Matthew 2:13-18; Holy Innocents; December 28, 2014;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marias, MN;

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more. (Matthew 2:13–18, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It is an interesting, deadly, horrible story. It’s not the kind of thing we want to hear at Christmas time. We want the sweet baby in the manger. We don’t want to be reminded of the blood, the cost of Jesus being born. We don’t what to hear about the vitriol that Satan would wreck, even on innocent children. But his this, his first attempt to stop the Savior would ultimately fail. As would they all.

Here we see a king, Herod, so paranoid, so hungry for power, that he would kill innocent children rather than face the possible threat of being dethroned. He doesn’t understand Jesus at all. He is focused on his power. He fears the loss of his throne, but Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. It isn’t out of character for this evil king, who had his children, wives, friends, not to mention his enemies, killed, to give the order to have a few dozen children slaughtered. It is also reported that Herod gave the order, that upon his death, thousands of city officials were to be escorted into the Jerusalem arena to be killed. The king wanted to be sure that on his death there would be mourning over his death.

After the Magi left for home without betraying the identity of the “newborn king”, Harod was furious. He kills the babies to stop Jesus’ reign. He strikes out against children to prevent Jesus from becoming king. He does his worst. Many of our hymns today talk about Bethlehem. But none of them speak about the pain of the fathers and mothers at Herod’s slaughter or the pure evil of this king.

But the angel warns Joseph. The baby and his mother are spirited away to Egypt in the cover of darkness. It is ironic, but totally in accord of prophecy, that Jesus flees to Egypt, the place where Hebrew children were slaughtered, so that God’s chosen prophet could escape death. Moses escapes that slaughter, Jesus escapes from Bethlehem.

The children’s blood is shed.

Jesus, Herod's intended victim, would later say

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person...” (Matthew 15:19-20a, ESV)

This is the evil that we see around us every day. Only a few days ago, a young woman, slaughtered children in a school. We see the ongoing slaughter of innocents as abortion continues. It was heartening to see Roe vs. Wade overturned. But the slaughter continues in many states, including our own. Every day, these children die as sacrifices on the altar of choice, convenience, and financial security. As if somehow, it is right and good that my right to choose is more important than the life of any other person. Now is the time to double down on our efforts to end this scourge.

Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

This is the evil that Jesus was born to bring to an end. But have no illusions, it isn’t just an evil king, bent on power. It is sin. This is massacre reveals the depth of human depravity and the length to which sinful and rebellious will go against God. It is easy to point to this and other big public sins and wag our finger. The truth is sin is much worse than we see here. It is much more prevalent than we know.

How do I know that? Look into the manger. See the Son of God born in human flesh. See the depth of the opposition against him. The innocents slaughtered. See him walk that roads of Israel and the vitriol of the people that spoke against him. See the lengths they will go to end him. False testimony. Blasphemy. “Crucify him!” See the nails driven into his hands and feet, and the crown of thorns on his head. See the mocking and the laughter of his enemies. See him breath out his last with the words “it is finished.”

If sin was a small matter, if sin was something people could deal with on their own, none of this would be necessary.

We act surprised and appalled when this kind of evil shows itself. But there should be no surprise. It is the nature of sin, and how deeply it affects the human person. What should appall us is that the same sin that slaughters children, the same sin that yelled “Crucify him!” Lives in you and me.

“We are by nature sinful and unclean” we confess on Sunday mornings. It isn’t the way we were created but we have been corrupted by sin. We are by that sinful nature, enemies of God, and helpless.

Indeed, if we could deal with it on our own, God would not have sent Jesus to suffer such a fate.

And yet, that is exactly what God did. He came to suffer the effects of sin, all of it, outward and inward. Sin pushes us away from God as our enemy. Our savior reconciles us to God, “while we were still enemies”.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10, ESV)

Because Jesus did what he did, his life lived according to God’s will, his death died at God’s will, his perfect life lifted up as our punishment, his death as the reconciling moment, we are declared by God as forgiven. If sin was a small thing, if it was only slightly corrupting, Jesus would not have been necessary.

If you hear the account of Herod’s slaughter, if you read the news hearing about people ramming cars into a crowd, or setting people on fire in the subway, or our own slaughter of the innocents as abortion continues, it should drive you to repentance. Because the very same inclinations to sin reside in you. It is only God’s grace in Jesus Christ that prevents you from the same.

Grace is gifts you don’t deserve. Grace is the forgiveness Jesus won for you. Grace is the Holy Spirit given by God as a counter to your sin. Grace is his acting to prevent your sin from controlling you. Grace is God’s gift of Baptism that marks you as one redeemed by Christ sacrifice on the cross. Grace is God’s declaration of your forgiveness in Christ, despite your sin. Grace is your sin tamped down. Grace is God’s promise that you won’t live with sin forever. Grace is your sinful nature done away with at your death. Grace is you who are “by nature” and enemy of God given the inheritance of a son. Grace is faith given to you as a gift to hold these things true for you. Grace is this congregation, where God blesses you with a place to hear again of all these gifts. Grace is the Holy Supper given here for the fortifying of your gift of faith.

It sounds rather rough to accuse you of your sin, complicit with Harod, complicit with mass murderers, complicit with those who kill children today. But it is true. If you would count your sin as small and Herod’s as great, you are missing the key to the Good News of Jesus. This is exactly what God means when he tells us we are helpless. If you could satisfy God with the things you do, they would have to be perfect, uncorrupted by sin. But your sin, and mine, is inherit in all we think, do and say.

This is the beauty of the Christmas manger, and the baby there. This is the beauty of God born in human flesh. This is the beauty of what Jesus taught us. This is the beauty of the cross. This is the beauty of Jesus. Amen. The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

John 1:1-5, 14; The Festival of the Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. December 25, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1–4, ESV)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Translation is an art, not a science. It is very difficult to transfer meaning from one word in one language to another. That is particularly true of the word “Word” in our text. Underlying it is the Greek word λόγος. I don’t know what word I would have chosen, maybe this is the best one, but if you take it at face value a lot is left out. For us Word, is spoken or read. It means a vocable in a sentence. It is grammatical and in that sense the meaning is limited. It can mean a promise, like “My word is true.” What stands behind that idea is the character of the person who speaks it.

John stole the word λόγος from Greek Philosophy. It meant cosmic order or universal reason or even truth. Λόγος could also mean the rational principle behind everything. For the Greek philosophers this word, itself, was a constant topic of discussion.

John didn’t steal the word willy-nilly. He well knew the background. He intended some of the meaning to bleed into this text. When he equates λόγος with the second person of the Trinity it is very intentional. Things like comic order, universal reason, and truth clearly indicate God, and specifically Christ. When he says, the Word (λόγος), was around in the beginning, that the Word (λόγος) was with God, and that the Word (λόγος) is God, he’s saying a mouthful.

He coopts the original meaning and fills it with new meaning. The Word (λόγος) is eternal. The Word (λόγος) created everything. The Word (λόγος) is life, and the Word (λόγος) is the “light of men.” And finally, that light was not overcome by the darkness of the world. He spends the rest of the Gospel fleshing out (pun intended) exactly what it means.

So, when he, only a few verses later, says:

And the Word (λόγος) became flesh and dwelt among us… (John 1:14a, ESV)

It is one of the most profound statements in all of scripture.

The sentence begins with “and”, don’t through it away as a simple connecting word. And connects it to all that came before. God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ is all because he is comic order, universal reason, and truth. Through the Word, God created the world, through the Word God sets the corrupted world right. The Word (λόγος) became flesh. Flesh is another significant word in Greek. It means “body” the muscular part of a human. The Word, God himself, became flesh, a body. Flesh, body, λόγος all joined into one person. And as much as these things, λόγος and flesh, don’t fit together (from our perspective), Jesus in the flesh, becomes a part of this world. He, the λόγος, dwelt among us.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14b, ESV)

The Gospel writer had this in mind. Immanuel, God with us. God a human person, a body, in our flesh dwelt among us.

He, God in Jesus, lived in our sinful and corrupted world. He became flesh and was subjected to all that it means to be flesh. He was pursued by sinful men who tried to destroy him. He was mocked and threatened by the powerful. He was misunderstood and misquoted. He was betrayed and beaten. He was condemned and killed. His flesh was buried in a tomb.

But that was exactly why the λόγος became flesh and dwelt among us. It was only the λόγος, the wisdom, the creative force, the truth, that could overcome the power of death. God in the flesh, became a man so that he would be subject to all the powers of sin and death.

He became subject to all that we humans are. We suffer from sin in the world. It is impossible to avoid. But it is not only the forces outside of us. Even more powerful are the forces within us. We can blame the corruption of the world on what is out there. But worse is the sin, in here (our own hearts). Sin is personal, in the flesh, so to speak. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6, ESV)

Isaiah knows of what he speaks. Our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. He included himself in that statement. It is even more crass than you might expect. It is this fleshly corruption that condemns us to hell. Sin permeates our flesh, sin permeates our minds, our hearts, and so, it permeates all we do. It is a condition of being human, in the flesh. All the proof that is necessary to show the truth of our in breed sinfulness is that we all die. That is what Isaiah means when he says, We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

It is this condition that the λόγος became flesh to resolve. Jesus Christ, a true man, became flesh and dwelt among us. He became the only man ever not to be so corrupted. He was affected by sin, from outside of himself. But his righteous deeds were righteous. He does it as a man. It was necessary. A sinful person, totally corrupted by sin, could not be a sacrifice for sin.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5, ESV)

Again, Isaiah speaks clearly. He is speaking of the cross. It was the unjust suffering of Jesus, as a perfect man, that brings us peace and healing. Why? Because God charged him with our sin. Jesus became sin for us. On the cross he is the death of sin’s punishment. The Father fills his perfect life with the sin of us all. Jesus punishment for sin, is ours. He was crushed for our transgressions. What makes it possible is that Jesus is the λόγος made flesh. In Jesus God, dies. The punishment we deserve is taken up in the λόγος, the son of God. To say it in human terms, our judgment is set aside, our sentence is commuted.

And what of sin? Well, we still live with it. It still permeates all we do. But there is no eternal punishment for it. It does not push us away from God. It is true that when we sin, we have the earthly effects. The world is still corrupted. But we are not liable for judgment.

Although our text doesn’t explicitly talk about the Holy Spirit, he is the gift that comes with faith in Jesus. When we listen to his prompting, we can, at times, avoid even the worldly consequences of our sin. Sin doesn’t have to rule our lives anymore.

The Word (λόγος) became flesh and dwelt among us. How profound it is. How utterly simple it sounds. John’s Gospel was the last written. He leaves the details of the moment to the other writers. On Christmas Day we celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God, incarnation means, the λόγος made flesh. When we peer into the manger and see a baby, we are seeing God, the λόγος, in human flesh. It is the miracle of miracles. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Luke 1:39-56; The Fourth Sunday in Advent; December 22, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.” (Luke 1:39–56, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Mary, the mother of Jesus is a singular person in human history. The idea that God would choose a singular female, likely a teenager, to bear the Son of God, that God would even come into the world has a human being, is remarkable. Mary displays all the hallmarks of faith. All you have to do is read the Magnificat to see it. Luther said of this wonderful hymn:

“She [Mary] is not filled with pride by the great honor bestowed upon her, but in true humility gives all the praise to God alone, to whom it belongs.” Martin Luther

And

“She [Mary] does not boast of her worthiness, but gives all the glory to God alone, to whom she ascribes all that she has.” Martin Luther

Mary is a picture of faith. She is faithful. She shows an unwavering faith in God’s plan of salvation, no matter where it leads her. She is humble. She calls herself “servant of the Lord”. She is blessed beyond measure. The angel Gabriel and Elizibeth, both call her “blessed among women.” And she "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." She reflects on God’s word and actions in her life.

But there is one thing I know about Mary. If she was here today among us, sitting beside any one of you, she would confess her sin. Yes, Mary was a sinner. She would confess boldly that she had indeed “sinned against [God] in thought, word and deed.” She would confess that she had done nothing to deserve forgiveness, or the special place that God had given her. She would beg for the forgiveness of her Son, her Savior. She would revel in that forgiveness brought by his death on the cross.

In the church, over the ages, Mary has been called, Theotokos. It is Greek word meaning God-bearer, or mother of God. It may seem like a very high title. One that elevates her to a higher status than ordinary human beings. But it doesn’t. She is theotokos because of her son. It says nothing about her, and everything about Jesus. To be very clear, Mary is Jesus’ mother. Jesus is God. Everything Jesus is, is tied up in his identity. You can’t separate Jesus’ humanity from his divinity. Everything he does, he does as God, and man. When he is born, he is God, born of Mary.



When you hear our text for today, you might think it is about Mary. After all it says that Mary went to visit Elizabeth. That Mary sang the Magnificat. But at the center of the text is Jesus.

Elizabeth, and the unborn John, rejoice at Mary’s coming to them. But, not because of Mary, but because of Jesus. John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of his Lord. John’s mother rejoices at Mary’s coming because she brings “the fruit of your womb”. In Mary’s womb is “her Lord.” And, in fact, nothing that is said, done, or sung here, would have happened if God’s Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, was not present.

What we have here, in the Magnificat, after Elizabeth’s greeting and John’s leaping, is, in essence, Mary’s personal testimony. Underlying it all is what Jesus had done and not what Mary had done. Think about it, Mary was singular in human history, not because of what she did, but because of what Jesus did. All she did was what billions of mothers throughout history have done. She gave birth, raised, cared for, and nurtured a child.

Mary’s testimony is full of what God is doing. He “Looked on the humble estate of his servant.” All generations will call her blessed because, “he who is mighty has done great things for me.” But she doesn’t stop there. She continues to “magnify the Lord”. The rest of the song says nothing about her. God’s mercy, through Jesus is, “for those who fear him from generation to generation.” He brings down the mighty and lifts up the ones of humble estate. He remembers his mercy, as he promised Abraham.



When Jesus was brought, by faithful Joseph and Mary, to present their child to the Lord and offer the prescribed sacrifices, they came across a prophet, Simeon. He told of what Jesus would do. He also told of what Mary would suffer.

and a sword will pierce through your own soul also (Luke 2:35a, ESV)

He was speaking about the death of her son. I’m sure, for Mary, it felt just like that, a burning sword going right through her. The is no greater anguish for a mother than to see their child die. But here again, Mary is not unique. From Eve to many mothers today, that pain continues.

It is Jesus who is unique. Mary’s son, God’s son, died. Mary’s pain was nothing like his. Hers was human and temporal. His was eternal and spiritual. He suffered literal hell for his mother, and for all of us. He was rejected by God, his true father. That is what hell is. His death on the cross was more than physical, it was also spiritual. God turned his back and allowed him to die. That is the punishment for sin. But it was not his sin, it was ours. We deserved God’s back. But instead, God embraces us in love, because Jesus took our punishment. That punishment was hung on Jesus as he hung on the cross. That punishment was paid in full when he died in our place. That is what Mary’s son had come to do.



Mary was an extraordinary woman, just like many extraordinary women over the course of time. She had great faith. It was God’s gift to her. It prepared her for what was to come. Her pain and suffering was the same as so many. And eventually, she suffered the wages of sin in her own death. Mary was an extraordinary woman, worthy of remembering and even call her blessed among women. Not because of who she was, her deeds where ordinary human things, but because of who God is.



Jesus Christ is the extra-ordinary one. Mary is the woman God chose to come into our world as a human being. Mary suffered all the normal human suffering of motherhood. Morning sickness, birth pain, skinned knees, and the death of her child. God, himself, came through Mary’s womb as a complete human being. Jesus did marvelous things without number (Job 5:9). His life, perfectly lived without sin. His suffering and death. Which sets aside our verdict of death and hell. And his resurrection. A promise of a day in our future when we will rise from death.



When the story of my life is told, yours also, and Mary’s for that matter, we will all have one thing in common.

…we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. (Confession, Divine Service Setting One, LSB)

And that would be it, full stop, if not for what Jesus did extraordinarily for all of us. Our lives are full of ordinary things. In fact, everything we do is ordinary. We may break an addiction, but millions have done that. We may give sacrificially, but millions do that. We may change our lives from evil to good, it’s been done by millions. Even if we save a life, or many lives, millions have done that, too. The overarching thing about everything we do is sin. It so permeates all we do that it corrupts even the best. And in God’s eyes,

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6, ESV)

But, extraordinary Jesus, does his extraordinary thing and brings forgiveness. Our sin, though it plagues us daily, will not have the last word. Jesus saves us from sin’s eternal punishment. How extraordinary is that! How amazing that God, himself, loves me in such a way that he, himself, in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, is has paid the debt of sin I owe.

So, what about Mary’s personal testimony. What about mine, and yours? Let it be about Jesus, not shaded by the ordinary things we do, but by the marvelous, extraordinary, things he has done.

Luther’s last words, scribble on a piece of paper on his death bed were,

Wir sind Bettler, das ist wahr. We are beggars, this is true.

It is sometimes considered his epitaph. It highlights his understanding of our place before God, and Jesus’ work to save us.

Maybe our epitaph should be.

I did ordinary things. Jesus did extraordinary things for me.

Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Luke 7:18-30; Third Sunday in Advent; December 15, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)” (Luke 7:18–30, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Today is "rejoice" Sunday. Right there in the epistle lesson it says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; Again I will say, rejoice." It's why we have that pink candle in the Advent wreath. We rejoice because of what God has done, is doing, and will do in Jesus Christ. This is all well and good, this is what we expect from this time of year. People going around with big smiles on children’s faces. Shopping trips to exotic locations, like Duluth, or the Twin Cities, to show people how much we love them by spending money we don't have. And we have the passage from Zephaniah. It's a rejoicing of what God is doing even in the very midst of trouble in hardship. And so today as we rejoice in the Christmas story, we have the account of John the Baptist reaching out to Jesus by sending his messengers and asking, "Are you the one?"

We should back up just a bit. John doesn't send his disciples to Jesus without any provocation. What he sees doesn't quite reckon with what he's expecting. He stood out knee-deep in water baptizing people warning them about God's wrath to come. "You brood of vipers!" He shouts. But what does he see? Right before this text Jesus heals the Centurion's servant. This is the Roman soldier who other people said was a good guy but told Jesus you don't need to come to my house, I'm not worthy. Jesus marveled at his faith and healed the servant. I'm sure the Centurion was more than happy with the outcome.

And then Jesus raises the widow's son from Nain. They were coming into town and the boy was being hauled out to be buried. The widow was in desperate straits. Her only means of support was about to be buried in the earth. Jesus tells her, "Do not weep." He walked up to touch the coffin raised the dead boy and gave him back to the widow. All the people around the widow marveled at the good thing God had done for her.

And then we get to John the Baptizer. He has some real reasons to question what he's seeing in Jesus. It isn't quite what he expected to see given his preaching. "The ax is already at the root of the trees. Everyone who does not repent will be cast into the fire and burned." And so, he sends his disciples to question Jesus. "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

Jesus sends a message back to John. We might be a bit surprised that he doesn't use the words, "I Am He!" Instead, he sends a picture back to John. John was no uneducated country preacher. The picture Jesus paints is a specific one. A picture of the fulfillment of God's word plucked right from the scroll of Isaiah and Malachi. A picture the points directly to Jesus as God's Messiah.

And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”” (Luke 7:22–23, ESV)

John got the message. Jesus is it.

It's a curious thing though. The reason why John sends messengers is because he can't go himself. He's in prison. Herod the king has him there for speaking out boldly about Herod's sin. Herod's birthday is coming and soon John's head will be on a platter, severed at the whim of a teenager. John is not in a happy place. One might even question if John is reaching out to Jesus with the question, "When is it my turn?" After all we have just seen here Jesus healing every disease, giving sight to the blind, and raising the dead. We have Jesus proclaiming John is the greatest among men. Why didn't he just send a message back, "Get ready for the doors of the prison to spring open." But he doesn't. John is a dead man. It's not fair. Ultimately Jesus answer to John is "... Blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

"Jesus, are you the right one?" This is the very important question of the text. This is the very important question of life. "Jesus, are you the right one?" And it's an especially important question when things don't go the way we want them to go. Cancer is an ugly thing. God can and does heal it from time to time. But sometimes he doesn't. Violent death is out there. It could come for our family members or us at any time. The near miss doesn't always make a family closer. Money is tight. Somebody's got to win the lottery. But even when they do it doesn't make life better. Separation is the hardest thing. Whether it's distance, hardship, stubbornness or death. We grieve at separation and call out for God to end it. He is certainly able, but sometimes he doesn't. It's enough to make you ask, "Jesus, are you the right one?" What does Jesus say? "Blessed is the one who is not offended by me." The word offended is the word σκανδαλίζω. It is related to the English word scandal. It means to be caused to stumble, to be caused no longer believe.

This is the scandal isn't it. We are a consumer society. We are pragmatic, that means we worship whatever works. The world says God should give us Our Best Life Now. Or The Secret to life is how to get the most out of it through God. Shouldn't that happen when we gather and tell God how good he is? Shouldn't we get some consideration for spending our time and money to keep this church going? Shouldn't we get that when we stand with our hands in the air with our pretend smile on our face showing God that we really are happy? Doesn't that make God do what we want? This is the scandal isn't it. God doesn't always give us what we think we need.

But He does promise to give us what we really do need. "Blessed is the one who is not offended by me." Jesus is the one. He does heal and restore life. In fact, he is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the one to hold onto, even when he doesn't spring open the prison door. Even when bloody death reigns down on us. Even when disease plagues us. There is only one answer to these kinds of issues, because these issues have at their very heart sin. The sin sick broken world goes on this way. There are many questions, mostly the question "why?" But there is no answer in the world. The answer comes from God, and Jesus Christ. The answer is in the babe in the manger. Who would think that a pink squirming baby in a manger could be the answer for what sin does in the world. But he's not just a baby in the manger, he is God in human flesh. He is the God-man who does these things:

...the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.

He is the God-man who does these things and promises that all the world will receive its healing. He is the God-man who went to the cross to suffer sins punishment. He is the God-man who reconciles the whole world to God in his life death and resurrection. He is the God-man whose birth we celebrate on Christmas and death we celebrate because of what he has done for us. Because the answering of the "why?" question is answered first in Jesus’ death on the cross for your sin. He reconciles you to God. He removes your sin. He makes the promise of new life to you. He is coming again to make all things new, completely remove the effects of sin in the world, and make a world where human beings live together in perfect relationships with one another and a perfect relationship with God.

So today we rejoice because the joy of the Christmas story leads to the cross. "Blessed is the one who is not offended by me." Do not leave the cross or the resurrection out of the Christmas story. It is the answer. It is the reason for Christmas joy. Jesus is the one, the only one who can save the world. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Luke 3:1-6; Second Sunday in Advent, December 8, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths 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.’ ”” (Luke 3:1–6, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We really get used to hearing about John the Baptist during Advent. After all what would Advent be without singing “On Jordan’s Bank…” I remember singing it in a dark downtown St. Louis Church when I was in kindergarten. Mom and Dad were teachers in the Lutheran School there. I remember sitting next to my mother who said each line quickly in between breaths so I could sing along. I remember standing there singing trying hard to feel the mood of the season (which was much darker than it feels these days). As for me singing about the “Baptist” is something I expect before Christmas.

This second Sunday in Advent is dedicated every year to the message of John the Baptist. There’s something I want you to notice about this text. This little section of scripture is completely full of geography. St. Luke, the Gospel writer, is intent on having us see the geography he almost overloads us with places… He talks about the biggest geographical area occupied by anyone when he mentions Caesar (The Roman Empire), He speaks about Judea (roughly the area of modern-day Israel, Galilee, Abilene and finally he references Jerusalem (if you’re a Jew, you can’t hear about the High priests and not think of Jerusalem!). Luke is making a very strong statement before he introduces The Baptist. Then he tells us that John went into all the region around the Jordan. Luke wants us to be thinking geographically.

But why? Well, let’s look at what John is saying while he preaches and baptizes. Prepare the way of the Lord, make the roads straight fill in the valleys, level the mountains, make the roads all straight, and level out the rough land. Think about what he’s saying. He’s talking about a radical change in landscape. Just think of the huge earth-moving machines that would be required to do what John is talking about. Deep valleys filled in, high mountains and hills leveled, crooked roads made straight, and rough land leveled out. It’s big change that he’s calling for; it’s noticeable change, monstrous change.

Maybe we don’t really have the perspective on this that John’s hearers had. Maybe we don’t really see what a radical change John was talking about. After all, our corner of the world sometimes feels very small. We are surrounded by a boreal forest. I am constantly amazed at how beautiful it is here in all seasons. When I was growing up in Nebraska we had straight roads. Here a straight road is a rare thing. Driving here is like driving down in a ditch because the trees come right to edge of the road. In Nebraska or Iowa, the roads follow a grid pattern set up a long time ago. But it’s really very different in Israel. Israel is a very narrow strip of land only about 30-40 miles wide and a little more than 200 miles long. The whole area would easily fit within the borders of Minnesota. The lowest point (also the lowest point on the globe) is –1338 ft below sea level (the Dead Sea) and the highest point is a mountain peak at 3963 ft (Mt. Hermon?). By the way only 17% of the land there can be used for farming. So, as you can see talk about changing the kind of geography of Israel, is really a project of epic proportions.

But that is the kind of change that John is preaching about. It’s an enormous, noticeable, radical change. Of course, John isn’t really talking about geographically, is he? He’s telling the people around him that they better get their act together. Something radical is about to happen. God is coming. “Get ready!” He’s saying, “the Lord is coming. You’d better get prepared. Level the land! Tear down the mountains fill in the valleys. Do the impossible!”

This isn’t the first time God’s people have been told to make a radical change. In fact, John is using the very same words here that were spoken by Isaiah some centuries before. Isaiah was also calling for radical change. Back then God was telling the people of Israel that even though things looked pretty good right then, they weren’t. They were going to be conquered. They were going to go into exile. It was punishment for rejecting the God who had saved them from being salves in Egypt; the God who had given them the land they were living in. This punishment was going to be harsh; it was going to be radical. God was coming in judgment; it was time for a radical change of heart. That’s what John was saying, too. The Lord is coming! It’s time for a radical change of landscape, a radical change of heart.

Those words also speak to us. Here we are in advent looking forward to celebrating Christmas. Remembering that Jesus has come and more importantly that He is coming again. And He is coming “to judge the living and the dead” as the creed says. It won’t take us too long to see that we need that same radical change of heart that John is talking about. The way of our lives is full of valleys and mountains; full of crooked roads and rough ground. But we are to make our way straight if we are to be ready. We need to live in the way of the Lord.

So, what does it take to live in the way of the Lord? Have you ever really tried? I mean really, really tried to stop sinning. Have you ever tried to stop lying, for instance? What does it take to completely get rid of lies in your life? Well, first, you must hold your tongue. You must not say things that are untrue. Especially things that are untrue about yourself. Oh, but how hard that is when you really need to boost your standing among people you want to impress. How hard it is when you really need to show people your position is well founded. And maybe you can do that; maybe you can stop them some of the time. But don’t they somehow come creeping back when your defenses are down? They are there deep inside you and holding it in just makes it worse.

So that one’s too hard to get rid of: What about gossip? That one should be easier, right? So, you try to stop saying things about people. But Facebook was made for gossip. Those notifications ring with some more news. You tell yourself that people need to be informed; people really do need to know what’s going on. And you know that even the truth can hurt people when it’s spread around. But some things are just too hard to keep to yourself.

Well again let’s try something easier: What about treating all people the same? Ok, you start by vowing to make it work, and then you are confronted by that person who you’ve never trusted. So, you skip them and try to do it for everyone else. But you see a dirty, unkempt person walking toward you on the street and all you just want to crawl under a rock or run the other way. You can’t help thinking about how spend the assistance they receive on cigarettes or liquor, when they should be spending it on new shoes for their kids. No matter how hard you try you can’t treat everyone the same because your feelings about them bubble up from your heart, and the only way to get rid of those feelings is to be dead.

Well, there is always trying to do good things to make up for the bad things you do. So, you try that. You find a worthy cause; build a mountain of Christmas presents for under-privileged kids; volunteer time to stalk the food bank shelves; help your elderly neighbor scoop snow; dig deeper into your pockets and give more money to the church. Those are all great things to do. And you feel good doing them. Maybe that’s the answer to the radical change. If you just do enough good things, you won’t have time to do the bad. But if you think about it, your heart might be in the right place, but you know that your mind wanders. Pretty soon you find yourself saying to yourself, “I hope so-and-so sees me doing this.” Or “at least I’m doing better than that person who never does anything!” or “God sure must be proud of me for all I’ve done for Him.”

Well so much for radical change. That fact is, and you know it as well as I do, that kind of change is impossible. Maybe you know it because you’ve tried and failed. You seem to make progress and when you turn your attention to the next thing the other returns. And maybe you know the things you do are wrong, but you just plain don’t want to stop. You know your heart and you know that sin lives there. You know that the kind of radical change that John is talking about is impossible. It is impossible because the problem is just too deep. The valleys are too low, and the mountains are too high. The roads we really want to go down are not the straight one but the crooked ones. I guess John wants us to do the impossible. We may as well try to level mountains and fill in valleys. The preparation he wants is just as impossible.

If that’s what you’re thinking I have to say that you are exactly right. In order to prepare ourselves for the Lord we’d have to be perfect in every way, no bumps, turns or lumps. Just perfect.

But Luke and John do leave us there. They tell us exactly what to do to prepare. They’re not really saying to get out the monster machines and start digging. And they’re not saying to quit smoking, lying, and cheating. They don’t even say do your best and the rest will follow. They tell us what John’s message is all about. John’s message is more radical than that. John went all over the geographic area of the Jordan proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He’s saying to take your sins to God and He’ll forgive them.

That’s what the coming of Jesus is all about. It’s about a radical change of landscape. It’s about receiving forgiveness for your sins. It’s about a radical change of heart. It’s about repentance, it’s about turning to God saying, “Lord, I am a sinful person, forgive me!”

We look at the little baby Jesus in the manger, we think about Him sleeping quietly in His mother’s arms. It’s a sweet picture but what that little baby really is really the radical thing that God is doing. That little baby is God’s way of making the rough things smooth. In fact, that little baby isn’t just God’s messenger; He is God coming to do what is impossible for you and me. He comes to live the way of the Lord.

You know all those things that you tried to fix in your life and can’t get done? He didn’t have that problem. He did everything perfectly. Jesus is the truth and the life. Lies are no part of Him. Jesus loves and cares for all people equally. He gives help when help is needed, comfort when comfort is needed. Jesus treats everyone the same, the rich and the poor, even prostitutes and tax collectors. That’s the way of the Lord. That’s the way of Jesus our Lord. Everything He does is perfect and good. His way is very different from our way. His way is something radical. His way leads to the cross. And in His way, He takes the punishment for our lies, and hate, and selfishness. He bears it all in His way. And in His way His death takes our punishment away. His way is a very radical way.

So how do we prepare for His coming? How do we move mountains, the way Jesus did? We can’t. And we don’t have to. The radical thing that God is doing is the radical thing that we can’t. We can’t remove sin from our lives any more than we can make a mountain fill up a valley. But Jesus has done it already, and He does it for you every single day. It’s the same thing that John was preaching about, repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus has taken your sins away. That’s His Christmas gift to you. He’s leveled the mountains and valleys. And He has made a way straight from you to Him. That’s what repentance is. Jesus’ way of preparing you is to say to Him, “Lord Jesus, I have sinned against you in thought word and deed, by what I have done, by lying, and gossiping, and treating people badly, I have sinned in what I have left undone and what I have done with an insincere proud heart. Forgive me Jesus!”

And Jesus says, “I forgive you, my child. I will prepare your heart. I will make the change in you that is necessary. I will make my way, your way.” And today you have the opportunity to receive those words right here at his altar. When you open your mouth God pours in the forgiveness of sins, the radical change of heart that John is talking about.

John says to us, Prepare the way of the Lord. Well, it’s not just something we do for Christmas. It’s something Jesus does for us every day of our lives when we confess our sins to Him. It’s something He does for me and something He does for you. It’s a radical change of landscape. It’s a radical change of heart. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Jeremiah 33:14-16; The First Sunday in Advent; December 1, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ (Jeremiah 33:14–16, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

So, it begins… Another church year. 2024 we all have hopes it will be a better year than last. Christmas shopping is in full swing. The dark long slog through cold winter nights, snow and late sunrises and early sunsets. We push through it all looking forward to spring. We wait for brighter days and warmer weather.

Jeremiah knew something about waiting. The days are coming… in those days, he says. The text oozes with a sense of waiting. For Jeremiah, the good days were yet to come. The promises were unfulfilled. He can only cling to the promises and wait… But at least he had the promises.

By contrast, we have the promise fulfilled. There are very strong parallels; Jeremiah looks forward to the Christ coming to reconcile the world to God. We look forward to his coming again to restore the world to its full potential. In his time Jeremiah, suffered along with all the faithful of Israel. Our days are also filled with less than pleasant times. We may not see the suffering that Jeremiah endured, but we do know what it is to wait tirelessly for a promise given long ago. For us, amid our daily suffering, today is just like so many before, a slog through suffering, pain, weakness, illness and death.

So, we can relate to Jeremiah. At lest we think we can. And yet, maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to do so. We are, after all, living in the days that Jeremiah longed to see. We are living in those days that he was talking about. The days that were the center point of his hope.

Our time, dreary as it can be, where we live now, is the fulfillment of his hope. God’s master plan for salvation has been accomplished. The promises Jeremiah held in faith are fulfilled. The Righteous Branch has come, in Jesus the Messiah. He sprang fourth with justice and righteousness. And beyond anyone’s expectations, God walked on the earth among the suffering of his people. Those days that so encouraged Jeremiah and inspired him to faith and hope, are now. Today is one of those days. It is not a day of slogging through dreary routines, waiting with painful endurance. It is a day of living in the very reality of the promise fulfilled. We are not waiting for God to do something about our sin. He has already done it in Jesus. What was in Jeremiah’s future is in our past and its effects carry through and set right here in our laps.

Jesus Christ has come. All he did has its fulfillment right for us, now. Day by day we suffer from the death of loved ones, and yet we have the assurance they are with Christ, not suffering pain, or worry, or sin, and most importantly the knowledge that they are looking forward to the resurrection when we will be with them again, forever. We slog through broken relationships spurred on by our own sin, and yet Christ promises that forgiveness can heal those relationships.

As Luther says in his explanation Fifth Petition of Lord’s Prayer:

We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins nor deny such petitions on account of them. We are not worthy of any of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them. But we pray that He would grant them all to us by grace. For we daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. So will we truly, on our part, also heartily forgive and readily do good to those who sin against us.

We are affected by our daily sin, heeding to the temptations of the Satan, the world and our sinful flesh, that crush our spirit and bring doubt, but we have the cross before us as God’s promise of forgiveness. The Hymn Abide with Me states it clearly.

I need Thy presence ev’ry passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.

The cross and resurrection of Jesus are that assurance of his presence. We take our sin to the cross Jesus there disposes of it and promises forgiveness that foils the tempters power.

Today, right here, right now, God is active, through the Holy Spirit, bringing the grace we need. He is active in our lives, bringing forgiveness, peace and hope. He is active in our life bringing all we need to support this body and life (as Luther says). We have what Jeremiah was waiting for, and yet we wait for something more. It is the coming again of Jesus, the resurrection of our loved ones, and our own, the setting of everything right, and the life eternal on this recreated perfect planet.

As we anticipate Advent, the coming of Jesus, in our past and in our future. As we wait for that glorious day, we live in the reality of the promises accomplished by Jesus. But, if we are only waiting for something that is to come, waiting for God to do something else, only waiting for better days, then we are failing to live faithfully and joyfully in the reality of what God is doing now. The days that Jeremiah longed to see.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.