"Farther along we'll know all about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by."

Office Hymn: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"

Small Catechism: Tenth Commandment

Smalcald Articles: II IV 9-14

Scripture: James 1:12-18

Commentary: Bede, Epistle of James

"The people dwelling in darkness  

Isaiah's prophecy rings loud and clear as Jesus begins His ministry in the bustling seaport of Capernaum. This city in the region of Galilee had become quite dark in the preaching of the Word of God because of the secular influences of Herod the Great and his children.

America is another place where the people live in darkness. You can't hardly turn on the TV without being assaulted with sinful images--murder, sexual immorality, profanity, vulgarity, degradation. And that's not even counting the cable channels! America has definitely plunged itself into the darkness of our sinful, carnal natures.

That's the "Christian nation" so many are proud to live in. We wonder how we could have let it get so bad. The answer: Every American is a sin-filled human being, dwelling in the darkness of sin. But the Church is a beacon of light for the world. St. John says in his Gospel, "In [Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (1:4-5). Jesus teaches us, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matthew 5:14).

Our job as Christians is to be the light of the world. We're to shine brightly so that our neighbors who are dwelling in darkness have a witness to the truth of God's Light. Does that mean we have to be perfect? No. We'll never attain perfection, but we have something even greater. We have grace from the true Light that covers our sins with His Blood so that we may serve as a greater example of Jesus' goodness. May He cause "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). Amen.  

"Farther along we'll know all about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by."

Office Hymn: "Here We Are but Straying Pilgrims"

Small Catechism: Ninth Commandment

Large Catechism: I 300-308

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:1-16

Commentary: Ambrose, On Naboth 1.1

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said,  

The day after John the Baptist baptized Jesus, he was teaching his disciples. He saw Jesus from a distance and tells his disciples, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" The symbolism is this statement is so deep that it has taken many, many centuries to fathom and the bottom still hasn't been reached. But I'll try to make some sense out of it in this brief moment.

The lamb was a great symbol in the Old Testament. For most of the sacrifices, the preferred animal to be offered was a lamb. At the great feast of the Jews, the Passover, the only acceptable sacrifice was a lamb. If a family couldn't afford a lamb, they joined together with their neighbors so that everyone could celebrate the feast.

We talk about Jesus being our Passover lamb as we begin to interpret His sacrifice for our sins. His sacrifice is what every sacrifice instituted by God in the Old Testament pointed towards. The Old Testament sacrifices were only valid for the forgiveness of sins and redemption of the people because there was the promise of a coming, once for all sacrifice by the Messiah.

Jesus is the Lamb of God because He took away the sins of the world. He is the Lamb of God who has taken away your sins. His sacrifice for you was a great investment in you. Make a resolution today to give Him a good return on His investment. Study more about this Lamb of God. Invest in Him and the returns are everlasting. Amen.  

"Farther along we'll know all about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by."

Office Hymn: "A Beautiful Life"

Small Catechism: Eighth Commandment

Large Catechism: I 263-269

Scripture: 2 Samuel 15:1-6

Commentary: Ambrose, On the Duties of the Clergy

Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now,

Jesus comes to John the Baptist as one of the many people who came to John to be baptized. John objected, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" (3:14). John knew that he was standing in the presence of the Messiah. And he knew his place in the pecking order.

Jesus shows Himself to be a condescending Lord. Jesus condescends to a place of submission even to John.  This is the humility that St. Paul encourages us to imitate (Philippians 2:5). Jesus relinquishes His rights for this moment so that righteousness might be fulfilled.

What does it mean "to fulfill all righteousness"? Jesus submitted to a baptism of repentance so that His righteousness might wash off of Him. When Jesus was baptized, He had no sins to confess and repent. When you and I entered the waters of Baptism, our sins were washed away. They were washed away because the righteousness that washed off Him in the Baptism by John is washed onto us. We come out of Baptism sinless not because we've done some great act. We come out sinless because His righteousness has now been given to us.

Jesus was baptized so that He could fulfill all righteousness. That righteousness is the same that Abraham had so many centuries ago: "And [Abraham] believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). Your faith that believes that your Baptism has washed away your sins is counted by God as righteousness. Righteousness has been fulfilled for you in Jesus' Baptism. Amen.  

"Farther along we'll know all about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by."

Office Hymn: "Mansions over the Hilltop"

Small Catechism: Seventh Commandment

Large Catechism: I 222-231

Scripture: Joshua 7:10-26

Commentary: Basil, Preface on the Judgment of God

Wrestling Profile: Sting (60th birthday)

Wrestling Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb_a7c5Pmoc - WCW World Heavyweight Title Match: Ric Flair (c) vs Sting (Great American Bash '90)

Apostolic Fathers: Didache 9-10

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,  

The story of the Epiphany is one of the most well-known stories surrounding the birth of Jesus. Wise men from the east saw that a great event was occurring so they followed a star much different than the rest to see what had happened.

It led them to Judea and the city of Jerusalem. When there, it disappeared. Why? It wasn't necessary at that time. God had brought the wise men to inform Herod of the birth of Christ. Since they were brought to the Holy City, they figured the great event was the birth of a new king of the Jews. So they went to the most likely place--Herod's palace.

When they asked about the child who had been born, Herod became very troubled. "For this to happen," he must have thought, "it has to be the Christ--the Messiah." So he assembled the great scribes of Jerusalem and found that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem.

That's the great thing about Epiphany. It's an "Aha!" moment for everyone. Here are these FOREIGNERS coming to the king of Judea to tell him about the Messiah's birth. FOREIGNERS came to tell the Jews about the birth of THEIR Savior! What a troubling thought for Herod and the Jewish leaders! What a glorious thought as we see that our God did not send Jesus into the world only for the Jews. Jesus Himself tells us, "For God so loved THE WORLD, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Jesus came into the world to save everyone. The first proclamation of this came as a star being shown to a group of Gentile astrologers. And everyone who believes in Jesus as their only Lord and Savior will be saved. Amen.  

"Farther along we'll know all about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by."

Office Hymn: "O Father, All Creating"

Small Catechism: Sixth Commandment

Large Catechism: I 211-216

Scripture: Matthew 19:1-10

Commentary: Origen, Commentary on Matthew 14.19