Homily for Christmas Midnight - "Peace on Earth?"

"Peace on Earth?"
Text: Luke 2:1-20 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 

Of course, the angel had just announced the Good News of Christ’s birth to the shepherds. Of course, the angelic host joined to sing God’s praises on the holiest of nights. Of course, the birth of the Christ Child is like no other birth. We come tonight to celebrate, but not just a birth, not just a mom, a dad, and a baby. We come to celebrate this particular, unique, historical, world-changing birth. We come to celebrate a Baby who is like no other baby. After all, we come to celebrate God coming in human flesh. And He comes to bring peace on earth.

Peace on earth? How can that be? Terrorists and military campaigns abound! Ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Civil war in Syria. Worries over nuclear weapons in Iran. Peace on earth? Really?

Even if we’re not talking military war, we also realize that we fight on ongoing culture war. For decades psychologists and education “specialists” have been touting the inherent goodness of people. But when parents and teachers take the back seat, the hands-off approach, our children grow up turning to drugs, sex outside of marriage, self-serving violence, and so on. For over a century we’ve been telling our children and convincing ourselves that human beings come from apes. Is it any wonder that people of all ages act like animals, rooting around for their own survival and growling at anyone or anything that gets in their way? That’s not peace!

And in our families, moms and dads may be earning a decent living and advancing their careers, but the home has become a battlefield of its own. Parents stand for one thing. Children and teenagers stand for another thing. Husbands want their “freedoms,” and wives strive for their “rights.” And each side launches sortees of “You just don’t understand me.” That’s not peace!

How will we have peace on earth? How will we have security? Will government actions and laws give us our desired peace? Some think so, but even then it’s questionable. And should we, as one media person recently hinted, really think of any political leader as “Messiah”? Remember what Psalm 146 says: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.”

There’s the enemy! Why don’t we have peace on earth? Our very hearts and minds are looking for peace in all the wrong places. Our real problem is not the shaky stock market or the crumbling culture or the international insecurities. Our real problem is the chaos and insecurity in the human heart. Our chaotic lives, our embattled families, and our war-torn world are but the symptoms. The real war zone is in the heart—the heart that fights with God in every possible way. St. Augustine said it well in his Confessions (1.1). He addressed God and said: “You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You.”

Tonight we celebrate the birth of the Baby who is the very peace of God wrapped up in human flesh and blood. He entered a world just as frenzied and chaotic and war-torn as ours. The prosperous economy of the Roman Empire went hand in glove with the iron fist of its military conquests. And terrorists? They were around in Jesus’ day too. Radical extremists of Jesus’ day tried to undermine Rome’s rule with their own attacks. This is the world into which Jesus comes. This is the world into which He brings God’s peace, God’s goodwill toward men. Who would have thought that peace on earth would come from a little Baby? And not just any baby—after all, babies are born every day.

Who would have thought that peace on earth would come from such humble, even despised conditions--from a poor, homeless family? But as the angel told the poor, humble shepherds, he also tells you: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Yes, dear friends, that good word is for you. In the midst of your fears and anxieties, in the face of our war-torn world and your embattled lives, you have a Savior. You have God’s only-begotten Peacemaker. He came for you. He still comes for you.

So, if Jesus comes to bring peace on earth, then why don’t we see it? Why do conflicts still rage between nations and between family members? Now it’s good to remember that Jesus did not come to bring “world peace.” “World peace” is merely ceasing hostilities between nations. No, Jesus came to bring a different peace. Jesus came to bring peace on earth. What’s the difference? Jesus came to bring peace between God and human beings. Jesus came to bring peace to the war-torn heart, peace to the relationship between you and your Creator, Savior God.

 The heavenly angelic soldiers sang of peace on earth at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly life. (Proof, by the way, that tough, strong guys can and do sing!) But it would be a band of earthly pilgrims who would sing of peace at the end of Jesus’ earthly life. And these earthly pilgrims give us a good glimpse into heavenly reality. Here’s what they sang: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Lk. 19:38).

Heavenly soldiers sing of peace on earth. Earthly pilgrims sing of peace in heaven. The Babe born in Bethlehem brings peace between heaven and earth, peace between God and sinners. “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn king; Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.’” (LSB 380:1) The Baby who is God coming down to man is also the Savior who is lifted up on the cross. This newborn Infant grows to lead a perfect life only to sacrifice Himself in death for you. And in His life, death, and resurrection, you have peace with God…peace on earth!

Dear friends in Christ, this is the best, most precious Christmas gift you can receive: Peace between you and God. And you get to have it and enjoy it right here on earth. St. Augustine also talked about how God Himself is our gift. He said: “In Your gift we find our rest. There are You our joy. Our rest is our peace” (Confessions, 13, 9). The war between you and God is over. In Christ Jesus, the “peace treaty” is signed in His blood and stays in effect forever.

Now, no matter what happens in our crazy, chaotic, strife-filled world, you are at peace with God right here on earth. What can war do to you? You have God’s peace because of Jesus. What can terrorist attacks do to you? You have God’s good will in the Babe of Bethlehem. Even if our earthly life is in constant uproar, our life with God is secure and soothing.

So, when you have your doubts, and when your troubled hearts seem to get the upper hand, here’s your comfort. God in the flesh means peace for you. And this Jesus still comes to you. The Scriptures are the manger that brings Jesus to you. The Lord’s Supper also brings the Prince of Peace to you. Once He came in blessing, all our sins redressing. Now He comes in Body and Blood, makes Himself your peaceful food.

Here is your peace, dear people of God. God is at peace with you and you with God. What a precious gift this Christmas—peace on earth! Amen.

Homily for Christmas Eve - "Jesus Our Immanuel"

"Jesus Our Immanuel"
Text: Matthew 1:18-25

We can only imagine what it would be like to walk in Joseph’s shoes. Not only that, but what would have been going through the mind of the Virgin Mary? She was told all these things about being the mother of God, giving birth to the Son of the Most High. She pondered all these things in her heart. I suppose we can try to do the same. In fact, that’s why we gather this evening--to ponder these miraculous realities in our hearts. So, we ponder the mystery. Conceived by the Holy Spirit. Born of the Virgin Mary. What deep things!

And Joseph? He was a carpenter. He wanted to live a good life, a holy life, a God-pleasing life. No doubt Joseph wanted to do his work well and make a decent living. He planned to take this young woman, Mary, to be his wife.

For centuries, God’s people had waited for the Messiah, the Anointed One, to come. But who would have expected it to happen now, all of a sudden, and in this way?

Both Joseph and Mary came from the family tree of King David. Certainly they knew the Old Testament scriptures. They certainly knew about the promised Messiah. They knew that someday He would come, sure. But in their time? In their midst? Was it really possible?

We can sympathize with Joseph. He sees that Mary, his fiancee, is pregnant. And he thinks what any of us would think. She was unfaithful. She is no longer a virgin. She committed the horrible sin of adultery.

It’s how we are conditioned to think in this fallen world. We see things. We draw conclusions. We’re not that different from Joseph. But to think and ponder those heavenly things? That’s a different story. When we are told that God loves us--yes, even us--do we really believe it? When God tells us in His Word to live holy lives, do we really hear that and take it to heart as coming from the Lord’s mouth? Or do we hear it as coming only from human mouths?

When we leave God’s House, do we live lives that bear the fruits of repentance and faith? Or do we live like those around us and try to fit in with the world? We all know what happens. We leave the Divine Service. We go home. We return to our various callings. We carry on with our various activities. And we say and do things that go against God’s revealed will and Word. And we all know that if our sins were exposed for all to see, we would rightly hang our heads in shame.

But tonight we lift our heads. Tonight we smile. Tonight there’s joy in the air. We can feel it in the words, in the music, in the decorations, in the celebrations. The world may give many different reasons for the joy. But in the Church we know the true reason for the joy. We know the true fountain and spring of the joy.

It’s like the joy that David showed when the ark of the covenant was brought into his midst. The ark of the covenant was the seat of God in the tabernacle, the place of His presence, the location of His gracious dwelling among His people. It had been captured by the Philistines for a time. David went out to rescue and recover it. As it turns out, David left the ark of the covenant at the house of Obed-edom for a short while. “And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household” (2 Sam. 6:11). God’s dwelling among His people brought abundant blessings and good fruit. “So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing” (2 Sam. 6:12). David knew what it meant to have God’s presence--God dwelling--in the midst of God’s people.

Well, God decided to dwell among His people in another “ark.” This time it was an “ark” made of flesh and blood and bone. God--the Son of God, that is--was born of the virgin mild. There, in space and time, wrapped up in the very real body of a baby, was the eternal, glorious, magnificent God. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Just as the ark of the covenant brought great joy for David, this miraculous birth from a virgin brings great joy for us!

Pay attention to all that the Gospel-writers record for us. Pay attention to the great blessings that God brings to your house. They’re much better than the blessings He gave to Obed-edom.

Jesus is tempted and conquers the tempter and is served by angels. Jesus heals every sickness and infirmity. He gives life to the dead. Remember Lazarus? Jesus drives out demons, and with a few loaves of bread and some fish He feeds thousands.  Jesus walks on the sea and commands the wind and the waves, and they obey Him.  And even though He’s still the all-powerful God, Jesus is betrayed, arrested, beaten, crucified, and buried. But then He rises from the dead! Then He demonstrates His Godhead and displays His victory over sin and grave. Then Jesus ascends into heaven and sits at the right hand of His heavenly Father in glory.

What amazing things! What unsearchable mysteries! What glorious things to ponder tonight! Why does our gracious God tell us such amazing mysteries? He wants to rescue us from sin and grave. He wants to restore us to a perfect humanity. He wants to make each one of us and all of us together complete in Christ. The life of Christ--everything from conception to incarnation, to birth, to death, to resurrection, to ascension--all of it happens to restore us to the condition of Adam and Eve before the fall. Here’s how God Himself saves you and makes you holy. Here’s how your Savior restores you and His whole creation.

Now ponder the name “Immanuel.” “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).” The name “Immanuel” carries deep meaning for our lives. It does not mean that God was with His people. It does not mean that, at one point in time, a long time ago, in a country far, far away, God was with us. No, it means He IS with us, even here, even now. Your Savior Jesus lives and dwells with you through the mouth of the pastor as he preaches the Gospel. Your Savior lives and dwells among you through the water of your Baptism, washing you clean and making you pure. He lives and dwells with you through the bread and wine that are also His Body and Blood. They are the participation in the Body and Blood of your Infant Savior. When you see the host and the cup being raised up for all to see, you want to think “God with us, right here, right now.” That’s your joy in “Immanuel.”

So tonight we lift our heads. Tonight we smile. Tonight there’s joy in the air. We can feel it in the words, in the music, in the decorations, in the celebrations.

So, lift your heads and smile with joy! Enjoy the music, the decorations, and the celebrations! Rejoice in God dwelling with you and among you! God is in your midst. On this holy night, you have the holiness of Christ’s forgiveness. You rest in His love. He heals you of your illness of sin. He declares you holy. Jesus comes to dwell with you--wrapped in flesh and blood, dying as your Savior, rising as your Life-Giver. Jesus is your Immanuel.

As one pastor proclaimed it several decades ago: “It is Christmas. Have you found the way to Bethlehem? It is important to make straight the pathway of the Lord into your hearts. That duty is now done. Now take your pilgrim-staff and your gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. You will not have to stop off at Jerusalem to inquire the way. The Altar is your Star. There you will find Bethlehem…. Bethlehem means ‘house of bread.’ Indeed, ‘bread of life,’ ‘staff of life.’ You will come, then, as the shepherds came. You will kneel as they did in adoration. And if your vision of faith is clear enough, you will see at the Altar not merely bread and wine, but the Christ-Child, the Word made flesh…. Christmas will be an experience. You will truly understand the truth of the angelic words: ‘They shall call His Name Immanuel, which is, being interpreted, God with us,’ aye, Immanuel--at the Altar.” (Berthold von Schenk, The Presence, p. 55) Amen.

When God Comes to Visit

Here is yesterday's homily for Advent 4 - Rorate Coeli - using the alternate Gospel reading, Luke 1:39-56.

What would you do if God came to visit? We know what to do when relatives come to visit. Clean the house, prepare the food, plan some activities, enjoy each other’s company, and reminisce over days of old. We know what to do when an important celebrity or dignitary comes to town. Roll out the red carpet, so to speak, show the best sights of the town, and have very nice catered dinner. But what would you do if God came to visit?

Today’s Gospel reading shows what happens when God in Christ comes to visit. A certain young, unsuspecting little Jewish girl—about 14 or 15 years old—had seen an angel. The angel had catechized, or instructed, her as to God’s plan of salvation. That plan involved her. She would be the mother of God, of the holy Son of God, that is. But how could it be? She wasn’t married. She had never been intimate with a man. Yet the Virgin Mary would be the new tabernacle, the new home, for God’s presence. Pretty amazing! What did Mary do when God came to visit? She trusted the Word of God spoken by the angel Gabriel. God’s favor was at work. God Himself chose Mary, not because of any quality in her, but only because of His gracious favor.

Now everywhere that Mary went God’s presence was sure to go. When Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, God also went to visit. Today we see what happens when God comes to visit. All creation rejoices. The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. 19:1). People who faithfully receive God in the flesh—as He hides in ordinary flesh—rejoice in worship. The highest form of worship is faith, and that faith expresses itself in proclaiming and singing. “Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel!”

Our Old Testament reading today sets the stage. What was happening with the Virgin Mary? Why did womb-bound John and his senior citizen mother leap and sing for joy? In Moses’ day, about 1400 years before Christ, God promised a Prophet like Moses. He would speak God’s words; He would be God’s voice.

When Virgin Mary comes to visit Elizabeth, the promised Prophet was coming to visit. In Mary, God was fulfilling this and all of His promises of the past. The Baby in her belly was the focal point of God’s works to save a fallen, broken world. God was coming into His creation as a creature, as one of us. God was coming to restore creation and redeem sinners. God was coming to visit Elizabeth and John.

Of course, God was present everywhere. When the Son of God took on human flesh, the Triune God did not stop being omnipresent. But God did, of His own choosing, make Himself present in a specific place, in a specific virgin’s womb. This was not any old presence of God. This was His gracious, forgiving, life-restoring presence—wrapped up in flesh and blood, wrapped up in His mother’s womb. John realized this. He leaped in his mother’s womb. Elizabeth also realized this. So she sang a song of faith: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

John and Elizabeth are our examples in faith. They did not see Jesus with their eyes, but they received His real, in-the-flesh visit just the same. When John leapt for joy, it was proof that all creation shudders at the presence of the Savior. When Jesus comes to visit, all creation benefits; our broken world is restored; a new creation comes forth. When Elizabeth sang for joy, it was proof that God Almighty Himself—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—was right there in her midst. God was not abstract and “out there” somewhere—merely present everywhere. Instead, God was in His mother’s womb. And Elizabeth recognized this with the eyes of faith.

What do we do when God comes to visit? Sure, God is always everywhere. But that’s not necessarily good news. God is present in the tornado or the earthquake or the icy winter storm, but that’s hardly good news. And you can’t be sure if it’s God or something else present in the peaceful silence or the shifting emotions inside you. When God comes to visit, He comes for your comfort and certainty. That’s why He comes to a specific place. That’s why He comes outside of us. That’s why He announces where He will be. For us He comes to visit in His Word preached and read, in plain water, in spoken forgiveness, and in humble bread and wine. [10:30 – God has most certainly come for little Charles in the waters of Baptism.]

The question is this: Do we receive the Divine Visitor as Elizabeth and John did, receiving Him in faith and worship? Or do we instead treat preaching, baptizing, absolving, and communing as insignificant things? Our lack of faith shows in how lightly we esteem God’s service to us in His Word and Sacraments. In the Christmas rush, we like to find our identity in what we make, or buy, or give, rather than in God’s gift of life in Baptism. The hustle and bustle of shopping and entertaining and getting ready for Christmas no doubt make us tired, tense, and irritable. And too often we vent and snap at those around us—family members, coworkers, or innocent, frazzled store clerks. Yet we’re too busy to come confess our sins at God’s altar and hear His precious Absolution, that is, forgiveness from the pastor as from God Himself. And instead of getting fat on the forgiveness given and shed in the Lord’s Supper, we’ve been relying on our full schedules and on our holiday diet choices for comfort and strength. All this because we think it is a light and insignificant thing when God comes to visit in water, words, and meal.

Don’t misunderstand. Elizabeth and John and even the Virgin Mary were no more worthy of God coming to visit them. They were sinners just as we are. Yet He came just the same. Elizabeth was an old woman about to have her first baby. Being barren had been a social disgrace. Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. Another social disgrace! But God came to visit anyway. Our little faith and our misplaced priorities make us a disgrace in God’s eyes. But God still comes to visit and to save. The very Jesus carried helplessly in Mary’s womb would later heal the lame, cause the blind to see, raise the dead, and preach the Gospel to poor, miserable sinners. Then He would restore our fallen race. He would forgive our wretched sin by hanging helplessly on the cross and resting lifelessly in the tomb. Even today, this same Jesus—crucified and risen—comes to visit you with the same favor given to Mary and Elizabeth and John. He comes to visit you. He comes hidden in water, words, and meal.

So, what do we do when God comes to visit? We worship. We sing. We proclaim the Lord’s favor. Mary’s song directs our worship and guides our singing. Mary is blessed by God’s favor; so are we. Mary brought nothing to God; neither do we. We are humbled in the opening Confession. But then we hear God’s Absolution for us. And we sing of Him and His goodness—not of ourselves, not of our fast-changing feelings, not even of our imperfect promises to God. With Mary we sing: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Worship that focuses on us is idolatry. But worship that focuses on God and His works gives the greatest joy and comfort.

Mary gives some magnificent tips for worship, especially as we gear up to celebrate the birth of our Lord. First, worship is about receiving God and His goodness. He is mindful of us in our lowly, sinful state. He has done great things for us by forgiving us in Christ born, crucified and risen. Second, worship is about the timeless promises of God. God kept all of His Old Testament promises in Jesus. God still focuses all His goodness through the God-Man Jesus. He set aside the old sacrifices and offerings—the ones we thought we could use to earn God’s favor. He came to do God’s will of saving sinners--you and me. Third, worship is about God bringing us down from our pride and self-reliance and then lifting us up in His mercy and forgiveness. We confess; He forgives. We humbly listen; He fills our ears with His Word and builds our faith. We kneel at His table, hands out and mouths open like beggars; He comes to visit with His Body and Blood, filling us with the good things of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Many people today are looking for the peace of God’s presence. TV shows and movies deal with all sorts of angels and other spiritual and religious matters. People are searching—searching for something more than material life, for some greater meaning and identity in life. Just think of the wonderful opportunity that you, God’s true, forgiven children, have this Christmas season. You have the opportunity to give the truth of God actually coming to visit. John, Elizabeth, and Mary all proclaimed the presence of Jesus, and you have benefited from their testimony. God gives you the privilege to be the Johns, the Elizabeths, and the Marys for others today. John leaped in Jesus presence. You can certainly jump at the chance to bring others into Jesus’ life-changing presence around the font, pulpit, and altar. Elizabeth and Mary sang with their focus on Christ. You certainly proclaim when you sing the hymns that focus on Christ’s work. You certainly proclaim when you take the Gospel message into your daily routines and vocations.

As St. Paul says: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.” Yes, God is coming to visit! Amen.

The Church in America?

In 1927, Hermann Sasse wrote a compelling essay on "American Christianity and the Church." His analysis of the state and workings of Christianity in America is just as crucial for us in the early 21st century because many of Sasse's insights are still spot on.

Midway through his essay, Sasse cites Augsburg Confession, Article VII, on the Church. Here is the translation of that article from Concordia: the Lutheran Confessions: 

Our churches teach that the one holy Church is to remain forever. The Church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly administered (AC VII.1; Concordia, p. 34)

After citing AC VII, Sasse asks this important question and makes his crucial point:

Is this concept of the church antiquated? And if it is not, why has it not made the trip to America? It has not because it poses with inexorable seriousness the question which for our religious thought is final and most important: the question of truth.

The American concept of the church basically avoids this question. It surrenders dogma and liturgy as something unessential--"trifling matters" as Goethe put it. For us, however, both of these belong to the essence of the church: the Word and the Sacrament, confession and liturgy. We understand the protest against an ossified orthodoxy and a dreary ritualism, and we agree with this protest. But we believe that the church possesses in the Verbum Dei ["Word of God"] the eternal truth, over against all the relativism of human knowledge. and we believe that in the evangelically understood Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, that in the liturgical life of the church which is grounded on these things, the powers are present which are able to establish a new and real human fellowship, even in an age in which all human fellowships are unraveling (Hermann Sasse, "American Christianity and the Church," in The Lonely Way: Selected Essays and Letters, Volume I (1927-1939), p. 47).

We American Christians do well to listen to our fathers in the faith.

Sacred Music for the Christmas Season

I plan to listen to *this* sacred music station for Christmas. How about you?

On "Steadfast Throwdown"

A while back I wrote an article for Brothers of John the Steadfast titled "Children in Church." As I write this post, that article has been read 1847 times and received 24 thoughtful comments (Looks like a lot to me!).

Pastor Eric Andersen, also an author at steadfastlutherans.org, is beginning a new project designed to broadcast the content and topics found at Steadfast. Using Google Hangouts, he wants to take on the "theological nonsense" that often rears its head, and he calls the broadcast "Steadfast Throwdown." He invited me to be his first guest for an interview on "Children in Church" (and a few other things, as it turned out).

Watch episode 1 of "Steadfast Throwdown," and my introduction to catechizing via YouTube:

From Fire to Frolic

In a rare departure from the Holy Gospel for the day, I decided to use the Old Testament reading, Malachi 4:1-6 (LSB One-Year). Here is today's homily for Advent 2 - Populus Zion:

Fire can be both friend and foe. An uncontrolled blaze can consume whole houses, forests, and cities. But keep it under control, and fire is a toasty warm companion on a cold winter’s night. Fire can terrify, or it can soothe. It can make us flee in fear, or lead us to frolic in its warmth.

In our first reading, the prophet Malachi preached about 430 years before Christ. Malachi tells us something that’s both terrifying and comforting: the coming Day of the Lord. “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” (Mal. 4:1-2). When the Lord’s Savior comes, it’s both a day to dread and a day to welcome. It brings a consuming, raging fire, and it brings soothing, healing warmth.

The Day of the Lord is coming. God has told us through the prophet Malachi. So, you’d better watch out. You might want to cry. I don’t think pouting will do you any good, though. And here’s why: the Day of the Lord is coming. That news should strike fear into the depths of your soul. You should tremble right where you sit. This message should give each of us a swift kick in our complacency. The Day of the Lord’s coming will burn like a furnace, indeed like the blazes of hell. What will the Lord burn? All the stubble. All the proud and arrogant. Every evildoer. Yes, that means you and me!

“But, Pastor, how can you call us ‘proud and arrogant’? How can you call us ‘evildoers’? After all, we’re Christians!” True, we are Christians, God’s chosen, redeemed people. Yet, we still fall into arrogant presumption. If worship or Bible classes do not meet our exacting, personal standards and taste, what's our first thought? “Eh, I can take it or leave it.” Then we might very well just up and leave. Another claim is: “I’m too busy for church.” Perhaps “brother blanket” and “sister pillow” keep some people “too busy.” Perhaps worship at the shopping malls keeps some people “too busy.” But all of this is merely saying, “I’m too busy for God”! When you turn God and worship in His house into just another appointment in your already over-booked schedule—and too often less important than many other appointments—then you are guilty of arrogant presumption.

Now don’t try to deflect this fiery blaze onto someone else. It’s coming after you—the proud, the evildoers. Yes, you and I must wear those titles. Apart from Christ that’s what each one of us is: sinfully arrogant and nothing but evildoer. The virus of sin gives each of us the fever of arrogant pride. That’s what flares up when you don’t see eye to eye with your spouse, your parent, your child, your co-worker, or your friend. In your arrogant pride you try to put yourself just a notch or two above the other person. You see, because of our sinful state, everything we do is evil. Even the actions that look good to other people; they are still evil to God.

Don’t think these pews will protect you. They’re only dry wood, and you know what happens to dry wood in the fire. Don’t think having your name on a congregational roster will protect you either. Paper has a lovely way of starting a fire. You can even pile up all the good deeds you do at home or at work or at school. You can throw in all the times you’ve “been to church.” You can add in every moment, every thought, every word that you told yourself, “I’ve been pretty good today.” Put it all in a pile. But it’s only kindling, starter wood. The fire will consume it. As Malachi says, “it will leave them neither root nor branch.”

Pretty sobering, eh? Are you feeling a bit warm right now? Why wait until the Day of the Lord? He’s burning the stubble of your sin right here and right now!

“But for you who fear [the LORD’s] name,” the Day of the Lord brings another kind of heat. “The Sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in [His} wings.” The sun in the sky can scorch, but it’s rays can also soothe and warm. Everyone just seems to know that a bright, warm, sunshiny day is very therapeutic. Just notice how everyone walks down the street with a bit more spring in their stride.

The “sun” that Malachi foretold, however, is not the big fiery ball in the sky. The Sun of Righteousness is, in fact, a Person--the Son of God. His bright, shiny rays bring righteousness and healing from sin’s cancer. Jesus calls Himself the “bright Morning Star” in Revelation 22(:16). Jesus also refers to Himself as a physician, one who brings healing. Remember these words from Jesus’ lips: ““Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick [do].” He even explained what He meant: “For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners [to repentance].” (Matt. 9:12-13).

Jesus came for sinners—for you, for me. Only the arrogant think they need no physician. Only the arrogant think they have no sickness. Only the arrogant think they have no sins and need not repent. Sinners, though, receive Christ’s healing by receiving His cross-won forgiveness. The Sun of Righteousness rises on you with healing in His wings. He shined especially bright on Good Friday, when He was lifted up on the cross. You never would have known that the sun was shining. Darkness came over the land for three gloomy hours. It seemed as if the sun in the sky went out when the Son of God died. But on that Day of the Lord, the Son of God burned the stubble of your sin and healed you, the sinner.

And then the sun rose bright and glorious and victorious on the third day. Then the Son of God revealed that He came not only to die, but also to bring life and immortality to light. Then the bright Morning Star displayed the real healing in His wings: forgiveness instead of judgment; eternal life instead of eternal death.

And the warmth of the Sun of Righteousness still comes to you today. As God’s holy patients, Lord Jesus wants you to treasure His healing medicine—the Gospel Word put into your ears, the baptismal water poured over you, the sacramental Body and Blood put into your mouth. Physician Jesus uses these medicines to give you His healing. Yes, the cancer of sin keeps plaguing you, day in and day out, with all the doubts and all the presumption. But as you stay on Jesus’ medicines, the Lord Himself gives you healing.

Now we move to a new picture, a scene of frolicking freedom: “You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” When a calf is released from the stall, it cannot help but run and leap and frolic with joy. It enjoys its new-found freedom from captivity. When you, a sinner, are released from your sin and guilt before God, released from your slavery to proud arrogance, released from death itself, you cannot help but enjoy the healing, the freedom, the new life. You run around. You leap. You bask in the Son’s rays of righteousness and forgiveness. You enjoy life. You celebrate the Savior’s birth with gusto come December 24 and 25. You frolic in His forgiveness.

And your frolicking shows. Enjoying your Savior Jesus with His Gospel and Sacraments is the best “evangelism program” there is! When you are forgiven and given healing, why not tell others the great news? Why not bring others to Jesus for His warm, soothing, eternal healing? If a doctor completely cured you of leukemia, wouldn’t you want to tell your friend who also has leukemia? How much more when it comes to the healing of the soul? After all, the Sun of Righteousness, Jesus the Christ, brings healing for your family and friends too. He wants them to come and receive His healing medicines too.

Yes, in just a couple of weeks you will frolic in the righteous Son’s forgiveness. Of that I have no doubt. In fact, you will join the heavenly choir and sing all about it. You will cry, “Hark! The herald angels sing….” And you will sing these great words:

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth. (LSB 380:3) 

Amen.

Children in Church

Cross posted from steadfastlutherans.org:

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Over at veritasvenator.com, Steven Hunter, a self-proclaimed “Christian (restorationist), family man, minister, and academic,”attempts to encourage parents to keep their children “in church” (the worship service). In his article “To You Who Bring Small Children to Church,” Hunter identifies some decent sociological reasons parents should keep their children “in church.” However, he misses the opportunity to teach parents WHY and HOW to keep their children “in church.” He also concludes: “If you don’t hear crying, the church is dying.” More on that misguided axiom shortly.

Exasperated Parents

Yes, children “act up” during the Divine Service or a prayer office. The fussing and commotion easily distract other worshipers within a three-pew radius, at least. Then add the outbursts, the squawks, the munching on Cheerios, the dropped toys clattering on the floor, and the wailing and gnashing of impatient little baby teeth. Yes, it can get distracting for worshipers and pastors. And it certainly becomes exasperating for parents.

Mom (and sometimes Dad) is tempted to remove little Johnny or Susie from the service altogether--walk the walk of shame down the center aisle and camp out in the narthex. To be sure, if Johnny is fussing at the top of his lungs and distracting fellow worshipers, by all means exit the sanctuary until he quiets down. That’s a wonderful service of love for fellow worshipers.

But bring Johnny back into the sanctuary! After all, you don’t want him to miss out on all the good “Jesus stuff” happening in the Divine Service, right? And you don’t want him to get the idea that all he has to do is cry and fuss, and then he’ll get “out of church.”

Hunter seeks to encourage young parents through sociological considerations. Mom (and sometimes Dad), he exhorts, when you take your young one out of church, remember “the little elderly woman” and “the older man.” They are encouraged by your and your child’s presence in the worship service. According to Hunter, the elderly woman is encouraged by the presence of young parents and children “in church,” because

“To see young parents and their small children brighten her day, and she may have just received bad news this week about her health, but seeing the vitality of young ones removes - if but for a moment - her fears.”

Hunter also encourages young parents to consider the grouchy “older man” who notices the young family not missing any gathering:

“You give him hope that maybe the church isn’t doomed after all, because there are still young parents who love God enough to bring their restless children to worship.”

Also, according to Hunter, couples unable to have children may be comforted and encouraged to keep trying to have children, or they may talk with young parents about the joys of children.

Such sociological considerations are certainly fine First Article matters, and they do keep us attuned to our life together in the Body of Christ. But do they really help parents bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord? Hunter’s message is merely: “Parents, keep your children in church, because other people will like it (or need it) and, by the way, the church will survive too.” That’s quite a burden to put on young, already-exasperated parents!

Let the Little Children Come to JESUS!

Instead of burdening exasperated parents with the likes and dislikes of other people, or with the survival of the church, why not just call them to live in their vocation? Our Lord gives parents the vocation of bringing their children to Him. Jesus wants the children to come to Him, and He wants their parents to bring them. So parents, bring your children to church (the Divine Service) in order that they may meet Jesus.

This challenge is not only for parents; it’s also for other worshipers and for pastors. Here are some practical helps.

Helps for Parents

• Bring your children to church (after all, they can’t get there by themselves). Bring them from their youngest days all the way through their teen years. If you bring them to church as regularly as you teach them to brush their teeth or say “Please” and “Thank you,” it will become a God-pleasing habit for the rest of their lives (just as, hopefully, teeth-brushing and good manners will).
• Teach your children that “going to church” is where they get to be with Jesus. Children think in literal, concrete terms. “Going to church” is only about a building. Being “with Jesus” is more specific, more concrete, and more relational.
• Sit up front. Children learn by observation. Let them see what’s happening at and around the altar. They’ll observe and appreciate how sacred things are done. When children sit in the back pews, they can only see the backs of people’s heads or, when the congregation is standing, people’s backsides (not the prettiest sight, to be sure!).
• Teach your children the repeating portions of the liturgy.  Encourage them to learn and repeat the Kyrie, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and other repeating responses. Teach these things at home, and encourage them to join in during the Divine Service.
• Model reverent participation for your children. Children learn by observing their parents. If parents display reverent behavior during the Divine Service, their children will, over time, absorb that behavior, then mimic it, and then make it their own.
• Be patient! Parents, it may seem as though you “get nothing” out of the Divine Service. But hold on to God’s promises more than your undivided attention. God is rich in His grace! He still gives you His Word, in words and song, and His Body and Blood. What you do hear and receive is still edifying.

Helps for Worshipers

• Be patient! Yes, children - even unhappy, screaming children - are a delight to our Lord. He has died for them and baptized them, and He wants them to come to Him in the Divine Service. And understand, with compassion, that sometimes children need to be removed temporarily in order to settle down. (Besides that, our Lord gives a big, burly angel to protect each of these little ones. See Matthew 18:10.)
• Encourage young parents. Instead of giving a look of impatience, offer a consoling, compassionate demeanor. Tell young parents that, yes, you want their children in the Divine Service, because, after all, it’s the place where they get to hear and receive Jesus Himself.
• Offer to help young parents. Sit with them in their pew. Assist them in holding the hymnal for their children. Let the children sit on your lap. And encourage the children to participate in the Divine Service.

Helps for Pastors

• Use the liturgy! Children learn by repetition, because “repetition is the mother of learning.” Children become more accustomed to being “in church” when they recognize and learn to repeat the same things from Sunday to Sunday.
• Use Sunday School to teach the liturgy. Teach the regular (“ordinary”) portions of the liturgy, perhaps in Sunday School openings. Take “field trips” to the sanctuary to point out artwork and symbols in the sanctuary, and what they mean. Children love to learn by what they see.
• Encourage parents to sit up front. Explain to parents the reasons given above.
• Encourage children to say/sing parts of the liturgy they know. Tell children that you enjoy hearing them join in, even if it’s on parts that are assigned to the “Presider” (pastor).

WHO Keeps the Church from Dying?

Hunter claims, “If you don’t hear crying, the church is dying.” Many a pastor, I’m sure, has heard a similar claim: “The youth are the future of the church.” (Now, there’s a fine way to view people in the Church between the ages of 19 and 90+! It’s also quite idolatrous.) However, the survival of the Church, or individual congregations, does not depend on children (or adults, for that matter). The Church’s survival, and the survival of individual congregations, depends solely on Jesus.

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus responds to Peter’s confession of Him as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16:16). He says, “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Our Lord builds His Church, not on the presence of children in worship, but on the confession of Him as “the Christ,” the Savior from sin and death. Also, our Lord promises that not even the gates of hell can, or will, prevail against His Church.

Congregations may grow or shrink. (Whatever happened to the congregations in Philippi, Ephesus, or the seven congregations in Revelation?) Numbers of children (and adults) “in church” may wax or wane. But one thing is certain: JESUS builds and preserves His Church. Not even the absence, or presence, of boisterous children can prevail against it.

So, parents, yes, bring your children to church and keep them “in church”--except for the occasional boisterous outburst. But bring them back in, so that they don’t miss Jesus. But, parents, by all means, bring them to Jesus and teach them how to receive His gifts.