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The Christmas Cross

12/31/2024

Holy Gospel: Luke 2:22-40
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Christmas 1
Luke 2:22-40
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 29, 2024

A couple weeks ago, we had our Children’s Christmas Program after church. The children did a marvelous job singing the Christmas hymns and reciting their Scripture passages, which told us the Christmas story. And of course, the little children were adorable. There is perhaps nothing that brings more joy to a Christian heart than to hear little children confess their Christian faith. Yet, on this first Sunday in Christmas, we see that Christmas is not only for little children, but also, even especially for the aged. Geriatric Simeon and Anna join the shepherds and little children in celebrating the birth of Christ the Savior. Simeon takes the Christchild in his arms, blessing God and prophesying about the child. Anna, an eighty-four-year-old widow rejoices at Simeon’s words, as this is what she too has been waiting for. She has been waiting for the Savior to be born. She then spends the rest of her time telling all those waiting for the consolation of Jerusalem about this child.
Simeon is a prophet. Anna is a prophetess. Some confuse the office of prophetess with the office of pastor, but they are not the same. Scripture prohibits women from being pastors, who are charged to publicly preach and teach God’s Word. A prophetess speaks God’s word directly, but she does not publicly preach. We see other such examples of prophetesses in both the Old and New Testament. Would to God that every woman were a prophetess like Anna, eager to share her faith with others. Would that every old widow would tell everyone she encounters about Jesus and the Salvation He has won for us.
Through Simeon and Anna, we learn that Christmas and the Christchild are not only for little children, but also for the elderly and everyone in between. We also learn from these elderly Christians about the Christmas cross. There is a cross appointed for that little baby Jesus. And there is a cross appointed for every Christian who sojourns in this life following Jesus (Luke 9:23). But first, let’s look at the cross of Christ.
We are saved from eternal damnation in hell, because God forgives us and declares us righteous for Christ’s sake. That is why Simeon says when he holds Jesus in his arms, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, for I have seen your Salvation.” Christ Jesus is our salvation, because through Him we are declared righteous, that is, justified before God. We are not righteous of ourselves. We are sinners. But God gives us righteousness that is not our own as a gift to be received through faith, so that we may be saved. But what is this righteousness, which God credits toward us? It is Christ’s righteousness. Not Christ’s eternal essential righteousness which He has always had according to His divine nature, but the righteousness of the Godman Christ Jesus, which He acquires for us in human flesh. The righteousness Christ gives to us by grace to be received through faith is the righteousness that all humans should have had, but failed.
This righteousness comes in two parts, both of which are taught in this Gospel lesson. First, is Christ’s active righteousness. Even as an infant, Christ fulfills the law in our stead, as St. Paul declares in Galatians 4, “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law…” We know already at eight days old; Jesus was circumcised in obedience to the Law. Here, at 40 days old, Jesus is presented at the temple, as the Law prescribes, every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord.”. And Joseph offers the sacrifice prescribed for Jesus’ mother’s purification. Even as an infant, Jesus submits Himself to God’s Law in human flesh for us. He earns a righteousness; we have failed to earn.
Yet, in order to justify us before God, Christ does not only need to earn righteousness in human flesh for us. He must also make atonement for our sins in human flesh. Luke meticulously describes the details of Jesus’ first visit to the temple. He explains the purpose for the journey. First, to offer the prescribed sacrifice for Mary’s purification. He even details that they offered a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. This indicates that Mary and Joseph were poor and that the Wise Men had not yet visited them with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, because the Law actually prescribes that she offer up a lamb a year old for a burnt offering and a dove or pigeon for a sin offering, but if she could not afford a lamb, she could offer two doves or two pigeons (Leviticus 12).
The second purpose for the trip to the temple was to present Jesus before the Lord as the firstborn. Yet, despite Luke meticulously mentioning that they offered a couple pigeons for Mary’s purification, he doesn’t mention Joseph paying the five shekels to redeem Jesus. You see, every firstborn male was presented as holy to the Lord, because God killed the firstborn sons of Egypt to redeem Israel from slavery. He then said that every firstborn male of man and beast must be dedicated to the Lord as holy. For the clean animals, this meant that they were sacrificed. For donkeys, which couldn’t be offered as a sacrifice, they were either redeemed by a lamb, which could be sacrificed, or their necks were broken. For the sons of men, they were redeemed with five shekels (Numbers 18:15-16).
So why wasn’t Jesus redeemed? Does this mean that he failed to fulfill the Law? No. He did fulfill the Law. He was presented to the Lord as holy, just as Samuel was presented to the Lord as holy. Yet, like Samuel, instead of being redeemed, He was dedicated to the Lord for service. Jesus is not redeemed, because He Himself is our Redeemer. He is sacrificed for the sins of all people. This is what Simeon indicates when He prophesies that Christ is appointed for a sign which is opposed. Christ Jesus is the stone, which the builders rejected, which has become the chief cornerstone. That is, Jesus was crucified by His own people, but He has risen as the source of salvation for all who believe in Him.
So, while still in Christmas, we can see the cross of Christ. This is why He was born. He has been prepared as a spotless lamb for slaughter. And when He has accomplished all He needs to accomplish for us, He will lay down His life for our salvation. Yet, there is a second cross we see in this first week of Christmas. It is the cross every Christian must bear as we sojourn as pilgrims on earth. Simeon speaks of this cross when he says to Mary, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” This of course, speaks of the sword of grief which pierced through Mary’s soul as she knelt at the foot of her son’s cross watching him writhe in pain before taking his last breath. Yet, Mary also serves as a type of the Christian Church. And so, a sword pierces through the soul of Christ’s bride the Church, as His Sign, that is, the Gospel is opposed by many.
As we see that Christmas is celebrated by the young and aged, so we see that Christians bear the cross from cradle to grave, as Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) We see this in Simeon and Anna. Simeon, who did not want to die, simply because he wanted to see the Lord’s Christ first. Yet, when he saw Christ, he was content to depart this life in peace. Anna, who did not pity herself in her long widowhood, but devoted herself to the Lord in prayer, anxious to tell anyone about the promised Christ. And her joy was fulfilled when she finally saw the Consolation of Jerusalem.
And so, we have a cross to bear in our pilgrimage. This cross comes in the form of a heightened awareness of our sin and the unbelief around us. It comes from the hatred from the world, which wants us to be silent toward God’s Word, especially of Christ and His Gospel, which is the sign to be opposed. It comes in the form of mockery, the loss of family and friends, and witnessing apostasy around us. For many it even comes in the form of prison and death, as we see from our brothers and sisters in Christ overseas. Yet, as we see from Simeon and Anna, our elderly participants for today’s Christmas pageant, this cross is worth it. The Lord gives us this cross according to His discretion, always to direct us toward Jesus’ cross, where alone our atonement was made.
We learn from Simeon and Anna to rejoice under the weight of our cross, because we get to see the fruit of Jesus’ cross. Simeon rejoiced in the Lord as he held Jesus in his arms, asking the Lord to let him depart in peace, because he had seen His Salvation in the baby Jesus. To the casual observer, it appears that Simeon is presenting Jesus to the Lord. Yet in truth, it is the baby Jesus presenting Simeon to the Lord, having prepared Him for temporal death and eternal life. We have borrowed Simeon’s song of rejoicing for our Communion liturgy. After eating Christ’s true body and blood in the Sacrament, we sing, “Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace…” We say this, because having received Christ and the benefits of His cross, we are ready to die. Simeon has taught us that there is nothing in this life worth living for except for the salvation of Christ. And if you have Christ’s salvation, you are prepared to die. As Simeon did not present Jesus to the Lord, but the Lord presented Simeon to God, prepared for salvation, so when we receive Communion, we are not offering Christ to the Lord, but Christ is offering us to God. He does not offer us as an atoning Sacrifice. Christ alone is an atoning sacrifice. He offers us to God as those prepared for salvation. We are ready to depart in peace. We have tasted salvation and found it good.
The cross God lays upon us always directs us to Christ’s cross, where our Salvation is won for us. Therefore, it always directs us to Christ’s Word and Sacrament, where we receive the benefits of that cross through faith and are ready to depart this life. Christmas teaches us that the life of a Christian is a lifelong pilgrimage under the cross. Yet, this is a joyful pilgrimage to be celebrated by young and old and everyone in between. Amen.

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Abiogenesis Christmas

12/25/2024

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Christmas Day
John 1:1-14
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 25, 2024

Do you know what the word abiogenesis means? Abiogenesis is the theory that the earliest forms of life on earth developed from nonliving matter. A-bio-genesis. A negates the bio. Bio comes from the Greek for life, βίος. It’s where we get the word biology, the study of life, or biography, a writing of one’s life. Genesis means beginning. Abiogenesis is how atheists think life came to be. It is the greatest downfall in their theory, because even if evolution were true, and more complicated life forms could be produced from lesser complicated life forms over millions of years of random mutations, you still need to start with a life form. Abiogenesis fails, because life cannot come out of non-life. It is impossible. This is because life is too complex. There is no such thing as a “simple” life form. Life at its simplest form has too many irreducibly complex components. A small life coming into existence from nonlife is a miracle, just as it is a miracle for God to form a man from dust and breathe into him the breath of life.
And here we get our answer to abiogenesis. “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life.” Now, this word for life is different from bio (βίος). Here John uses the word ζωή (zoe). While βίος refers to living things, ζωή refers to vitality, that is, the power to live and grow. Bio life can be plural, such as the lives of different people and animals. Zoe life is only singular: Life.
The Word is the Son of God. In Him is life, that is, in Him is all vitality, all the power to live and grow. So, in a sense, we do believe in abiogenesis. When God created the heavens and the earth, there was no living life form on earth, no bio. But the Word, in whom is all life (ζωή), He created life (βίον) where previously there was no life (βίος). Yet, nonlife (abio) did not create life (bio). Rather, He in whom is all life created life where previously there was none.
God created all things through His Word. Yes, this means that He spoke. It also means that He created through His Son, the eternal Word. The Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, created all things. All life finds its genesis in God. In the Word is Life.
Jesus was born of a virgin. That goes against nature. Humans cannot produce offspring without a man and a woman coming together. Yet, God is the source of all life. He who was able to create a living man out of the virgin earth can certainly create a living man out of a virgin womb. Christ’s conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary is the prototype of our regeneration apart from blood or the will of the flesh or the will of man. As God created life out of nonlife, and as He caused Christ to be conceived in a virgin womb, so He causes us to be reborn, that is, regenerated to new life not by the power of man.
The prologue of John’s Gospel, which serves as our Gospel lesson for Christmas morning is filled with tragedy. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not comprehend it. He came into the world, but the world did not know Him. He came to His own, but His own people did not receive Him. This is a tragedy, but it is expected. Life cannot come from nonlife. Just as rocks and dirt did not have in themselves the power to create life out of nonlife (abiogenesis), so neither does fallen man have the power in himself to welcome God and receive Him in his heart. St. Paul tells us that by nature we are dead in sin (Ephesians 2). The dead cannot raise themselves. Rocks cannot make themselves living creatures. And in our fallen state, we are worse than dead bodies or rocks. The dead and rocks do not resist; they are just incapable of helping. But in our fallen state, we resist the Holy Spirit, following the course of the world and its ruler, Satan.
So, as the primordial rocks and water in the newly formed earth did not have power in themselves to produce life, and as the virgin womb could not conceive of its own power, so much less could we give ourselves spiritual life. But in the Word is life (ζωή). As He created all things and gave life to all living things, as He created a new human being in the womb of the Virgin Mary without the contribution of a man, so also, He can give life to our souls. And He does.
But to those who did receive Him, who believed on His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. This Christmas we celebrate the Word becoming flesh, the Word in whom is all life. By becoming flesh, the Word restored life and immortality to our race. He became flesh, so that He could give life to our spiritually dead race. When we celebrate that the Word was made flesh in the womb of the Virgin, we celebrate that that Word has granted us life from death. In the fall of Adam, man lost his righteousness. He lost the image of God. He lost his spiritual life. Christ became the second Adam by joining our human race. Not only does He return that spiritual life to a man, Himself. He brings this spiritual life to many men. John the Baptist preached to the Jews, who were confident in their spiritually dead flesh, saying, “Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Luke 3:8) And so, He has. Out of us spiritually dead stones, God has made children of Abraham, children of God.
The Word became flesh, so that God in human flesh could obey the Law in our place and thus fulfill all righteousness. He became flesh, so that having fulfilled all righteousness, He might suffer and die in our place for our sins. Being God, His death is an eternally sufficient price for the debt of our sins. He truly has paid the ransom of every human being. Yet, Christ did not remain dead. In Him was life. That dead body in the grave was the dead body of the Word made flesh, the Word in whom is life and the source of all life. This is why St. Peter says it was impossible for the pangs of death to hold Him (Acts 2:24).
And this is what we pray for ourselves. The one who gives us spiritual life is the one who created life out of non-life, who created life in the virgin womb, who created life in the tomb. He gives life that cannot be undone by death. When we become children of God by receiving the Spirit of Life from the Word, who is with God and is God, we receive a life that death cannot undo. This is why we have such confidence in our dead, who died in faith. In them is life that undoes death. Lifeless rocks give up life when He moves them. Lifeless wombs give up life when He visits them. Tombs and graves tremble and break and give up their dead to life when He touches them. In Him was life, and the life was the light of man. Blessed are those who have received His light. Death shall have no power over them. Merry Christmas. Amen.

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Treasuring and Pondering in the Heart

12/25/2024

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Christmas Eve
Luke 2:19
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 24, 2024

“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
The Virgin Mary is a great example to us of sincere faith. So, we should follow her example in treasuring the message of Christmas and pondering it in our hearts. Scripture gives us too many treasures to fully ponder tonight. So, I pray that you continue to ponder this Gospel your whole life. Yet, let us consider just a few things from this Christmas account.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be registered. Six hundred years before Caesar Augustus gave this decree, the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. He saw a great image with a golden head, shoulders and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, and legs of iron, but the feet were a mix of iron and clay. He then saw a rock cut out without human hands. This rock struck the image at its feet and the entire image collapsed into dust and was blown away by the wind. The rock then became a huge mountain.
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar his dream and its interpretation. The head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian empire. The shoulders and arms of bronze was the Persian empire, led by Cyrus the Great, which would conquer Babylon. The belly and thighs of bronze were the Greek empire, which conquered Persia by the military genius of Alexander the Great. Finally, the legs of iron were the Roman Empire, the most impressive of the ancient world, which conquered the Greek speaking world. Yet, it would become divided, as history shows, and weakened as clay mixed with iron.
During this last empire, God would set up a kingdom which shall not be destroyed but shall stand forever. This is the rock, which destroyed the image and became a great mountain. That rock is Christ, who was born under the reign of Caesar Augustus. At the time of his birth, the Roman Empire seemed indestructible. Yet, from Christ, the rock cut without human hands, that is, born of a virgin, whose kingdom is not established by men, an indestructible kingdom arises. Christ’s kingdom is the Holy Christian Church, a mountain which grows out of the crumbling Roman Empire to spread across the whole world.
This means that the great histories of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome were all orchestrated by God’s will for the purpose of establishing the kingdom of His Son Jesus Christ. Cyrus reestablished the Jews in Judea and the temple in Jerusalem. Alexander spread the Greek language around the world, so that the New Testament could be written in a language understood by the masses. Caesar established peace and the rule needed to send Joseph to Bethlehem, so that Christ could fulfill the prophecy. We look at history from a human perspective. We think of the economy, immigration, taxes, and wars. God thinks about the expansion of the kingdom of Christ and the salvation of souls. All things work out together for good for Christ’s Church.
Joseph went to Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. God promised David that He would anoint one of his sons to build Him a house and to have an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7). The prophet Micah prophesied that this Christ would be born in Bethlehem. “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. ... And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD.” (Micah 5:2, 4) Christ’s birth in Bethlehem proves true the words of the prophet. It proves Christ’s lineage from David, who also was born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem means house of bread. Christ Jesus is the Bread of Life, who gives eternal life to all who eat Him (John 6:35).
Jesus was Mary’s firstborn son. Indeed, Mary was still a virgin when Christ was born. God has a history of causing baren women to bear children. Yet, there is no bareness like a virgin womb, because without the seed of a man, she cannot conceive. Yet, the child to be born to Mary, as the Angel Gabriel told her, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and so would be called holy, the Son of God (Luke 1:35). This means that this Rock cut without human hands was born without original sin. He is a pure human like Adam formed from the virgin ground. Yet, He is also God most high.
In Exodus 3, the Angel of the LORD, who is the LORD spoke to Moses out of a burning bush. The bush was aflame, but the fire did not consume the leaves and wood of the bush. And so, God, who is a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24), joins Himself to human flesh, yet does not consume it. The incarnation of God in the flesh of Christ is a mystery beyond all comprehension. It is a greater mystery than Christ’s body and blood being present in the bread and wine in Communion. Yet, Scripture clearly teaches this, and we believe it for our salvation.
Mary lay this holy child in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily, in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes, because there was no room in the inn. Jesus was born in poverty. It is as St. Paul later wrote, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9). And so, as Christ was not ashamed to be poor for our sake, we should not be ashamed of any poverty, knowing that Christ has won for us riches in heaven, which we cannot comprehend.
Mary’s quiet night was interrupted by shepherds, who saw a vision of angels. While one might expect God to send angels to announce the birth of His royal Son to kings, emperors, or the high priest in the temple, it is fitting that He sent these heavenly creatures to shepherds. God took David from shepherding the flocks to shepherd His people, Israel (Psalm 78:70-71; 2 Samuel 7:8). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds. Moses was tending flocks when the Lord met him in the burning bush. And God repeatedly declared through the prophets that He Himself would be the shepherd of His people (Psalm 23; Ezekiel 34). The child born in Bethlehem is the Good Shepherd, the joy of all shepherds.
The shepherds told Mary and Joseph the sermon the angel preached to them. “Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” A Savior. This is how the angel convinced Joseph not to divorce Mary when she became pregnant without him. “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She shall bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus’ name means the LORD saves. The Lord repeatedly spoke to His people in the Old Testament, “I am the Lord your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Isaiah 49:26) But what type of Savior is He? The angel told Joseph. He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do not believe the lie you have been led to believe throughout this year. And you have believed it. Your own heart testifies against you, and the way you have conducted your life bears witness against you. This lie is that your biggest problem is not your sin; that your greatest effort in life should not be repentance; that money, health, travel, sports, social life, your career, whatever you fill your mind and time with, are more pressing than the problem of your sin. The truth is that sin is your greatest problem. It’s why you’re sick and dying. It threatens you and your children with eternal hell. And it has corrupted your nature so thoroughly that unless you are attached to Christ Jesus as a branch is to a vine, you can do nothing but sin and go to hell (John 15:5-6). This is the type of Savior who is born in Bethlehem. A Savior from your sin. A Savior who rescues you from guilt and condemnation, from death and hell. And He has come to save your children as well. He is born in our human flesh, so that He might suffer the punishment of our sin in human flesh and forever credit the weight of God against our debt.
And so, we like the shepherds should go and see what the Lord has made known to us. The angel gave the shepherds signs, swaddling clothes and a manger. Now, Jesus is no longer wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Yet, the Lord has still given us signs to mark, where we may find our Savior Jesus. Instead of swaddling clothes, our Lord is wrapped in His Word and Sacraments. He has promised that He will set free whoever abides in His Word (John 8:31), and that wherever two or three are gathered in His name, there is He among them (Matthew 18:20). Scripture teaches that those baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). And Jesus gives us His very body and blood to eat and drink in the Sacrament. As the King of kings was wrapped in humble swaddling clothes, so our Lord appears to us in these humble means. As the Shepherds did not despise the swaddling clothes and smell of oxen and donkeys, so we ought not despise the hoarse voice of the preacher and the simple bread and wine.
Mary lay Jesus in a manger. The manger represents the Christian Church, where Jesus promises ever to be with His bride. These are the irrefutable signs God has given us to find our Savior, who was born to us.
“Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” The angels sang this Christmas hymn on earth, where their Lord was born. And so, we sing this song of the angels every Sunday when we receive Christ in the Sacrament. Formerly, the angels blocked the way to paradise with flaming swords after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden. Now, they celebrate as they hold the gates open to us to meet our God on earth. Our first parents fell, because they wanted to be like God. Now our God has become like us, so that we may become like Him in righteousness and holiness forever.
Soon the Christmas decorations will be put away. The world will tell you to focus on some other passing thing. But God has given you something to treasure in your hearts and ponder beyond tonight and into eternity. God sent His Son to save you. This salvation is received by the heart through faith. So, let us exercise our heart in pondering this message of salvation until we attain that salvation in heaven. Merry Christmas. Amen.

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Reducing John, Not Jesus

12/23/2024

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Advent 4
John 1:19-28 (29)
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 22, 2024

John the Baptist refused to speak of himself when asked by the priests and Levites who he was. He wanted only to tell them that He was a voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord!” “I am not the Christ!” John confessed, demonstrating the power of his preaching that he even needed to dispel that rumor. “Are you Elijah?” they then asked. Malachi prophesies in chapter 4, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” And Jesus tells us that John is indeed Elijah to come (Matthew 11:14). By this Jesus means that John comes in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). John denies that he is Elijah from heaven. They then ask John if he is a prophet. Jesus indeed calls John more than a prophet (Matthew 11:9). Yet, John denies to be the Prophet, of whom Moses prophesies in Deuteronomy 18, because that Prophet is the Christ Himself, who is our Prophet, Priest, and King.
John does a lot of denying who he is not. He wants to be known only as a voice, because he wants them to listen to his voice. John doesn’t want to talk about himself, he wants to talk about Jesus, for whose way he has been sent to prepare. The priests and Levites are entirely unimpressed by John’s answer. “This guy doesn’t want to make anything out of himself except that he is a voice? Why then are these great crowds coming to hear him? Why are they weeping with sorrow over their sins as he preaches, and weeping with joy over their forgiveness when they leave him? Why is he making disciples by baptizing them?”
John answers, “I baptize with water…” Now, there are many today, who will jump and say, “John’s baptism doesn’t do anything. It’s just a symbol.” And they’ll say the same about Baptism today. “Baptism can’t save you,” they’ll say, “It’s only water. You need the Baptism of the Spirit!” But John is not saying that his baptism is nothing, let alone calling the Baptism into which we are baptized today, nothing! Jesus tells us that John’s baptism was from heaven (Matthew 21:23-27). And John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4). Both repentance and forgiveness cannot come from man but must be granted by God! And John saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus as a dove and he heard the voice of God the Father from heaven declare Jesus His beloved Son when he baptized Jesus. John knew that his baptism was not nothing!
So, why does John say that he baptizes with water, while Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit? (John 1:33) Because John is confessing to be only a tool, an instrument. He’s like a hammer or a saw. He is useful to the one who sent him. It is as St. Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 3, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (vs. 6) John pours water, but the Holy Spirit is sent by Christ. So also, John is a voice which preaches repentance, yet it is the Holy Spirit who comes and changes hearts. And so, we should not despise Baptism today, or the Lord’s Supper, or the preaching of the Gospel, because it is just water, or just bread and wine, or just a man talking. No, the Holy Spirit comes to us through these means. God points us to Christ through these means. Jesus is given to us by these instruments.
We need John’s preaching as we begin to celebrate Christmas. John wants to preach nothing but Jesus. He doesn’t want you to consider himself at all. He’s just a voice. But listen to the content of that voice. It is all about Jesus! Christmas is all about Jesus. It’s not about Santa and reindeer. It’s not about your mom’s special recipes or the movie you love to watch as a family. It’s not about the presents.
And while this may seem obvious, this is a great comfort to hear! Because this also means that we still get to celebrate Christmas even if all these other things are taken away, if you must cancel your travel plans because of bad weather or sickness or poverty, if you spend Christmas caring for a sick loved one or even sitting at a loved one’s deathbed, or mourning the death of someone you lost this year. You can celebrate Christmas without presents, without a Christmas tree and without spending a fortune. It’s not about all that extra stuff. Christmas, and indeed, our entire life, is all about Jesus. What great peace this gives!
Yet, beware lest you dismiss John’s message as being overly simple. Here I must warn you against Gospel reductionism. Gospel reductionism is the practice of eliminating anything in the Bible that doesn’t have to do with the Gospel. It may originally have had a good intention of focusing on the Gospel, but it results in eliminating useful teachings of Scripture and even the Gospel itself! Gospel reductionism is practiced by many liberal churches, which don’t want to offend people by teachings of the Bible that they think are not relevant to the Gospel. And Gospel reductionism is practiced by individuals, who do not want to confront their own sin or ignorance of God’s Word.
Call it what you will, this is a popular practice. “All we need is Jesus!” Doesn’t that sound nice! “Just so long as we believe in Jesus, that’s all that matters.” “Just as long as we all love Jesus! It doesn’t matter what we believe, whether we go to church, where we go to church. Let’s just focus on what’s important: Jesus!” But this is not what John is preaching when he points only to Jesus! Who is Jesus? What has He done? Why has He done it? These are important questions that need to be answered. So, when John reduces himself to only a voice, only a pourer of water, he is not reducing Jesus in any way. Rather, he wants to proclaim everything we need to know about Jesus!
John preaches three particularly important things that lead us to Jesus. First, John preaches repentance. Most people think they know what repentance means. It means to say sorry for doing something wrong. Yet, repentance is not simply saying sorry. The word for repentance means to change your mind. To turn from what you are doing and to live and think differently. Luther stated in his first thesis of his 95 Theses, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Mt 4:17), He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Our Lutheran Confessions teach, from Holy Scripture, that repentance has two parts. First, is contrition, that is, terror of conscience from the knowledge of sin. The second is faith, which believes the Gospel that God forgives us our sins for Christ’s sake. It then says that good works are bound to follow, which are the fruits of repentance (Augsburg Confession XII).
This was not the mere opinion of the Lutheran reformers, but what John the Baptist preached. “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance!” (Luke 3:8), John preached to the crowd. “Give your extra tunic to him who has none. Tax collectors, collect no more than you are authorized to. Soldiers, do not threaten or extort money, but be content with your wages.” John preached a change of life! And this is what all of Scripture teaches about repentance. St. Paul tells us to put off the old self and put on the new, to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called, to put away fornication, slander, drunkenness, and to put on humility, gentleness, and truth. You have not repented properly if you think that you have finished repenting. Because your old self with its sin and unbelief continues to cling to you until you die, you are not done repenting until you have put your old self off once and for all! St. Paul writes in Ephesians 4 that Christ gave the church teachers of the Gospel so that we may be equipped “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (vss. 13-14) So, when John teaches us to repent, he is teaching us to continue to conform ourselves to Christ our entire lives.
Second, John preaches the two natures of Christ: His divinity and His humanity. He says that Jesus came after him, but he also says that Jesus was before him. How can Jesus come after John and yet be before John? Jesus was born about six months after John and He began his ministry about a year or so after John began his. Yet, Christ is before John, because He is the eternal Son of the Father. He is the Word, who was with God and was God from the beginning. John is teaching that this Jesus is both God and man. This is significant when we talk about only Jesus being important. That is true. But which Jesus are we talking about? The Muslims believe in Jesus. They think He was a great prophet. But they deny that He is God or that He died for our sins. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Jesus. But they deny that He is God and they deny that He rose from the dead bodily. Just saying you believe in Jesus or that you love Jesus is not enough, if you do not define what you mean by Jesus. John preaches the Jesus who is true God and true man.
This teaching that Jesus is true God and true man is important for the third thing John preaches about Jesus. John preaches that Christ Jesus is the Redeemer who makes atonement for our sins. In Ruth chapter 4, Boaz wanted to redeem Ruth, so that he could marry her. Yet, she had a redeemer closer than Boaz. Yet that man did not desire to marry Ruth, so he refused to redeem her dead husband’s land. So, he took his sandal and passed it over to Boaz, which is how they legally indicated a passing of the right of redeemer in those days. John says that he is not worthy to carry Jesus’ sandals. He is saying that he is not worthy to be our Redeemer, because John is just a voice. He is only a man, even if the greatest man born of woman. But Jesus is both God and man, He both comes after and is before John. This is why John points to Jesus and proclaims, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Jesus redeems us from sin, death, and hell by taking our sins away from us. He suffered and died for them in our place, thus making atonement for them. Because He is God, His death is a sufficient price to pay for all our sins. Jesus Christ is our Redeemer.
John wants to reduce himself to just a voice, who pours water. John only wants to preach about Jesus. But John does not want to reduce Jesus in anyway. John doesn’t want to reduce Scripture in any way. Jesus is the reason for the season. This means that Jesus is our Redeemer, who has atoned for our sins. It means we are celebrating the birth of our God in human flesh. It means we continue our constant practice of repenting, that is, changing our minds from those set on earthly things to having the mind of Christ. There is a lot that we can eliminate from our lives, that we can reduce, so that we can focus on what is truly important. But we ought never reduce Jesus and His Word. We want only Jesus, and we want all of Jesus. Only He will give us true peace and a merry Christmas. Amen.

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The Office of John the Baptist

12/18/2024

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Advent 3 (Gaudete)
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 15, 2024

Jesus tells us that John is more than a prophet; he is the messenger God sent to prepare the way for Christ. John indeed was a tremendous preacher, who led many people to Christ. However, John has not preached a sermon on earth for nearly two thousand years. And although Scripture tells us that large crowds gathered to hear John preach, we’re still talking about maybe a few thousand people a couple thousand years ago. So, how does John the Baptist prepare the way for Christ today so many centuries later? John continues to prepare the way for Christ today, because he serves as a precursor to the Office of the Ministry, that is, the preaching office, which Christ instituted to prepare His way into our hearts.
Article V of the Augsburg Confession states, “So that we may obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given [John 20:22]. He works faith, when and where it pleases God [John 3:8], in those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake. This happens not through our own merits, but for Christ’s sake. Our churches condemn the Anabaptists and others who think that through their own preparations and works the Holy Spirit comes to them without the external Word.”
So that we may obtain this faith, Christ instituted the office of teaching the Gospel. So that people could receive Christ Jesus in faith, God sent John to preach. Holy Scripture describes the preaching office by reporting to us John’s preaching, and Christ’s description of John as a preacher, and Scripture’s record of John’s life entirely devoted to pointing people to Jesus, even sending his last two disciples to Christ before he was beheaded in prison. St. Paul, another messenger for Christ who was beheaded for Christ’s sake, describes the Office of the Ministry in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”
John was a servant of Christ as is every Apostle and pastor who comes after him. A minister indeed serves the church, he serves his parishioners, but he remains Christ’s servant. He does Christ’s bidding, not the bidding of men. St. Paul writes that he does not preach to please men, but to please Christ (Galatians 1:10). He followed well in John’s footsteps. Jesus asked the crowd if they went out to see a reed blowing in the wind. A reed blowing in the wind is a preacher who preaches what the people want to hear. He licks his finger, holds it up to the air, and wherever the wind is blowing, that’s how he’ll preach. St. Paul tells us that these are the type of preachers people want. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) And we see this today. They call them woke preachers, who embrace the extreme trends of sexual immorality and perversity. It makes good fodder online for Christians to rebuke radical heretical preachers. Yet, it’s not just the so-called woke preachers, who are reeds blowing in the wind. The winds of human opinion blow strong. And because preachers fear men rather than God, they frequently overlook God’s Word where it displeases the people. So, fornication is no longer preached against. Preachers tip toe around divorce and homosexuality, the rejection of the distinction between men and women in the church and in the home, and persistent unrepentant sin. They know which side of their bread is buttered, as they say.
John was no such reed-shaking-in-the-wind preacher. He was in prison, because he preached against Herodias’ unjust divorce of her husband Philip, Herod’s brother, and against Herod’s unjust marriage to his brother’s wife who divorced him. Herodias did not forgive John for preaching against her sin, so she incited her daughter to ask Herod for John’s head on a platter. So, John, the greatest man born of woman, the preacher who sets the standard for all New Testament preachers after him, had his head cut off in a prison cell for preaching against divorce and adultery. Yet, he died for Christ’s sake. And so, St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4, “For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. ... We are fools for Christ’s sake ... We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.” (vss. 9, 10, 13)
So does Scripture describe these servants of Christ, as ministers of the Word should model themselves today. They are sent to proclaim God’s Word, regardless of the cost, regardless of whether they listen or not. Yet, why does God send His preachers for this task? To prepare the way for Christ into people’s hearts. He does this first by preaching repentance. This is what Isaiah means when he says that every hill will be made low. Everyone must humble himself before God and His Word and repent of his sins. John didn’t call the Pharisees brood of vipers to be mean. He was calling them to repent of the pride in their hearts and to receive Christ with meekness. John didn’t tell Herod he had sinned by marrying his brother’s wife, because he wanted to show how much better he was than Herod. He was warning Herod to turn from sin before he would be damned to hell.
And so, preachers of the Word must preach the Law, even when it hurts feelings. They must preach against not only the sins that their parishioners disapprove of, but especially against the sins of their own people, just as John told the rich to share with the poor, the soldiers to stop extorting money and to be content with their wages, and the tax collectors to stop stealing. Preachers must preach against their people’s sins, because Christ commands them to, so that His sheep may receive Him. They must do this, so that Christ’s people may be comforted. Christ only comforts those who recognize that their sin is evil, that they deserve God’s wrath, that they need to be forgiven. Preachers must preach the Law to make way for the Gospel, so that sinners who see the wages of their sin, may be comforted that Christ has paid double for them (Isaiah 40:2).
St. Paul calls ministers of the Word stewards of the mysteries of God. A steward is one who manages that which does not belong to him. A steward is not free to do what he wishes with his master’s property. He must manage it at the direction of his master. And so, pastors are under the commission of Christ their Master. They are answerable to Christ for how they manage the mysteries of God. But what are these mysteries?
The mysteries of God are the holy Word and Sacraments. They are what Augsburg Confession V call the instruments through which the Holy Spirit is given. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells His disciples, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven...” The mysteries of God’s kingdom can only be understood by faith, which can only be given by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:12-14; 12:3; John 3:8). The preacher does not get to choose who believes and who does not. That is up to the Holy Spirit. The preacher’s job is to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This means that the preacher does not preach what he wants, but what Holy Scripture says, so that God’s people may be rightly instructed, exhorted, rebuked, warned, and comforted. As stated before, the pastor must preach the Law, preaching against sin and calling people to repentance, and he must preach the Gospel, that Christ Jesus died to save sinners and that He forgives those who repent and trust in Him.
The mysteries of God also include the Sacraments: Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, as well as the office of the keys. Pastors must baptize according to Christ’s command and teach those they baptize (Matthew 28:19-20). The Lord’s Supper is Christ’s true body and blood under the forms of bread and wine. It grants forgiveness of sins to those who receive it in faith. It brings judgment against those who receive it in unbelief or impenitent sin. The pastor does not have the liberty to do with the Sacrament what he wills. He must instruct, examine, and absolve those who wish to receive it. And those who would be harmed by receiving it, because of their ignorance, unbelief, or impenitence, the pastor must refuse to give it.
The office of the keys is that special authority, which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent. Pastors must forgive those who repent of their sins. If a sinner confesses his sins privately to the pastor, the pastor must keep those sins private forever. His job is to comfort those in need of Christ’s consolation. Yet, if sinners continue in their sin openly and refuse to repent, then it is the job of their pastor to refuse to declare Christ’s forgiveness to them until they repent.
This is how Christ’s servants and stewards manage His property, which are the mysteries of God. He may not do as he wishes with them, but as the Lord directs him. This is why Scripture says that a pastor must be above reproach, soberminded, able to teach (1 Timothy 3) and trustworthy (1 Corinthians 4:2). Yet, pastors are only men. They are sinners. And they are weak. They doubt and need comfort and assurance from the Word as well. Yet, Christ has chosen them to prepare His way, as He chose John the Baptist and Paul. He did this so that His people may obtain saving faith. So, dear Christians, pray for your pastor and all pastors, that they be kept from sin and error, and that they be given the wisdom and courage to do what is right and to be faithful servants of Christ and stewards of His mysteries. It is the Lord who will judge His ministers (1 Cor. 4:4), and we know that they will be judged more strictly than the rest (James 3:1). So, as John’s disciples no doubt prayed for him while he was in prison, and as St. Paul frequently urged his listeners to pray for him (Ephesians 6:19), so I ask you to pray that I too may be found faithful by our Lord. And I urge you to pray for yourselves too, that you would not be like Herodias and Herod, who imprisoned and murdered John for His preaching of the Law or like the Pharisees who mocked John’s appearance, but that you would be like the tax collectors and prostitutes who repented at John’s preaching and were given power to become children of God. God gave us ministers of the Word, so that we may have faith in Christ and be saved. That you have a pastor is a sign from God that He wants to save you through faith in Christ.
Lord, empower your ministers and make way for Christ into their hearers’ hearts. Amen.

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"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

The Christmas Cross

Abiogenesis Christmas

Treasuring and Pondering in the Heart

Reducing John, Not Jesus

The Office of John the Baptist

Rev. James Preus

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