness of sins and it comes to us by water, Word, Body and Blood. Those gifts are the Lord’s own promise that the horrible end to this world will not be a horrible end for you. Rather, you have His promise that because He lives, you will be raised up on the Last Day and be given eternal life. Don’t be terrified by that Day. Look forward to it and rejoice when it comes. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Our hope and expectation, O Jesus, now appear; Arise, O Sun so longed for, O’er this benighted sphere. With hearts and hands uplifted, We plead, O Lord, to see The day of earth’s redemption That sets Your people free! (Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers, LSB 515:4)