First Sunday in
Advent (C)
December 2, 2018
Text: Luke 19:28-40
Are
you tired of politics? I don’t even mean
all the political ads and yard signs and the mudslinging from which we have
graciously been given an all-too-brief respite now that election day has come
and gone (but just wait… it’s time to get going on the 2020 presidential
race!). No, I’m talking about all those
promises that are made that get your hopes up that finally something will be
done in Washington about all our troubles, that finally someone actually cares
and will actually deliver us from all that is wrong in the country, the
society… they get your hopes up and you vote for them, and maybe they even win,
and then? We’re still in the dumps. And the Democrats blame the Republicans, and
the Republicans blame the Democrats, and the media don’t report objective news,
they’re all partisan, and we of course, thanks to Facebook and social media,
are incapable of having civil and productive discussions with one another based
on reason and logic, because we’re trained (we’re catechized!) to hate one
another, because I’m right, and you’re wrong, and when you disagree with me,
you’re clearly evil incarnate! What do
we do about immigration? The
economy? North Korea? Iran?
Why does it feel like we’re always on the brink of war, disaster, and
economic collapse? And then, of course,
there is abortion and all the perversion and confusion about sexuality and
gender and marriage. This is what we
might refer to as “business as usual” in this fallen world. And it shouldn’t surprise us. You know who the Scriptures call “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30;
ESV)? The devil. But we act like if we could just elect the
right guy, we can build heaven on earth.
You know, that is actually a doctrinal belief of many evangelicals. And it’s false doctrine. I’m not saying don’t vote. Yes, vote.
That is your vocation of love to your Christian brothers and sisters and
your fellow citizens, and you should do so as salt and light in the world. But don’t for a minute think that your
preferred candidates are saviors! That’s
the reason we’re so vicious to one another over politics. Politics has taken the place of religion in
our society! Don’t participate in
that. Repent. How many times do the Scriptures tell us not
to put our trust in princes? “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of
man, in whom there is no salvation” (Psalm 146:3). “It is
better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes” (Psalm
118:9).
If
you’re anything like me, all of this is so wearying. Because there really is no earthly hope for
all that is wrong with the world. And
the evil I see out there, I know is present within me. And you know it, too. No politician can do anything about
that. This is a fallen world, and we are
a fallen people. My flesh, your flesh,
is fallen, descended from Adam, in a state of rebellion against God and all
that is good.
And
that is why we need Advent. For this
First Sunday in Advent brings to us the tremendous good news that Jesus Christ
is our King! And He comes to us,
righteous and having salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the
foal of a donkey (Zech. 9:9). King Jesus
rides into the capital city of Jerusalem, His path strewn with our palm
branches and garments, and we join with the cheering crowds, because the very
stones will cry out if we don’t: “Blessed
is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38).
Never
mind the politicians! Our salvation
comes in the flesh of Jesus! Now, I
understand that as Americans we love our representative democracy. But as Christians, we’re died in the wool
monarchists, not in terms of earthly government, but in terms of cosmic
reality. Jesus is our King. I think we know this instinctually, by the
way. Even non-Christians. Look at how fascinated we are, for example,
by the royal family in England. We’ll watch
a royal wedding all night long. Wait
until we have a coronation! We
instinctually know that this is a shadow of something greater, something true,
something for which we long. That is
Jesus as our King, and the royal nuptials of Jesus and His holy Bride, the
Church.
Here
He is in our text, riding into the city for His coronation. This reminds us of Solomon riding through the
city on David’s mule to be anointed King in his father’s place (1 Kings
1:32-40). Now the true Davidic King has
arrived, David’s Son and David’s Lord.
But He will claim His throne in a way we do not expect. How quickly the cheering of the crowds give
way to cries of “Crucify!” A reed for
His scepter and a purple robe. The
mockery of the soldiers for homage, and a crown of thorns. Enthroned on the cross, naked, bleeding,
between two thieves, nonetheless the official Roman proclamation declares the
truth of the matter: “This is the King
of the Jews” (Luke 23:38). Indeed,
this is your King, dear
Christian. This is how He claims His
Kingdom. He gives His life into death
for you, and for all people. He redeems
you. Purchases you out of slavery at the
price of His suffering and death. He
rescues you from the kingdom of the devil, from death and hell. As your substitute, He pays the debt for your
sin. That you may be His own, and live
under Him in His Kingdom.
And
what looks like defeat is His victory.
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
He has authority to lay down His life, and He has authority to take it
up again. He is vindicated. And He has ascended into heaven where He sits
at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and rules all things in heaven
and on earth. All things are subject to
Him. This is what it means that Jesus is
King. He rules His threefold Kingdom
(and you know this from Catechism class): His Kingdom of Power, His Kingdom of
Grace, His Kingdom of Glory. His Kingdom
of Power: All things are subject to Him, the whole universe, believers and
unbelievers, presidents and kings and armies, nature, your flesh, and even the
devil and his demons. He created all,
and He rules all. But you, you have been
called out of unbelief and condemnation by His Spirit in His Word and in your
Baptism, to be citizens in His Kingdom of Grace, the holy Church on earth, the
Church Militant we call her, because she fights and she suffers, holy believers
in Jesus Christ whose sins are forgiven and who live by faith in the unseen
King. And when you die, or when He comes
again in glory, whichever comes first, you are translated into His Kingdom of
Glory, the heavenly Kingdom, the Church Triumphant in heaven, and then you can
never fall from Christ. Your have your
eternal reward. You live with Christ
forever in heaven, and on the Last Day, in the new heavens and the new earth in
your body risen from the dead and made perfect in Christ.
He
reigns, our gracious Lord and King, Jesus Christ. He protects you and defends you from all
evil. He gives you His Holy Spirit, to
keep you in the true faith. He provides
for all your needs of body and soul. And
He even uses all the evil things of this world for your good and for your
salvation. You can trust Him. He knows what He is doing. He does all things well, and He does all
things for you.
Now,
this King does not sit high in heaven, far removed from us. The crowd gets it right in their confession
of faith as Jesus enters Jerusalem. This
King comes in the Name of the
LORD. He comes. This is what the Season of Advent is all
about. Advent means coming. In Advent, we consider our Lord’s threefold
coming for our salvation.
He
comes: As the Baby, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, Son
of God and Son of man. Born in
Bethlehem, laid in a manger, because there was no room for Him in the inn. And the angels sing, with the whole heavenly
host: “Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14). Isn’t that interesting? The heavenly song is echoed in mirror image
in our text as the crowd sings: “Peace in
heaven and glory in the highest!” (19:38).
Here our Lord’s incarnation, His coming in the flesh, is connected with
His coming into Jerusalem to die, to the atonement. Heaven declares there is peace on earth. The crowd proclaims there is peace in heaven. Heaven and earth are joined in the coming of
Jesus in the flesh to die for our sins.
“Therefore, since we have been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”
(Rom. 5:1).
He
comes: He is coming again, our King,
that His Kingdom now hidden among His people be manifest to all the world, to
those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every knee will bow, and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father
(Phil. 2:10-11). He is coming to raise
all the dead and to judge, and to give eternal life to you and all believers in
Christ. He is coming to deliver you and
make all that is wrong right again.
He
comes: In this time between His first and second coming, He does not leave you alone,
at the mercy of the rulers and authorities, the cosmic powers and the spiritual
forces of evil in this present darkness (Eph. 6:12). He does not abandon you to the devil, the
world, or even your own sinful flesh. He
comes as He has promised. He comes in
Baptism, to wash you by water and the Word.
He comes in Absolution, forgiving your sins. He comes His Scripture and in preaching and
in the Supper of His body and blood. He
comes, and that means really, bodily, in the Means of Grace, to apply to you
all that He accomplished in His first coming for your redemption, that you be
prepared to meet Him in His second coming in glory. Jesus advents. He comes.
And He reigns. Blessed is the
King who comes in the Name of the LORD.
And
that puts all the problems and controversies of this life into perspective,
doesn’t it? Maybe we should worry less
about the next election, and anticipate more seriously and eagerly the coming
of the Lord; His coming at Christmas, His coming here and now, His coming again
on that blessed Day. For it is better to
take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. Jesus Christ is King, for He lives and reigns
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son (+), and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
Advent Midweek I: “What Child Is This? The Child Who Is
Zechariah’s Hope”[1]
December 5, 2018
Text: Luke 1:5-25
The
people were waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
It was getting awkward. Their
priest, Zechariah, chosen by lot to enter the Holy Place in the Temple and burn
incense before God, representing the people’s prayers to God for the promised
Messiah and His deliverance… well, he’d been in there awhile. Now, you don’t just go marching in to the
Holy Place to see what might be the matter.
You could die in there that close to the presence of the Almighty. There are ceremonial washings, and special
clothes to wear, and sacrifices of atonement to make, before going in, and even
then, sinners in the presence of unfiltered Holiness is a dangerous game. Maybe Zechariah is dead. What do we do? How long should we wait? He’s supposed to finish up in there and come
out to the Temple court to give us the familiar Aaronic benediction, to put
God’s thrice-holy Name on us at the conclusion of the Divine Service. You know it, too: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon
you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give
you peace” (Num. 6:24-26; ESV). Then
we can go home, marked as God’s own people, redeemed and forgiven of our sins.
But
he wasn’t coming out. We know, thanks to
St. Luke, what was going on inside. The
angel Gabriel was making a splendid announcement. Your prayers have been heard, Zechariah! Elizabeth is pregnant. She will have a son. You will call him John. He will be the joy and gladness of your old
age, and he will cause many to rejoice.
For he will be great, filled with the Holy Spirit, and by his preaching
he will turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to YHWH their God. He will go before the Lord. He is Elijah who is to come before the great
Day of the Lord. He will prepare the way
of the Lord. “John” is a name that means,
“The LORD’s gift.” The Lord has given
John to Zechariah and Elizabeth, to you and to me for this very purpose, that
he may prepare us for the coming of Messiah.
He prepares us by preaching and baptizing, for repentance and the
forgiveness of sins.
And
Zechariah can’t believe his ears. How
can this be? I’m too old! Elizabeth is all dried up. Better give me some sign, Gabriel. Now, can you believe this? You meet an angel, and a famous one at that,
and suddenly you doubt whether his words can be true? You’ve been praying your whole life long… for
a child, for Messiah, that God would send deliverance, that He would save you…
You know the Scriptures, how God promised Abraham a son, from whom would come
the promised Messiah, and how God made them wait and wait and wait for the
fulfillment. Abraham was 100 years old,
and Sarah was 90 when she gave birth to Isaac.
Rebekah was barren, until God opened her womb. Rachel was barren until she gave birth to
Joseph. There is Hannah, barren until
the LORD gave her Samuel. You know this
is how our God works. You’ve believed
all His promises, and this has been counted to you as righteousness,
justification by faith alone. But now,
suddenly, an angel appears, and you need
a sign that his word will come true?
Silence. That is what unbelief gets you. Zechariah, a priest of God, a descendant of
the High Priest, Aaron, who was known for his eloquence, must be silent. Mute.
Maybe deaf, as well, because later the people will have to make signs to
him to ask him what his son is to be called.
Now Zechariah cannot do what priests do.
He cannot speak. Which means He
cannot teach. He cannot pray aloud. He cannot bless the people. Silence.
Until John is born, circumcised, and named. Then God will open Zechariah’s lips. And Zechariah’s first words will be words of
praise to the God who has visited and redeemed His people.
Zechariah’s
name is a prophecy. It means, “The LORD
remembers.” When God remembers, it is
not as though He calls to mind something He has forgotten. When God remembers, He acts. He acts for the salvation of His people. Zechariah, whose name means “The LORD
remembers,” had forgotten the prophecy of his name. Thus the silence. But the LORD does not forget. He is faithful. He gives a son to Zechariah and
Elizabeth. He gives St. John to point to
an even greater act of remembrance. God
gives a Son to the virgin Mary and to the world: Jesus Christ. He is God in the flesh. He is God’s remembering us. He is the sacrifice of atonement for our
sins. He is, as John will preach, the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
Jesus
is our true High Priest. He is the end
of silence. He is the speaking of God,
the Word made flesh. He teaches us. He prays.
He blesses us. He speaks words of
healing and life, forgiveness and salvation.
He does what Zechariah, in his unbelief, could not. And yet, He too, becomes strangely silent
when His Father remembers and acts for the salvation of His people. Only Jesus is silent willingly and for the
sake of Zechariah and of us all. He is
silent in the face of the unjust accusations, the insults, the mockery. He is silent before Caiaphas, silent before
Pilate. Like a lamb that is led to the
slaughter, as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His
mouth (Is. 53:7). Until He was nailed to
the cross. Then, in His priestly office,
as our Great Aaron, as our Great Zechariah (“The LORD remembers”), He stretches
out His hands in benediction and He says, “Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Unlike
Zechariah, unlike you and me, Jesus does not forget. He remembers, even in death, that His Father
will remember and deliver Him. And He is
not disappointed. God raised Jesus from
the dead. He remembered His love for His
Son. He remembered His love for
you. And now, an amazing thing
happens. God opens your lips. As He opened Zechariah’s at the birth of
John, He opens yours at the resurrection of Christ, that your mouth may declare
His praise.
You
are priests, beloved. You are given to
teach, to pray, to bless. Now, too
often, you are like Zechariah. You know
the Scriptures and you believe them and you are counted righteous by faith in
the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. You
pray and you pray. You entrust all to
God. But then you also have your
doubts. You wonder if the Lord can
really deliver. You’re not sure if you
should really be confident in your prayers.
You’re not sure whether God will live up to His promises. You sure would like a sign. Of course, you’ve had plenty of them, like
Zechariah seeing the angel Gabriel with his own eyes and hearing his voice with
his own ears, but still wanting a sign.
You have the sign of Christ crucified for your sins and raised for your
justification. You have the sign of
water and the Word where God declares you His own beloved child. You have the sign of the Holy Absolution,
God’s own declaration that your sins are forgiven. You have the sign of preaching and God’s
Word, the living voice of the Almighty.
You have the sign of the very body and blood of Jesus, given and shed
for you for the forgiveness of sins. But
no, that’s not enough, is it… OF COURSE IT IS!!! What’s the matter with you?! Repent of your doubt. God Himself has spoken. And His Word does what it says. Your sins are forgiven. You are acquitted and absolved. You shall not die, but live. God is for you and not against you. He has remembered His covenant, made good on
His promise. Jesus is your Savior!
And
don’t be silent about this. Confess it,
dear priests. Speak it to your neighbor. Speaking is what faith gets you. Sing praises telling what God has done for
you. That is what it means that God has
opened your lips and loosed your tongue.
His Spirit is on you. You are
anointed for the task. God has given His
Son. This Child is Zechariah’s hope, and
yours. Believe it. And tell this Good News to others. For the waiting is over. God has remembered. His benediction has arrived in the flesh, our
Savior, Jesus. And you go out with His
thrice-holy Name upon you: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son (+), and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] The theme and many of the
thoughts in this sermon are from Ralph Tausz, What Child Is This? (St. Louis: Concordia, 2018).
Are you by chance taping your advent sermons as well? CMZ
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