What Does This Mean?

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
Pastor Emeritus
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. 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

The Peace of God Sets Watch over our Hearts

Encore Post: Television, the internet, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other technologies are a blessing and a curse. News — and rumors — spread around the world at the speed of light. Even though we live in the safest, most prosperous and healthiest time in the world’s history, the flow of news and fake news makes us think we live in the most dangerous times of all. In the United States, young adults of the millennial generation are increasingly worried about their finances, health and safety. Although we can instantly connect with almost everyone we have ever known, they report they are lonelier than ever before.

Christians are not exceptions to this pattern. Yet God gives us ways to cope with the worries of this world. Although we have troubles in this world, we do not need to be afraid. Jesus gives us his peace. (John 14:27) St. Paul tells us how the peace of God sets a watch over our hearts and minds. This peace is ours because Jesus made peace between us and God when he died for our sins on the cross. He broke down the barrier between us once and for all. Now, nothing can separate us from the love of God. We will live with God forever.

How do we cope with all the uncertainties of life that cause us to worry? Jesus advises us to focus on the kingdom of God and his righteousness. God will take care of the rest. He provides food and clothing, house and home and everything we need. Yes, the evil of this world will complicate our lives. But Jesus will be with us until the end of time itself.

St. Paul tells us how we can do this. He told us to pray about everything, thanking God for all his blessings and bringing our requests to him. Being thankful helps us to reset our perspective. Life is not about being a victim, but about receiving the many gifts God gives us. We know he hears our every prayer, that he loves us and will work everything to serve for our good. Knowing these things brings the peace of God to us. Like soldiers on watch over their camp at night, this peace protects our hearts from despair and focuses our mind on the tasks God has called us to do in this life by his grace.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

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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
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Introducing St. Lucia: Virgin, Martyr

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 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 13^th. Other traditions, like the Roman Catholic Church, hold a Mass on her day, in her honor. While Lutherans do not hold a festival service with the Eucharist on her specific day, Lutherans with connections to Scandinavia are more prone to hold some kind of service, whether it be a Divine Service or more simply a prayer office on the day.

What do we know about Lucia? Well, unfortunately, we know very little, honestly. The oldest records come from the 5^th century book Acts of the Martyrs. The accounts of Lucia all 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 more seriously the Christian faith, 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 a 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 or so before, St. Agatha, another virgin, had been martyred. It is said that St. Agatha came to Lucia in a dream to encourage Lucia to get her mother to take a pilgrimage to Catania. Mom went and was cured of her disorder, and Lucia persuaded 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 to be 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 were unable to move her. Then they attempted to kill her via burning, but the wood would not catch flame. Lucia was killed via the 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 have a connection 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 she going to each family member’s room in the morning with “St. Lucia Buns.” They are a baked good that incorporates saffron in the dough.

While Saint Lucia may not be well known in our day, she can serve as a model of 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.

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
Christ Lutheran Church
Noblesville, Indiana

Preparation of the Gospel: The Peace of Rome

Encore Post: After the defeat of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, great nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar, had gained sole control of the Roman Republic. With a combination of political skill and military power, he unified a badly divided empire. Having the Roman Republic declare him first citizen and give him the title Augustus and the title the Son of God (meaning Julius Caesar), he gained absolute power with the trappings of the Republic. This political unity would more or less hold for two hundred years. Successfully pushing warfare to the edges of the Empire, Augustus established the Pax Romana — the Peace of Rome.

This peace was a great blessing in the Mediterranean world. Travel was free of political barriers. A network of durable roads was constructed from Rome to the edges of the empire. Many of these are still in use today. Roman culture gave status to rulers and rich people who constructed public buildings, works like aqueducts, baths, theatres and temples, resulting in a sustained construction boom. A unified currency made trade relatively easy to conduct.

Rome was justly proud of its unified legal code, which, except for the highest levels of society, was stable and, for the most part, objectively enforced. Being a practical people, Romans adopted and adapted Greek culture and language. Where possible, Rome preferred to allow local nations to rule themselves, as long as they paid their taxes, were politically loyal, raised troops when needed and bowed to Roman law when it conflicted with their traditions.

God prepared the way for his son by establishing this common government. It allowed the apostles to fan out quickly across the whole of the Mediterranean World with the Gospel. It protected St. Paul in Jerusalem and allowed his appeal to the Emperor. The census of Caesar Augustus brought the holy family to Bethlehem. It assured the fulfillment of prophecy by sending the true Son of God to the cross rather than to death by stoning. It placed objective guards at his tomb to witness to his resurrection.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Note: This series of blog posts is available as a Kindle book and eventually as a print booklet at: Amazon.com: Preparation for the Gospel. Please note the author makes a small profit on the sale of this book.

Preparation for the Gospel: The Great Library of Alexandria

Encore Post: Ptolemy I, one of Alexander the Great’s generals, claimed the throne of Egypt and painted a layer of Greek culture over the top of Pharaonic Egypt. He claimed he was a true pharaoh, which also his heirs did. He assumed the gods, trappings and some customs of ancient Egypt. His dynasty lasted until the death of his descendant, Cleopatra, and the accession of Rome to the throne of Upper Egypt.

His son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, enriched the capital of Alexandria, building the two great wonders of the world — the lighthouse of Pharos, that guided navigation on the Mediterranean Sea for nearly 100 miles until its destruction into the 14th Century and the Ancient Library of Alexandria. He became an aggressive collector of books, including the searching of incoming ships. Copies of these books were made, and the copy given to the owner. The originals ended up in the Library of Alexandria. According to tradition, Ptolemy II commissioned the translation of the Old Testament into Greek. Known as the Septuagint and abbreviated LXX, this translation was quoted by the writers of the New Testament when they quoted the Old.

The Ptolemies were defenders of the Jewish people. Because of this, the largest population of Jews outside of Israel settled in Alexandria. One of these Jews, Philo of Alexandria, became the most important of the philosophers of Judaism in ancient times.

God prepared the way for his son when he installed the Ptolemies. They provided a home for his people where they could be safe, learn Greek culture and introduce the Scriptures to them. With the translation of the Septuagint, he provided the Apostles with a tool accessible to the pagan world around them, where the church grew and thrived.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Preparation for the Gospel: Zeus in the Holy of Holies

Encore Post: The Jewish people prospered under the rule of Ptolemy and his descendants in Egypt. For a while, they ruled Palestine and more or less allowed the Jews to govern themselves. However, the Ptolemies lost Palestine in a war with the Seleucids — descendents of the Greek ruler of Syria, Babylon and Persia. At first, the Seleucids continued the policy of the Ptolemies. However, King Antiochus IV Epiphanes decided to unify his emperor under Greek culture.

Antiochus intervened in a civil war between Hellenizing Jews (those who favored adopting Greek culture) and traditional Jews, who favored the obedience to the law of God. He outlawed Judaism and enforced it with a severe persecution. He executed women who allowed their sons to be circumcised, forced Jews to sacrifice to Greek gods and participate in their festivals and forced the eating of unclean foods. The last straw for Jews, however, is when he erected an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies in the temple, sacrificed pigs to it and brought temple prostitution into it.

The Jews rebelled under the direction of the priest Matthias and his sons, Judas and Simon. They became known by the nickname Maccabees (“hammer”) and the story of the war of independence they fought is told in the apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees. The feast of Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the temple after it had been cleansed of the pagan altars and sacrifices by the Maccabees.

For one hundred years, more or less, the Jews ruled themselves under the descendants of Matthias, known as the Hasmoneans. They gained neighboring territories, including the Galilee. Jews from Judea, including towns like Bethlehem, resettled these areas. Likely, the great-grandparents and grandparents of Mary and Joseph were among them.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Preparation for the Gospel: Alexander the Great

Encore Post: Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, one of the greatest generals in history, reigned in Macedonia and Greece beginning in 336 B.C. and reigned until 323 B.C. He conquered Greece, Persia, Egypt and Palestine. As a student of Aristotle, he had a vision of extending Greek language and culture throughout his lands and merge the peoples of his empire into a unified nation. At his death, the vision of a single empire died, but three large kingdoms, ruled by his generals and their heirs, emerged and established Greek culture throughout the Western world.

In 277 B.C., after years of civil war, the empire settled into three hereditary kingdoms: one under Ptolemy in Egypt, Macedonia and Greece under Antigonus II and the Seleucid empire of Syria, Palestine and Asia. These kingdoms shared the same language, Koine (Common) Greek, the same culture, philosophy, love of learning, sports, etc. Even the up-and-coming Roman Republic, which came early to absorb Greek colonies in southern Italy, came to appreciate much of Greek culture and to use common Greek to communicate with other nations.

God used Alexander and the Greeks, then, to prepare the way for the birth of his Son. Jesus may have taught in Greek and communicate in Greek. The New Testament was written in that language, used the Greek translation of the Old Testament when it quoted Scripture, and Paul used that language and its common culture to share the Good News of salvation in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Because of this common culture, the disciples of Jesus would establish the church in the whole Roman World inside of one generation.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Preparation for the Gospel: Judaism

Encore Post: When the Babylonians conquered Judah, destroyed the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, and carried off most of her people into exile, the people had a crisis of faith. How could they worship God without a temple where they could sacrifice? How could they relate to him at all? God sent prophets to help them work all this out. The result was the birth of a brand new religion — Judaism. A religion is a series of customs, duties, practices and rites that people do to serve their god or gods. It is a culture, really. God used Judaism as a place where true faith in him could be planted, nurtured and grow, even when there was no temple, sacrificial system and functioning priesthood to support it.

Judaism — especially the party of the Pharisees — was built on a devotion to the Torah. They read it, taught it and even vowed to practice traditions that kept them from ever violating the commandments it teaches. To prevent accidental violation of a particular commandment, the Rabbis taught you should follow a tradition stricter than the Law requires. So, for example, to avoid taking the name of the Lord in vain, they did not pronounce the name of God at all, but said Adonai — my Lord — instead. This practice is called “building a hedge around the Torah.”

During the exile, wherever ten men were available to worship (called a minyan), Jews would gather to pray on the Sabbath. These congregations became known by the Greek word “Synagogue” (“coming together”). When they built houses of prayer, these buildings became known as synagogues. By New Testament times, the worship service settled into a pattern of saying the Shema (“Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”), prayer, readings from the Torah and the prophets, a sermon and a benediction.

When Cyrus the Great ended the exile, not all Jews returned home. Some stayed in Babylon and Persia, others moved to Greece, Rome and other parts of the world. The Synagogue went with them, along with other aspects of Judaism. In these events, God prepared the world for the ministry of Jesus, the apostles, and especially the Apostle Paul.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana