Spoiling the End of the World

Midweek Advent Commentary

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

If you're a Lutheran kid, there are only two days when you don't want Jesus to come back: your birthday and Christmas. Maybe some of us still feel this way. Toys and good feelings—why spoil it with the end of the world?

But our Master calls us to watch and pray and hope for His glorious return. There is no greater gift for Christmas than Jesus in the flesh, once and for all coming to take sinners, forgiven once and for all, back home.

And until His final coming, we do receive our Jesus in the flesh through the blessed Sacrament. No earthly gift will ever surpass the heavenly meal of Christ given and shed for us.

AUGUSTANA XVII

Christ’s Return for Judgment

Our churches teach that at the end of the world Christ will appear for judgment and will raise all the dead. He will give the godly and elect eternal life and everlasting joys, but He will condemn ungodly people and the devils to be tormented without end.

Our churches condemn the Anabaptists, who think that there will be an end to the punishments of condemned men and devils.

Our churches also condemn those who are spreading certain Jewish opinions, that before the resurrection of the dead the godly shall take possession of the kingdom of the world, the ungodly being everywhere suppressed.

Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions. 2005 (Edited by Paul Timothy McCain) (40). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

Nebuchadnezzar and John: The Greatest or the Least?

Second Sunday of Advent

December 8, 2013

Matthew 3:1-12; 11:11 & Daniel 4

Nebuchadnezzar and John:

The Greatest or the Least?

In the name of Jesus.

I.

For all the bad things that Nebuchadnezzar did to God's people, it's strange that the account of King Nebuchadnezzar going out of his mind isn't widely known.

We know about Nebuchadnezzar throwing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace, but we forget that the old evil king got his due here on earth. But the Lord didn't bring this justice on him for all his evil deeds; it was because of his pride.

The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30)

“That I have built.” “By my mighty power.” “My majesty.” And the Lord says, in effect, “Very well. Since you think you are source of your power, I'll leave you to it.”

That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4:33)

But in the end Nebuchadnezzar repented and turned away from trusting in himself and by the work of the Holy Spirit trusted in the one true God. He stopped singing “We Are the Champions” in the royal We; he stopped singing about how awesome his Roar was and started singing a different tune.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. (Daniel 4:37)

II.

But evil old kings seldom get justice and they rarely repent. Old evil King Herod did great evil and he never expressed any regret or shame. His wickedness was most obvious when he had John the Baptist's head removed from his body (Matthew 14:10). Not a happy ending for John.

It seems strange to us—since we think we are good at fairness—that John's life has a bad ending and Nebuchadnezzer's ended well. One who had done so much good for the kingdom of God and the other so much harm. And even Jesus spoke explicitly about how important John was.

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11)

III.

So who is the greatest? A Nebuchadnezzar who trusted the Word of God and repented? Or a St. John who purposely worked himself out of job and out of life?

You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:28-30)

To Jesus neither of them are the least. He loves them both with great love through His enduring deeds of His cross and His altar.

Where do you fit in? You aren't the greatest or the least. You aren't an evil king or a good prophet. You're you. But where do you fit in?

You are the stones that John spoke about. You are the dead stones that have been raised up to be Abraham's new children, the living people of God, baptized into Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Because He has washed you clean in His blood, you will see more grandeur and glory than Nebuchadnezzar could ever have possibly imagined. But he will see it alongside you in heaven, too, because of the Lord's great love for the greatest and the least and everyone else, even you.

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Noah Is You

First Sunday of Advent

December 1, 2013

Matthew 24:37

Noah Is You

In the name of Jesus.

I.

Even he didn't know when the end would come. He knew it was coming, but not with any precision. He was waiting and the only difference between him and everyone else was that he knew he was waiting.

Who is he?

As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. They didn't know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be: Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left. (Matthew 24:37-41)

II.

He was Noah. In those evil times God called him to find safety in an ark. Noah's neighbors most likely thought he was nuts, similar to our feelings toward the guy building the aluminum foil spaceship in his backyard. But Noah was right—the end was coming and he was ready for whenever it would come.

He is also you. In our evil times Jesus called you to find safety in a different ark, called the Church. So here you are, waiting for the end to come, but without any precision. So to be safe, you assume that it could come not any day, but today.

III.

Hollywood's made a movie about Noah and the flood. Russell Crowe will be Noah and early reports indicate that the movie will suggest that Noah was the world's first environmentalist. So instead of a faithful recounting of Noah's life, you'll see Al Gore with animals next year.

The people of the world want to believe that they can delay or even stop the end from happening. Their books, news, movies, and tweets will always try to put you to sleep with this lie. And they'll go on eating and drinking and getting married and living together until the end.

IV.

Like Noah, we know that the end is coming. The day and the hour have already been set.

Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son—except the Father only. . . . Therefore [kept watch], since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:36, 42)

And so we take Jesus seriously. Use this Season of Advent to pray every morning and every evening,

From there He will come to judge the living and the dead,

and

Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.

We remember that Jesus Christ has come in Bethlehem and He is coming back to judge the world. His first coming leads our hearts towards warm romantic feelings and His second coming leads our hearts towards not a little dread. But as you pray,

Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead,

our hearts become balanced on the cross of Christ. The temptation to get sucked into Merry Money Christmas and to use the holidays for our own ends is restrained. The temptation to dread the end of the world is calmed by the joy of Christ's resurrection, the rising back to life that belongs to you because the Holy Spirit has washed and fed you into trust in His promises.

IV.

It's easy to feel stupid waiting for the end to come. The pressure to chase that Christmas feeling can be overwhelming. But I suppose it wasn't easy for Noah. No one was campaigning to put Christmas tree lights on the ark, but it must have been lonely. Year after year, the world kept on spinning and did its evil things, but they sure were having fun. The temptation to join in the fun and stop watching must have been powerful.

Well, Noah is you. And when the waiting gets you down, open your photo album and see the pictures of your Baptism. Open up your favorite parable of Christ and begin reading. Call me up and I'll open up the church or come to your home and feed you His body and blood. And play it watchful, and don't assume that He's coming back any day, but that He's coming back today.

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Cup of Thanksgiving

Day of Thanksgiving

November 28, 2013

1 Corinthians 10:16

The Cup of Thanksgiving

In the name of Jesus.

I.

What do you think about when you return from the Communion rail? There may be many thoughts running through your head, but I'd guess that the overall thought in your mind is thankfulness.

Thankful that your Savior Jesus has shown Himself to you—you have seen Jesus. By faith you have seen your Lord who hung on the cross and shed the blood that had kept Him alive. That blood was shed for you.

And that blood you have just received is the same blood shed from our Savior's hands and side. The body you have just received is the same body that was pierced for you. So we have not only seen the Lord, but we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good.

II.

Our thankful reaction for the Lord's gift of His own true body and blood is the same thankfulness expressed by St. Paul.

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)

From the time of St. Paul, there have been over 100,000 Sundays and on every Sunday from then until now, the Sacrament of the Altar has been celebrated and received with thanksgiving by millions of fellow believers. Their joy is real, because their Savior is real.

III.

So you return from Communion with folded hands or a head turned down. You return to your place in the congregation and quietly ponder the miracle you have just received.

And our thanksgiving continues as it flows from the Cup of Thanksgiving. The perfect feast you receive today is why the delicious meal from your heavenly Father will be so good for you. That turkey is nourishing a future resident of paradise!

So our table grace comes from the grace of His Table. Our prayer of thanksgiving as a family at home comes from Cup of Thanksgiving in which we commune as the Body of Christ.

Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. (1 Corinthians 10:17)

And so on this day of thanksgiving, we remember where all our blessings begin and end—our generous Giver of all good things, Jesus Christ.

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Sign of the King's Cross

Christ the King Sunday

November 24, 2013

Luke 23

The Sign of the King's Cross

In the name of Jesus.

I.

That sign above Jesus is often artistically abbreviated to INRI, which means Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Pilate has this sign made and nailed to the cross for reasons unknown.

Perhaps he wanted to send a message to the Jews. If he wanted a reaction, he got one. They angrily said that the sign should say that this Jesus only claimed to be the king. Pilate's reply to their demand for the sign's removal is cryptic: “What I have written, I have written” (John 19:22). What did he mean by that?

Maybe his encounter with the living Word of God had begun to churn in his heart. Or at least this unique person deserved to have some recognition. But whatever the reason behind that sign of the cross, it is good, right, and salutary, as we used to say, that it was there, because every single letter on that sign is true.

II.

Jesus, the Joshua from Nazareth, is the Savior of Nazareth and every town, city, and village of this world. And He is the King. He is the perfect David and the second Adam, for Whom both Adam and David were waiting. And He is a child of Abraham—a Jew from the house of David. He is the King that God's chosen people, the Jews, had been waiting for for 2,000 years.

III.

As Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, hung on the cross, we see those around Him confessing Who He is, without themselves seeming to realize the truth of their statements. Words they meant as insult and injury, were really truthful confessions of the suffering Christ.

Pilate puts up the truthful sign. His Roman soldiers offer Him sour wine to quench His thirst, as though they could offer the living Water of Life a good drink or the Host of Holy Communion good wine.

The Jewish big-wigs admitted that He saved others with His supernatural power, yet go on to make the baffling statement that He wasn't the divine Messiah and their royal King.

The wicked criminal taunted Jesus, “Aren't You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!” But that is exactly what Jesus is doing. Our Messiah is saving us by refusing to save Himself.

The sign of the cross tells the world the truth—our King willingly sacrifices Himself for His subjects. As His subjects we live in the New Testament, which is Christ Himself, and now we are all Jews. By trusting in His promises we are His chosen subjects, His chosen people, now and forever.

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.