December 2023 – Page 2 – What Does This Mean?

O Dayspring

Encore Post: O Dayspring, splendor of light everlasting, Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae, veni, et illumina sedentis in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

In the Northern Hemisphere, December is the darkest month of the year — and December 21st the darkest day of the year. The winter solstice occurs in early evening. On that date, dawn occurs at the latest time in the morning and sunset comes at the earliest time. It reminds us of the dark times in which we live — where sin is not restrained, evil seems to rule unhindered and death casts its shadow over us.

Into this darkness, the Daystar shines. The Sun of Righteousness rises to heal us. (Malachi 4:2) We see his great light and it gives us great joy. He breaks the power of sin and death over us. The child born in Bethlehem is now our Lord. (Isaiah 9:2-7) He will guide us in the way of peace.

Our antiphon today calls for Christ, our Dawn, to shine on us in our dark times, to dispel its gloom, bring joy to us and remind us of the last day, soon to come, when the King shall come. On that day, all shadows will disappear and he will dry every tear from our eyes.

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Lutheran Service Book, 357, Stanza Six

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

O Key of David

Encore Post: O Key of David, and Scepter of the House of Israel, You open and no one can close, You close and no one can open, Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel, qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit, veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

Even in monarchies, Kings cannot rule by themselves. They need quite a few officials to carry out their will and to control access to the throne, so that Royal time is not wasted on trivial things or matters not the focus of the King’s agenda. Isaiah announces God’s appointment of such an officer for King Hezekiah. He was the ancient Chief of Staff. The symbol of his authority was the Key of David, so that he would open doors no one could close and close doors no one could open. (Isaiah 22:22)

In the letters to the seven churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation, Jesus announces that he has the Key of David and opens the door to the Kingdom of Heaven, which no one can shut. (Revelation 3:7) Many try to place burdens on God’s people, restrict those who can come to the Father and block the way to Heaven.

But Jesus is the Key of David, who opened the kingdom of Heaven by his sacrificial death and by breaking the seal of the grave when he rose from the dead. For those who believe in him, Heaven is always open and is never shut. He removes the sin that blocks our way and barrs the door to hell forever.

Now, through pastors whom he sends to his people, the keys to open heaven unlock doors for us, removes the chains of our sin and shame and provides bread and drink for the journey — His holy body and his precious blood. These sustain us until we arrive home at last and enter its open door forever.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Lutheran Service Book, 357, Stanza Five

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

O Root of Jesse

Encore Post: O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before the peoples, before whom all kings are mute, to whom they will do homage, Come quickly to deliver us.

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur, veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardere.

The title in today’s antiphon comes from Isaiah 11. The people of Israel had been unfaithful to God, worshiping the idols of the gentiles around them. He had already destroyed the northern kingdom with the Assyrian Empire. Isaiah predicted that eventually the same would happen to the southern kingdom. The house of David would eventually be destroyed as well. Isaiah prophesied that the root of this tree would sprout again. The messiah would come to be that branch from the root of Jesse, King David’s father. His will be an everlasting kingdom.

Isaiah then switches images. The Root of Jesse was to be a flag to which the gentiles would rally. Before electronic communication, armies used trumpets and flags to keep their forces together and is send orders to every unit. An old proverb says that even the most thorough battle plan does not survive the beginning of conflict. Loud sounds, explosions, clash of weapons, and, in modern times, the smoke of firearms causes chaos impossible to shout over. At times when soldiers loose track of where they are, the look for their unit flag and national flag. They make their way to the flag and the forces reassemble.

The Messiah will be, Isaiah tells us, the flag to which the people of Israel and the gentiles will gather. He will bring people together in peace. The antiphon focuses on the absolute power the Messiah will have over all kings. It calls on him to free us from their power and not be late.

When the Messiah did come, the freedom he granted was over Satan, sin and our flesh. He did this with the sacrifice of his own life in our place. When he rose from the grave, he broke its seal and opened the kingdom to all believers. When he comes again, he will complete that liberation, when we, free from sin, will live for him and with him forever.

O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Lutheran Service Book, 357, Stanza Four

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

O Adonai, My Lord

Encore Post: O Adonai and Ruler of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai, come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.

O Adonai, et dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti, veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

Moses was minding his own father-in-law’s business — his sheep — when he saw a bush on fire that did not burn up. When he went up to see what was happening, the Angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Son of God himself) spoke with him from the bush. He commissioned Moses to free the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Doing everything he could to avoid the subject, Moses asked for the Name of God. “I am who I am” the Messiah replied. (Exodus 3) That name we pronounce Yahweh. It is spelled with four consonants in Hebrew — יהוה (YHWH) After the Babylonian exile, the Jewish people decided not to pronounce that name so it could not be taken in vain. Instead, they said, “Adonai” which means “my Lord.” Wherever the Angel of the Lord appears in the Old Testament, this name is given to him. He revealed God’s Law to Moses on this same spot after the Exodus.

Because the Messiah is God, there is nothing that he cannot do. He loved his people Israel, so he sent Moses to free them. He displayed his power to free them with plagues and miracles, including the parting of the Red Sea. Later the Scriptures would describe it as his outstretched arm.

The prayer calls on the Messiah to come and redeem us — which he did. This time the miracle was not raw power, but the power of God himself paying the price of our salvation — not with silver or gold, but with his own blood. He himself became the sacrifice of our sin, paying its price in full.

One day he will come again in glory, to redeem the world once and for all, defeating death, sin and devil. On that day, his outstretched arm will restore all things and bring all to his throne. There all will confess Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory of God the Father.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
— Lutheran Service Book 357, Stanza Three

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

O Wisdom

Encore Post: O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, permeating all creation, mightily ordering all things, Come and teach us the way of prudence.

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia, veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

In the formal language of the church, important days are celebrated for eight days. The eighth day is called the Octave (Latin for eight) of the festival. It is a symbol of eternal life. Since there are only seven days of the week, the eighth day is thought of being beyond time in the presence of God himself, where angels, archangels and all the company of Heaven worship the Lamb-Who-Was-Slain. In a sense, all worship services are conducted on the eighth day. The Octave of Christmas is New Year’s Day, when the church remembers the Circumcision of Jesus and begins the new year in the Name of Jesus. December 17th in kind of an octave in reverse. On this day, the O Antiphons begin.

The first prayer meditates on the title “Wisdom.” In the popular philosophy of Greece and Rome, Wisdom is taught by the Word (the Logos — λόγος) which is a part of God Himself that comes to the world to instruct the worthy in Wisdom. (σοφία — Sophia) Isaiah prophesied that the Spirit of Wisdom would be in the Messiah. (Isaiah 11:1-9) In the Scriptures, knowledge is about knowing facts and the way things work. Wisdom is about knowing the best way to apply knowledge. Wisdom is not about what you know, but who you know. It begins with the fear of God and is built upon trusting God to keep his promises. (faith) Wisdom hears the Word of God, judges possible actions by it and acts deliberately according to it. In this prayer, we ask the Lord to teach us to live in this way.

The highest form of wisdom is the cross. Here God himself is sacrificed to pay the price of our evil. It seems foolish to the world — the good dying for the sake of the evil and conquering it once and for all. Yet for us it is the most profound Wisdom of all. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25) The way of prudence, then, teaches us to confess our sins, receive pardon for them and lay down our lives for others.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, Who ord’rest all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Lutheran Service Book, 357, Stanza Two

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

O Antiphons: The Final Christmas Countdown

Encore Post: Among the most ancient prayers still used by Christians are the O Antiphons. They are seven prayers that settled into the evening service in monasteries, at least by the time of King Charlemagne, (700s-800s). They are used the seven days before Christmas. An antiphon is a Psalm verse or prayer used as a refrain when Psalms or liturgical songs are sung. All of these prayers begin with the Latin word “O.” They are in collect form and focus on titles given by the Prophet Isaiah to the Messiah.

In most Lutheran parishes, the O Antiphons go by unnoticed. There is typically only one devotional evening service conducted that week. Yet they will sound very familiar to you. Five of them were paraphrased by an unknown hymn writer into the carol, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” In fact, the Lutheran Service Book provides the actual O Antiphons along with the dates they were traditionally prayed.

Each antiphon begins with a title of the Messiah. It follows with a description of what God has done that makes this title appropriate for the Messiah. Finally, the prayer asks the Messiah to do something that fits the title. If you use it as a prayer, end with “who with the Father and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

During the next week, I’ll write a post about each one of them. Why not use these prayers in your devotions as a kind of countdown to Christmas?

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Where did Christmas come from?

Encore Post: People are planning parties, shopping for gifts, decking their homes in greenery, cooking for feasts. Soon they will make merry, drink plenty of wine, stuff themselves, play silly — and suggestive games. Rich and poor, everyone will go to orgies — and may even disappear with someone of the opposite sex. Everywhere revelers shout Io, Saturnalia! (Yo! Saturnalia!) No, it is not 21st Century America, it’s ancient Rome!

Beginning with December 17th and eventually lasting seven days, Ancient Rome would celebrate the harvest and the planting of the winter crops. The patron god of the celebration was Saturn, said to have been the pre-Roman Italian king who invented agriculture. The celebration had the same feel and atmosphere as does Marti Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Buenos Aires. It got so wild that even Roman Emperors — not exactly prudes — tried to reign it all in — unsuccessfully.

There has been a myth going around that the Emperor Constantine or the Bishops invented Christmas and placed it on December 25th to rescue Christians from the party. These days it is mostly pagans, atheists, secular liberals — and interestingly enough — very conservative Christians who promote the theory. The problem is that no Christian writing from ancient times make that argument. So, how did the rumor get started?

To begin with, there is no mention of formal celebration of Christmas before 340 AD. The main focus of the early church was the celebration of Easter, which got quite a bit of discussion from the very start. Then again, there is no detailed description of Saturnalia before 400 AD, so it is hard to tell which came first. If we give ancient Christian and pagan sources the benefit of a doubt, both celebrations are very old. The date of Christmas has some variety to it until late in the 300s. Many Christians observed January 6th as the day to thank God for the many ways that the Son of God revealed himself — focusing on the incarnation and the baptism of Jesus.

Yet traditions die hard. The church never successfully brought an end to December parties, gift-giving and other customs. Rarely did it really try all that hard — beyond preaching against immorality and complaining that people do not focus on God’s gift of his Son. Instead, Christians baptized many of these customs, infusing them with Christian meaning. It is how we have a different reason for the season. “God rest ye merry, Gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ, our Savior, was born on Christmas Day, to save us all from Satan’s pow’r when we had gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy! O tidings of comfort and joy! “

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Sermon on John the Baptizer (Mark 1:1–8)

Second Sunday in Advent
Our Hope Lutheran Church
Huntertown, Indiana

‌‌Text: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.””‌

Introduction: It had been over four hundred years since Malachi, the last prophet before John, spoke. Malachi had predicted that God would send the prophet Elijah to purify his people for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of that greatest prophet. But the people just didn’t get it. He was not the Messiah, but the one who revealed the Messiah.‌

I. John the Baptist was the Last and Greatest Prophet

‌A. He was a Son of Aaron, heralded in the temple, born to the barren, living like Elijah, maybe even son of David…

‌B. They thought he was a kind of Super David.

‌C. He was instead God’s witness, the last and greatest Old Testament prophet, the one to point to Emmanuel – God with us.

‌D. He showed us where God is – on the cross.

‌II. In the midst of our troubles, we ask, “Where is God?”

‌A. Yes, our world is filled with sorrow, death, disaster, persecution, sin and disease.

‌B. Pagans tell us God is not there or is not at all interested in us or that we have angered Him.

‌C. Often they try to appease or bribe their gods or fix the problems with their own wits.

‌D. We are tempted to join them and ask, “Where is God?” looking in all the wrong places.

‌III. Emmanuel is by our side, with His good gifts and Spirit.

‌A. Even though we don’t see Him, He’s by our side on the battlefield, with His good gifts and Spirit.

‌B. Emmanuel saw our suffering and was moved with compassion.

‌C. He became flesh and lived with us.

D. He took it all to the Cross where He paid for it and broke its power forever.

‌E. Today, He is still with us and one day will bring it all evil to an end.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Who was John the Baptist?

Encore Post: Zechariah should have known better. He was a Levite and a priest with decades of experience. He was steeped in the Torah, the Psalms and the Prophets. He knew that God has a habit of giving children to the barren — including Abraham and Hannah, the mother of the great Samuel: prophet, priest and judge. When an angel appears to you — you listen. And here the angel of God’s presence, Gabriel, stood before him when he offered to God the prayer of God’s people. He promised a super-natural birth and gave a name to his one and only son, whom he would love. Yet he doubted and was kept from speaking until the birth. His words, “his name is John” would be his first words after that. In his song, which we sing in the Matins worship service, he prophesied the role of his child, the last and greatest of the prophets. John the herald of the Messiah would be the capstone of the Old Testament.

John the Baptist had all the credentials to be the Messiah. His Father was a priest, descended from Aaron. His mother was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and so perhaps descended from King David. An angel in God’s temple announced John’s birth while his father was offering the prayers of the people to God.

Both of his parents were very old, like Abraham and Sarah, and barren, like Hannah, mother of Samuel. God named him John (Gods gift). In the same way, He named Isaac and changed Jacob’s name to Israel.

The angel announced that John would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets. So John would qualify to be prophet, priest and king. Yet from the very start, he and his parents understood that John was not the Messiah, but the one who would reveal him to the world and prepare the way for him. Jesus called him the greatest prophet. (Matthew 11:9-14) John the Baptist closed the Old Testament. He was the first witness to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Born of the Virgin Mary

Encore Post: Mary of Nazareth, mother of Jesus, goes by many titles in the Christian Church. The Scripture given her two of these: “Blessed” (Luke 1:28, 48) and “Virgin” (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23;; Luke 1:26-27) To these the church has added “Saint” (Holy One) and “Mother of God” (θεοτόκος in Greek — literally the God Bearer). The last title sounds very strange to the ears of Protestants, who rightly reject the cult of Mary that continues in the Roman Catholic Church today. They worry that calling Mary Mother of God makes her a part of the Godhead, when she is, in fact, a Christian just like us. Yet the title was given to emphasize that the Son of God was truly born, lived, suffered and died for our sins.

Just as the nature of God as one God in three persons is a doctrine that is beyond human understanding, the nature of Jesus Christ is also impossible to understand. So, what the Bible teaches us about the nature of our Lord seems to be filled with statements that contradict each other. Yet they all are true because it is God himself who teaches them in Holy Scripture. Like the doctrines of the Trinity, discussions during the first five centuries of church history helped Christianity sharpen its understanding of the person of Jesus.

During the last few centuries of the Roman Empire, the Greek philosophy of Plato shaped its culture. Plato believed that the spiritual world was good and the physical world evil. Therefore it was impossible for God, who is everything pure, to pollute himself by becoming human. The could imagine the Word of God, the Logos, adopting a human body in order to impart wisdom to humans, but not to become a man. Various heresies had the Son of God living in a human body, but not becoming man, as the Bible teaches. They could bring themselves to calling the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of the human nature, the Mother of Christ, for short. But never the nature of Jesus as God.

The church realized that the result would be two Christs, not one. They came to the conclusion that there was one, unique being in Jesus Christ. He is the God-Man — one person with two natures. What the Scripture teaches about the human nature of Jesus, then, it teaches about his nature as God as well. So, then, since the person of Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, she should be called the Mother of God.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Blog Post Series

Second Sunday in AdventOur Hope Lutheran Church Huntertown, Indiana

Second Sunday in Advent
Our Hope Lutheran Church
Huntertown, Indiana