Encore Post: When Jesus entered Jerusalem, it was through a gate that opened into the temple. In the Court of the Gentiles, he saw many businessmen in booths they set up to sell goods to the pilgrims arriving for Passover. In Jesus’ day, the High Priestly family allowed businessmen to sell sacrificial animals there, just outside the temple proper. They would, of course, do this for very high prices and pay the High Priestly family for the privilege.
Another business, money changing, also went on in this area. Roman money bore images of the Emperor and pagan gods. These could not be carried into the temple, the High Priests ruled, since they broke the first commandment. Naturally, these moneychangers would charge a fee to change money into temple money.
When Jesus arrived, he saw this going on. He saw it for what it was — stealing from God’s people as they came to worship. He drove these people out of the temple with a whip made of cords. This made a deep impression on the people — and stiffened the resolve of the priests to see him killed.
After he did this, Jesus and his disciples returned to Bethany, likely to spend the night with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
Those words are a good indicator that was or is about to be said shouldn’t be said, heard, shared, or thought about. The 8th Commandment is among the top ten commandments of the Lord. It applies to all Christians and unbelievers at all times. Yes, the 8th commandment is just as forceful as the prohibitions against murder (5th Commandment) or adultery (6th Commandment). Sadly, we Christians often grant ourselves a pass in the use of our words, thinking they can do no harm.
“I Just Thought You Should Know.” “Someone needs to hear this.” “So-and-so didn’t say I could share this, but…” “People are saying…” “I can’t say who said this, but…” The list of creative pardons from and side steps around the 8th never cease to grow. We’ll explain ourselves out from under the accusation of God’s Law as quick as a hopped-up 2JZ (ask your grandkids). These “little sins” are lower in our minds, more deserving of exception. It’s not murder after all, right?
St. Paul gives us some great framing about the severity of individual sins in his epistle to the Galatian Christians. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21) He includes sexual immorality, idolatry, jealousy, envy, and drunkenness into a single list with other sins. He’s teaching that persistence in these seemingly big or little sins will separate us from the Kingdom of God, just the same.
In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther explains the commandments in an expansive way like our Lord did. Jesus taught the disciples concerning the 5th and 6th Commandments, expanding the limits to include anger and lust under murder and adultery (Matthew 5:21-30).
The first application for us is our own tongues. We should not say or spread anything that could harm our neighbor. A simple way to think about it might be: am I authorized by the original source/subject of the information to speak? No or maybe not? Then, don’t speak of, hint at, or allude to the thing you know.
In the second case, our ears are the problem. We should not listen to anything that may not be suitably spread. Again simply, are Abigail or Thom authorized by the original source/subject of the information to speak? No or maybe not? Then, don’t listen, step away, and speak in defense of your neighbor.
Third, We can’t let our minds gossip within us either. What does that even mean? Speculating on the thoughts, motivations, or unheard words of my neighbor is just like gossiping to myself. I’m not allowed to malign my neighbor that way either, even just in my own mind.
The fourth error against the 8th commandment falls in my desire to use a town crier in a positive way. We might think to ourselves, “I don’t want to speak about this. So, I’ll tell Bjørn. He’s unable to keep his mouth shut. And, I won’t have to say it myself.” Encouraging Bjørn in his sin is still an evil thing for me to do. It can’t be made righteous.
In the Fifth case, there can be no anonymous complaints among Christians. Both Matthew 18 & the 8th Commandment forbid anonymity. We don’t get to skip past confronting those who have maligned us, or hand it off to someone else.
“Can’t I ever rat out my neighbor in Christian way?” No, but there is a Christian way to confront sin. Are you directly confronting the one sinning against you? Yes? Then within the framing of Matthew 18, we find the right way to confront sin against us.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17)
When the sin is against you, then you should confront your neighbor and escalate in this way. The point here is not to expose our neighbor. The point is to turn then from their sin. As soon as they repent, forgiveness must follow. The discussion is also over. We don’t get to confess out neighbor’s sins. There is no room for, “Quentin apologized, but you need to know what he did to me…” Curbing our wicked tongues is prob’ly among the most difficult of Christian disciplines. It is one we need to undertake to better serve and love our neighbor.
Things We Say
The first application for us is our own tongues. We should not say or spread anything that could harm our neighbor. The commandment isn’t limited to speaking truth. Also, we are to put the best construction on everything, to protect and defend our neighbor’s good name.
Am I authorized by the original source/subject of the information to speak? To that let’s add: will sharing this information help my neighbor and improve their reputation? Usually, the answer is no. We are often aware of this.
“I’d like to tell you something. … Please don’t share this with anyone right now. … I appreciate your prayers.” That sort of framing around some personal information shared in common conversation reveals the sinful weakness within the house of Christianity. If we were any good at the eighth commandment, it would never need to be said this way. Furthermore, if we defaulted to silence rather than over-sharing, there would be no need.
Instead, we frame our sharing and request for brotherly Christian prayer with a restriction. “Don’t share this,” still, it gets out. Did you hear that concealment just now? Like a headline identifying an SUV as the cause of an accident or a handgun as the cause of a shooting, the culprit is excused. The SUV didn’t plow into a crowd. It was driven by a human acting maliciously or negligently. The gun didn’t go off on its own. A person acting negligently or maliciously pulled the trigger, firing the weapon. The same is true of the leak of a piece of private confidence.
“It gets out” means someone acting alone or with co-conspirators violated confidence. Worse, we violated God’s 8th commandment. It got out because I said it. It got out because you said it. It got out because trust and God’s Law weren’t on our hearts and lips. There is nothing that needs to be shared or said without clear permission to do so. The only information emergencies involve crimes and the police. Anything else is just evil gossip.
Things We Hear
In the second case, our ears are the problem. We should never hear anything that could harm our neighbor’s reputation. The commandment isn’t limited to hearing only the truth. We are also bound not to hear anything lacking the best construction, or leave uncharitable speaking uncontested. This requires of us a conscious response to the gossiper or concerning the gossip. A passive response isn’t adequate.
Consider these questions: Are Ainsley or Thom authorized by the original source/subject of the information to speak? Were Thom or Ainsley given a letter, but not permission to share it? Most often the case is, no. Then, don’t listen, step away, and speak in defense of your neighbor.
We aren’t granted to just wait it out. I may resolutely change the subject, and stop it from coming back up. You may condemn the gossip or contradict the poor inference. You should say, “this is gossip.” Or, “they could easily be driven by [a positive motive].” We could also physically leave the conversation. “Sorry, I can’t listen to this gossip.”
These are not options for us in fleeing from sin: Hear Ainsley out, because someone needs to know what she’s saying. Listen to what Thom says, so it can be reported back to the victim. Listen to them, but try not to pay attention. Avoid conflict by not reacting poorly to my neighbor’s obvious sin.
Why is it that we grant the sinful gossip latitude that we would never grant to someone else in another sin? Why do we compound their sinful tongues with our sinful ears and the encouragement they bring? We’re afraid of being unliked. We want to be thought of well, to the detriment of our neighbor’s good name.
We would never stand by while someone murders, harms, or expresses genuine hatred toward someone else, would we? We would never watch our friend steal a car, would we? We shouldn’t help a husband or wife create a lie to facilitate an adulterous tryst, should we? In the same way, we can’t allow gossip to enter our ears. We can’t allow it to hang in the air either.
What Will People Say?
Third, We can’t let our minds gossip within us either. What does that even mean? Speculating on the thoughts, motivations, or unheard words of my neighbor is just like gossiping to myself. I’m not allowed to malign my neighbor that way either, even just in my own mind.
When we speculate about our neighbors’ inward thoughts, we give in to the worst construction. Rather than interpreting everything in the kindest way, you choose to assume the worst reaction and respond to an unspoken, unknown deed. When I impugn my neighbors’ thoughts, I harm his good name in my mind. The commandment requires that we protect the name and reputation of our neighbor, even from ourselves.
This inward talking, concern over what people might say or think, is also a kind of idolatry. Usually, this kind of crass idolatry doesn’t even have an external god. It looks inward to the self. The imaginary opinion of our neighbor drives us in a desire to obtain or maintain respect or adoration. It’s a reflexive worship of self.
The fourth error against the 8th commandment falls in my desire to use a town crier in a positive way. We might think to ourselves, “I don’t want to speak about this. So, I’ll tell Bjørn. He’s unable to keep his mouth shut. And, I won’t have to say it myself.” Encouraging Bjørn in his sin is still an evil thing for me to do. It can’t be made righteous.
We speak at great length about how we cannot bless our neighbor’s sin into righteousness. Liberal sects calling themselves Christian publicly reject the Bible’s clear teachings on divorce, adultery, homosexuality, God’s gift of gender/sex, and the like. These attempts to bless sin reject God’s Word. The same thing applies to my neighbor’s 8th commandment sin. I can’t use his weakness to this sin against him, separating him from the Lord. This is hatred of my neighbor.
In the Fifth case, there can be no anonymous complaints among Christians. Both Matthew 18 & the 8th Commandment forbid anonymity. The sinner cannot be confronted by anyone, but the one who was maligned; just the two of you. Then, bring one or two others with you to confront your neighbor.
We don’t get to skip step one by dropping an anonymous letter in the office. We don’t get to skip step one and gossip to someone else, who will offer our anonymous complaint. Anonymity ignores Matthew 18 entirely. These sorts of discussions ought to die in the air. The letters are only fit for the rubbish heap or the fire.
How are we to speak? Can we say nothing? Let’s hear Luther’s Small Catechism again. “We should fear and love God so that we … defend [our neighbor], speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.” Your neighbor’s good name is yours to defend. And, your good name is theirs.
Our Lord died to purchase forgiveness for our evil, gossiping tongues. Rise each day in that forgiveness and sin no more. Jesus was crucified for our evil ears, and the things they hear. Remember your baptism, you’re not a slave to your former sins.
Let our tongues only be used to praise God and uplift our neighbor.
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Sole Pastor Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool La Grange, TX
Bumper sticker theology always falls flat. There was a commercial on the Superb Owl* this past weekend. The HeGetsUs campaign ran an ad consisting of 12 four second images and two closing title cards. The cards read “Jesus didn’t preach hate” & “He washed feet.” With such little information contained in the ad, there is so much to unpack.
(*copyright safe term for the big game)
The promoting organization is a conservative Baptist Christian group to the best of my knowledge. The problems I see may or may not be deliberate. But that’s the dilemma with bumper sticker theology. What’s not said can be as important or more important than what is said.
Step one, let me offer a few quick impressions of the four second images. These flash by so quickly that we’re invited to make snap judgements. Some of them are nonsensical and contain no discernable conflict. I’ll ignore those. These images have an AI, hyper realistic look to them, which creates the possibility that the ghost in the machine may have added unknown or unintended details. Still, you can’t unring a bell or unsee a picture.
The second image is two men in an alley at night. The black man standing is sweaty and sort of disheveled. The Hispanic cop is washing the other man’s feet on a dairy crate. The flashing lights indicate a foot pursuit. The cop’s expression is submissive, though sour in some way. The standing man has a dominant position and expression.
The sixth image shows two women of similar age, seated abruptly on a kitchen floor. Alcohol bottles, empty and unfinished alike, surround the unkempt one. This image shows more discernable emotion than others. The unkempt lady seems to be in distress. The other woman seems to be giving comfort.
The eighth image has two women in front of a bus. This one is politically charged. The older, white woman has a look of reticent compliance, attentive to her washing task. The Hispanic woman, standing on one foot, holding a baby looks indignant and entitled. She seems to think she deserves the service.
The tenth image is emotionally charged. The backing cast is full of intensity and screaming. The Hispanic woman getting her feet washed is the only calm figure. The black woman doing the washing wears an expression of pure condescension. It’s unclear what is going on here. But the conflict is still raging.
Step two, I want to look more closely at the two images that grab the most attention with their austerity. The pregnancy clinic and the beach side bench are central to the ad. The lack of additional detail in these two images draws our attention more closely. They more quickly throw out a claim.
The fifth image shows two women in front of a pregnancy clinic that’s totally not Planned Parenthood (wink). This image is significant to the ad. It has much less going on. There are protesters and a seedy motel in the background. The younger women appears to be pregnant, with a steeled, serious expression. The older woman is focused on her washing task.
This image is the opposite of repentance. The image shows an excuse, “I didn’t really want to cause a pregnancy in that seedy motel.” It shows an unfair opposition. The protesters are just mean people, who don’t care/love enough. The morally superior woman washing the pregnant gal’s feet doesn’t seem to be doing a moral good. The clinic is a murder mill. The pregnant woman shows no indication of a change of intention.
The twelfth image is an austere beachside setting. Here a deliberately homosexual looking man gets his feet washed by an obvious clergyman. The setting invites us to see nothing but the action. A priest is symbolically baptizing sin into righteousness. This one is the most egregious of the pile.
This foot washing is an image of the failure of the progressive church. The Law condemns sin and the Gospel forgives repentant sinners. Mingling them together into an acceptance of sin as it is, destroys both the Law and the Gospel, leaving us with nothing.
Third, the title cards say, “Jesus didn’t preach hate” & “He washed feet.” This a non sequitur, the two statements don’t follow one from the other. No, Jesus didn’t preach hate. That’s not permission to love, permit, declare righteous, or embrace old sins. In addition to whipping money changers in the temple in His anger, don’t forget Jesus preaching this.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)
Faith and unbelief will clash. God wants all to come to faith. But, some will not have Him. That recalcitrant, hateful unbelief earns God’s condemnation. Preaching against sin is what love actually sounds like. “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” (Malachi 1:2-3). The unbelief of Edom separated them from God.
It’s only in Jesus that we find forgiveness and redemption. He comes with forgiveness and says “go forth and sin no more.” The work of the church can only ever identify sin, condemn it, and point to Jesus for faith and forgiveness.
Something else isn’t Christianity.
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Sole Pastor Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool La Grange, TX
Encore Post: With the conclusion of the singing of the Offertory, the offerings of the church are collected. While we do not often see this in our churches anymore, it was at this time that the bread and wine used for the Sacrament of the Altar would come forward as well. Churches in the Roman Catholic Church and similar traditions have the option to bring up the bread and wine at this time.
Dr. Arthur Just, Jr. in his fine book Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service talks more about it. He adds, “The bringing forward of the bread and wine is part of the sacrificial part of the liturgy where we offer our gifts to God, including our tithes and offerings. These gifts are given in response to hearing the very words of Jesus in the Gospel and are given in thanksgiving for the gift about to be received…”(Just, 209-210).
We should not think that we are giving to God to earn favor. No, these gives should be given out of the thankfulness of our hearts for the salvation which we have received from Christ. Even if we thought that we could earn God’s favor and blessing by our gifts, our gifts are far too small and minuscule. They are humble things, some money, some bread and wine.
Another way I have been thinking about these gifts is in terms of the feeding of the 5,000. There the people were hungry and only a few loaves and fish were around. They were a humble collection of food, as is bread and wine, but be given into the Lord’s hands, this humble offering He can make it the very food from heaven that satisfies us for everlasting life.
Advent begins December 1 and with Advent, which is a time of repentance, prayer, and hope, we prepare for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to judge both the living and the dead.
One way to prepare ourselves for this visitation and fulfillment of our salvation is to read with great joy are the Introits of Advent. For instance, the first Sunday begins with these words: “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation.” A little later: “The Lord, he has made his light to shine upon us” (Malachi 4:1–6). This should also remind us of the prophecy of Isaiah, “Those who have dwelt in darkness, on them the light has shined” (Isaiah 9:1–2).
The Introit for the second Sunday of Advent begins this way: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord.” This is directly from the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3–5, concerning the preaching of John the Baptist. He comes to prepare the world for Christ’s ministry. John points us to Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29–34).
The third Sunday of Advent we have the exhortation of St. Paul on our minds and our lips with “Rejoice in the Lord Always, again I will say Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4–7). Jesus gives us words of comfort in the final days, for when we see the signs of the end of days such as the ones we live in now, we should lift up our heads and rejoice, for the day our salvation is near (Luke 21:25–28). And we will speak of the wonderful and merciful acts of our Lord to all people.
The final Sunday of Advent we pray in the Introit the prayer of Isaiah 64:1 “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence!” The call for Christ to return to this world for final judgement is our prayer. It is another way to say, “Come Lord Jesus, come” (Revelation 22:17–21). For those who hope in the Lord will not be put to shame when day of judgement comes. But rather for the faithful the final day will be a day of great rejoicing. We will be with all the saints who have gone before us in the faith in presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray that as you prepare for Christmas, you take a moment to read the introits of the Advent Season.
Rev. Jacob Hercamp St. Peter’s Lutheran Church La Grange, MO
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The theme is this: The King slays our enemies and saves us.
There is one basic truth that is has applied in all civilizations: The King fights for us. The Pharoahs of Egypt led the armies out on chariots to take back the Israelites. Joshua led the people around Jericho until the walls came tumbling down. The Judges of old led the armies to victories over the Midianites, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and all the other OT -ites in the Scriptures.
The King fights for us. Sennacherib led Assyria to take away the Northern Tribes and Nebuchadnezzar led Babylon to exile the Southern Tribes of Israel. Alexander the Great led his troops on conquests on multiple continents. Romans Caesars led armies clear into Britain to expand the empire.
The King fights for us. This has been true even in our country because of the first President George Washington, who was a military commander first who became President later on. Even today we consider our political leader to be the Commander-in-Chief. If the King (or in our case President) does not control the army, then he does not control very much. The Executive Branch isn’t the Executive Branch, or is a government with no teeth.
What is most surprising to us this evening is that the King does not fight for us. No, King Saul is afraid. The whole army is afraid. When the leader is afraid, then the followers become afraid. When the shepherd is afraid, then the sheep become afraid. When the world around us is afraid, then we too become afraid and worry. When the church becomes afraid, then we lose our hope and our faith and our trust in God the King.
David knew about that very well. His sheep trusted him because he protected them from the lion and the bear. Like Joshua led God’s people walking around Jericho, David led his sheep out in the wilderness walking around in danger all the way. The shepherd fights for the sheep; the shepherd dies for his sheep.
And so David fights for Israel. David is anointed, but he isn’t the king yet. No, but David knows what the real problem is. David understands this basic truth: God fights for him! Physical strength and height have defied the armies of the living God, but the living God will not be defeated. That is what David knows. That is what we know too.
The King fights for us. God Himself fights for us. Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings all show us this promise and comfort. And so no, I am not going to preach the tired sermon “go slay your Goliaths” or “God will give you strength.” That works-righteousness message is not the point of the reading and it is not the point of the Bible. The point is that God fights for you.
And this is most obvious to us in Matthew 4, the temptation of Jesus. The Holy Spirit leads Jesus out into the wilderness. And the devil tempts and taunts Jesus out there in the wilderness. And there Jesus fasts for forty days just like the forty days that Goliath taunted the Israelites in our reading this evening. This Old Testament battle is just like the New Testament battle. And the God is the same God in both. And God wins both battles too!
For the King Jesus fights for us. He slays our enemy the devil and saves us from him forever. How? The same way that we ought to resist temptation: through the Word of God. When the devil assails us, use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to combat the evil one. And you will not win on your own power or faith, but Jesus fights for you!
Jesus fought for us when He healed the demon-possessed men. This ought to be comforting for us too. God fights for us, and He alone has the power of both devil and demons. He has won the victory and slayed our enemies. We are saved from the powers of evil and the destruction of souls in hell.
Jesus fights for you. He slayed your enemies and saved you. He forgave your sins, paying for them like a shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. He forgave your sins, like a king cancelling a debt, like a king promising you an inheritance of grace and mercy and love and peace.
This He applied to you like He did to the paralytic man. Our God is not a God who piles up sins and expects us to pay for it. No, our God is the only God who forgives sins and sets His people free. God fights for us! The Lord Jesus slays our enemies and saves us!
Jesus fights for you! He defeated death when He rose from the grave on Easter Sunday. Surely we can see how David realized that he would have to die to defeat Goliath if he did all by himself, but he knew that God fights for Him. God had mercy on David and saved him from death. And we definitely believe that Jesus knew He would have to die to defeat death, that curse of Adam, so that we can live forever. And so the shepherd laid down His life for the sheep and died to show that He alone has the power and the victory over the grave.
So I say to you this basic truth: The King Jesus has slain your enemies and saved you forever. Jesus has won a greater victory than David at Socoh, than David defeating Goliath. Jesus has won a greater victory than the temptation in the wilderness. Jesus has won for us because Jesus has fought for us. Our enemies sin, death, and the devil have no power over us. We the sheep do not need to be afraid.
For the King of Kings has gone out and fought the battles and won. The King of Kings has led the army out like all the kings of old and now we live in His glory. The King of Kings, Jesus Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth, has slain our enemies and saved us forever as His holy people.
In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.
Rev. James Peterson St. John Lutheran Church Curtis, Nebraska
Wednesday in the Week of the Third Sunday in Advent
December 20, 2023
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The theme is this: The Lord will make a house for His people to dwell in.
It’s pious to want to build a church. After 500 years of the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant carried on foot in the midst of the people, David wanted to make a temple. David wanted to build a church. In truth, David wanted God to have a house to dwell in.
It was not because David wanted to put God in a box. And it was not so that the priests could stop marching the holy things all over the desert in the Middle East. David wanted to build a church so that everybody knew exactly where God was. He wanted a house for God where all of God’s people could gather for worship.
It’s pious to want to build a church. In 1909, Immanuel Lutheran Church was built in Wells Canyon. In 1911, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was built in Moorefield. In 1913, Ebenezer Lutheran Church was built north of Curtis. In 1927, St. John’s Lutheran Church was built in White. In 1929, Zion Lutheran Church was built in Wellfleet. Five Lutheran churches were built in 20 years. Our ancestors believed like David that God should have a house. And like Nathan says this evening, “The Lord was with them” in that task.
It’s pious to want to build a church. St. John’s was built first in 1948, and then again in 1968 and remains for us right now. Seventy-five years our church has existed in this community. God dwells here. God’s Word is taught here. God’s Sacraments are administered here. Like Nathan says, “The Lord is with us” in this place.
And what God says to Nathan and to David is worth noting. That while God’s people left Egypt, and while they wandered in the wilderness, and while they walked around Jericho, God did not live in a house. God was with them wherever they went.
And He is with us wherever we go too. God is still with us in Wells Canyon and Moorefield and Curtis and White and Wellfleet. He is with us at school and at work and at home. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
But God’s Church is not built by buildings, but in human hearts. God’s Church is not built for Him to dwell here, but God has promised to build a house to live with Him forever. We build our churches for God while we dwell here below, but the builder of heaven is God. And His home will be our home. That is where He dwells and that is where we too shall be.
For the house of God is not built of cedar. The house of God is built on God’s promises. That is why the Lord says this evening,
I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. He made a shepherd into a king. He makes farmers into Lutherans. He makes workers into Christians. Or as Jesus says it, I will make you fishers of men. The Lord calls us out of our communities and into His house. The Lord calls us away from our work and into His rest. The Lord calls us like David from the pastures to the still waters of baptism. He becomes our Shepherd, and we become His sheep.
And He promises us this: I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. Again the Lord makes this promise. I have been with you and I am with you and I will be with you. He was with us in all the other tabernacles built around this county, but even now He remains with us in our current building. This Lord who was with the people of Israel, who was with David and Nathan, has been with the people of St. John’s here in Curtis. And He is with us as we celebrate these seventy-five years of ministry. And He will continue to be with for the next seventy-five years too.
And God promises us this: I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. That name is not St. John’s or Curtis. That great name is Jesus. For the Son of David is David’s Lord. Jesus is the name we praise and bless and believe and receive. It was important for David to realize that His kingdom and His name would eventually fall and become history. Even the houses of God have come and gone. But the church in all times and places has been founded on the name of Jesus and that is what lasts forever, that is what makes the difference, and that is the kingdom that shall have no end.
What else? Rather than us building a house for God, next we hear that God will build a house for us, heaven itself. I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. Houses built by us will last for awhile, but eventually they are torn down and something new is built over the top of it. But God’s house will never be torn down. God’s house will be for His people the Church, that we will dwell with Him. That wasn’t what David was expecting, but that is what God was promising. That heaven is better than tabernacle and temple and church. Heaven will not rot or rust. God the builder has prepared a place for us where we will be disturbed no more.
For God says, Violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. In heaven there is peace. With God there is peace. There is violence in our world and it only seems to be increasing. There is war and bloodshed and sin and rebellion. But that will all come to an end by God’s will, and God Himself will protect us forever in heaven, where no violence will ever occur. The lion will dwell with the lamb and child shall be safe by the adder’s den. And you will even be able to get along with so-and-so. For the house that God makes, there are plenty of rooms and there will be so much worship. The house that God makes cannot be attacked or destroyed. God dwells in peace and we too will dwell in His peace.
It’s pious to want to build a church. And God will continue to build us up. Built on the promises of God, St. John’s is in good hands, God’s hands. What are the promises? He brings us out of the world and into His house. He is with us wherever we go. He has given us the great name Jesus who saved us. He is preparing heaven as our house to dwell with Him. And there will be peace among us forever and ever.
I remind you of God’s words this evening, Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.
In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.
Rev. James Peterson St. John Lutheran Church Curtis, Nebraska
Encore Post: When I was at seminary, I fell in love with the book of Isaiah. My love for the book has only intensified. This is especially so when it comes to the readings that we just heard from Isaiah for Christmas. Isaiah 9:2-7 is perhaps the most well known prophecy of the coming Messiah. We easily remember the names that Isaiah calls the child who is to be born: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” But we should not forget the the last sentence of verse 7. It says, “The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do this.”
That got me thinking more about the Lord’s zeal. What is it? What does it mean that the Lord has zeal? And in which direction is this zeal going?
Yes, what is this zeal? As I studied the word behind the translation “zeal”, the word used is the same word that the Lord uses to describe himself as a jealous God to Israel at Mt. Sinai. There He speaks to Israel displaying to them that they are his possession and no one else’s, and Israel should not chase after false gods because they are the Lord’s chosen. The Lord knows his own, so he desires them for himself and for himself alone.
But in Isaiah, as I traced the word further, I saw that zeal was also connected to the Lord’s promise he made to David. That promise is found in 2 Samuel 7, when the Lord tells David that he will place a son on the throne and he his reign will be forever and it will be a reign of peace.
That is big news! And the first instance of this word in Isaiah as well as Isaiah 37:32-35, “zeal” connects us back to that promise made to David. The child that is born, the son that is given will reign on the throne of David. And it will be so because the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do this. The Lord remembers his promises and makes them come full circle in the birth of Jesus. He is the King of the Jews, the Son of David, who saves his people and brings peace to all, as the angels declare.
The Lord’s zeal is for his people, whom He works to reconcile unto Himself. And this zeal is seen again in the work that this Son of Isaiah 9 does. He joyfully goes to the cross to bring to us peace! The Lord’s zeal is Jesus’ zeal who cares for us, remembers us, and dies for us that we might be made children of God.
What a zealous God we have, caring for his people, remembering his promises, and by his own zeal makes his promises come true! The zeal of the Lord of hosts has done it and done well for us and our salvation!
Merry Christmas!
Rev. Jacob Hercamp Christ Lutheran Church Noblesville, Indiana
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
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
