Lutheran Church
RESURRECTION


Pastor Chris Boyd
Ordained Minister of the NALC for Resurrection Lutheran Church since 2020; a MDiv graduate of the North American Lutheran Seminary and Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. Pastor Chris is a prior soldier of the Army, but now serves full time as the RLC minister. His ministry extends to the Catawba Island Volunteer Fire Department as its chaplain and as a volunteer fireman, to the township for community events such as street dedications and Wreaths Across America, to the city of Port Clinton for events including their Memorial Day Ceremony and Passion Walk, and many other entities. He passionately encourages rigorous study of the Word of God, apologetics, and communal involvement.
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Sermons
Malachi 3: 1-7a December 8, 2025
St. Luke 1: 68-79
Philippians 1: 1-11
St. Luke 3: 1-6
“Return, for You are no Longer Lost”
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.
In every heart there is a wilderness that is dark and hazardous. It is filled with jagged peaks and treacherous valleys and thorns everywhere. And at the very center of every heart stands a castle with a single throne.
Because of the fallen estate of man all are lost and yet not rejected. We have turned away from God and wandered off into the darkness, not knowing where we are going and completely unable to reorient. No light or warmth or goodness or anything truly comfortable can be found in our hearts for all such things originate from God, the very God we are conceived against.
So, when God tells us to return to Him and He will return to us, a question arises: how? How can we return to God if we don’t even know the way? We are so lost that we can’t tell the difference between good and evil, confusing one for the other. In our darkness we may think we are stumbling towards God, but we are heading away. We can’t see God in this darkness; we have no clue where God is. We want to return and yet we can’t because the path is shrouded in darkness.
And then He tells us to prepare the way of the Lord and yet again we ask: how? Again, I don’t know where God is; how can I prepare a road that connects me to God? I am so lost and drowning in sin that I can’t see my own two feet. If I can’t navigate myself through this dark wilderness, how can I prepare a Royal Highway? I can’t. We can’t. No one can, for all have fallen short of the glory of God and all are drowning in darkness.
And yet, there is hope, for when God says, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. Every Valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God,” He is not giving a command but a promise. He is not telling us to do all these things but is promising that all such will happen.
We are the valley and the mountain and the crooked and the rough. Do you think the valley can suddenly fill itself, the mountain brings itself low, the crooked straight, the rough leveled? No, they can’t. And yet God is proclaiming through the voice in the wilderness that all will be so. You will be leveled and made straight, and a Royal Highway will indeed be established so that as the Lord your God who is your salvation comes, you will see Him and be glad.
And all this is possible through the help of the Holy Spirit for it is the Holy Spirit who has prepared your heart and established the Royal Highway which Jesus uses to swiftly enter your throne room and sit on that throne which rests at the very center of your heart. You did not level the mountains and valleys and straighten the crooked paths and clear the thorns because you are all these things. It is the Holy Spirit which brings low the mountain of your heart, fills the valleys, clears the thicket, and creates the straightest, most leveled and even road your heart has ever witnessed. The Spirit did all of this for you.
How can you repent for the forgiveness of sins if you do not first know that you are a Sinner and are knowledgeable of what sin looks like? In the same way, how can you return to the Lord your God and thus receive His Salvation and His Redemption if you do not first know where He is? So, God sent His Spirit to you through Word and Holy Baptism so that He can orient you and make a path so clear and visible that you can’t help but see the glory of the Son coming to you with grace and mercy.
In our darkness we cannot see Christ Crucified, but through our Helper, the Spirit of Truth, we are guided to see and know the Truth, which is that Jesus Christ died on the cross to graciously take on your sins but on the third day rose from the grave so that through faith in Him you will be saved and rise with the Saints above into eternal life. This is the core of our entire faith, and it is this that the Spirit reveals to us. And it is faith that is our Royal Highway.
Christ comes to everyone. There is not a single soul Christ has deemed unworthy of His forgiving grace. So, to every heart, no matter the hazardous landscape, Christ comes. And yet many are lost and reject the Spirit’s aid. To them though Christ does not reject them, the hearts reject Him. Unless the Spirit prepares the way, Christ cannot sit on the throne in your heart. Unless the Spirit supplies you with faith then Christ who wants to save you will be rejected.
And don’t think that now you are saved that the Royal Highway will remain. Every road needs repairs, and in the same way the Royal Highway that has been established in your heart is in constant need of maintenance. Though we are Saints through the help of God, we are still sinners, and it is because of us that the Highway needs constant repair. We are the mountains and the valleys and the thorns. Our heart aches with loving the things we ought not to love and fearing the things we ought not to fear and trusting the things we ought not to trust. Our Small Catechism reminds us that we are to love and fear and trust God alone, and yet out of sin we don’t. And to make matters worse we sometimes try to overcorrect by believing that our own works may repair the Highway, but all that does is lead us away from trusting God and toward trusting our own sinful capabilities.
Weeds may grow on the Highway. Rocks may fall from the mountains and the land underneath may give way. And yet it is the Holy Spirit which repairs the Royal Highway. When we come to worship and receive the spoken Word of God, the Sermon, the Absolution, and the Eucharist it is by these acts of God that our faith is repaired and strengthened. God repairs the Royal Highway. Not us, but God.
So, though we have rejected the covenant established through our fathers, God has kept the oath He swore to our father Abraham. And though we have rejected God and turned from Him, He comes to us exactly where we are and grants us hope. Though we sin and deserve to suffer in our dark hazardous landscape, God mercifully grants us an opportunity to return by establishing His Royal Highway. Though out of fear and love we have delivered ourselves into the hands of our enemies, God has graciously delivered us from the hand of our enemies and proclaims that as we serve the Lord God above no longer do, we have to fear the enemy for God is with us, Emmanuel.
When John was born, his father prophesied that John would be called the prophet of the Most High, who will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give knowledge of salvation which comes through the forgiveness of their sins. Zechariah did not prophecy that John will tell the masses to prepare the way, but that John himself will go before the Lord and prepare the way by imparting knowledge of what is to come. And to be more accurate, it is not John who will do this, but the Holy Spirit speaking through the Prophet John who will do this. As a prophet, the words said by John are from God, and thus it is God who is preparing the way of the Lord.
And Salvation from what? Is God saving the Jews from Romans? Far from it! He is saving us from earthly forces. Not at all! Salvation is through the Forgiveness of Sin, thus the great enemy whose hand we have been delivered from is Sin.
And if salvation is the forgiveness of sin, and the forgiveness of sin is through the cross, then when Isaiah tells us that all flesh shall see the salvation of God, then God is promising us that all flesh will see Christ Crucified.
As I conclude, I would like to present an image. I ask that you reflect on winter and Christmas. Winter is cold and dead; dark and silent. But Christmas is warm, lively, cheery, full of joy and light and blissful music. Without Christ, our hearts are always winter but never Christmas. But the moment Christ does enter our lives it is like how Christ first entered the world; it is like our Christmas eve candlelight service when we turn off the lights to sing “Silent Night”, only to suddenly turn on the lights to sing “Joy to the World”.
Christ is the warmth, the light, the loud cry of a babe that dispels the darkness. Winter may be cold, but Christmas comes with a special warmth in our hearts. Winter may be void of color and dark, but Christmas comes with greens and red and gold and the Light which is Christ. Winter may be lonely, but Christmas brings people together in the knowledge that Christ is with us. Winter may be silent, but Christmas is loud with trumpets and caroling and the wailing of life in the form of a baby.
As the Spirit directs you, let it be that your eyes rest on the humility of the cross and the manger. May your hearts be filled will joy. May the darkness be identified and cast out. And may your feet be guided into the way of peace.
Let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, bring low our mountains, fill our valleys, clear the wilderness, straighten our path, and level the Royal Highway so that we may continue throughout our life in the Salvation of your Son. In your most holy name, we pray: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Zephaniah 3: 14-20 December 15, 2024
Isaiah 12: 1-6
Philippians 4: 4-7
St. Luke 3: 7-18
“The Salvation of Vipers”
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.
“You brood of vipers!” Woah, there John, that is a little strong and how dare you call people such a nasty name. Do you not know that name calling is bad? Do you not know that belittling people by calling them an animal is dehumanizing? It is not a sin to call people names and to give accurate symbolic titles that honestly reflect their personas. It is a sin to bear false witness or to call someone a name that is not true. Calling someone a viper may not be nice, but God does not care about niceties but rather what is good and true. Some people may then say calling someone a viper is not kind or loving, which are fruits of the Spirit, and yet I would like to inform you that it is the Holy Spirit who is talking through John. Instead of grabbing the human made definition of “nice” and slapping that on to the words “kind” and “love” we ought to let God inform us on what “kind” and “love” really means. And because God is love, then that must mean it is far more loving to call vipers as they are than it is to hide the truth.
But what is the truth that the Holy Spirit is revealing through John? To whom is John calling vipers? Is he calling Pharisees vipers? No. Is this name being applied to Herod or the scribes or the high elders? No. Is he calling out the smooth tongue thieves who swindle people? No. Then to whom is John calling vipers? Everyone! Everyone is a viper. I am a viper. You are a viper. Each person in the crowd that had come to listen to John was a viper.
It is the very people who had come to genuinely listen to John and be baptized by him that John is calling vipers. These people have come to hear a prophet, only to be berated and called such a vulgar term. This prophet is not nice in the slightest, why would I let this person continue to attack my good name and integrity? To say people, not only are you vipers but now you are also cowards. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” We are all vipers at conception, sinners who hate God, who flee his righteous judgement, and do not bear fruit in keeping with repentance but fruit in keeping with passionate sin.
“And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our Father.’” Do not clutch your pearls and say, “How dare you call us vipers.” Do not let your fragile egos and inflated pride distract you from the truth. Whether you like it or not you are all vipers. You are not children of Abraham, but children of Satan. You are conceived with concupiscence, with Original Sin and the desire to sin which is sin itself. You are conceived through Original Sin, a child of the Serpent who tricked Adam and Eve and forever thus laid claim to the seed of the womb. And as children of the Serpent, naturally so too are you at the moment your life began at conception, a serpent.
So do not clutch your pearls and get mad at those sent by God when they call you exactly what you are. We have Abraham as our father, by blood yes but so what? Are you now claiming that you are a better people by virtue of the blood that runs through your veins? There are descendants outside of Abraham far more blessed by the Lord of the Universe than you! I am pretty certain King Cyrus of Persia, whom God Himself anointed, had no blood relationship with Abraham. You are more of a viper than he is. So do not clutch your pearls, for all are guilty and have fallen short. All are conceived already wicked children of the Serpent, filled with shame over their fallen mean estate.
You are not special, oh Israel. Yes, you have been chosen by God, but not because you were special. In fact, He chose you to shame the special. He chooses the weak over the strong, the second child over the first, the fool over the intelligent, and the stammering over the talented. Oh Israel, you are not special nor praiseworthy, but the Lord your God is and alone is worthy of praise. “God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” He can just make humans from the clay of the earth right here and now just like He did with Adam if He so chooses and claims them to be children of Abraham. Your status of being a child of Abraham is not determined by blood, but your status of being a viper is.
Yet all is not lost. See, “now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” You are these bad trees oh Israel, but the axe has not been used. Yes, it lies at the root of the tree, ready to be used, but it has not yet bitten the tree with its deadly blade.
Now the tree is not thrown into the fire because of the lack of good fruit but because the tree is a tree that does not bear good fruit. The fruit serves only as a witness to help us identify the bad trees from the good. The purpose of a tree is to bear fruit. A tree that fulfills this purpose is a good tree, but a tree that does not is a bad tree. It is not the fruit that makes the tree good or bad, nor the fruit that maintains the status of good and bad, but merely a sign to help us identify the good and bad trees. At conception, the poison of the serpent runs in your veins, thus spoiling all the fruit you produce. As children of the serpent you are like a diseased tree that does not have sap but venom coursing through it. No good fruit can ever be produced by such a tree.
And yet there again is hope, for the axe has not been used yet. “What then shall we do?” This is the call of the common person who though a viper is terrified of the wrathful flames. And John answers their questions. He acknowledges the tax collectors and the Soldiers and gives them an honest answer. The humble tax collectors who desired to be baptized asked what we must do and John tells them to not tax more than what is authorized. The humble Soldiers so too asked and John told them do not extort money and be content with what you have. Tax collectors and Soldiers, the people Jews hated the most – to these people John gave simple and reasonable answers. He received them all, called them all to repentance, and baptized all who humbly came to him. If we are all vipers, then we are no better than the worst in society. But if we are no better than the worst, then that also means that in our Holy Baptism we are received just as much as everyone else who is baptized. For all are guilty, but in Christ all are redeemed.
Let me tell you that the question the crowd gave is not the correct question. There are many things we should do, that much is most certainly true, but with regards to salvation there is nothing you can do. What shall I do to be saved from the pits of Hell? Too often we want to ask this, “What should I do?” Even as those already saved by grace, we may ask this question, “What must I do to maintain my salvation?” We want to be involved in our own justification and sanctification. Some may even fall for the Pelagian trap and think that their good works can maintain their faith when it is the other way around. “What then shall we do?” This question is bad because the premise is wrong. There is nothing you can do, but do not worry because Christ has already done everything for you.
You cannot save yourself from your guilt and shame, but Christ suffered and died on the cross so that by His death and Resurrection you would be set free from the Devil and Sin and Death. And you, through your Baptism, died with Christ and rose with Christ, putting to death the Old Adam and reborn the New Adam, not on account of anything you have done but solely on account of what God has done for you.
John knew that the time of mankind’s salvation was at hand. Though his baptism was just mere water, the baptism of Christ was to be with the Spirit and fire. And this is a remarkably profound statement for the same is true for all pastors, let me explain. Is Baptism an act of God or an act of Man? God; except am I not the one baptizing you? You see I am like John, for I baptize with water, but unlike John I baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Baptism I conduct is both Water and Word, but it is not so on account of me. I pour the water on you, but it is Christ who pours the Spirit on you with the water. It is God who claims you through Water and Word, not I. So, this is the profound claim: it is not I who saved you but God alone, for in Holy Baptism I baptized you with water but God baptizes you through the very same Baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Yes, you are a viper at conception, but through Baptism you put to death the viper and become a beloved child of God. Our hymn, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” puts it best, “born to raise each child of earth, born to give us second birth.” So let it be known that Christ was born so that you who are conceived children of the Serpent may receive, according to John 3, the second birth of water and the Spirit and thus change into adopted children of God. So let it be known that it is God who will change your shame into praise.
So, I ask, “Are we still vipers?” Yes, but what of it? I know that I am a sinner, but through Christ I am also made a saint. I know that according to my flesh I am a viper, but according to my identity as Christ who died and rose for me I am also a beloved child redeemed and saved from the complete corruption of sin. And for that I say, praise God.
Let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, though a wretched soul, you claimed us as your own. Continue to prepare us and encourage us to repent, and let not your grace run dry. In Your most holy name we pray: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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1 Samuel 2: 18-20, 26 December 29, 2024
Psalm 148
1 Colossians 3: 12-17
St. Luke 2: 41-52
“A Mother’s Love”
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.
Since we are in the middle of the season of Christmas, one may think that today’s Gospel seems a little out of place. It is neither about the birth of Christ nor the events revolving around the birth but is instead about Christ as a child. And yet because there isn’t much about the Christ child, and because the rest of the church calendar is about Christ the adult, it is fitting that our Gospel reading of the Christ child be placed during the season of Christ’s birth. And yet, I would still like to reflect on the Nativity story and draw a correlation.
Several verses earlier, immediately after Jesus’ birth, angels came to the shepherds nearby to proclaim the birth of God incarnate. Hear now the Word of God after said proclamation:
“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
Did you hear the similarity? In both the account of the shepherds coming to see Christ and finding Jesus in His Father’s house, Mary is treasuring up all such in her heart. This is a mother’s love, not just Mary’s but all mothers. When a lady accepts the God given vocation of motherhood, she can’t help but treasure all the amazing things that revolve around her child.
She is the memory bank, storing up tales of some of the ridiculous things her child did as well as the profound and even the mundane. A mother may remember the exact day you first walked and talked. They can recount the most embarrassing moment of your life, and to the God-fearing mothers they can recount the times when the Holy Spirit spoke through you.
Now, do not confuse the love of a mother with the love of God the Father who is love. The love of a mother is still tainted with sin, and any true love a mother expresses is rooted in the love of God, He who supplied her with the vocation in the first place, when she conceived. To some it doesn’t click right away, but at some point, during the pregnancy, the divinely given motherly tendencies kick in and before the child is even born she is already treasuring things in her heart. But again, where there is love, know this, that love originates first from God.
And yet we may confuse ourselves and thus out of sin think we are acting out of love but are instead acting out of a fallen human understanding of love, which is not love. Just because you say something is love does not make it love, for such is the trick of the sinfully eaten fruit of knowledge.
You see, Mary and Joseph lost Jesus, and out of love they were concerned for His sake and searched for the Christ child. Once they figured out that Jesus was not with them it took them three long days to find Him. Three days! Three long arduous days of running back to Jerusalem and searching frantically for their child. Did someone steal Him? Is He ok? It only takes seconds for dread to overcome a parent who can’t find their child. Imagine experiencing such dread for three whole days! And then finally, they find Jesus in the temple and Mary says to Him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
Let me ask you, is Mary talking to Jesus out of love… or sin? Upon seeing Jesus, they were first astonished at the incredible scene between Jesus and the teachers and with three days of dread swelling up within her first reaction was not to run over to Jesus and hug Him but to berate Jesus, kind of like how Peter berated Jesus. Mary is responding with a mother’s fury, but this is not a fury spawned out of love toward Jesus but out of selfishness. Notice the words she utters, it’s all me-me-me language. “Why have you treated us so.” Mary has been tormented for three days and out of distress she lashes out at her son instead of thanking God that He is now found.
But then Jesus calmly opened her eyes, letting her realize that He did obey their instructions. For the last four days, He has been patiently waiting for them in His Father’s house, having faith that eventually Mary and Joseph will come and pick Him up. And whereas Mary didn’t quite understand what Jesus meant, the distress went away and instead of remaining angry at Jesus she treasured this entire fiasco.
It is difficult being a fallen human, for way too often we fall into sin. Most of us have fallen for the same trap Mary fell into. We are in pain and instead of responding with love we respond with selfishness. A problem may be rectified but instead of letting go we hold on to our anger. And many times, we justify our sinfulness by claiming it is love. We get mad when we hear the truth and falsely claim that such is not loving. We think we are acting out of love or are defending love, but we are simply justifying our sinfulness.
Thank God He is patient and kind to us when we sin. Thank God that He still provides wisdom to help us understand what the truth is. Thank God that even when we have difficulty distinguishing between love and sin, Christ who does not sin loves us so much that through the cross He mercifully forgives us of our sins and graciously imputes righteousness. And thank God that when we go astray, He redirects us so that we may once again, through His grace, love one another.
The love of a mother which God had planted into Mary the moment He gave her the vocation of motherhood when Jesus was conceived never goes away. It may be hidden, but that which God grants only He can truly release. Out of sin, Mary may have forgotten a mother’s love and confused fury for righteous anger, but that does not mean that this vocationally based love disappeared. It is just lost in heartache and fear.
This is not to justify her sinfulness, nor should we use said argument to justify our own sinfulness. Heartache and fear never justifies sin. There are no excuses for sin.
In response to His mother’s fury, Jesus who loves and honors His parents, patiently and calmly explains that He did obey their command. He was told to go to His father’s house, and indeed He did. Not Joseph’s, which was Mary’s intention, but to God the Father’s house. He did not respond to Mary’s sin with sin, but with a short explanation and submissiveness. Our Gospel does say that after this, “He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.” The entire time, Jesus obeyed the 4th commandment. And as such, though Mary was angry with Jesus she did relent and treasured this.
Whereas we sin and get angry and try to justify the evil in our heart, God never responds to our sin with sin but with love. Sometimes God responds with righteous anger, but that anger is never tainted with sin. God is love and thus all that He does is loving and void of sin.
Mary, out of selfish desires, claimed that Jesus had treated her poorly. Jesus in response acted submissively. The Jews persecuted Jesus, slandered and murdered Him, but He willingly died on the cross so that by His suffering and death He, for our sake, took on our sins and delivered them to Hell, defeated Satan, and freed all the prisoners. And to us, though we sin against God and to each other, Christ who already died on the cross to forgive us our sins is gracious and merciful to all.
Now as forewarned by Christ’s servant Paul, just because Christ responds to your sins with love do not let His love be used as an excuse to go on sinning. And don’t intentionally increase your sins to receive even more love from God.
And through the love of God, let it be known that the love God has placed in your heart will be restored; not like the relighting of a candle that has been snuffled out but like the removal of a wicker basket that was hiding the candle and hindering its oxygen supply. Through your baptism you are like a candle that has been lit by God, for in Christ you are a light for others. And this flame represents the faith which the Holy Spirit imparts. As to the warmth and the light that comes from the flame, these are the good works that are produced through faith. As to the basket, this is your sin which hides the flame and makes loving others in the way of the Lord difficult. But through Absolution and Communion, each time you place this basket over the candle, Christ removes it. Out of sin, we are all like confused people who insist that the candle needs to be covered with a basket, but every time Christ patiently removes it.
Let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive us each time we sin and restore in us your love. In Your most holy name, we pray: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Jeremiah 31: 7-14 January 5, 2024
Psalm 147: 12-20
Ephesians 1: 3-14
St. John 1: 1-18
“The Word Incarnate”
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.
The Word was with God and the Word was God. For the last several months I have noticed quite a bit of YouTube videos being recommended to be by the YouTube algorithm that shows Muslims challenging street preachers on the veracity of their claim of Jesus’ divinity. I have to hand it to these street preachers; they do a fantastic job of defending their faith. Now the Muslims would claim that nowhere in the Bible does Jesus’ claim to be God. And they demand that Christians provide proof of Christ’s divinity by supplying such a claim that is specifically worded; that is of Christ saying, “I am God.”
Now the first problem of this challenge is that there are many ways to say a specific statement without stating the exact prescribed wording. For example, nowhere in the Bible does it use the word “Trinity” and yet we know that the Trinity is true because the Bible does describe the Trinity. In addition, the phrase “saved by faith alone” is not in the Vulgate, aka the Latin Bible, and yet variations of that phrase do exist countless times in Romans and Galatians and Ephesians and so forth. Thus, the same logic applies here. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say the exact wording, “I am God.” In fact, God the Father Himself never uses that exact wording, but both the Father and the Son use variations of this phrase.
In John 8:58, for example, Jesus Himself says, “Before Abraham was, I Am.” In response to this proclamation, the Jews immediately picked up stones to kill Jesus because to the common Jew this phrase was a claim to be God. Now the Muslims may not understand this, but keep in mind that Jesus was talking to Jews and not Romans at this moment in the Gospel, thus He would use wording that the Jews would commonly understand to mean a claim to divinity.
If I go to the McDonalds down the street and order a coke, then they would understand me and hand me a coke. But if I was to go down to the South and order a coke, they would then ask me what kind of coke. I would then tell them a normal coke, but that would only confuse them. They would then ask if I wanted Pepsi, Root Beer, Dr. Pepper, and so forth. And I would say, no I ordered a coke. The problem is that in the South, coke means pop. So, if I wanted a coke in the South, I would have to use their language and say I want a Coke Cola.
The same is true with regards to Muslims and Jews. The Muslims and Atheists misunderstand because they do not ask rightly, nor do they understand the Judeo-Christian context of the title “I Am.”
But there is a deeper problem with the Muslim challenge. They ask for a direct quote from Jesus, but is not the entire Bible the Word of God? If I was to quote 1st or 2nd Kings, am I not quoting Jesus Christ? They would say no, but we would say yes. For we believe that the entire Bible is quite literally God breathed. When you read the Old Testament, Jesus is speaking.
This is important because that is quite literally what we get from today’s Gospel. Jesus is the Word Incarnate. And because He is the Word then when we read the Word of God, we know that Jesus is speaking directly to each one of us. Thus, when we read the first chapter of John, we must read it as if Jesus is quite literally speaking to us.
And no, I am not asking that all the scripture reading in our bulletin be printed red. To those who know, every time Jesus speaks the text in our bulletins present such as red. So whereas all of Scripture is Jesus speaking, let’s keep the status quo.
So, what does Jesus tell us in the 1st verse? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Right here, Jesus is telling us that He is God. The Word, which is Jesus, was with God, aka the Father, and was God, aka the Trinity. The Word was not “a” God, that would mean there is more than one God, but that the Word was both with and is God. Jesus is with God because the Father and the Holy Spirit are both God. Jesus is God because there are not three Gods but one Triune God.
But wait, there’s more. All things are made through the Word and without the Word there was not anything made that was made. Thus, we know that the Word was involved with Creation and not created. If all things were made through the Word, then that means the Word is not made, but was always there since the beginning. To claim that the Word was around before all things made and to also claim that creation happened through the Word, is another way of claiming that Jesus is the one and true God the Creator.
But there is one last thing about Jesus, He is life and the light. In Him and only in Him there is life. Sin separates us from God who is the source of life. That is why out of sin we die, for life is found only in God. Out of sin we have turned from God, turned from the Word. So, in response the Word came to us.
The Word took on human flesh and lived among us and took on the name Jesus of Nazareth. He entered His own creation, and the world did not understand it. How could it? Do you think a bridge understands the engineer who made it? Or a house that understands the carpenter? No, we did not understand Him, and worse we rejected Him.
Pity the Muslim, for they are of the world, but it doesn’t always have to be so. Through flesh and blood, tainted by Original Sin, no one can comprehend Christ nor receive His Grace. So, Christ comes to us, and through the power of the Holy Spirit we are reborn as those filled with faith and adopted as Children of the Father. We are saved and know Christ, because He came into the world for all people, to save all who believe in Him, and His Spirit is for all people.
Let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, grant us peace and security of faith as we reflect upon our Savior, the Word Incarnate. In Your most holy name, we pray: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Isaiah 43: 1-7 January 12, 2025
Psalm 29
Acts 8: 14-17
St. Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22
“Baptism is for All”
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.
How often do we turn to our neighbors, to whole groups of people and claim that they cannot be redeemed? How often do we turn to a mirror and upon seeing our own face we say God won’t redeem me?
The Jews had a long history with Samaria and viewed them as irredeemable. Their hatred toward the Romans is understandable, but their hatred towards the Samaritans runs a little deeper. As a child, they were raised to hate the Samaritans. So, imagine the apostles’ surprise when they heard that the Word of God was received in Samaria!
Before Philip (who is not the disciple) baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, he was in Samaria proclaiming Christ. While there he cast out demons and healed the sick, and even converted a magician. To all, Philip then baptized the citizens of the city of Samaria. This was the first time a non-Jew was baptized. Upon hearing that the Samaritans now believe and were baptized, the apostles sent Peter and John to confirm that such indeed happened. And upon their visit they realized that the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on the Samaritans, so Peter and John swiftly laid their hands on each citizen and the Holy Spirit came to them.
Let it be known that this is a very rare occasion, intentionally done by God so that Peter may witness the Spirit being given to Samaritans and so that the Samaritans would personally be blessed by Peter, the leader of the apostles. And yet many may see this passage confused and out of concern question whether they have received the Holy Spirit. And those who are deeply conflicted with their sinfulness may be so shaken that they convince themselves into believing that “No, God has not granted His Spirit.” And still others may sinfully reject their neighbors who have been baptized and falsely accuse them of not receiving the Spirit through the holy washing. They may rationalize that because the Spirit did not fall on the Samaritans during their baptism then the same can be true for others, and thus go further and claim that the Spirit does not descend on say Africans (even though in the same chapter the Spirit did descend on a baptized Ethiopian) or infants.
So, I say again, this is a rare occasion, intentionally done by God. And let it be known that not much time passed between their baptism at the hands of Philip and the laying of hands. In fact, by withholding His Spirit until the proper time, He can then profess to the world through the Samaritans that Christ died for all people and that all are welcomed into the Church. Peter himself personally laid his hands on the Samaritans and the Spirit came to them. If even the Samaritans can be redeemed, then all can be redeemed. Thus, in Acts 10, Peter baptized the next group deemed unworthy, Romans.
Other than this account, let it be known that through baptism, the Spirit does indeed come to you. The Father did not reject the Samaritans, nor did He withhold His Spirit on account of the Samaritan’s unworthiness. He temporarily withheld His Spirit so that the whole world may know that God has claimed the Samaritans as His own. In the end they did receive the Spirit. Samaria is a unique case. So be at peace and know that through Holy Baptism, all are claimed by God, and all have received the Spirit.
And why is this? Am I not unworthy? Yes, you are unworthy, but it is because you are unworthy that God chose you. Do you think the worthy need redemption? Do the healthy need a doctor? Christ Crucified comes to you, because you are a sinner unworthy to tie the strap of His sandals. He redeems you because you need redemption. He saves you through the cross, because you need salvation. Not because you earned it, but because God unconditionally loves you and desires you to be set free from sin.
Whereas it is impossible to baptize the unborn, to all those who give breath, Holy Baptism is a gift so that we may receive the grace won for us on the cross. At conception all people suffer from Original Sin and are thus in need of Salvation. Baptism is for all so that we who are conceived incapable of loving and trusting and truly knowing God may, through the power of the Spirit which enters us via the cool waters of Baptism, be able to turn to our Father above and cry to Him, “Abba Father,” trusting in the mercies and grace won by His Son our Savior, Jesus Christ.
When we are born into this world, we are born marked by Satan who has claimed us as his slaves. We are not children of God but damaged children of Satan. But in our Baptism, not only does the Spirit descend upon our hearts, but the great Father above comforts us as His voice comes down from heaven and tells us, “You are my beloved son [my beloved daughter]; with you I am well pleased.” By water and Spirit, the chains of the Devil are smashed to pieces and the Father rushes to us and claims us as His child. He then turns to the wicked serpent and tells him, “This is my child, don’t you dare touch him again!”
He knows every hair on your head, and He lays His hands upon your head as He places a holy kiss upon your forehead. You were once lost, but now am found; bruised, but now healed. And as such He is well pleased, not because you have done anything. He is well pleased because you are now home and safe in His arms, and He will never let go.
So, if at any point you ask yourself, “Am I saved?” Turn to your baptism and remember that the words the Father gave to His Son, He gives also to you. And with God, there are no take backs.
Let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, you desire all people to be a part of your family and to be comforted in knowing that through Your Son we are saved. Grant us peace in knowing that you have claimed us as Your own and lead us so that others may know this peace too. In Your most holy name, we pray: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Isaiah 62: 1-5 January 19, 2025
Psalm 36: 5-10
1 Corinthians 12: 1-11
St. John 2: 1-11
“What can I Bring”
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.
Everyone here has either been married and/or has been to a wedding. Let me ask you, have any of them gone perfectly? Have you’ve been to a wedding that was void of any hiccups? If you say yes, then that is because you are lucky enough not to witness the hiccup.
In every wedding something goes wrong. Maybe the bride is panicking. Maybe there is a health emergency. Maybe it rains and the wedding is outside. Maybe you ran out of wine.
In our Gospel, Jesus and His disciples were invited to a wedding in Cana and such a hiccup occurred. We know not how or why the wine ran out. What we do know is that there was not enough wine. And out of concern for the bride, the bridegroom, and the parents of the couple, Jesus’ mother approaches her son for help.
She knows who her son is. She knows that coming to Jesus for help is the same as praying to the Father above. But she also knows that it is not time for the miracles to happen, as Jesus tells her, “My hour has not yet come.” But again, out of concern for the couple, she dares not to listen and tells the servants in charge of the wine to do whatever He tells them.
No one wants a ruined wedding. Out of love toward our neighbor, and without sin bubbling forth envy or lust, it is our desire that our friends and family are filled with good cheer as they celebrate under Heaven’s eyes the holy matrimony of husband and wife. And this is not just the ceremony but extends to the feast thereafter. This is a day of blessed union, where vows are exchanged, and laughter is equally shared. If there is a hiccup, let it be one that everyone finds hilarious and only brings more mirth.
The wine at the wedding in Cana had run out, and that is no laughing matter. That’s like a pipe organ malfunctioning in the middle of the service. Who oversaw the wine? Was it the bridegroom? Was it the family of the bride? Whoever it was is obviously terrified and is probably thinking that they ruined the wedding. Why didn’t I buy more wine just in case? Why did I buy wine from only one distillery? Why didn’t I store the wine in a proper location? Again, we know not why the wine ran out; only that it did.
And despite the fact it was not his time, Jesus provided the first of many miracles. He turned water into wine. And this wine was of such good quality that even the master of the feast was overcome with amazement. As is custom, good wine is served first, and then as that runs out you go to the next best and then the next best, and end with the poor wine. You want to begin with the good tasting wine first, and once the taste buds have dulled you can dish out the poor wine. Plus, good wine tends to have higher alcohol content and most of you know from a health perspective it is better to drink the heavier stuff first than last. Beer before whiskey is always risky; whiskey before beer never fear. So, the good wine in Cana was served first, but the quality of the wine made by Jesus was of such high quality that it made the master of the feast think that the prior wine was the poor wine. So, Jesus did not just give them wine, but He blessed them with abundantly good wine.
Now let us take everything here to help shine a light on the Church’s heavenly union with Christ. We may ask ourselves, “What can we offer?” We may come to the wedding feast and proclaim that we have come to the table offering good works. But I ask where do these good works come from? They come from God who died on the cross to justify you and continually sanctify you. It is through His blood that your works have been cleansed from sin and thus can be rightly deemed good in the eyes of God. Without Christ there are no good works. So, the Church can’t offer good works to the table, since that is something Christ offers to the Church.
Well, what about faith? Do we not offer faith to the table? Again, I ask, where does this faith come from? Did not God supply you first with the living faith necessary to trust the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ, His Son? Yes, the Church comes bearing faith, freely offered to Christ, but this faith was first a gift granted to the bride through the Holy Spirit.
Is there anything within us that we can offer; something that was first ours? The answer is no, there isn’t. We are like a desert with no water to offer. We are like poor sojourners who desire to help the good king but have nothing they can offer. We want to offer something, we truly do, but in the end, we are faced with reality. We simply can’t.
This is the first hurdle many must overcome, to realize that they are incapable and unworthy. To be humbled in knowing that any good thing that does indeed flow out of us first comes to us from God. And once we abandon pride, then comes the joy in knowing that we don’t need to bring anything to the table. We may come to the wedding feast thinking that we may need to partake in the provisions, but Christ tells us that He will supply everything.
But I have nothing to offer. Why do You want me? I’m a bad person, I turn away from you constantly, I slander your good name, I have no skills, I have no possessions I can offer, I am unclean, I am broken, I’m ugly both inside and outside, my body is ruined. Why me? Christ tells us that He knows, and he is very troubled over such things, not because He desires anything from us but because He loves us. He sees us as we are and tells us He needs nothing from us, but rather He wants to offer us so much, too much really.
We are bad people, but Christ is good enough for us and will be the source of our goodness. We turn from Him, but He turns to us. We have no skills, but His Spirit blesses us with many gifts. We have no worthy possessions, but the Father gives us heavenly treasures. We are broken, but Christ heals us. We are unclean, but Christ purifies us and makes us clean. We provide nothing worthwhile to the grand wedding feast which the Church is the bride to, but God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit provides everything.
We are forsaken, and our maiden name is “Desolate”, but Christ the Bridegroom grants us a new name, “My Delight Is in Her”.
Now we may ask, what if I ruin this wedding feast? What if this union falls apart on account of me? So long as this question weighs in your heart let it be known that you will forever be the bride; for it is the one who never asks this question who will ruin the wedding feast. But you who have humble love, let it be known that Christ already knows your faults and will love you anyways. No number of hiccups will rend asunder the holy matrimony of Church and Christ so long as the Church desires to be the wife. For each time you stumble, Christ will lift you up. Each time you sin; Christ will offer forgiveness. You are His delight because He made you His delight, and thus it is He who will continue to sanctify you.
On the cross, Christ wore a crown, an ugly crown of thorns. It pierced His head and made Him bleed. This crown caused Jesus’ pain as He suffered and died on the cross. And yet He wore it willingly. You are this royal diadem that Jesus Christ wore. You are the ones who pierced Jesus, and it is you he willingly bled for. On that cross, Jesus bore you, you who are an ugly crown. But on that cross, through the shedding of His blood, you are not to be considered a crown of pain and torment, but a crown of beauty.
That crown that Jesus wore on the cross was the most beautiful crown ever worn. The crown in of itself was not beautiful, but on the head of God it became the most beautiful. So too the Church which in of itself is not beautiful, but in the hands of God is the most beautiful crown the world has ever behold.
Through Heaven’s eyes, In Christ, though you may be poor, you are far richer with heavenly treasures than Caesar Augustus. You may be foolish, but in Christ you are far wiser than Solomon. You may be poor in spirit, but in Christ you are far more blessed than John the Baptist. You may be lacking in wine, but in Christ you are abundantly supplied with the finest of wine. Though you are a Sinner, in Christ you are a Saint.
Let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, may we never forsake the abundant mercies and grace that you have granted us through your Son our Savior Jesus Christ and may we be forever richly gifted in the Spirit and by Christ’s Blood. In Your most holy name we pray, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Nehemiah 17: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10 January 26, 2025
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 12: 12-31
St. Luke 4: 14-21
“What is Freedom?”
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer. Amen.
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.
What is freedom? I ask this because in western society we have lost the definition of freedom and replaced it with a monster of a philosophy hell bent on making us comfortable slaves. Most in our culture, if asked about freedom, will provide the modern definition of freedom, genuinely thinking that such is the real definition. And we can’t fault such people because that is what has been taught for decades. And yet what they believe is a shadow of the truth. Some may think they know the real definition of freedom, only once I tell you the truth would realize that they have been hoodwinked by the devious culture that has usurped the Christian foundation of America.
So, what is freedom? We have the modern definition and the classic definition. The commonly used definition or modernized definition is such: the right to do what you want. But the true definition or classical is this: the liberty to do what you ought. Freedom is not the right to do what you want but the liberty to do what you ought. And as you listen to the distinction between these two definitions you may understand the issue that is at stake.
Before Christ came to us in the flesh, all were held captive by Satan the great deceiver and our accuser. We are conceived into this world slaves to the domain of sin and death; oppressed from conception to grave by this wicked tyrant who through original sin has completely corrupted our entire being with sin. We want to love God, but we cannot, not because we choose to hate God, but because our oppressor prevents us from loving God. We want to trust God, but in Satan’s domain we do not have the liberty to do so. Instead, we end up trusting in ourselves and in earthly devices, of which Satan encourages. We want to follow the Law, but because of this enslavement every thought, word, and deed has been chained down. You think you follow the Law by the mere outward action, and yet on account of the sin of concupiscence it is impossible for you to ever follow one letter of the Law. Outwardly the slave may appear to be acting without sin, but the Spirit knows that sin rests within the heart, thus all works are tainted.
God tells us that the Law of the Lord is perfect and that it revives the soul, but what hope is that if we can’t even follow the Law in our hearts? How can our hearts rejoice in the Law when the Devil honestly accuses us and reveals that as his slaves, we never truly followed the Law? Thus, by the Law we are indeed warned, but never comforted in knowing the great reward.
And at conception, all this was true for you, but no longer is on account of Christ who came to set the prisoners free. For all who believe in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit are no longer slaves but freemen. God promised through Isaiah that there will come an anointed one who will proclaim liberty to the captives and set at liberty those who are oppressed. Let it be known that that all are captives and are oppressed for the great slave master is Satan himself whom Christ died to defeat. By the shedding of His Blood Christ who suffered and died on the cross became a propitiation for our sake and won our freedom so that all may be forgiven and rescued from sin’s reign. He is the champion who came to fight on your behalf, to slay the wicked dictator who has oppressed humanity for far too long. And by His blade, Satan not only is defeated, but all prisoners have been set free.
But now the question arises: free to do what? Are we free to do what we want or free to do what we ought? Remember the words Jesus gave the adulterer, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Whereas Christ does not condemn us of our sins but rather rescues us of our sins, He still commands us to follow the Law, to go and sin no more. Again, the reason why He came is to rescue us from the chains of sin. He has set us free from the evil tyrant not so that we may have the right to sin but so that we may have the liberty to not sin. And He commands us to, “Go and sin no more,” because He does not want to see the one He loves back in chains.
In Galatians, God speaks through His servant St. Paul, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” And again, in Romans, “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.”
Christ did not set us free to grant us the right to commit sin. He did not die so that we may do what we want. Whereas according to our Human nature granted by God we desire to love God, it is also according to our fallen flesh that we desire to sin. Though we have been forgiven of sin, the desire to sin, which is also a sin, still rests within our hearts. If we believe to have the right to do whatever we want through the blood of Christ, then we will most certainly give into our more debased nature. This will most certainly happen, for our thoughts are still wicked and complete freedom to do what we want will always lead us back to slavery. It is our fallen desire to become slaves to sin. Thus, if we abuse the liberty granted to us through Christ’s deathly sacrifice to commit what we want to do then eventually we will give into our fallen desires and once again become slaves. As freemen, the option to choose to become a slave to sin is always available. And it is out of love toward you that Christ does not want you to suffer being a slave to sin again.
Thus, freedom is not the right to do what we want but rather the liberty to do what we ought. And as Christians, saved by grace, what is it that we ought to do? We ought to fear, trust, and love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and body. And with the love of God in our heart, love our neighbors in the same way Christ first loved us.
As slaves to sin, we could not do any of this, though we ought to. But now that Christ has set us free we now have the liberty to do what we ought; which is to worship the Triune God, to hear His Word, to receive the Sacraments, to selflessly take care of others, to confess our sins, to truly honor our parents and pastors and governing authorities, to trust God’s mercy and providence, to pray to Him, to make sacrifices for the sake of the Great Commission, and so forth. To a freeman such are not laws but opportunities. We desire to do what we ought not because we are merely commanded to do such, but because we genuinely find joy and gratitude in loving our Savior. But we also ought to worship and pray and receive both Word and Sacrament because all such only serves to benefit us and the community.
This is why the Law without Grace is torturous because we know what we ought to do but have no ability to freely grasp such for in honest humility we see the sin that threatens us each day. This is also why Grace without Law is abhorrent because it is the path to abandoning the freedom Christ died to secure. Christ suffered on the cross shedding His blood to set you free only to see many using this freedom to choose slavery once again.
To those who are secure in their sins, repent before it is too late. Too those who are troubled by their sins be at peace and know that Christ died not only to free you from sin but to free you from the guilt and shame and the consequences of sin. Your sin has been nailed to the cross, and Christ bears upon Himself all of your guilt so that by His death and resurrection, though you sin, there is no need to be concerned or grieve. This is not a license to sin, or an eradication of sin, but rather great conciliation for all who know sin and may be tortured by it.
Be at peace, for Christ not only liberated you, but constantly sanctifies you through Word and Sacrament. He knows the sin and takes it on. He has put to death sin, and through the means of grace, He proclaims to you that He is still your victor and liberator. He saved you from captivity, and though sin tries to take you back, Christ will continue to protect you and preserve you as your champion now and forever.
So, when the Great Accuser, Satan, comes to you and reminds of your sins and how you deserve to go to Hell, respond to Him as such, “I know I am a sinner and deserve to go to Hell, so what? In Christ my Savior who forgives me of all my sins, I am a free man. No longer do you have dominion over me, for by His grace and mercy I am assured of the great inheritance awaiting me in Heaven. Be gone with you foul serpent!”
Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
Let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, preserve us from the temptations that threaten us each day and grant us joy in proclaiming the liberty Christ won for us. In Your most holy name, we pray: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Micah 5: 2-5a December 22, 2024
Psalm 80: 1-7
Hebrews 10; 5-10
St. Luke 1: 39-55
“Lively Wombs”
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.
Children are a blessing. Babies are a blessing. Pregnancy is a blessing. Conception is a blessing. All such things are blessings from God, and no matter the circumstance they remain to be a blessing from God. At the point of conception, all children have worth simply on account of being made in the image of God.
So, what happens when married couples cannot have children? It can be quite sad, and grief may overtake the family, especially the wife if her womb was barren. Throughout our Old Testament there are stories of women whose wombs were closed and thus could not bear children. Many of these women grew quite sad on account of their inability and some cried out to the Lord for mercy and grace. This was the point of our Advent Wednesday services to reflect upon the women whose wombs were barren but were then blessed by God with children.
God tells us through Paul in 1 Timothy 2:15, “she will be saved through childbearing.” Now it is obvious that women are not justified and made righteous through childbearing, but in a difference sense there is no greater joy for women then to bear a child, for to bear a child is no different than being blessed by God. To the women in our Bible who were at one time barren but became pregnant through the grace of our Lord, to such women it was as if they were saved. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was barren but given Isaac. Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, was barren but was given the twins Esau and Jacob. Hannah was barren but was blessed with Samuel. And today we read of Elizabeth who too was barren but was blessed by God with John. Mary too was blessed though she was not barren. She was given a different miracle, to become pregnant through the Holy Spirit. A virgin, now with a child, was the young Mary.
The unborn child is and will forever be a blessing, no matter how they came into this world. The women of our Bible understood this and found boundless joy in these little presents gifted to them from God above. There does not exist a single child that is void of worth or is in themselves a burden. Sure, it was a burden for Elizabeth in her old age to bear John; there is a reason she had to stay at home. Sure, it was a burden for Mary to carry Jesus in her womb as many accused her falsely. Sure, birth is painful and is quite taxing on the body. Sure, it is burdensome to raise children. But children in themselves are not burdens but gifts. Said child does not suddenly become a gift at birth, but since conception has always been a gift, a new life is granted to us from God the Father.
Now whereas women are not justified through child rearing, the phrase, “she will be saved through childrearing,” can also be understood considering the lively womb of Mary. For the child in her womb was her savior. She was carrying the King of kings, the Prince of Peace, the Silent Lamb, the source of her own salvation, as well as ours. It is through the childrearing of Jesus that eventually all of humanity was saved. And whereas all children, born and yet to be born, are blessings from God, Jesus is a blessing for humanity.
Thus, think of the world as if it were a barren womb, empty and void of life. But the moment Jesus came into the world on March 25 the world ceased being a barren womb but a lively one. This is how we ought to read Micah, our first reading, most especially when it says, “He shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth.” From Micah to Matthew, we have a 500-year time of silence from the Lord. For five hundred years, Israel has seen no prophet or anointed king or anyone who spoke with the authority of God. It was as if God had abandoned them. Yet they knew that they were not because of the promise of the Messiah.
God the Son had given Israel up until the day of his birth, but that does not mean He left. He was always there, but through birth He was recognized and seen. Until that fateful day, Israel was like the barren womb of Sarah who knew that the promise was to be fulfilled. God may be silent now, but when the Messiah comes God will no longer remain silent. Israel may be dead now, like dry bones, but through the Holy Spirit Israel will be brought to life. And indeed, through the Holy Spirit the source of Life, He who is Life, came to Israel.
And that is the thing; Christ did not come to give life but to be for us our life for He is life. In the same way we read Micah which says, “And He shall be their peace.” Christ did not come bringing peace, in fact He tells us in Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” He did not come to bring peace, but to be our peace for He is peace. So long as there is evil there will never be peace because evil hates Christ and will torment all who are in Christ simply because of Christ, and yet though our lives are not peaceful we are at peace because Christ who is in us is to us our peace. The same is true with righteousness. Christ does not give us righteousness but is our Righteousness.
Now a mystery I give you, when Christ came into our lives and died for our sins, bringing about new life by being to us our sanctification through the offering of His body, we who are Israel transformed from a barren womb to a lively womb. Our hearts individually as well were empty but then, through the Holy Spirit, Christ came into our hearts and became for us our Righteousness and our Salvation, purifying us through the power of the cross. And yet a lively womb is also a precursor of something far greater. For eventually there will be a second coming, but until that day comes humanity will go through multiple labor pains. War, famine, persecution, and other such things will come and go; such is to be expected. But eventually all such will end for the second coming Christ will appear before us. John 16:21, “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.”
Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father may Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ be forever our joy. In Your name we pray: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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