Category: Christmas 1

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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Ready to Die

1/3/2024

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Christmas 1
Luke 2:22-40
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
December 31, 2023

Simeon took the baby Jesus into his arms and blessed God. Why did Simeon bless God? Because God had fulfilled His promise and let Simeon see the Christ. What does it mean that Simeon got to see the Christ? It means that he got to see the one God anointed to be the Savior of the world. St. Paul puts it succinctly, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent for His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5).
When the fullness of time had come, that is, when God chose from eternity to fulfill what He had promised through the prophets. God sent forth His only begotten Son, who was with Him from the beginning and who is God from the beginning. Born of a woman; God was born of a woman. God now has a mother. The virgin conceived and bore a Son, Immanuel, which means, God with us. This fulfills what God spoke in the garden of Eden, that He would put enmity between the woman and the serpent, and between the woman’s seed and the serpent’s seed. The serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, but He would crush the serpent’s head. (Genesis 3:15) God’s Son was born of a woman, fulfilling the promise to the people of Israel, that one descended from Abraham and David would bless all nations, and yet being born of a woman, He was born for all peoples. He is the Savior of the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
He was born under the Law to redeem those who were under the Law. That is why Jesus is in the temple. He is there to do what is prescribed in the law, by being presented before the Lord and having a sacrifice offered to God. Yet, already at eight-days-old, Jesus had begun His subjection under the Law. He was circumcised (Luke 2:21). St. Paul tells us that whoever accepts circumcision is obligated to keep the whole Law. (Galatians 5:3). So, this little baby Jesus is obligated to keep the whole Law. This is important, because He actually does it! Jesus fulfills the entire Law. This is called His active obedience. Jesus does in human flesh what we human beings have failed to do!
Why does Jesus submit Himself to the Law? To redeem us who were under the Law. Scripture again says, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.” (Galatians 3:10; Dt. 27:26). This describes our situation. We are born under the Law. Everyone born of woman is born under the Law, because the Law is what God our Creator demands of us. This New Year is a good time to examine how we have lived under God’s Law. What New Year’s resolutions did you make last year? Did you resolve that you would sin less? You should have. Well, did you sin less? Did you become more devoted to God’s Word? Did you take control of your temper, your lusts, and your bad habits? Have you filled the unforgiving minute with sixty-seconds distance run? Or have you waisted the time and talents God has given you? Have you abided by all things written in the Book of the Law? No? Then you are cursed.
But Jesus did abide by everything written in the Book of the Law, even as an infant. Yet, it is Jesus who was cursed by the Law on the tree. This is how Christ redeemed us. He paid our debts. He lived in our human flesh as we should have lived, yet He suffered the punishment we should have suffered. This is called His passive obedience. This is why Simeon sings praise to God at Jesus’ presence. Seeing Jesus is seeing His salvation, and not only His salvation, but salvation for all peoples, to the Jew first, but also for the Gentile.
Although Jesus is the salvation prepared in the presence of all people, and a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Israel, He is appointed for the rise and fall of many. He is a sign that is opposed, that is, spoken against. People are offended at this Christ and at the Redemption He brings. They are offended at His incarnation, that a man is God in the flesh, that our God can be found in a manger, on a cross, and in a tomb. They are offended at His suffering, that their Savior comes in such humility that He suffers death on a cross. They are embarrassed to claim Him as their Lord. They are offended that He offers free salvation through the forgiveness of sins, and not based on their own works. They want to be praised for their works, so God’s grace to forgive apart from works for Christ’s sake offends them. They are offended at the means by which Christ gives them His grace, because they must be received through faith and not through rationalistic human reason. They are offended that He offers forgiveness and rebirth in Baptism, that He promises forgiveness of sins through the mouth of a man, and that He offers His own body and blood to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is a sign that is opposed, because people do not want to receive Him through faith.
And we could shake our heads at the shame of it all, and say, “tsk, tsk,” at those others who are opposed to Christ. But you don’t have to look that far to see opposition to Christ. Just look at your own heart. Your own sinful heart has risen in opposition to Christ, and you have seen this by how you have chosen your sins over Christ again and again. You have valued the things of this world over Christ. You have refused to say in your heart, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace,” because you have been too in love with this world to depart it in peace. Instead of praying, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly,” you pray, “Not now, Lord. Come later.”
And so, you should see your pressing need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, as Simeon is, so that you can rejoice at the sight of Christ. And you should see your own pressing need to crucify your flesh with its sinful desires and renew your commitment to Christ. As we close another year, we get to say goodbye to our former sins, and commit ourselves to Christ again, marveling at the words spoken by Simeon, that here stands our Savior.
Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce through her soul also. This means two things. First, historically, Mary would experience great anguish as she stands beneath the cross of her own Son, watching helplessly as He dies in excruciating pain. As only a mother knows, she feels that spear in her own heart as she watches her Son stabbed to confirm His death on the cross. Secondly, there is a spiritual meaning to these words. Mary is a type of the Christian Church (that is, she represents it). She marvels at the words about Christ and ponders them in her heart. And so, the Christian Church is where Christ’s word is marveled and treasured. As Jesus is pierced through, so is Christ’s Church pierced through. As Jesus is spoken against, so His Church is spoken against. And so, Christians should expect persecution from the world, which opposes Jesus.
And yet, even in the midst of persecution, Christ’s Church rejoices. With Simeon and Anna and with Jesus’ parents, she marvels at the words of Christ, she blesses God for His salvation shown in Jesus, she tells everyone who will listen about this Redeemer. And so, the Christian Church joins Simeon in singing His song of deliverance.
This is one of the greatest things the Lutheran Church did for the Western Liturgy. We added Simeon’s song, the Nunc Dimittis, as a Post-Communion Canticle. Every time we receive Communion, we sing, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant, depart in peace, according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people.” When we receive the Lord’s Supper, we are prepared to die! We have received everything we could possibly need or want. The same Christ, whom Simeon held in his arms, has come to us, having redeemed us from all our sins. In this meal, we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Having received such promises, we are ready to die. None of our sins can make us fear death. And no treasure in this world can keep our hearts back from going to Him, who bought us.
What is perhaps even greater, we have added Simeon’s song to the rite of the Commendation of the Dying. When you are dying and your loved ones call the pastor to give you your final blessing, he will sing Simeon’s son, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant, depart in peace.” Having received the forgiveness of sins, we are not afraid to die. We go to the Lord’s Supper as if we are going to death, so that we go to death, as if we are going to the Lord’s Supper. Christ is all we need here in this life, so we are not afraid to leave this life to be with Christ. It is the greatest privilege to sing the Nunc Dimittis with Simeon. It is the greatest privilege to not be afraid of death, because you have already received your reward through faith.
As we approach the end of a year and the beginning of a new one, we hope to be better Christians in the coming year. We hope to put off the works of darkness and walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We have greater concerns than New Year’s resolutions about dieting, quitting smoking, exercising, or reading more books. Our concern is to grow closer to Christ and to live lives pleasing to Him; to not live as slaves of sin, but as children of God.
Yet, this song of Simeon reminds us that Christ has already fulfilled the Law for us. This does not give us an excuse to go on sinning, so that grace may abound. Quite the contrary. We sing the song of Simeon as a confession that we are ready to leave this world behind with all its sins and false gods. But we rejoice that our sins will not drag us down. Christ has fulfilled the Law for us. He has paid our debts on the cross. We have seen His salvation and tasted that He is good. Christ knows your sins and your failed resolutions, your doubts and embarrassing secrets of your heart, and He still loves you and forgives you. And so, as we embark into a New Year, we see the goal of this next year completed in Christ. We cannot achieve a single resolution without Him. The Law is forever unfulfilled without Him. Our sins and damnation cling to us forever without Him. But when we have Christ, when we have received His grace through faith, our resolutions are complete, the Law is fulfilled in us, our salvation is accomplished. We find Christ with His grace in His Word and Sacraments. So, when we receive Christ in His Word and Sacrament, we are ready to depart this world, because we have a treasure much greater.
Let us pray,
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant, depart in peace, according to Thy Word. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people. A light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Christ Came to a Hostile World

12/31/2021

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The Stoning of St. Stephen, Rembrandt, 1625. Public Domain.

St. Stephen’s Day
2 Chronicles 24:17-22; Acts 6-7; Matthew 23:34-39
Pastor James Preus

   When we think of how the Old Testament prophesied of Christ, we usually think of prophets speaking and writing. Yet, God also spoke through the prophets by their actions as well as by the actions done to them. We see clear examples of this in how Abraham tried to offer his only son Isaac whom he loved, as a sacrifice to the Lord, and how Jonah was trapped in the belly of a great fish for three days, prophesying that God would offer his only Son whom he loved as a sacrifice and that the Christ would remain in the tomb for three days. When King Joash murdered Zechariah the prophet and priest in the temple, it was a prophecy that the Christ would be murdered for preaching the truth. The persecution and murder of all the prophets were prophecies that the Christ would suffer violence at the hands of wicked men and die an innocent death. This is made clear in Jesus’ parable about the vineyard and the tenants, where the master sends servants, who represent the prophets, to gather his fruit, but the tenants beat, murder, and stone his servants. Finally, the master sends his own son, the heir, who represents Christ. Everyone listening to the parable knows that these tenants who killed the servants will also kill the son.

And so, we remember on this second day of Christmas, that our dear Lord who came to us as a sweet little baby, entered a hostile world set to commit violence against him. This fact is not hidden from Christmas, even amidst the joyful carols, as December 26th commemorates the death of St. Stephen, the first post-Pentecost Christian martyr and in a couple days the Church will remember the Slaughter of Holy Innocence, when Herod murdered the little boys of Bethlehem in an attempt to destroy Christ. Even the Gospel lesson for Christmas Day tells us that Jesus “came to his own, but his own people did not receive him.” (John 1:11) And Jesus was well aware of his violent mission, repeatedly telling his disciples that he would be betrayed into the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day rise.

Jesus came to a world at enmity with him to win reconciliation with his blood. And he repeatedly warned his followers that whoever followed him, would be hated by the world. You’ll notice in our Gospel lesson that Jesus does not speak merely of the prophets murdered in former days, but of prophets, wisemen, and scribes whom he would send and whom they would persecute and kill in the future. Before we even learn Stephen’s name, we know from Christ’s words that those whom he sends will be murdered for preaching the Gospel.

St. Stephen has the honor of being named the first  post-Pentecost Christian martyr. In Acts chapter six, Stephen is named as the first of seven men to serve the church, so that the Apostles may devote themselves to prayer and the preaching of the Word. Stephen is described as one full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. He immediately becomes distinguished by the great wonders and signs, which God did through him. Stephen was a preacher. He proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this he was maligned as a blasphemer and accused of being an enemy of the temple and of Moses. Stephen responds by giving a detailed summary of the Old Testament, from the time of Abraham to the last prophets. He convicts the people of Israel for their idolatry and violence against the prophets. Finally, he convicts his own adversaries for following in the unbelief and violence of their fathers, having murdered the Righteous One, who is Christ Jesus.

But these unbelieving Jews would not listen to Stephen’s preaching. They even put their fingers in their ears! They charged Stephen, brought him out of the city, and stoned him to death. And Saul, better known today as St. Paul, held the cloaks of the murderers as he approved of Stephen’s execution. As Stephen died, he saw a vision of Christ Jesus standing at the right hand of God the Father. This vision bore witness to Jesus’ words from his Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12) Stephen was honored to join the company of persecuted prophets before him, and especially, the company of Jesus Christ, for whom he was hated by the world.

And so, we learn on this St. Stephen’s Day, that we should expect persecution from this world. It is unlikely that any of us will rise to the rank of St. Stephen, who was murdered while bearing beautiful testimony of Christ. Yet, we should recognize the hatred the world has toward our Lord Jesus and the hatred it has toward those who love him. St. James tells us that friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). Jesus tells us that if the world hates us, know that it hated him first. We must recognize this hatred, so that we do not fall away from loving God.

The first thing you must know about this hatred, is that it hates God’s Word. Notice how Stephen’s murderers plugged their ears when they didn’t like what Stephen was preaching. The world plugs its ears today. Whatever tries to silence the preaching of God’s Word and the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ is at enmity with Christ and you. When governments seek to close churches, whether out of overt hatred for   the Gospel or using the pretense of a health emergency, this is the hatred of world against Christ and his Christians. When extracurricular activities are scheduled on Sunday morning when Christians are known to worship, this is an attack on Christ and his Christians. These attacks don’t always involve the shedding of blood and imprisonment. But they always involve the silencing of God’s holy Word.

Jesus came to win reconciliation with God for the world. Christians are called to confess and preach this reconciliation. Yet, it is this very message of reconciliation that is so hated by the world. Reconciliation means that someone has sinned against another. Sinners don’t want to admit that they have sinned. They don’t want to be forgiven; they want to be told that they are right. And so, they plug their ears to Christ’s preaching and they react in violence against those who seek reconciliation. It’s the saddest thing in the world. Reconciliation means to make friends with your enemies. Christians make friends through forgiveness won by the blood of Christ. Yet, enemies often want to remain enemies. They do not want to humble themselves. They don’t want to be forgiven or to forgive. Jesus’ blood is spurned. Jesus’ Christians are hated.

And so, we learn from Stephen how to behave as Christians. When others hate you for confessing Christ, pray for them. When your invitation to come to church is disrespectfully brushed off, don’t despair, but stay the course. Continue to pray and invite others to hear God’s Word. When others refuse to be reconciled with you, refuse to repent of their sins, refuse to forgive you your fault, refuse to hear of Christ’s forgiveness, continue to confess Christ and pray for them. When you are persecuted, maligned, and even assaulted for your faith in Christ, bless; do not curse. Pray for those who persecute you.

On Christmas, we often receive many gifts. These material things, which often break or are spent before the next Christmas, are supposed to be a reminder of God’s greatest gift of his Son, whom he gave to save us from our sins. St. Stephen’s Day is a good reminder that Christ is the gift worth losing every worldly gift and pleasure for. Your new watch or stack of books, the clothing and toys and money, these all pale in comparison to Christ. There is nothing that you own or could own that compares to Christ. There is nothing you do or could spend your time doing that compares to being with Christ. Jesus entered this cruel world to save you from its cruelness and sin, to reconcile you with your Heavenly Father, and give you eternal life. And on top of that, he promises that he will continue to provide for the needs of your body while you live on this side of the resurrection of all flesh. Jesus is worth suffering for. He’s worth losing family and friends over. He’s worth losing job and lands and presents over. To have Christ is to have a greater treasure than owning the whole world.

And so, it is actually fitting that most people know this day by the carol, “Good King Wenceslas, an apocryphal tale of a Bohemian Christian King known for giving alms to the poor. In the carol, King Wenceslas strengthens his page’s spirits to brave the harsh winter weather to bring a feast to a poor man. This fits the tradition of giving food and gifts to the poor on St. Stephen’s Day. On this day we remember that the great gift we received on Christmas was Jesus. We are happy to help those less fortunate than us, just as we are joyful even to suffer shame for the name of Christ. God gave us everything when he gave us Christ Jesus as our Savior. We cannot lose. Poverty, shame, hatred, persecution, slander, even death are powerless against the one who has Christ Jesus.

The name Stephen means crown. Having been murdered for the sake of Christ, Stephen received a crown of righteousness that cannot fade in heaven. Such crowns are stored up in heaven for all who love the appearing of Christ. May God keep us faithful, so that we may at last wear them with St. Stephen and all the saints before the throne of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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Why Christmas is Merry

12/30/2019

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Mysteries of the Rosary, Presentation of Jesus at the temple, Cornelis de Vos, 1620, Public Domain

Luke 2:22-40; Galatians 4;1-7
December 29, 2019

Merry Christmas! Christmas is such a joyful time, is it not? This month I read Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. When the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Ebenezer Scrooge through the streets on Christmas Day, although the frost is biting hard on people’s noses as they shovel their walks, everyone is gleeful and they greet one another with friendly hellos and Merry Christmases. And you know, that’s not too far off from reality. Everyone I saw on Christmas Day was smiling. I talked to a number of friends and family on the phone to exchange Christmas greetings. Everyone was gay and merry; full of good cheer.
What is it about Christmas that makes us so merry? Perhaps it’s that after all the hustling and bustling we finally get to take a breath and enjoy time with our loved ones. Maybe it’s that at this dark time of the year, we have something to celebrate and the days will only get longer. Perhaps it’s the songs. Perhaps it’s the treats. But we Christians have something to be merry about that exceeds all these things and predates even Christmas trees and Jingle Bells.
Over two thousand years ago in Jerusalem, an old man and an old lady give Christmas greetings. They are unusually happy. Why are they so merry? It’s Christmas! Christ Jesus is born! For this they rejoice. And why are they so happy that this baby is born? Are they just making up an excuse to celebrate during the cold winter nights, to take time off work and get together with friends? No. They are celebrating, because the birth of this baby does great good for many more people than for just his parents, or even for his tribe or nation. The birth of this child, Jesus, does great good for the whole world.
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, because that is what the Law of the Lord commanded. The Law said that every male who first opens the womb shall be consecrated as holy to the Lord. The people of Israel were commanded to present their first-born sons to the Lord, and sacrifice all the first-born male of their livestock throughout all their generations. God commanded this in order to prophecy that he would send his First-Born Son to die for the sins of his people.
God commanded his people to do this. Yet, as many of their sons as they presented to the Lord, and as many of their livestock that they slaughtered in obedience; it never accomplished their redemption. The blood of the animals could not wash away their sins. And all of the sons presented before the Lord were sinners. They served only as a shadow; a sign of the real thing. But none of them were the real thing.
There was indeed a sign of a promise in the command God gave his people, but only a sign. As long as it remained a command, his people never fulfilled it. It remained a burden for them. This command made them slaves. But now, the fulness of time has come! God sent forth his own Son! Born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons! This is a great statement from St. Paul, and it is exactly what Simeon and Anna are realizing as they see Jesus being carried into the temple by his mother and foster-father.
The Son of God is born of God from eternity. He is eternally begotten, meaning, he has always existed with the Father. There never was a time when he was not! Yet, now this Son of God, this first-born of God from all eternity, has taken on a second birth. His first birth was outside of time and space. He is begotten from eternity. Yet, his second birth happened on a particular day, in a particular town, namely Bethlehem, to a particular woman.
We are all born of a woman. Every single one of us has a mother. That means that every single one of us is born under the Law. Now, the Law can be split up into three parts: the civil, the ceremonial, and the moral. The civil law refers to the authority of the state. Israel was a state, a nation that had rules that governed its citizens, but not those outside of its borders. The ceremonial law refers to the laws surrounding worship, which God commanded through Moses to govern the people of Israel. This included the laws concerning circumcision, sacrifices, and festivals. The ceremonial laws ruled the worship life of the Israelites and served to point them to the coming of the Christ. Yet, those outside the people of Israel were not required to keep these ceremonial laws.
The moral law rules over everyone, whether you are of the house of Israel or not. The moral law can be summed up in the Ten Commandments. They teach you what is right and wrong. You should have no other Gods than the LORD God. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not murder or comit adultery or steal. This law rules over even those, who do not know their Ten Commandments, because Scripture says that this law is written on people’s hearts. Their consciences themselves testify against them when they do wrong. And even if their consciences remain quiet, God remains the judge.
When Scripture says that God’s Son was born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the Law; Scripture is saying that Jesus was born under the entire Law: civil, ceremonial, and moral. This means that Jesus came to redeem those who are under not just the civil law of Israel or the ceremonial law of the temple, but everyone who is under the moral law. Everyone who was born of a woman is born under the moral law. Everyone is judged by this law and condemned by it. Jesus was born under this law to save everyone, both Israelites and Gentiles.
This is why Simeon is so excited and filled with Christmas cheer! This is why Anna can’t help herself but go from person to person, essentially wishing them a Merry Christmas, by telling of the redemption of Israel. Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel, that is, the comfort of Israel. God promised that he would console Israel in her sorrow and burden under the Law. He promised that he would send forth a shoot from Jesse’s stem. Jesse was the father of David. Jesus was born in the city of David, because Joseph, his adoptive father was of the house and lineage of David. The Holy Spirit told Simeon directly that he would see this Christ, this anointed child, who would fulfill the entire law! And in this baby Jesus, who comes with his parents to perform the requirements of the Law, he sees this promised Christ, this promised consolation of Israel.
Jesus fulfilled the entire Law in our place. He fulfilled the civil law, by obeying all those in authority. He paid his taxes and obeyed the laws of the land. Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial law. From the time he was circumcised on the eighth day, Jesus followed all that God commanded. And Jesus obeyed the moral law. He loved God with his whole heart, soul, strength, and mind, as no other human ever could. And although he was God himself in the flesh, he submitted to his parents and did as they commanded him. He loved his neighbor. He helped those in need. He even prayed for his enemies. Jesus Christ is the only man born of woman, who completely and fully obeyed the Law.
And Jesus did this for your sake. Christ had no need to earn his way to heaven. He already owned the heavenly kingdom by divine right. He is the eternally begotten Son. Yet, Christ earned your way to heaven for you. And more than that; Christ Jesus is your redeemer. That means, he paid your debts. You have broken the commands of the Law. You have not loved God with all your heart, soul and mind. You have not loved your neighbor as yourself or loved your enemies. For this, you are indebted to the Law. The Law demands punishment. Yet Jesus fulfills even this!
You see, Jesus did not only observe the rites of the ceremonial law. He fulfilled the prophecies these ceremonies gave! Jesus is the first born of the Father! He is his only begotten Son from eternity! And here, he has opened the womb of the Virgin. None of the firstborn sons of Israel born before him could fulfill this prophecy. They all fell short. Jesus fulfills it. And Jesus fulfills the prophecy of that the first born would be sacrificed. He was sacrificed for our sins, paying our debts! Your debt incurred by your sin against the law is paid by Jesus Christ!
This is why Simeon rejoices. This is why Anna is filled with good cheer. Christ Jesus, born of the woman, has redeemed us, who are born under the law. He has removed our burden. He is God’s consolation sent down from heaven.
When we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we don’t just celebrate his birth, we celebrate our own birth. Jesus received a second birth of the woman, so that we might receive a second birth from above. Through faith and in baptism in Jesus Christ, we have received adoption as sons of God. All who believe on Jesus’ name are given the right to be called children of God, who are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Simeon and Anna sing with Christmas cheer, because they have the right given to them through faith to call God their heavenly Father. When God listens to our voice, he listens to the voice of his children, whom he loves. Why wouldn’t we sing and make merry and rejoice at that?
We should greet each other with Christmas cheer. And we should spread this Christmas cheer past these twelve days and to all twelve months! Jesus is born! God’s own Son! And he came to redeem us! To save all people! All our sins are washed away. We are not slaves, but God’s dear children. We have the right to call upon him as our Father. And we have the joy of spreading this good cheer to others.
Merry Christmas! It is indeed merry! Amen.

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Christmas 1: Odd Christians

12/31/2018

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Luke 2:33-40
December 30, 2018

There’s an arch book I read to my kids sometimes that starts out like this:
A long time ago, was a man named Noah
Who loved and worshiped God.
This faithful man followed God’s commands
Even when they seemed quite odd!
That last line used to bother me a bit. “God’s commands aren’t odd. They’re good and right and true! It’s we, who are odd!” Yet, to this world God’s commands are quite odd. Scripture says as much, even more in 1 Corinthians 1, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (1:21) To this wise world, God’s word is foolishness. And it follows that those who hold to God’s word also seem quite odd.
Simeon was such an odd man. What’s on your bucket list? What do you want to see before you die? Perhaps one of the myriad of historical wonders in Europe? Your granddaughter walking down the aisle? What’s on Simeon’s bucket list? A poor child among many entering the temple in Jerusalem. And we know Jesus’ parents were poor, because they offered a couple pigeons when the Law of Moses actually said, “And when the days of her purifying are completed... she shall bring to the priest … a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering, … And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering.” (Lev. 12:6-8).
So, Simeon goes up to this young family, who can’t even afford to buy a lamb, and takes their child in his arms and declares to God that he is ready to die! “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word.” This is odd behavior. For a man waiting for the consolation of Israel, you would expect him to wait for a king with as much splendor as King Solomon, who offered 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep at the dedication of the temple. (1 Kings 8:63)
Yet, because he believes what the Holy Spirit has revealed to him, Simeon believes this poor child to be him, who is greater than Solomon and the temple. He believes this child to be the shoot coming forth from the stump of Jesse, that charred stump, which was once a glorious tree, which bore mighty kings like David and Solomon but was cut down and burned on account of its own idolatry and foolishness. Now, from that stump blooms a rose foretold by Isaiah the prophet. To the world, this is nothing to rejoice at. But to him, who trusts in God’s Word, this child gives the strength to die in peace.
Simeon tells God that he has seen his salvation that he has prepared in the presence of all people. This infant brings salvation. Not as King David did with the sword. No, this child will do what those thousands and millions of oxen and sheep failed to do, even as their blood covered the altar of God. He will bring salvation from sin, death, and eternal condemnation by means of his own blood. And he will do this not only for Israel, but for all people, the Gentiles along with the Jews, as Isaiah prophesied, “And in that day will come the root of Jesse, even the one who stands to rule the nations, in him the nations will hope.” (Isaiah 11:10 LXX) This Christ-child will not bring forty years of peace within the borders of Israel, but eternal peace for the heavenly Jerusalem, which will be made up of people from every nation.
But this again is foolishness to the world. You can’t win by dying. The idea that Jesus’ shed blood could purchase anything, let alone the forgiveness of all sins, is ludicrous. It was ludicrous back when Simeon believed it and it is ludicrous now. Today most find it offensive that God would even demand justice for sins or dare to punish transgressors. If God were really just, he would accept us as we are. And the idea that God would demand that his Son die for our transgressions is abhorrent to the wise, who believe we have evolved passed the notion of gods, who demand sacrifice.
So, the stone which the builders rejected continues to be rejected by the world even after it has been established as the cornerstone of the Christian Church. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is opposed by nearly everyone. Preaching against sin is out of touch. Repentance is archaic. The cross of Christ is grotesque. The belief in the real, historical virgin birth and resurrection of Christ from the dead is naïve. And we who, who believe and preach this are strange, odd people.
Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce through her own soul as well. This certainly happened when the virgin mother knelt before her dying son as he hung nailed to the cross breathing his last breaths, as any mother would hate to imagine. Yet, Mary also represents the church. And a sword continues to pierce through the church as long as she is called the church militant. Those, who worship Christ will be persecuted just as Christ was. The world that hated Christ still hates those, who follow him. Those who set themselves above Christ will set themselves above his Christians, even many who will claim to sit in the very seat of Christ.
Yet, those who exalt themselves will fall and those who humble themselves will be exalted. This is what it means to be a Christian. Christians don’t exalt themselves. Jesus exalts Christians. Christians receive by grace, as a gift, through faith. This means that we humbly receive what we do not deserve. This is not the way to become great in this world. But we Christians do not seek to be great in this world. We seek to receive a greater inheritance than this world could ever give. So, we repent of our sins when the world tells us to hold our heads up high. We glory in our sufferings with our hopes set on things that are not visible. We trust in a foolish Gospel while smart people call us dumb. That is the life of odd people, who follow odd commands.
Anna also was an odd lady. She worshipped God with fasting and praying night and day in the temple. No, she didn’t just go to the Christmas Eve Service and come back again the next morning for the Christmas Day Service. She deprived herself of food. People might look at you funny if you say you’re a vegetarian or that you’re going gluten free. This lady didn’t eat, so that she could train herself to focus more on her Lord and his word. She prayed at all times, with the congregation, at the sacrifices, by herself. She was constantly listening to the word of God and going to smell the sweet incense offered in the temple. She was what many these days would call, “a little too religious.”
Anna was a strange old lady. Even back then people probably thought she was weird. But she didn’t care. Like Simeon, she too had her hopes set on much more important things. When the Lord revealed to her who the baby Jesus was, she thanked God with all her heart and began speaking about him to all who were waiting the redemption of Jerusalem. This child, who would purchase the heavenly Jerusalem with his precious blood on the cross, gave Anna more joy than an earth full of gold.
What Anna does in our lesson is what any Christian woman should do. She tells anyone who will listen about Jesus. This is what mothers should do to their children (in fact it is their greatest duty and privilege). This is what wives should to their husbands, ladies to their boyfriends and girlfriends. In fact, this is what all Christians should do. We should talk about Jesus at every opportunity, when we sit in our houses, when we walk on our way, when we lie down and rise, Jesus should be on our heart and tongue.
Like the Virgin Mary, Anna represents the holy Christian Church. Christ’s church talks about Jesus even if people think she’s weird for doing it. And she proclaims teachings about Jesus that have gone out of style, like repentance and forgiveness, the atoning blood of Jesus, that Baptism saves and the Lord’s Supper is Christ’s true body and blood, and even that only men can be pastors.
Simeon and Anna were quite odd. They were odd because they followed God’s odd teaching. And if you will believe what God teaches, you are going to seem quite odd as well. Don’t let that bother you. Rather, embrace it. There is nothing that this world can give you that is more precious than the strange Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel gives you something that human intelligence cannot possibly reach, but can be received through faith by even a simple child.
We are not afraid of seeming odd. That is why we borrow the words of Simeon every Sunday, just as we borrow the hymn of the angels when we sing glory to God in the highest. After receiving the Sacrament, we sing with Simeon, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant, depart in peace, according to Thy Word. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people.” In other words, we are saying that we are ready to die. We’ve checked off the most important thing on our bucket list. We have certainty of salvation. To the wise this is madness that after eating some tasteless bread and taking a sip of wine, we declare our readiness to depart this earth. Yet, like Simeon holding the plain baby in his arms, we know that we have seen our salvation, and we have indeed tasted it. Although our eyes don’t tell us this, we believe that we are receiving the body and blood of him who was born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who are under the law; the same body that Simeon held in his arms and which hung on the cross. And by receiving this in faith, we truly receive our salvation.  God’s words are more trustworthy than our senses. Let us prepare our hearts then to receive his salvation that we all might depart this life in peace. Amen.

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

The Christmas Cross

Ready to Die

Christ Came to a Hostile World

Why Christmas is Merry

Christmas 1: Odd Christians

Rev. James Preus

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