Encore Post: Epiphany is a season of unwrapping God’s gifts. The word comes from Greek. It means reveal, make known, and, in Old English, make manifest or clear. As creatures and sinners, we cannot fully understand God. Even if we could stand in God’s holy presence, we would die. (Exodus 33:20) Even as Christians, we often find ourselves saying, “I don’t get you, God!”
God knows this well. It is why he reveals himself to us in Jesus. When we want to see God, we can look at Jesus. The Apostle John sums it up nicely: “No one has seen God. The only begotten God, he is from the Father, and he has made him known.” (John 1:18) In the season of Epiphany, we get to know Jesus by what he said and did. We sit at his feet and see with our own eyes that he is the Messiah — and more than that — that he is God himself.
The season begins with a θεοφάνεια (Theophaneia) — God appearing or making himself known to people. At the Baptism of our Lord, we see the Son of God, hear the voice of the Father, and the Holy Spirit settles on the Son in the form of a dove. For the Three-Year Lectionary, the season ends with another θεοφάνεια. The Son glows with his full glory as God; the Father speaks, and God settles on the mountain in the ancient Cloud of Glory.
In between, he calls disciples from their nets, turns water into wine, feeds whole crowds with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. He casts out demons, raises the dead, gives sight to the blind, not with shows of great ritual, but with a few words: “I will; be clean!” “Get out!” “be still!” He prays and teaches with authority — unlike the Pharisees and Bible experts. In the following season, Lent, we will see him be the Lamb of God, who takes our sins to the cross, pays the price of our salvation with his own blood, and rises from the dead to break the seal of the grave forever.
So we get to know Jesus, and through him, get to know God. One day, we will see him — and God — face to face — in our own flesh, we will see God.
Encore Post: The data is out there. The trends are known. We know before we go about our duties. We know who is likely to remain in the church. We know who is likely to return to the church. We already know.
Will the married couple remain in the church after their wedding in our building? Will the family bring their baptized child into the Lord’s house regularly? Will the catechumens remain in the church after they’re admitted to the altar? Will the new visitors become a permanent fixture here after transfer or conversion? Will the family, newly invigorated by the death of a closely related blessed saint of the Lord, lose their zeal or keep it? Will the children keep coming when the duties, passions, and hormones of adolescence drag them around wildly in their own minds?
Your pastors pray that the data is more dire than reality.
In each case, it boils down to habits and patterns.
Newlyweds: What is their family background? Was the couple from a similar upbringing? LCMS, regularly attending as a child and adolescent, and both parents bringing them to church? It’s the same way that similar ideas about money, number of children, and, chiefly, whether moms and dads were married and remain married, improve the chances of a successful marriage. The commonality of faith also improves the chances that these kids will be and remain in the church.
Your pastor will coach you on the difficulties you will face in the future when the odds are not stacked in your favor. Only in scarce circumstances will he refuse marriage. Success is always possible. But, for that to blossom, we have to be honest about the poor odds. Your pastor prays the Lord will deliver you from misfortune and strife, even the foreseeable kind.
Baptized child: What’s the deal with Mom and Dad? If they are or become regular attenders, the kids will probably follow suit. If they are not, their kids will still likely follow suit. Your pastor will often baptize a child whose future in the church is uncertain. He prays that foreseeable apostasy does not befall your house.
Catechumens, again, what’s the deal with Mom and Dad? Here, there’s more data readily available. Did y’all attend regularly before confirmation was on the horizon? If not, there’s a mighty high chance the catechumens will peter out quickly following confirmation.
Your pastors will desperately attempt to instill new habits in the kids. He’ll impose strict attendance standards or require seemingly endless piles of sermon reports. He’s seen parents drop children off for required church attendance, while driving off themselves. He’s grieved to know the child may be lost already. He prays he’s wrong, keeps up with his efforts, and prays the Holy Spirit defeats those odds. Rarely would he withhold confirmation.
Transfers/Converts/Those motivated by a close death: Where were you before? Are you returning to lifelong patterns of attendance at the Lord’s house? Or are these attempts to develop a new pattern? Those who attended before are more likely to attend again. Those who did not are not.
Adolescents: This group gets the most attention, the most ink spilled over them, and even individualistic ministerial attention. How often have you heard of a church with a minister of newlywed Christianization, baptismal life, catechetical instruction, or newly returned Christian life instruction? Prob’ly never. But, we’ve all seen churches with a youth minister or a youth ministry team.
Sadly, that’s also an example of the poor return on those efforts. Again, data indicates that strong youth programs don’t predict strong Christian adults from within them. Worse, when those programs look distinctively different from the churches from which they spring, they serve as an offramp directly out of the church. By the time the youth are at that age, the patterns are well-established. It will take an earth-moving effort by their father, dragging to the entire family to church, consistently to develop a new pattern. That effort has a chance. The youth group or activities are woefully unlikely to move the needle.
Can’t we beat the odds? Yes, we can. Your pastor prays you do. He preaches, teaches, and conducts himself towards you, assuming the data is wrong in your case.
As a body of believers, we have data to help direct our efforts. Children follow the patterns established by their fathers regarding church. As we discussed before, the data is stark in this regard. If we want baptized babies in church, children in church following along and learning, catechumens attending to the Lord’s house, youth who remain in or return to church, newlyweds who attend regularly and bring their babies to the font, we must have fathers to build those patterns into their children.
Your pastors already know. We pray every day that the data is wrong in your case.
Encore Post: “He’s a saint!” you might hear someone say. What they probably mean is that the person is very good, generous, kind, or helpful. Most often, when we use the term, we mean someone respected and honored by the early or medieval church for their example of holy living or strong faith. Such people, called saints in the first few centuries, were witnesses to Jesus to the point of death. They were also called martyrs, witnesses.
The Bible does not use the word saint in such a narrow way. The word means “holy one” and is used to describe God’s people, saved and made holy by his grace. St. Paul goes to great lengths to explain how those God is making holy should live. Many Lutheran pastors follow this custom and call the hearers of their sermons “saints.”
During the Middle Ages, saints who were admired for their faith went from being good examples to be venerated — worshipped, really, although Catholics would object to that description. The church redefined a saint as someone whose good deeds were more numerous than their sins, so they did not go to purgatory but directly to heaven. (that subject is for another post!) There, it was said, they are aware of what is going on and pray for us. They can hear our prayers and do miracles for us—or instead, ask God to perform them. The honoring of and praying to the saints became known as the cult of the saints.
Martin Luther and the reformers believed the cult of the saints had gotten out of control. They believed it was good to give thanks to God for saints, to study their lives, and to imitate their faith. The Book of Hebrews says as much. (Hebrews 13:7) Yet the saints in heaven do not know what is happening on earth, and they do not hear our prayers. Prayer and worship belong to God alone.
So Lutherans do not pray to saints, collect pieces of their bodies, or things that belonged to them as magic objects. We study their lives, consider what happened to them, learn from their sins and mistakes, and imitate their faith and good works. We do this not because they are better than us, but because they are just like us. If God got them through this life by faith, he can — and will — keep us to everlasting life.
Sermon on the Holy Innocents, Martyrs Exodus 1:8-22, Matthew 2:13-18 December 28, 2025
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear saints, in a dispute with some Jews, Jesus tells them that the devil was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. As we read Scripture, we see this play out over and over. Of how the devil influences and guides people from God to evil. From the snake in the garden to sin crouching at the door and desiring Cain. To a people bowing before a golden calf, to arrogantly thinking the city of Jerusalem was safe because the Temple was built in it.
Perhaps, however, the greatest and most vile treachery of the devil is his targeting of children. The demonic practice of child sacrifice. Not only in the lands of ancient Babylon and Assyria, but even in the cultures of Central America. Human, and specifically child sacrifice, was…is common around the world. The blood of the young and innocent is shed to feed the desires of demons masquerading as gods. To serve the self as a god. To buy favor with a man or a false god.
It is not only the devil and his minions who are bloodthirsty. Many kings and generals through the centuries have been as well. They would conquer and slaughter for the sport of it. Or, perhaps it was out of fear, like when a group of your servants starts to grow larger than you are comfortable with. Or when you convince yourself, there is a rival heir to your throne.
These are the fears we hear this morning. A new king arises who is ignorant of or simply despises history. Does not know or care how, centuries ago, a man came to Egypt as a slave, was wrongly imprisoned, but saved the entire region from a severe famine. We also hear of a tyrant who feared any challenger. And when he hears of a newborn king, he fears this infant with a violent response.
Some 1500 years before our Lord’s birth, the devil is working to thwart God’s plan to redeem His creation. When a severe famine brings the chosen family to Egypt and the land of Goshen, the Lord blesses them greatly. They grow great in number. And now, the devil uses Israel’s size to scare the new Pharaoh. And as we heard, the lives of Israel are made miserable. They are mistreated and abused. But it was not enough to oppress God’s people. The devil had greater goals.
For God promised a seed from Abraham. But if the line is broken, if Abraham’s line is ended, the Messiah cannot come. God’s plan and promise to save mankind would be derailed, and you and I would be forever under condemnation. The devil uses Pharaoh as his vessel. The goal was to end the line of Israel. To systematically kill all male Hebrew children. To force the girls to marry into Egyptian families and end the line of the Patriarchs. So, the command to the midwives was to kill any male child immediately after he was delivered and to allow any girl to live.
Yet God will not be thwarted. Although a Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph or fear God, so also were there faithful and brave midwives. When choosing between honoring God and the command of Pharaoh, Shiphrah and Puah chose their Lord and your Lord.
Their faithfulness was rewarded, but the devil did not give up. He intensified. Rather than killing the boy at birth, Egyptians were commanded to find Hebrew boys and throw them into the Nile, to drown them. The very river that gave life and symbolized fertility was to be the agent of death.
We do not know how many children were tossed into the Nile nor how long this decree lasted. We are not sure what the age cutoff was, for Moses’ brother Aaron was about three when this began. But we do know that not all male children were drowned. A Levite family has a son, and when they can no longer hide him, they place him in a basket. They place it in the Nile. And the basket, like the ark during the Great Flood, protects the precious cargo. None other than Pharaoh’s daughter draws the basket and baby out of the water. She adopts and names the child Moses. And though it takes decades, through Moses, the devil is finally thwarted. God’s people are saved from their slavery and affliction. Egypt and her gods are judged. And the promise to Abraham and the Patriarchs is preserved.
We also hear this morning of another king. One whose reign at first was of building and relative peace, but devolved into depravity, paranoia, and tyranny. And when magi from the East arrive, reporting the birth of the King of the Jews, that paranoia went into overdrive. A man who was willing to kill his own kin to protect his throne had no qualms about having an infant murdered, either.
This jealousy and fear gave the devil another opportunity. While he failed to prevent Christ’s birth, he could still go after Him as a baby. And because the devil hates God and His creation, he was willing to kill any child he could while going after God’s Son. Like the Hebrew children in Egypt, we do not know how many boys were killed by Herod’s order. We do not know how many parents had their infants and toddlers ripped from them by the murderous will of Herod and the devil.
But we know God acted to preserve His promise. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were hidden away and safe in Egypt when Herod’s evil decree was carried out. They stay until Herod dies. In this time, the devil causes grief and sorrow but fails to accomplish his evil agenda.
Horror and turmoil persist today. People suffer at the hands of other people. People suffer from accidents and other natural occurrences. People still suffer from the devil’s antics and plans. When this occurs, weeping and lamentation are appropriate responses. The desire to comfort the afflicted and the suffering is good and natural. For we rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. Pray for all who are suffering, that they may know peace.
Today, we remember the children and their families who suffered due to the actions of the devil and evil men. We lament the lives that were cut short. But we also remember that God’s will and promise are still accomplished. He loves those children and families just as He loves all children and families. It is for them and for you that He comes as a baby. For them and for you, He dies. Not the victim of Satan, but as the victor over Satan. The schemes of the devil are ultimately all overcome by your God.
And so, we thank God that He delivers all His martyrs and saints from the great tribulation of this world. For all who have had their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. Who are made pure and holy on account of the death and resurrection of Christ. Let us take refuge in all His promises. Rest in the knowledge that He will not let you be put to shame. Remembering that Jesus hands over the Spirit so that He may reside in you, delivering you from evil. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Tonight is the Night Christmas Eve Luke 2:1-14 December 24, 2025
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear saints, tonight everything changes. Tonight, something important happens. For tonight, in a small room, something incredible is delivered. Someone’s life will be forever changed. That is, if they match all the numbers. The last time I looked, the Powerball drawing tonight is worth an estimated $1.7 billion. The cash option is estimated at $780 million. The cashier seemed surprised that I did not want tickets for the second-largest jackpot in our nation’s history. I suppose that makes sense. This is life-changing money. But for many jackpot winners, it is also life-ruining money.
It makes you a target. People you know will want things from you. They will ask you for things or money. Have sob stories where they deserve your charity…whether the story is real or not. People have been killed after winning. Sometimes by robbers who target you, others by robbers who pretended to be friends until they could ‘finish the job.’ Even if you escape with your life, they can still steal your mammon. I mean, money.
But it doesn’t end there. Events like winning a jackpot can change and strain relationships. If you are single, good luck finding someone interested in you and not your money. Then there is the boredom and even guilt that comes. Guilt that you did nothing to have everything. Boredom that your days are free, while everyone else still toils.
What is worse is that statistics say 70% of lottery winners actually go bankrupt. Probably not from a nearly $2 billion ticket, but professional athletes end up broke while and after making hundreds of millions of dollars.
But why do I bring this up? It isn’t to get you to buy a ticket. It is to show where hope lies. Tonight, many hope for a Christmas miracle. That their ‘lucky numbers’ or their Quick Pick ticket is the right one. They think a windfall can lift the darkness around them. Darkness that has been around since the beginning of time.
Things change in the darkness. The darkness is scary and can be dangerous. It is in the dark that evil meets and schemes. Where the seedy underbellies of city and town thrive. There is a reason the unlit alley is scary. That the dark room seems to press in on you.
But it was in the darkness that the Lord spoke the words, “Let there be light.” It was in the night that the Lord’s judgment on Egypt came, where the firstborn of Egypt, even Pharaoh’s son, was destroyed and Israel was vindicated. Where, at the Red Sea, the Lord spends the night driving back the waters that Israel would cross on dry land.
Several times in the Old Testament, we see the Lord work on behalf of His people in the darkness. We recall Gideon’s 300 men, or when God causes the Syrian army to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army in the night. They abandon their camp and run away in fear, leaving it for lepers to find and bring the good news to Samaria when God answers Hezekiah’s prayer and sends an angel to strike down the 185,000-strong Assyrian army of Sennacherib.
While the world schemes in the night, the Lord breaks through it. There is no darkness in Him. He causes it to become light, because He is the Light. And a little over 2,000 years ago, the Light forever pierced the darkness. But unless you knew, you would have never known.
It did not sound like God breaking into His creation. It sounded like a young woman in agony. Like the desperate cry of a newborn. It didn’t look like the nursery of a king. It was the smell of a barn and the feed trough of an animal. But He was there. The Light who had just broken into the darkness.
And this good news had to be proclaimed. And it is, not to the might who were living in splendor and soft clothing. But to the humble and scorned. To some lowly shepherds in a nearby field. It is dark. Real dark. The darkness of the middle of the field; no such thing as light pollution. And suddenly, it was bright. Not just light, but the weighty glory of God. And in that brightness, an angel caused the shepherds to fear greatly.
Again, that makes sense. Even prophets, in the presence of the holy, fear. Yet the words of this angel dispel any need: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
This is, indeed, good news. The Messiah is here. The darkness’s days are numbered. Soon, its power will be vanquished.
The proclamation is enough. Nothing more needed to be said. But the angel goes on: “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” God’s word, His promise, is enough. But even more grace is given to the shepherds. They can see the fulfilled promise with their own eyes.
What joy! What grace! Immanuel is here. God is with His people. In the flesh.
And heaven cannot contain itself. 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!”
You are among those with whom He is pleased. He created a perfect world out of love for you, His creation. He gave a good Law. Gave a promise of deliverance after the Fall. Kept that promise through various schemes of the devil trying to overturn God’s will and plan.
God breaks through the darkness to bring His light. In the darkness, your Messiah takes His first breath. In the darkness, He is betrayed. In the darkness, even though it was the middle of the day, He takes His final breath. He descends to the gloomy darkness of hell to proclaim His victory. And in the darkness, just as the sun begins to rise, He rises too.
He is the true, life-changing, eternal jackpot. And winning all for you, blessing you with life and salvation, you are made a target. But do not fret, for Jesus is the stronger man. He raids the devil’s kingdom and overthrows his throne. He will battle the devil and demons. He will face off against His own creation and people. And He will conquer it all, winning your redemption in the process.
But it all begins tonight. Because tonight, everything changes. Tonight, something important happens. For in a small room in a small town just south of Jerusalem, someone incredible is delivered. Where a poor family welcomes the virgin’s firstborn, lying there in a manger. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Nativity of Our Lord Luke 2:15-20 December 25, 2025 Through the Eyes of the Shepherds
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
It’s the middle of the night. You’ve been out in this field for hours. Just like you were last night and, it seems, every night. Even when you’re used to the long nights, your eyes get heavy. And it’s even harder in the cold. But, as far as you know, it is just another night like so many before it. Just another night…until the darkness is suddenly gone and everything is lit as if it were day. And now someone is standing there who was not there just three seconds ago. This ordinary night has just become the most frightening night of your life.
And then, he speaks: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Whatever you understand of this message, the man you now recognize as an angel continues, “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
If this was not overwhelming enough, now the sky explodes with light and sound: 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!”
Just as quickly as everything appears, it is gone. The night surrounds you once again. The stillness comes over you. But the sights and the sounds continue to ring in your minds. You cannot help but think of what you have just seen and heard. And you start talking about it. Your group decides, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
You quickly leave the fields and make your way into the little town. You find Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. And awe overcomes you. You see what you heard from the angels. And you cannot help yourself; you tell them everything you saw on this very night. You see deep contemplation in Mary. Finally, you all return to your fields and your flocks. This ordinary night has just become the most joyous night of your life.
Now things are different. Your eyes are open. Your shoulders are lighter. You cannot help but praise and glorify your God. Not only because of what you have seen, but because of what He is accomplishing. The long-awaited Savior has arrived. The root of Jesse has finally cracked the surface of the soil. And you realize that the peace being made known, made manifest, is for you.
This is because the Light will shine. Think of our Introit. In a world of darkness, a light pierces through. And while the darkness is a frightening place. A place where evil abounds, your God is still at work. And on this day, we celebrate that to us a child is born. A child who brings peace between God and man.
Think of what we heard from Isaiah, words that Jesus will confess about Himself in the synagogue at Nazareth: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
All these things your Lord has done. He instructs, he convicts, and he comforts. He tells you of His peace and absolution. He takes and heals your heart. He frees you from sin’s captivity. The gates of hell are destroyed, no longer able to bind those He calls to Himself.
In this, you have true joy. For your salvation comes. Now, in a manger. Soon, on a donkey. In glory upon a cross. In victory over the grave. And, one day, descending upon the clouds, ending all strife and bringing you and all His holy people to the New Creation. Where you will dwell with Him and all the saints forever and ever. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Encore Post: A Wonderful thing happened when the angel announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds.
If this birth had been proclaimed to the nobles of this world, if the shepherds had measured themselves against the standard of these important fellows, if the shepherds had compared to royal wisdom and wealth, they would have been afraid, because power frightens and wisdom intimidates people.
If Christ had come with trumpets sounding, if he had a cradle of gold, his birth would have been a stately thing. But it wouldn’t comfort me.
So, He had to lie in a poor girl’s lap and be scarcely noticed by the world. In that lap I can come to see Him; In this way, He now reveals Himself to the distressed. Yes, He would’ve had greater fame, if He’d have come in great power, splendor, wisdom and high class. Yet, He will come some day, in another way, when He comes to oppose the great nobles. But now He comes to the poor, who need a Savior.
At Just the Right Time Sermon on Galatians 4:4 Third Wednesday in Advent Our Hope Lutheran Church 17 December 2025
Text: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law. (Ga 4:4).
Time is a funny thing. We use clocks that measure the vibrations of atoms, coordinated with telescopes to record their passage with great precision and consistency from place to place, transmit them to us via computers, satellites, radio, television, and other digital signals, and synchronise our clocks with them. We barely notice that time is a human thing — except on leap years or when we change our clocks twice a year or move from time zone to time zone.
Time is how we record the changes we notice more and more each year of life. Time passes quickly. When you are a child, an hour drags on forever. As an adult, it passes before you realise it. What is important, our culture has noticed, is not time itself, but what you do with it. It has become our new currency. We would sooner write a check than hang out.
The Greek of the New Testament uses two different words for time. καιρός (kairos) translates roughly “the right time.” χρόνος (Chronos) is about the passage of time, minute after minute, hour after hour, year after year. Seasons like Advent, days like Christmas and New Year’s Day are χρόνος, times that we plan for, come and go, forming a part of the rhythm of life. That Christmas when you opened your first present is καιρός
These Advent Wednesdays, we’ve touched on the descent of Jesus. Pastor looked at the Son of Abraham, Seminarian Joe looked at the Son of David. Tonight, we look at Son of the Woman — two women, actually. Eve, the mother of us all, and Mary of Nazareth. These women represent particular right times — the first gospel promise to Eve and its fulfilment, and all the promises of God to save the world, when the Word became flesh in the womb of Mary.
The fullness of time when God sent his son, born of a virgin, is God’s καιρός (Galatians 4:4-5). His acts and plans unfolded slowly, one building on another, leading to just that right time. The next big καιρός is the Second Advent, when time itself will come to an end in God’s eternal life with his people.
Time began when God created the world in six days, concluding it with making man in his own image, creating him in his own image. He formed Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him, and then made Eve from his side. As he rested on the first Sabbath Day, he looked at it all, and it was very good.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they brought sin, suffering, grief and death into the world. But God still loved us, even loved us before he made the world. Even while placing the curse on Eve, he had already set in motion his plan to save us. The sons of the serpent would bruise the heel of her Seed, the Son of the Woman, and that Son of hers would crush his head.
One son of Eve, faithful to God’s promises, built an Ark. Through this son, God saved eight souls and the animals of his creation. Now it would be a son of Eve, a son of Noah, Abraham, through whom he would bless the world. But not just any son whom he loved, but a Son of Sarah.
Later, a son of Abraham and Sarah had mercy on his widowed sister-in-law, Ruth, and married her. Boaz and Ruth’s son, David, would be King of Israel, and God promised one of his sons would be the Messiah.
David, though a man after God’s own heart, was promised that one of his sons would sit on his throne forever. After repenting of his sins, God gave David and Bathsheba a son, Solomon, through whom God would keep his promise.
As the years flew by, God sent one prophet after another, calling his people to repentance and promising the coming of yet one more son of a woman to come to redeem his people from their slavery to sin and death. He shaped kings and kingdoms, put in place one condition after another, so that the times were just correct for his son to become flesh and live among us, born of a virgin.
God had become one of us. He perfectly obeyed the law we disobeyed, bore our sins to the cross, where he paid the price of our sin for us. Having died for us, he rose again to break the seal of the grave forever and ascended to the throne of God, where today he prays for us.
Now, when we are baptised, he places his name on us, adopting us as heirs of our Heavenly Father, so that now we can call him our Father. When our Chronos runs out, and our Kairos comes, he will welcome us home and dry every tear in our eyes. We will wait with him for one more Kairos, when we will return with him to make all things new.
On that day, he will call our bodies from their graves, unite them with our souls, and transform them into glorious bodies, fit for eternity. Then we will go with him and all his saints to the new heavens and new earth, where we will shine like the sun in the joy of our heavenly Father. At that last Kairos, he will say it again: “It is very good!”
Encore Post: For those outside the church and those in our midst, the answer to our complaints and questions can often be so easy that it escapes our notice. Plain as the nose on our face, we still miss it.
“I don’t feel like people at my church know me/want to talk to me.”
Have you tried going to church more often? We tend to engage with folks we see on a regular basis. The folks there are more likely to notice you when they see you more often . The folks there are going to feel like you’re interested in them when they see you more often. Give them a chance. You may be surprised. Some of us are shy, too.
“I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.” (Psalm 35:18)
“The hymns/songs are unfamiliar/hard to sing.”
Have you tried struggling through singing them? Have you tried being in the house of God more often to hear and learn the hymns you know less well? There are around 635 hymns in our hymnal. Some share tunes, but let’s assume there are 450 unique tunes. When you find one you don’t know, try this. Search for the hymn on your favorite video streaming service. In particular, check out the short videos on the Rumble channel: Learn Every Hymn with Rev Kaspar. The channel is an ongoing project that quickly introduces the melody of every LSB hymn and coaches us through rhythmic challenges.
In the long-long ago, we had to take our hymnals to a piano. I did this throughout most of my youth and young adult life. Plunking out a melody the old-fashioned way still works, too. These hymns are our heritage and are worth your time in learning.
The hymns in our hymnal are carefully selected to contain only true Christian doctrine, using the words and concepts of the scriptures themselves. They are suggested for use and chosen to reinforce the lessons of each Sunday’s scriptural themes. Each one may not be your favorite. But each one is good and useful in teaching us the faith.
“Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! … For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Psalm 84:4, 10)
“The liturgy is confusing. I don’t know what page to turn to or when.”
Have you tried attending church more frequently? At Mt. Calvary, we use two settings of the Divine Service, and switch between them 4 times each year. Divine Service, setting Three (LSB 184) is used for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and the 1st half of Trinity each year. Divine Service, setting 2 (LSB 167) is used for the seasons of Lent, Easter, and the 2nd half of Trinity each year.
Many other churches observe similarly long use of the settings of the Divine Service throughout the year. The service is quite literally the same each Sunday. The more we attend, the more familiar we will become. Also, when you know what is going on and see someone else struggling, help them find their way.
“O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.” (Psalm 26:8)
“I don’t know how to contact the office/my elder/pastor.”
Have you tried coming to church? The office number and email are on the front of every bulletin, every Sunday. They are also on the website. The church can be contacted by phone, text, through social media, via the website, email, snail mail, and in person during office hours. We don’t make a habit of concealing the methods of communication.
“In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” (Psalm 18:6)
“I don’t feel like Pastor knows who I am.”
Have you tried coming to church more often? Every pastor’s life actually revolves around preaching, teaching, and serving the people of God, in the Lord’s house on Sunday mornings (or it should). Putting your face in front of his more often will increase the likelihood that he’ll be able to get to know you. He’s also accessible via the contact methods listed above throughout the week. But his primary day will always be Sunday. Those people will always be his people.
“Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.” (Psalm 111:1)
Here is an incomplete list of additional psalm references encouraging frequent church attendance.
“But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.” (Psalm 5:7)
“The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.” (Psalm 11:4)
“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you… From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him.” (Psalm 22:22,25)
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6)
“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)
“The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’” (Psalm 29:9)
“They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.” (Psalm 36:8)
“I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.” (Psalm 40:9-10)
“These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.” (Psalm 42:4)
“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.” (Psalm 48:9)
“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.” (Psalm 52:8)
“We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng.” (Psalm 55:14)
“Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! … Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!” (Psalm 65:4, 29)
“I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you.” (Psalm 66:13)
“Bless God in the great congregation, the LORD, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!” (Psalm 68:26)
“Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.” (Psalm 74:2)
“They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.” (Psalm 92:13)
“Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.” (Psalm 93:5)
“Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.” (Psalm 107:32)
Encore Post: Lucia was a virgin maiden born in Syracuse, Sicily, to a well-to-do family in the Roman Empire around the year 286 AD. She was put to death for her faith around the year 304 AD, during Emperor Diocletian’s persecution. She is upheld in nearly every Christian tradition that remembers and commemorates the saints. Lutherans commemorate her day on December 13th. Other traditions, such as the Roman Catholic Church, hold a Mass on her day in her honor. While Lutherans do not have a festival service with the Eucharist on her specific day, Lutherans with connections to Scandinavia are more likely to hold some kind of service, whether a Divine Service or, more simply, a prayer office on that day.
What do we know about Lucia? Well, unfortunately, we know very little, honestly. The oldest records come from the 5th-century book Acts of the Martyrs. All of Lucia’s accounts agree that she was betrothed to a man who was not a Christian. According to the traditional story, Lucia was born into a wealthy family. Her father was of Roman origin, but died when Lucia was quite young. Lucia’s mother was of Greek descent.
As Lucia got older, she took the Christian faith more seriously, even consecrating herself to the Lord, meaning that she was to remain a virgin. However, she did not mention this to her mother. Her mother, fearing for Lucia’s future, arranged for Lucia to be married to the wealthy young son of a pagan family.
Now, this is where the legend becomes weird to our Lutheran ears. Lucia’s mother was sick with a bleeding disorder (from my reading of the different accounts, it sounds like the flow of blood of the woman in the Gospels). 52 years before, St. Agatha, another virgin, had been martyred. It is said that St. Agatha appeared to Lucia in a dream, encouraging her to persuade her mother to take a pilgrimage to Catania. Mom went and was cured of her disorder, and Lucia convinced her to allow the dowry for her impending marriage to be given away to the poor. This did not sit well with the man to whom she was to be married.
Lucia’s husband was said to have sent word to the Governor of Syracuse, accusing her of being a Christian. The Governor took Lucia into custody and ordered her to burn incense to the Emperor. Lucia refused to do so. The Governor then ordered her to be sexually assaulted. Legend also states that when they tried to move her from place to place, a team of oxen was unable to move her. Then they attempted to kill her by burning, but the wood would not catch fire. Lucia was killed with a sword. Other traditions speak about her eyes being gouged out and given to the man whom she was to marry because he prized her eyes. We do not know the truth of such claims.
Lucia’s name appears to be connected to the Latin “Lux” or “light.” Many traditions, especially those in Scandinavia, connect Lucia to light. She is a bearer of light in the darkness of winter. Some traditions that still occur in households involve setting a crown of candles on the head of the daughter of the house, and her going to each family member’s room in the morning with “St. Lucia Buns.” They are baked goods that incorporate saffron into the dough.
While Saint Lucia may not be well known today, she can serve as a model for keeping the faith and expressing hope in the Lord Jesus, who has called all his Christians to take up their cross and follow Him daily. While Lucia’s story is likely embellished in places, we can and should remember her as a saint who died for her faith in the face of brutal persecution. Like all the faithful who call on the name of the Lord, she has been given the crown of life and basks in the light of our Lord’s mercy.
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 God had a habit of giving children to the barren—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 supernatural 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 (God’s gift). In the same way, He named Isaac and changed Jacob’s name to Israel.
The angel announced John would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets. So John would qualify to be a prophet, priest, and king. Yet from the very start, he and his parents understood 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.
