Where in the World God Is

Where in the world is God?  That is the question, which is answered for you in this Holy Gospel.

It is His Word that points you and guides you and brings you to Him, even as it is by His Word that He is with you here on earth.  Indeed, He is with you, here and now, by His Word.

He reveals and gives Himself to you in the most unlikely of ways and places; which is among the reasons why you will not find Him, nor will you be able to recognize Him, except by His Word.

As from the beginning, everything happens according to the Word and promise of God.  But what He does for you, and how He does it, is where and when you least expected Him to be and to act.

Surely no one is looking for a king from within the house and lineage of David, not in the days of great Caesar Augustus and the mighty Roman Empire.  Far less does anyone expect the Son of God in the flesh, who is Christ the Lord, our Savior.  Yet, as the Lord has promised, so it is.

Not in Nazareth, where Mary and Joseph are from; nor in Jerusalem, where the Temple and the king’s palace are found.  But in the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, the “house of bread,” that is where the Living Bread from heaven now appears and is given for the life of the world.

Appropriately, this Bread of Life is laid in a manger, a feeding trough, because ye sons of men, and ye daughters, too, are called to feed on Him, to eat and drink His flesh and blood, to be forgiven all your sins, and so to live on Him.

And He is wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in the manger, because He has come naked from His Mother’s womb into this world, as He shall hang naked on the Cross for the sins of the world, and then be swaddled in shrouds and laid in the tomb (where your bed should otherwise be made).

These are the sacred signs that have been given and repeated, first of all to the shepherds then, and to the Church on earth ever since, including now to you.  The Word marks the place where the Christ Child is to be found, who is the Lord your God, the Savior and Redeemer of mankindThe Word is still manifested to shepherds, as they guard and keep their flocks, by night as by day: to the pastors of Christ’s sheep and lambs, who are fed upon the pastures of that Holy Word.

The pastors are pointed and led to the Christ Child in the House of Bread, in His Manger Bed, and thence return to make know the Glory of God in Christ to the flocks of His Church, to the sheep of this Good Shepherd.

Thus are you called by the messengers of the Lord to find and receive your Savior, Christ Jesus, in this “Bethlehem” of His Church: Swaddled in the paraments and linens, cradled in the vessels of the Holy Communion, and laid for you upon the feed trough of His Holy Altar in the bread and wine which, at His Word, are His holy Body born of Mary, given for you; and His precious Blood outpoured, for you and for the many, for the forgiveness of all your sins, unto life and salvation.

Here, then, according to the Word of God, is the true Christ Mass; at which, no less, you are joined by the choirs of angels in singing the majestic hymn of Christ’s Holy Church: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth!  Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of Thy Glory!  Hosanna in the highest!  Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord, and blessed are you in Him, who is here with you in Peace, evermore and evermore.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Living in the Hands of God

The example of St. Joseph is a beautiful confession of faith; and it is a good example, because the Lord our God, in whom he trusted, is faithful in His mercy and compassion, and in all His Words and promises, who has saved us from sin and death by His Son, the Child born of Mary.

Truth be told, appearances notwithstanding, it is the Lord who has you and your situation and all things in His hands, in His care and keeping.  Although you do have responsibilities, you are not in control of your life and your future.  Not really.  But neither are your enemies, no matter how big and strong and powerful they may be.

No, the Lord your God, the Maker of the heavens and the earth, He is the Author and Giver of Life, and He is the One who governs all of creation for the sake of His Church.  He accomplishes His purposes, in love, for the salvation of sinners, by His grace and mercy and forgiveness.  Not only “in spite of” those who oppose His will, but even through them, contrary to their own designs — He fulfills His Word and promises.

So, too, He guides and guards His faithful people — including St. Joseph and you — by and with His Word: As written by His Prophets and Apostles in His Holy Scriptures, and in the preaching of His Law and His Gospel by His messengers, whom He sends to speak to you in His Name.

All that He has spoken, He has fulfilled in the Person of Christ Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, conceived and born of St. Mary.  As He is the Word of God made Flesh, He is the accomplishment of God’s good and gracious will: for you and for all people.

He is the promised Son of David, the Shoot of Jesse (in Hebrew, the Nazar of Jesse), anointed by the Spirit of His God and Father to be the King of the Jews, to rule and shepherd His people Israel, the sheep of His pasture.  And not for Israel and Judah only, but for all those who are the children of Abraham by faith in the Gospel.

He Himself, the Son of God and of St. Mary, is the Epitome of faith and trust in God His Father.  Of course, from all eternity He is of one substance with His Father, of one mind and one will, in and with the Holy Spirit: one God, now and forever.  But also in His own human flesh and blood, from His conception, even in His Mother’s womb, He is fully devoted to God with His whole heart and mind, His body, soul, and spirit.  His human will conforms entirely to the divine will, even to the point of His great anguish, suffering, and death upon the Cross.

In this, He has been consecrated and devoted to the Lord, much as the Nazarites were dedicated to the Lord by their vows and in their obedience.  In His case, it is not only for a set period of time, but with His entire body and life, and with His very flesh and blood, even unto death.

It is finally on the Cross that He is called the Nazarene.  For by His voluntary sacrifice, He fulfills the Scriptures of the Prophets, and He accomplishes the will of God for the salvation of the world.

His death and burial are on the horizon and anticipated from the beginning: So also in Herod’s persecution, and in the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt.  But God His Father calls Him out of Egypt — as He will draw Him out of the Red Sea waters of His Baptism — and so does He call Him out of death and the grave.  This, too, is “according to the Scriptures,” just as we confess.  And in this Resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead, God the Father also calls you out of death into Life, to be His beloved and well-pleasing son, by adoption and by grace.

He calls you by the preaching of His Word — to repentance and faith in His forgiveness of sins, and to newness of life in Christ Jesus.  He calls you, as He called St. Joseph, to live according to His Word within your vocation as a Christian, and within your own particular place here on earth.

Although it is true that neither you, nor your life, nor your future, are in your own hands — for they are in His — it is also the case that He accomplishes His purposes in you and through you, and He cares for others, including His Church on earth, by means of your faithful service.

Here, too, consider the example of St. Joseph, who quietly and quickly obeys the Word of the Lord in caring for his Bride, St. Mary, and for her Son, the Christ Child.  Such a task it is, and of such great importance!  But the Lord God provides for the Child and His Mother, and He preserves their lives, by the hand of His servant, St. Joseph.  He does the same for your neighbor by your hand, as you work and serve according to His Word.

As for St. Joseph, so also for you, the Word directs you in the darkness of night, in the midst of great danger, on paths of real difficulty.  The world hates you, as it hates the One whose Name you bear.  And the devil himself seeks your life more viciously than any King Herod.  In the face of all that, you have only the Word of the Lord to go by, and there are times when, like St. Joseph, you are afraid of the foes who reign so fiercely in the world.  The task set before you is too daunting, and yet, it is too important to fail.

But, now, get up and go!  Hear and heed the Word that God speaks to you by His Son.  Remember that you, and your journey, the outcome of your duties, and your destination, all are in the hands of Him who loves you.  God has guarded the Child with His Mother, and so does He guard and keep you.  He has been at work through St. Joseph, and He is now at work in you, to will and to do His good pleasure, for you and for your neighbors.

The guarantee is in Christ Jesus, who has been crucified for your transgressions, and, yes, who has been raised for your justification.  Out of Egypt God has called His Son — in order to bring about this great salvation.  Rachel, weep no more!  For He will surely bring you back from death into life, into the Land of Israel, even into Paradise the blest.  This promise is for you and for your children, and for your children’s children and their children yet unborn.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

These Are the Ones Who Follow the Lamb

The Feast of the Holy Innocents is a rather shocking celebration.  It is painful and hard even to think about such a brutal crime as the slaughter of those little boys of Bethlehem.  But, why, oh why, for God’s sake, must we celebrate that sad memory on this Fourth Day of Christmas?

And yet, here it stands, precisely for God’s sake, for the proclamation of His Glory, and for the sake of our salvation.  In fulfillment of several Old Testament Prophecies, under the good and gracious will of God, and at His Word, the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents is part and parcel of the Christmas story — no less so than the Shepherds of St. Luke’s Gospel, or the Magi who have just departed for their own country by another way.

We observe this day — indeed, we celebrate this Feast — not out of any morbid fascination with the gruesome details of Herod’s wickedness.  This is not Herod’s story, in any case; nor was he the one calling the shots, after all, his evil machinations notwithstanding.  No, it is in the humility of repentant faith, under the Cross of Christ our Lord, that, on this day also, we confess His Cross and Passion — His holy and precious blood, and His innocent suffering and death — to be the real heights of His divine glory and the living fountain of peace on earth and good will toward men.

This is what Christmas was and is about: the birth of the one Child who was born to die for us all.

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, like every other Christian Feast, is a celebration of His Cross, which these young martyrs of Bethlehem were given to share in advance by a Baptism of blood.

As throughout the Holy Gospel, you are given to find yourself in this story, and to hear this Word of God in Christ addressed to you and to your circumstances (under His Cross).  Not as a checklist of rules and regulations with which to work your way into heaven, but as a Word of the Gospel of the Cross, whereby you are washed in the blood of the Lamb.  Thus are you called by this Gospel, not to work, but to be crucified, dead, and buried with Christ Jesus, in order to be raised with Him, as well, and to live with Him in His Kingdom in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness forever.

You are here called by God the Father Almighty to be His own dear child: to be united with His only-begotten Son, in His crucifixion, death, and burial, unto the Resurrection of His Body and yours, to the life everlasting of body and soul.  You are called out of Egypt, covered by the blood of this Lamb, through the waters of the Red Sea; fed by the living Bread from heaven in the desert; and led through the waters of the Jordan into the Promised Land.  For this is the true Exodus, fulfilled in the Christ-Child, Jesus, ultimately by His own innocent death and holy blood-shed.

He gathers up into Himself (and He fulfills) the entire history of Israel, that He might then become and accomplish the salvation of the true “Israel,” that is, of all those who are the children of Abraham by faith (who are the sons of God in Christ).

He is Isaac, who was spared a sacrificial death at the hand of his father, that the Child of Promise might become the blessed Seed of Abraham, in whom all the nations of the world are blessed.  And He is Joseph, the son of Israel and Rachel, who was spared a murderous death at the hand of his kin, that He might prosper in Egypt and accomplish the Lord’s great salvation of all people.

And He is Moses, who was spared from the slaughter of the innocents at the hand of a tyrant Pharaoh, that He might be raised up by the mighty, outstretched arm of the Lord — in order to lead His people Israel out of slavery and death, into the freedom of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Yet, this same Child who is spared on this occasion, who is called out of Egypt as the very Son of God, He shall be the Firstborn Son who is sacrificed and slaughtered in the place of all the others.  For He is the Lamb whom the Lord Himself provides for the requisite sacrifice.  Indeed, He is the true Passover, whose blood covers His people — including you — from the angel of death, and whose flesh is Meat indeed, your meal of salvation.

What Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Joseph and Moses, and all the others sons of Israel could not do (and could never have done or accomplished for themselves), He — the Son of God and Mary’s Son — has done and accomplished for them all, and for you and me and all mankind.  He has done so, ironically, by the way of His own voluntary suffering and death upon the Cross.

Yes, it is by His death that He has conquered death and sheathed its sword.  It is by His stripes that you are healed.  It is by His blood that you are cleansed and forgiven, your iniquities pardoned.

Of course, the irony is, that the victory of the Cross appears to be anything but a victory in the eyes of the world.  It is so contrary to the wisdom of the world and to anything that man would ever hope or expect.  So, also, when you are given the Cross to bear, it feels like crushing defeat, and it can surely seem as though the Lord has abandoned you to the punishment, suffering, and death that you deserve for your sins.  Then come the tears of mourning, and loud lamentations, when you stubbornly refuse to be comforted, as though your life and every hope were done for.

Truth be told, your old Adam is — and must be — crucified, dead and buried with Christ Jesus.  And yet, again, it is precisely by and through His Cross that you are rescued from sin, death, and hell. Your death is life indeed: in Him!  This is, to be sure, the great paradox (and divine mystery) of the Christian faith and life, beginning with your Holy Baptism: It is by dying with Christ and sharing His Cross that you also share His Resurrection and live with Him in His eternal salvation.

It is this divine paradox of the Cross and Resurrection — and therefore, also, the mystery of Holy Baptism — that we are given to perceive and celebrate in the Feast of the Holy Innocents.  The wickedness of sin, death, and the power of the devil, is unable to prevail or to thwart the great salvation of the Lord, because He has taken even the last and most fearsome enemy, death, and He has bent this terrible opponent to His own will, to serve His own good and gracious purposes for Life, for you and for all people.  So it is, that even the wicked death of innocent children must bow before Almighty God and serve to the praise and glory of His holy Name, for Jesus’ sake.

In the death of the Holy Innocents, you are given a picture of your own death with Christ in Holy Baptism, wherein you become a newborn child of God and enter His Kingdom with childlike faith.  In each case, death is swallowed up in victory by the death of Christ Himself, the incarnate Son of God, upon the Cross.  The blood of the infant martyrs of Bethlehem, like the blood of all the righteous martyrs from Abel to the end of the world, proclaims and gives witness to the precious blood of Christ Jesus, which cleanses you from sin.  Thus are the tears of mourning sanctified, like the waters of Holy Baptism, to become a gracious and life-giving flood of salvation.

Out of Egypt the God and Father of our dear Lord Jesus Christ calls you to be His own dear child.  He calls you through the waters of Holy Baptism into the Resurrection and the life everlasting.  He opens your mouth to show forth His praise, in both life and death, by placing on your tongue and on your lips the “new song” of the Cross.  For you are called to follow the Lamb wherever He goes; and so do you follow Him through suffering and death into the Promised Land of heaven.

There before the throne of God and of the Lamb — gathered together with the Holy Innocents and with all the dear children of our Father in heaven (whose angels do always behold His face) — there you feast upon the Lamb of God, who is your Life and your Salvation, now and forever.

Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears.  In the valley of the shadow of death, fear no evil.  For even in the land of the enemy, the Lord is with you.  Here in the desert, between the Exodus and the verge of Jordan, you are fed by the hand of God with the very Bread of Life, and your thirst is quenched with the spiritual drink that flows from the side of Christ, your Savior.

“There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord, who speaks the Truth and does not lie.  It is the sure and certain hope of His own Cross and Resurrection.  This promise is for you, and for your children, and for your children’s children.  It is for all who believe and are baptized in His Name.  So it is that you shall rise to see the Lord in His own territory, and abide in the land of the living.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Our Favorite Read-Aloud Books of 2013

This Year of Our Lord 2013 has been another marvelous literary adventure for me and my five middle children listeners: Monica, Ariksander, Oly'anna, Justinian, and Frederick.  In January, we voted on what I should read aloud over the course of the year, and we’ve managed to make it through most of that list: 47 books in all.  Soon we’ll be voting on books to read aloud and listen to in the New Year, although we’ll begin with the books remaining on our current list, including one of my long-time favorites, the Great Brain series, by John D. Fitzgerald.  Meanwhile, we’ve voted on our favorites of the year now drawing to a close.

Although there weren’t quite the standout series such as we enjoyed from Suzanne Collins and Brandon Mull in 2012, there were some unique gems and fun discoveries among this year’s crop.  It is interesting to me, to see which books rise to the top of the pile across the range of ages and personalities among my listeners.  I’m often surprised, and therefore instructed, by the choices that my children make: It helps me to know and understand them better, both individually and collectively, and it gives me a new perspective on the books, as well.  Anyway, there’s a lot of variety in the literature we share together, and reading aloud to my children remains one of my greatest joys in life.  I’m happy to say that I’ve also had opportunity to read to my grandchildren in 2013, but I haven’t asked them to vote on their favorites at this stage.  All in due season!

Well, then, on behalf of my listeners, I happily publish the following list of our Top Eighteen Read-Aloud Favorites of 2013.  We've grouped sequels and series into single entries, rather than trying to segregate the individual titles.  In at least a few cases, we are eagerly awaiting further installments yet to come.  Meanwhile, there are plenty of books in the world to occupy us.  It should be noted that most of the following books were not published in 2013, but were among those that I was privileged to read aloud in these past twelve months.  Each of the following entries received at least two votes (out of six possible); the top choice received five votes.

Top Eighteen Read-Aloud Favorites of 2013

1 - What the Dickens, by Gregory Maguire

2 - the My Side of the Mountain trilogy, by Jean Craighead George

3 - Chasing the Prophecy (final book in the Beyonders trilogy), by Brandon Mull

4 - Candymakers, by Wendy Mass

5 - The Chronicles of Prydain (five books), by Lloyd Alexander

6 - Reckless; and its sequel, Fearless, by Cornelia Funke

7 - The Secret Life of Ms. Finkelman; and its sequel,
     The Mystery of the Missing Everything, by Ben H. Winters

8 - the Missing series (five books so far), by Margaret Peterson Haddix

9 - the Jack Blank trilogy, by Matt Myklusch

10 - Cosmic, by Frank Cottrell Boyce

11 - Icefall, by Matthew J. Kirby

12 - The Mostly True Story of Jack, by Kelly Barnhill

13. Liesl & Po, by Lauren Oliver

14. Michael Vey 3: Battle of the Ampere, by Richard Paul Evans

15. Summer and Bird, by Katherine Catmull

16. Escape from Zobadak, by Brad Gallagher

17. Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke

18. Jimmy Coates: Blackout (book 7), by Joe Craig

An Expanded Calendar of Commemorations

For some time now, I’ve been working on an expanded list of commemorations, and I’ve finally completed a first full draft, including commemorations for every day of the year.  My starting point has been the calendar of feasts, festivals, and commemorations included in the Lutheran Service Book; and I’ve built upon the research and work that went into that project.

All things considered, I’ve attempted to be comprehensive and catholic in my approach, and to rely upon precedents as much as possible.  I’ve drawn on the sanctoral cycle of Wilhelm Löhe, as well as the old LCMS Lutheran Annuals, which for many decades included commemorations for every day of the year.  I’ve taken into account Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican calendars, hopefully with appropriate discretion (although I’ve tried to exercise latitude).

I view these commemorations not as a kind of “canonization” of those who have gone before us, but as something of a tour de force through church history, considering some of those fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters in Christ, through whom He has served His Church on earth.  Along the same lines, I’ve included quite a few biblical saints, both with and without prior precedent in Eastern and Roman sources.  Most of those inclusions will presumably not be controversial, even if some may object that I am introducing novelty into my practice.  I would offer that the stories of the Holy Scriptures are already a commemoration of the saints who are there set before us, which is the most significant precedent one might ever hope to find.

In any event, I should clarify that I certainly don’t intend this list to usurp or overshadow the Sunday and Feast Day Lectionary, but view it as a supplement to the practice of daily prayer.  To that end, I share the following calendar of commemorations, a list of people worth remembering and learning from, for whom I give all thanks and praise to Christ Jesus.

JANUARY

1 Jan - THE NAME & CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS

2 Jan - J. K. Wilhelm Löhe, Pastor

3 Jan - Abel, Seth, and Enoch

4 Jan - Theophylact of Ohrid, Bishop and Theologian

5 Jan - Simeon Stylites

6 Jan - THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD

7 Jan - Lucian of Antioch, Pastor and Martyr

8 Jan - King Solomon, Son of David

9 Jan - William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr

10 Jan - Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa,

Bishops and Confessors

11 Jan - Duke Ernst the Confessor

12 Jan - Jakob Andreae, Confessor

13 Jan - Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Confessor

14 Jan - Felix of Nola, Pastor and Martyr

15 Jan - Sebastian of Avla, Soldier and Martyr

16 Jan - George Spalatin, Reformer

17 Jan - Anthony of Egypt, Abbot

18 Jan - The Confession of St. Peter

19 Jan - Fabian of Rome, Bishop and Martyr

20 Jan - Sarah, Matriarch

21 Jan - Agnes, Child Martyr

22 Jan - Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon and Martyr

23 Jan - Ildephonsus of Toledo, Bishop

24 Jan - St. Timothy, Pastor and Bishop

25 Jan - The Conversion of St. Paul

26 Jan - St. Titus, Pastor and Bishop

27 Jan - John Chrysostom, Bishop and Preacher

28 Jan - Thomas Aquinas, Theologian

29 Jan - Emperor Charlemagne, Christian Ruler

30 Jan - Andrei Rublev, Iconographer

31 Jan - Claus Harms, Pastor and Reformer

FEBRUARY

1 Feb - Brigid of Ireland, Abbess

2 Feb - THE PURIFICATION OF ST. MARY

AND THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD

3 Feb - Ansgar of Hamburg, Bishop and Missionary

4 Feb - Rhabanus Maurus, Bishop and Theologian

5 Feb - Jacob (Israel), Patriarch

6 Feb - Amandus, Bishop and Missionary

7 Feb - Zechariah, Prophet

8 Feb - George Wagner Carpentarius, Pastor and Martyr

9 Feb - Apollonia of Alexandria, Deaconess and Martyr

10 Feb - Silas (Silvanus), Companion of St. Peter and St. Paul

11 Feb - Augustus, Elector of Saxony

12 Feb - Cornelius the Centurion [Acts 10–11]

13 Feb - Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos

14 Feb - Valentine, Martyr

15 Feb - Philemon and Onesimus

16 Feb - Philip Melanchthon, Confessor

17 Feb - Agabus the Prophet [Acts 11, 21–22]

18 Feb - Martin Luther, Doctor and Confessor

19 Feb - Simeon of Jerusalem, Bishop and Martyr

20 Feb - Peter Damian, Bishop and Theologian

21 Feb - Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr

22 Feb - Johann Crüger, Kantor

23 Feb - Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and Martyr

24 Feb - St. Matthias, Apostle

25 Feb - King Ethelbert & Queen Bertha of Kent, Christian Rulers

26 Feb - Princess Isabelle Capet of France

27 Feb - George Herbert, Pastor and Poet

28 Feb - John Cassian, Abbot

29 Feb - Joseph Barsabbas, also called Justus [Acts 1]

MARCH

1 Mar - David of Menevia, Bishop

2 Mar - Chad of Lichfield, Bishop

3 Mar - Empress Cunigunde, Christian Ruler

4 Mar - Rahab the Harlot [Joshua 2–3; Matt. 1:5; James 2:25; Heb. 11:31]

5 Mar - Lucius I of Rome, Bishop

6 Mar - Fridolin of Säckingen, Missionary and Abbot

7 Mar - Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs

8 Mar - Frances of Rome, Wife and Mother

9 Mar - Catherine of Bologna, Artist

10 Mar - Simplicius of Rome, Bishop

11 Mar - Susanna the Righteous [Apocryphal Daniel]

12 Mar - Symeon the New Theologian

13 Mar - Zadok the Priest [2 Samuel; 1 Kings]

14 Mar - Queen Matilda of Ringelheim, Christian Ruler

15 Mar - Ittai the Gittite, Hushai the Archite, and Barzillai the Gileadite,

Friends of King David [2 Samuel 17–19]

16 Mar - Heribert of Cologne, Bishop

17 Mar - Patrick, Missionary to Ireland

18 Mar - Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop

19 Mar - St. Joseph, Son of David

20 Mar - Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Bishop

21 Mar - Thomas Cranmer, Bishop and Martyr

22 Mar - Epaphroditus of Philippi [Phil. 2:25–30; 4:18]

23 Mar - Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary to Armenia

24 Mar - Nathan the Prophet [2 Samuel; 1 Kings]

25 Mar - THE ANNUNCIATION OF OUR LORD

26 Mar - Ludger of Münster, Bishop and Missionary to the Saxons

27 Mar - Gregory Palamas, Theologian

28 Mar - Gideon, Judge

29 Mar - Eustace of Luxeuil, Abbot

30 Mar - John Climacus, Theologian

31 Mar - Joseph, Son of Israel

APRIL

1 Apr - Hugh of Châteauneuf, Bishop of Grenoble

2 Apr - Theodosia of Tyre, Martyr

3 Apr - Joseph the Hymnographer

4 Apr - Isidore of Seville, Bishop and Theologian

5 Apr - Juliana of Liège

6 Apr - Lucas Cranach the Elder, Albrecht Dürer,

and Matthias Grünewald, Artists

7 Apr - Friedrich Myconius, Reformer

8 Apr - Celestine I of Rome, Bishop

9 Apr - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theologian and Martyr

10 Apr - Aphraates of Persia, Theologian: “The Sage”

11 Apr - Nikolaus Hunnius, Theologian

12 Apr - Zeno of Verona, Bishop

13 Apr - Julius I of Rome, Bishop

14 Apr - Miriam, Sister of Moses and Aaron

15 Apr - Aaron, High Priest

16 Apr - Micah, Prophet

17 Apr - King Hezekiah, Son of David

18 Apr - Anicetus of Rome, Bishop

19 Apr - Olavus and Laurentius Petri, Pastors and Reformers

20 Apr - Johannes Bugenhagen, Pastor and Reformer

21 Apr - Anselm of Canterbury, Bishop and Theologian

22 Apr - Alphege of Canterbury, Bishop and Martyr

23 Apr - George, Soldier and Martyr

24 Apr - Johann Walter, Kantor

25 Apr - St. Mark, Evangelist

26 Apr - Egbert of Ripon, Bishop of Lindisfarne

27 Apr - Tertullian, Theologian

28 Apr - Origen, Theologian

29 Apr - Catherine of Siena

30 Apr - Aristarchus, Epaphras, and Tychicus, Companions of St. Paul

MAY

1 May - St. Philip and St. James, Apostles

2 May - Athanasius of Alexandria, Bishop and Confessor

3 May - Friedrich August Crämer, Pastor and Missionary

4 May - Friedrich Wyneken, Pastor and Missionary

5 May - Frederick the Wise, Christian Ruler

6 May - Jude of Jerusalem, Brother of James

7 May - C. F. W. Walther, Pastor

8 May - Julian of Norwich

9 May - Job the Righteous and Longsuffering

10 May - Johann Arndt, Pastor and Theologian

11 May - Cyril and Methodius, Missionaries to the Slavs

12 May - Epiphanius of Salamis, Bishop and Confessor

13 May - Germanus of Constantinople, Bishop and Theologian

14 May - Nikolaus von Amsdorf, Reformer

15 May - Isidore the Farmer

16 May - Alexander of Jerusalem, Bishop and Martyr

17 May - King Erik IX of Sweden, Christian Ruler

18 May - Ivo of Kermartin, Pastor

19 May - Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury

20 May - Alcuin of York, Deacon and Theologian

21 May - Emperor Constantine, Christian Ruler;

and Helena, Mother of Constantine

22 May - Bernardino of Siena, Preacher

23 May - Urban I of Rome, Bishop

24 May - Queen Esther the Righteous

25 May - Bede the Venerable, Theologian

26 May - Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop and Missionary to England

27 May - Deborah and Jael [Judges 4–5]

28 May - Germain of Paris, Bishop: “Father of the Poor”

29 May - Judith the Righteous [Apocrypha]

30 May - Joan of Arc, Soldier

31 May - THE VISITATION OF OUR LORD

JUNE

1 June - Justin, Martyr

2 June - Blandina and the Martyrs of Lyon

3 June - Franz A. O. Pieper, Theologian

4 June - Benjamin, Son of Israel

5 June - Boniface of Mainz, Missionary to the Germans, Bishop & Martyr

6 June - Caleb the Righteous [Numbers; Joshua]

7 June - Tobias, Son of Tobit [Apocrypha]

8 June - Pelagia of Antioch

9 June - Columba of Iona, Abbot and Missionary to Scotland

10 June - Ephrem the Syrian, Deacon, Hymnwriter, and Theologian

11 June - St. Barnabas, Apostle

12 June - The Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, A.D. 325

13 June - Anthony of Padua, Preacher and Theologian

14 June - Elisha, Prophet

15 June - G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien, Authors

16 June - Rachel and Leah, Matriarchs

17 June - Amos, Prophet

18 June - King Josiah, Son of David

19 June - Zephaniah, Prophet

20 June - Nicholas Cabasilas, Theologian

21 June - Paulinus of Nola, Bishop

22 June - Alban, Soldier and Martyr

23 June - David Chytraeus, Confessor

24 June - THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

25 June - Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

26 June - Jeremiah, Prophet

27 June - Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Confessor

28 June - Irenaeus of Lyons, Bishop and Martyr

29 June - St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles

30 June - Judah, Son of Israel

JULY

1 July - Hendrick DeVoes and Jan Van Esschen, Martyrs

2 July - Levi, Son of Israel

3 July - Ezra and Nehemiah, Reformers of Israel

4 July - Ulrich of Augsburg, Bishop

5 July - Jan Huss, Reformer and Martyr

6 July - Isaiah, Prophet

7 July - Willibald of Eichstätt, Bishop

8 July - Kilian, Bishop and Missionary to Franconia

9 July - Queen Elizabeth of Portugal: “Patroness of Peace”

10 July - Angela of Foligno

11 July - Benedict of Nursia, Abbot

12 July - Bo Giertz, Bishop and Theologian

13 July - Margaret of Antioch, Martyr

14 July - Bonaventure of Bagnorea, Bishop and Theologian

15 July - Queen Olga and Prince Vladimir, Christian Rulers

16 July - Ruth, Matriarch

17 July - Hedwig of Poland, Christian Ruler

18 July - Marcellina, Sister of St. Ambrose

19 July - Macrina the Younger, Sister of St. Basil the Great

20 July - Elijah, Prophet

21 July - Ezekiel, Prophet

22 July - St. Mary Magdalene

23 July - Birgitta of Sweden

24 July - Thomas à Kempis

25 July - St. James the Elder, Apostle

26 July - Joachim & Anna, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

27 July - King Olaf of Norway, Christian Ruler

28 July - Johann Sebastian Bach, Kantor

29 July - Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany

30 July - Robert Barnes, Confessor and Martyr

31 July - Joseph of Arimathea

AUGUST

1 Aug - The Holy Maccabees, Martyrs

2 Aug - Nicodemus the Pharisee, Disciple

3 Aug - Joanna, Mary, and Salome, Holy Myrrhbearers

4 Aug - Germanus of Auxerre, Bishop

5 Aug - Nonna, Mother of Gregory Nazianzus

6 Aug - The Transfiguration of Our Lord

7 Aug - John Mason Neale, Catherine Winkworth,

and John Kelly, Hymn Translators

8 Aug - Dominic, Preacher

9 Aug - Herman and Innocent of Alaska, Missionaries to the Aleut

10 Aug - Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

11 Aug - Clare of Assisi, Abbess

12 Aug - Paul Speratus, Pastor and Hymnwriter

13 Aug - Maximus the Confessor, Theologian

14 Aug - Eusebius of Caesarea, Bishop and Church Historian

15 Aug - The Dormition of St. Mary, the Mother of God

16 Aug - Isaac, Patriarch

17 Aug - Johann Gerhard, Theologian

18 Aug - Agapius, Martyr

19 Aug - Bernard of Clairvoux, Abbot and Theologian

20 Aug - Samuel, Prophet

21 Aug - The Formula of Concord Signed at Gotha

22 Aug - Hippolytus of Rome, Bishop

23 Aug - Sidonius Apollinaris, Bishop

24 Aug - St. Bartholomew, Apostle

25 Aug - King Louis IX of France, Christian Ruler

26 Aug - Melchizedek, Priest and King [Gen. 14; Psalm 110; Heb. 5–6]

27 Aug - Monica, Mother of Augustine

28 Aug - Augustine of Hippo, Bishop and Theologian

29 Aug - The Beheading of St. John the Baptist

30 Aug - Rebekah, Matriarch

31 Aug - Aidan of Lindisfarne, Bishop and Missionary

SEPTEMBER

1 Sept - Joshua the Son of Nun

2 Sept - Hannah, Mother of Samuel

3 Sept - Gregory the Great, Bishop

4 Sept - Moses, Prophet

5 Sept - Zacharias & Elizabeth, Parents of St. John the Baptist

6 Sept - Simeon and Anna, among the Righteous of Israel

7 Sept - Regina, Martyr

8 Sept - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

9 Sept - Nikolai Grundtvig, Bishop and Hymnwriter

10 Sept - Empress Pulcheria, Christian Ruler

11 Sept - Johann Brenz, Reformer

12 Sept - Paphnutius of Thebes, Bishop and Confessor

13 Sept - Samson, Judge

14 Sept - Holy Cross Day

15 Sept - Catherine of Genoa, Widow

16 Sept - Cyprian of Carthage, Bishop and Martyr

17 Sept - Hildegard of Bingen, Abbess

18 Sept - Edward Bouverie Pusey and John Henry Newman, Theologians

19 Sept - Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury

20 Sept - Magdalena Luther

21 Sept - St. Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist

22 Sept - Jonah, Prophet

23 Sept - Thecla, Martyr

24 Sept - Gerhard Sagredo of Hungary, Bishop and Martyr

25 Sept - Sergius of Radonezh (Moscow), Abbot

26 Sept - Cosmas and Damian, Physicians and Martyrs

27 Sept - Vincent de Paul, Reformer

28 Sept - Duke Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, Christian Ruler

29 Sept - ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS

30 Sept - Jerome, Translator of Holy Scripture

OCTOBER

1 Oct - Remigius of Rheims, Bishop and Missionary to the Franks

2 Oct - Justina of Nicomedia, Martyr

3 Oct - Dionysius of Athens (the Areopagite) [Acts 17]

4 Oct - Francis of Assisi

5 Oct - Othniel the Son of Kenaz and Ehud the Son of Gera [Judges 3]

6 Oct - William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale,

Translators of Holy Scripture

7 Oct - Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, Pastor

8 Oct - The Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451

9 Oct - Abraham, Patriarch

10 Oct - Justas Jonas, Confessor

11 Oct - Philip the Deacon

12 Oct - Hosea, Prophet

13 Oct - Romanus the Melodist

14 Oct - Calixtus I of Rome, Bishop

15 Oct - Teresa of ‘Avila

16 Oct - Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, Bishops and Martyrs

17 Oct - Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

18 Oct - St. Luke, Evangelist

19 Oct - Joel, Prophet

20 Oct - Nicholas of Lyra, Theologian

21 Oct - Ursula, Martyr

22 Oct - Reuben, Son of Israel

23 Oct - St. James of Jerusalem, Bishop and Martyr

24 Oct - Peace of Westphalia (Thirty Years’ War ended)

25 Oct - Tabitha (Dorcas), Lydia and Phoebe, Faithful Women

26 Oct - Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt,

Pastors and Hymnwriters

27 Oct - King Alfred the Great, Christian Ruler

28 Oct - St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles

29 Oct - Obadiah, Prophet

30 Oct - Wolfgang of Regensburg, Bishop

31 Oct - Reformation Day

NOVEMBER

1 Nov - ALL SAINTS’ DAY

2 Nov - Cleopas of Emmaus, Witness of the Resurrection

3 Nov - Richard Hooker, Pastor and Theologian

4 Nov - Uriah the Hittite

5 Nov - Hans Egede, Missionary to Greenland

6 Nov - Bartolomäus Ziegenbalg, Christian Frederick Schwartz,

and John Christian Frederick Heyer, Missionaries to India

7 Nov - Willibrord, Bishop and Missionary to Frisia

8 Nov - Johannes von Staupitz, Luther’s Father Confessor

9 Nov - Martin Chemnitz, Pastor and Confessor

10 Nov - Leo the Great, Bishop and Confessor

11 Nov - Martin of Tours, Soldier and Bishop

12 Nov - Theodore the Studite, Theologian

13 Nov - Caspar Aquila, Pastor and Reformer

14 Nov - Emperor Justinian, Christian Ruler and Confessor of Christ

15 Nov - Albert the Great, Theologian

16 Nov - Queen Margaret of Scotland, Christian Ruler

17 Nov - Gregory Thaumaturgus, Bishop and Theologian

18 Nov - Hilda of Whitby, Abbess

19 Nov - Princess Elizabeth of Hungary, Christian Ruler

20 Nov - Odo of Cluny, Abbot

21 Nov - Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, Church Musicians

22 Nov - Cecilia, Martyr

23 Nov - Clement of Rome, Bishop

24 Nov - Columban, Missionary

25 Nov - Catherine of Alexandria, Martyr

26 Nov - Matilda of Hackeborn and Gertrude the Great

27 Nov - Lot the Righteous

28 Nov - Paul and David Henkel

29 Nov - Noah the Righteous, Patriarch

30 Nov - St. Andrew, Apostle

DECEMBER

1 Dec - Nahum, Prophet

2 Dec - Chromatius of Aquileia, Bishop and Theologian

3 Dec - Francis Xavier, Missionary

4 Dec - John of Damascus, Theologian and Hymnwriter

5 Dec - Clement of Alexandria, Theologian

6 Dec - Nicholas of Myra, Bishop and Confessor

7 Dec - Ambrose of Milan, Bishop and Hymnwriter

8 Dec - Martin Rinckart, Hymnwriter

9 Dec - Habakkuk, Prophet

10 Dec - Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Theologian

11 Dec - Damasus I of Rome, Bishop

12 Dec - Benaiah the Son of Jehoiada [2 Samuel; 1 Kings]

13 Dec - Lucia of Syracuse, Martyr

14 Dec - John of the Cross, Poet and Theologian

15 Dec - Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop and Confessor

16 Dec - Haggai, Prophet

17 Dec - Daniel and the Three Young Men

18 Dec - Olympias the Younger, Deaconess

19 Dec - Adam & Eve, Living Icon of Christ and His Bride

20 Dec - Katharina von Bora Luther

21 Dec - St. Thomas, Apostle

22 Dec - Micah, Prophet

23 Dec - Ivo of Chartres, Bishop

24 Dec - Peter the Venerable, Abbot

25 Dec - THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

26 Dec - St. Stephen, First Martyr

27 Dec - St. John, Apostle & Evangelist

28 Dec - The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

29 Dec - King David, Patriarch and Prophet

30 Dec - Jonathan, Friend of David

31 Dec - Sylvester I of Rome, Bishop

The Highway of Holiness

It is not unlike it was in the case of the Prophet Jonah: You know that story, right?  He did not want to go, when God first sent him to Nineveh; but then, after three days and nights in the belly of the great fish, when God sent him again, the Prophet Jonah went and preached the wrath to be revealed against that wicked city.

And then, something surprising happened.  The people listened to the preaching!  And, from the king on his throne down to the lowliest peasant, they repented in sackcloth and ashes.  That was the first surprise.  The second surprise, to Jonah at least, was that God had mercy and spared the people of Nineveh.  His wrath was not yet revealed or vented against them.

And that made Jonah pout.  In fact, he was angry and upset with God.  He resented the grace and compassion of the Lord, His mercy and forgiveness, His slowness to anger, and His abundant loving-kindness.  The Prophet himself still needed to be catechized in the way of repentance; that he might learn to know and love the Lord within the Wisdom of the Cross.

It is a similar scenario in the case of John the Baptist.  Not that he has been reluctant in his preaching; not at all!  But that his expectations have also been redefined and turned about, in a way that he is still processing and learning to understand within the walls of his prison.

He has boldly spoken of the Coming One, the One mightier than he, who will thoroughly cleanse the threshing floor and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.  He has warned of divine wrath & vengeance against all unrighteousness, and of dire consequences for sin.  He has called out the self-righteous and commanded them to bear the fruits of repentance.

And all of this is exactly right.  It is the Word and Will of God.  It is the proclamation of the messenger who goes before the face of the Lord, to prepare His Way.  It is the preaching of the Elijah who was to come, by which the Lord God almighty accomplishes His purposes.

But what is the purpose of God?  That is the question.  That is, I believe, what St. John is wondering and wrestling with.  While imprisoned for his own faithfulness in preaching, he has been hearing of the works of Christ, and it doesn’t sound like what he was expecting.

Instead of calamity and consequences on the heads of sinners, there is compassion for the dregs of society.  Jesus has a growing reputation for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners.  It is true that, like St. John, He does call sinners to repentance, and He teaches them to live a new life within their calling.  And yet, something sure seems different.

It’s not that John the Baptist was wrong in what he has preached and practiced, but he hasn’t known the rest of the story.  The Kingdom of heaven is at hand, and there will be judgment, but righteousness itself is in the process of being redefined and fulfilled in Christ Jesus.  So it is that sinners are being rescued, whereas the righteous are suffering violence and hurt.

The great reversal is begun in the coming of the Christ, as His miracles of life and healing attest: The blind see; the lame walk; lepers are cleansed; the deaf begin to hear; and even the dead are raised up to newness of life; because the Gospel is preached, even to the poor.

This reversal of fortunes — such as we sing with the Blessed Virgin Mary in her Magnificat all year — is accomplished in the flesh and blood of Christ Jesus, the incarnate Son of God.  He was rich, but He made Himself poor, in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  He has come, not to condemn the world with the wrath of God against sin, but to bear that wrath in His own Body; to suffer death, so that we might live through Him.

Even now, the suffering of the righteous Forerunner at the hands of a violent and vacillating man, anticipates the Cross and Passion of the Mighty One who comes after him.  The very judgment that St. John proclaimed, the fire and brimstone that we heard from him last week, is voluntarily borne by the Son of Man — in whom the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!

He suffers violence against Himself, willingly, in order to save sinners: Not by condoning their sin, but by the way of repentance, that is, the dying and rising of contrition, confession, and faith in His forgiveness of sins.  His forgiveness is not license, but rescue from sin, and reconciliation with God.  It is righteousness and life, through His atonement and cleansing.

Beloved, His own Cross and Resurrection are your repentance and your righteousness, as you believe and are baptized into Him.  It is already anticipated and begun in His Baptism by St. John in the Jordan River.  There and then, much to St. John’s surprise, the Lord Jesus took upon Himself the repentance of sinners, and so entered upon the Way of His Cross.

His Repentance — His death upon the Cross, and then His Resurrection from the dead — that is “the Way” in the wilderness; which is the only Way into the Kingdom of heaven, but it passes through the midst of the desert, and through the valley of the shadow of death.

This difficult, narrow, and perilous Way of the Cross is the Highway of Holiness.  It is the Way of faith toward God, and of love for God and your neighbor.  It is the Way of Life that you now live, in and with Christ Jesus, as you follow after Him into His glorious Kingdom.

The irony and challenge is, that this Highway of Holiness appears to be sorrow and sighing.  For the Glory of the Kingdom is not yet by sight, but only by faith in the Word of Christ.  What you see with your eyes for the time being, and what you feel and experience, both within yourself and in the world around you, is still the Cross of suffering, sin, and death.

But the Truth remains in the Cross and Resurrection of Christ Jesus; and in His Baptism, which has become your Baptism — your water in the wilderness, your spring in the desert.

There’s no denying the harshness of your surroundings, nor the roughness of your own body and life.  But, even here, there is Life in the Cross and Resurrection of the Christ.  Indeed, there is Life to be found nowhere else, but only here, in this dying and rising of His, by which you are born, not of woman, but of God, into the Kingdom of heaven.

Repent, therefore, and return every day to the Way of the Cross.  Repent, and return to the Cross, by remembering and returning to your Baptism into Christ; that is, by hearing and heeding His Word, His preaching of repentance and the forgiveness of sins.  Listen to Him, and learn from Him.

Do not despair of God’s promises to you, which are “Yes!” and “Amen!” in Christ Jesus.  And do not grow weary of doing good, but take courage.  Persevere in your calling, and on your pilgrimage, by faith in the Word that God has spoken to you by His Son.  Be patient.

Consider the examples you have been given: The familiar story of Job in the Old Testament.  The ministry of St. John the Baptist, and of the Prophets and Apostles before and after him, who were persecuted and put to death for their faithfulness, and yet God accomplished His purposes through their words and their works.  So too, the example of your dear Lord Jesus  Christ, who suffered quietly and patiently in the confidence of His God and Father.  In His Resurrection from the dead, you hear the outcome of all His dealings with you.

What, then?  Do not become impatient, and don’t give yourself over to evil words and works of sin.  Do not grumble and complain.  Such words of anger and bitterness are powerful, and they lead, not to repentance, but to hardness of heart.  Instead of muttering against God and your neighbor, and about the place in life that God has given you, cleanse your heart and mind, your body, soul and spirit, your words and actions, by rehearsing the Word of Christ.

Pray and confess what you have heard from Him.  His Word is powerful, and it gives and does what it says: forgiveness and life in His Name, and faith and love by His Holy Spirit.  So, then, speak as He has spoken, and discipline yourself to live according to His Word; not as though to justify yourself, but as a disciple of Him who is your Justification.

Arm yourself, and armor yourself, with His Word; so that, by His Word and Spirit, you are not offended by Him or His Cross, but cling to His Cross in the hope of His Resurrection.

It is not likely that you, a Christian, would take offense at the Gospel story of His Cross, as you confess in the Creeds.  Neither take offense at the Cross that you are given to bear and to suffer in repentance.  Rather, persevere with patience in the promise of the Resurrection.  How so?  Again, by hearing and heeding His Word, and by rehearsing it daily in yourself.

For the Word of Christ is not simply true; it is living and active.  As you hear it preached, and as you pray and confess it (for yourself and for your neighbor), His Word bestows the Life that He has accomplished and obtained for you in His own Body of flesh and blood.

It is the Word of Christ that works His works for you, and in you, even unto faith and life in Him.  His Word puts you to death by His Cross, in order to raise you up to life eternal in His own Resurrection.  Thus, by His Word to you, He opens your ears to hear, your heart to believe, and your mind to comprehend His coming, even now, hidden under the Cross.

So it is that He heals you, strengthens and preserves you, in the midst of sin and death, and when you find yourself “imprisoned,” as it were, or seemingly trapped by circumstances.

And just as He has borne the Cross for you, and risen from the dead for you, so shall He also bring you safely through the sorrow and sighing of this present time, into the gladness and joy of the Resurrection and the Life everlasting.  Your body also, He shall raise, so that you will then see with your own eyes, what your ears now hear in His Word: The great Majesty and beautiful Glory of the Lord your God in the crucified and risen Body of Christ Jesus.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Repentance and the Righteous Reign of Christ

If there was urgency in the days of John the Baptist, there is no less so now, in these last days, in which God has spoken to us by His Son.  Indeed, the day of reckoning, the Day of Judgment — of salvation or damnation — is nearer now than when you first believed.

The Righteous Reign of God is at hand, in which all things are fulfilled and made right by His divine and holy will, and salvation is established for all the citizens of His Kingdom.

To receive Him as your King, and to live with Him in His Kingdom, is to hear and heed His holy Word; to believe and trust in it; and, by such faith, to live a godly life according to it.

But if, instead of a godly life according to His Word, you live as a god unto yourself, and you attempt to make your own life, and you presume to rule your own kingdom, then the coming of the true King is a very real threat to the false reign of your hard heart.  He will topple your self-made throne, and bring your castle crashing down around your deaf ears.

For those who are not ruled by Him; for those who reject Him and refuse to live under His Word; who will not receive Him as He is, but set themselves against Him in their sin — for them, the coming of the Lord, the Mighty One, is wrath and unquenchable fire.  It is eternal hell and damnation.  Not because the Lord is cruel or vindictive or angry all the time.  Far from it!  But rather because you cannot serve two masters, nor can you worship two gods.

If you are hell-bent on serving yourself, and if you persist in worshiping yourself, then you have set yourself at odds with the one true God, and you have declared war against Him (even in the pretense of your passive aggressive piety).  Then you have made the true King of heaven and earth into your Enemy.  But you will not win that war.  You shall not prevail, nor shall you stand against Him.  It is no contest.

If you would flee the wrath which is to come against all usurpers of God’s reign, and if you would not die but live forever by His grace — Repent.

Rely not on yourself; nor depend on your own intellect, ingenuity, elbow grease, or savvy; nor trust in your fine pedigree, whether it be your last name, your family heritage, or your confirmation once-upon-a-time.  Rather, acknowledge and confess your sins: That you are sinful and unclean, that you daily sin much, and that it’s not “okay” to be or live that way.

Consider the duties and responsibilities of your place in life, according to what the Lord your God has commanded.  And then, confess that you have failed and fallen short; that you have sinned in your thoughts, words, and actions — in what you have and have not done.

In this way, by contrition and confession, put yourself to death; and turn back to the Lord: Live, first of all, and foremost, for His Kingdom and His Righteousness.  That is to bear the fruits of faith and love in His Name, and for His sake.  Which means humility concerning yourself, yet confidence in Christ, your Savior and King; and, following His gracious rule, to exercise compassion and charity for your neighbor, and to persevere in your vocations.

All of this is what “such baptizing with water” signifies, in accordance with God’s command and at His Word.  This new righteousness of faith and life in Christ is what Baptism does, and what it gives to all those who receive it in repentant faith.

But, simply to be baptized — apart from such repentance and faith — that will not save you.  Not because there is anything lacking in Baptism (there is not), but because of what is lacking in you, in your heart and mind, in your body and life.

As with the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to St. John then, so also now, and to the end of the age: It is a misuse and abuse of Holy Baptism, to be baptized, or to have your children baptized, but then to depart from the Word and preaching of God, to absent yourself from His Church on earth, and to live unto yourself without faith toward Him and love for others.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down — and the chaff will be sifted out and separated from the wheat — and it will all be burned in a fire that does not go out.

So urgent, then, is the preaching of repentance, that you might be spared from such wrath.

For so it is, not only from dead trees, but even from hard stones, that God is ready, willing, and able to raise up children of faith: for father Abraham, yes, but, above all, for Himself.

To this end, the One mightier than John has come; and He enters upon His righteous reign, surprisingly, by submitting Himself to John’s Baptism of repentance.  He suffers Himself to be cut down by the axe, and to be engulfed by the fire of God’s righteous wrath; not for any sins of His own — He has none! — but for the sins of the world, He suffers and dies.

And from the root and stump of such death and damnation, His Tree of Death springs forth from the earth, and stands tall as a standard for the nations — and so also for you.

The Lord Jesus Christ and His Tree of the Cross bear the good fruits of repentance, for you and for the many: Such fruits are the mercies of God, His compassion for your suffering (even when it is your own fault), and His forgiveness of all your sins.

By these fruits of His Cross, your heart of stone becomes a new heart of flesh.  You cease to worship yourself, in order to worship the One who saves you.  And His Tree of Life bears good fruits after its own kind, even now in you.  For God’s Kingdom comes to you also, when the Father in heaven pours out His Holy Spirit generously upon you through Jesus Christ your Savior, who was crucified for all your sins and raised for your justification.

In His Resurrection is the righteousness by which you are raised up to live with Him in His Kingdom.  You are gathered with Him, as the finest wheat, into His barn forever and ever.  For the Resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead is already the judgment of God — the judgment of righteousness and salvation — for all who believe and are baptized into Him.

Do not doubt that, by your Holy Baptism, you pass through the waters of the Jordan River, out of the desert wilderness into the Promised Land of Canaan; and out of death and the grave into the resurrection of your body and the life everlasting.

This, indeed, is the Kingdom of heaven; which is at hand, here and now, in the crucified and risen Body of Christ Jesus.  It is here in the fruits of His Cross, which are given and poured out for you, for the forgiveness of all your sins, and for life and salvation in Him.  So does Christ, your gracious King, reign over you in Peace and Love, both now and forever.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let Our Jesus Rise Before You as Incense

“Abide with me,” O Lord.  That is your prayer this evening, and rightly so.  It is Israel’s prayer, as well, in the incense of the morning and evening sacrifice.  For the presence of God is your life and your salvation, your strength and your song.  Whereas, to be cast away from His presence, or for Him to part from you, that is death and damnation.

And yet, how shall you abide His coming or stand in His presence?  That, too, is the question confronting Israel.  His holiness is a fire that threatens to consume you.  His thunder, smoke, and lightning are very, very frightening; and the perfection of His Law must kill you, unless there be some mercy and compassion and forgiveness for your sins.

Indeed, there is such Gospel, divine grace and mercy, rescue and salvation.  In the Old Testament, even on terrible Mt. Sinai, the Lord — the Lord, patient and long-suffering, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love — He provided the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, the priesthood and sacrifices, as the means of His grace.

By and with these means, He has come and dwelt among His Israel of old, His glory in their midst, and He has gathered them to Himself, to abide with Him, to bear His Name, and to be His people, holy and righteous before Him, in spite of their sin.  He has obtained forgiveness for them.

Forgiveness of sins, atonement and cleansing, by and with the blood of bulls and goats, rams and sheep: because of the promised Seed of the Woman, the coming Seed of Abraham, Isaac, Israel, and Judah.  The Tabernacle and Temple, the Priesthood and its Ministry, and all those sacrificial victims, spoke of the Christ and pointed to Him, to His flesh and blood, to His Cross and Passion.

Now, then, by the coming of the Christ, the Lord your God has come down from heaven; the Mountain has become the Tent that travels with you; and the Holy, Holy, Holy One abides with you and among you in Peace.  His holiness does not consume you, but cleanses and sanctifies you.  His righteousness does not condemn you, nor cast you away from His presence, but justifies you by His grace, through faith in His Name.

Thus, the “Advent” of your true King, that is, the coming of your dear Lord, Jesus Christ, is your Prayer, and the Answer to your prayer.  For He is God with you.  And in Him, man is truly reconciled to God, and lives and abides within the unity and harmony of the Holy Trinity.

Such great and precious promises He has given and fulfilled for you!  By His coming to you, by His choosing and calling of you, He brings you, not merely close, but to partake of the divine nature in His own human flesh and blood.

In Christ there is such deep and permanent intimacy of God with man, and man with God, that neither sin nor death nor anything else shall be able to separate you from Him.  Of this blessed fellowship with God in Christ, even marriage and family are but a foretaste and a temporary sign; in the way that the Tabernacle, Priesthood, and Sacrifice anticipated the coming of Christ.

The Tipping Point is there in the Temple with righteous Zacharias, as he is offering the incense in the Holy Place, in accordance with his priestly order.  The Word of the Lord comes to him by His messenger, the Archangel Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God: For the Incense of Israel’s prayer has been received, and the prayer of God’s people has been heard and answered in mercy.  The Lord is at hand; He is near, and He is coming with Redemption.

He comes, first of all, by the priestly ministry and preaching of St. John, the Forerunner, the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth.  His conception, birth, and name are from the Lord, by grace alone.  For he points to the Christ and ushers Him in: from the desert wilderness into promised Canaan by way of the waters of the Jordan River.

And so He comes, your King, the Blessed One, the Holy One of Israel; not only for Judah and Jerusalem, but for you, and for all who are far off.  He comes in His own flesh, in the House of His Father David, to pitch His Tent and to make His Home with the children of men.  He tabernacles among us, and He offers up Himself to become the Temple of God, the merciful and great High Priest, and the Sacrifice to end all sacrifices for sin.

He comes, and He binds all things together in Himself: He re-gathers His Creation and makes it all brand new in His own holy Body.  He recalls and gathers to Himself all the lost sheep of Israel, and from all the nations.  He unites the heavens and the earth, and God and man, in His one Person.

And yet, He is also given into death for the brokenness of man, in order to make His people whole in His Resurrection from the dead.  He sheds His holy and precious Blood to make Atonement for all transgressions and iniquity, in order to pour out His Life-giving Holy Spirit upon all flesh.

He does it, too.  He does it now for you, and even to the ends of the earth.  He has come to you in mercy and in peace, and He gives nothing less than Himself to you by the Word and promise of His Gospel; by the preaching of His Holy Absolution; by the waters of His own Baptism, with which He has also baptized you; and by His Body given and His Blood poured out for you to drink.

By this Word of the Gospel, God the Father speaks to you by His Son.  And so it is that your mouth and lips are opened, and your tongue is loosed, in order to show forth His praise, to pray and confess, and to sing the sweet song of salvation, which is the New Song of the Lamb.

Apart from Him, who is the Word-made-Flesh, you have no word to speak, and nothing to say.  Without Christ, you are mute, as Zacharias was, no matter how much you chatter and ramble on; so that you might wait upon the Word of the Lord, and on His fulfillment.  This, too, is mercy.
The Lord sets a watch before your mouth, and He guards the door of your lips, that you might not sin with your tongue and be devoured by the fires of your own grumbling and false confession.

But that is not all that He does for you.  When you have thus been silenced by His Law, the Lord yet speaks to you in love.  The Father speaks to you by His Son, so that you, in turn, may speak to Him, your God and Father, by the same Son, Jesus Christ; so that you may pray and sing.

By His Cross and Resurrection, and by the preaching of repentance and forgiveness through His Cross and Resurrection, the loud and noisy rabble are quieted, and the mute are given voice; the mighty are humbled, and the humbled are exalted.  You are humbled and exalted in Christ Jesus.  You are reconciled to the one true God in Him.  Both you and your prayers are received into the presence of the Lord for eternal Life and everlasting Salvation.

For so it is, that, in Christ Jesus, the Lord your God has turned His fatherly heart toward you in mercy and compassion; and He has come to you, to be and abide with you in righteousness and peace, and so to bring you to Himself, a beloved child.

For as the Son of God is lifted up on His Tree of the Cross, and then also in His Resurrection and Ascension, He is the Incense and the morning and evening Sacrifice by which you also enter the Holy of Holies, to abide with Him who abides with you, both here and now, and forever and ever.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Wake Up and Walk in the Light of Christ

Beloved, it is time to wake up, to rouse yourself and shake off your sleepiness.  Get up and pay attention.  Watch and wait upon the Lord, fully alert and constantly vigilant.  Open your ears, and open your eyes.  Can you not hear?  Do you not see?

Now is the appointed time.  The Hour is at hand.  Today is the day of salvation.

That is why you are here, and what you are here for.  There is no other point or purpose.  Here is the Lord.  He is faithful and just, and He has salvation for you.

Listen to His voice, and consider what He says.  Hear the words of His Prophets, and give attention to the doctrine of His Apostles.  Heed His preaching of repentance, and now, behold that your King is coming to you.  He is both David’s Son and David’s Lord, and He is here to save you, to redeem you from all evil, to grant you peace & rest in His Kingdom.

He is not a king like those who rule the nations of this old world.  His almighty power is manifest in His voluntary weakness.  He comes not with macho bravado, but with gentle compassion and tender mercy.  He rides no mighty stallion, drives no iron chariot, carries no weapons of war, but meekly mounted on a donkey He comes with only the Breath of His mouth, the sharp two-edged sword of His Word.

He comes to slay the wicked, that is sure, but He does it by the shedding of His own blood.  He disarms the enemy of God and man, the devil, by His self-sacrifice upon the Cross.  He gives Himself as the Propitiation for the sins of the world, to make atonement for everyone, to redeem us all from death and hell, and to reconcile us to His God and Father in heaven.

It is by the way of His Cross that He has come to give Himself a ransom for many, and by His Cross He comes to you now — at this Hour, on this Lord’s Day — in His holy Church.

This truly is the Lord’s House, the heart and center of His holy City, the New Jerusalem, on earth now, even as it is in heaven.  That is because He is here with you, with His Word, and by His Word the fruits of His Cross are here, which are indeed the first fruits of the New Creation, given and poured out for you and for the many, for the forgiveness of all sins.

He has established His Church on earth, and also on the corner of Milton and Dale here in South Bend, as a city on a hill, as the highest of mountains, in order to call and gather the nations to Himself: to the repentance of His Cross & Resurrection, unto the life everlasting.

Within His Church, He catechizes you in His ways — by His Word of the Cross, by His life-giving Holy Spirit — that you may walk in His paths of faith and love.

Therefore, walk properly, as in the day, and not as a nighttime carouser.  Put away the works of darkness, and all the lusts of your flesh.  Put away your pornography, your fornication and adultery.  Put away your gluttony and drunkenness.  Put away your love of money, your craving for material things, your hunger for entertainment, and every distraction that pulls you away from the needs of your family, friends and other neighbors.

Put away your toys, of whatever kind, when they prevent you from good works of service.

Put away your pursuit of pleasure, of whatever kind, when it prevents you from prayer.

Put away the selfish passions of your sinful flesh, of whatever kind, and walk in the light of Christ Jesus.  That is to fear, love and trust in Him above all other gods; and so to live in love for your neighbor — as Christ the Lord has lived, and ever lives, in love for you.

The Law of love is simple enough: Do no harm to your neighbor, but help him as you can.  Which is to do unto others as your dear Lord Jesus does unto you.  Therefore, dress yourself in Him.  Wear Him on your sleeve, as it were, so that your neighbors all around you might see His good works in you and glorify your God and Father in heaven.

Beloved, the Lord has need of you.  Not the “need” of any lack or deficiency on His part, but the need of His grace, mercy, and compassion for you, and for your neighbor.  He would have you bear the burden of His cross, as He has borne the Cross for you, that you would share His life and His glory — and that you would thereby also share His love for others.

Whatever your particular calling and station in life; whatever your age; whether you are still a student in school, actively employed or looking for a job, or living in retirement; whether you are a boy or a girl, a child or adult, married or unmarried — the Lord has good and worthwhile work for you to do.  He has a meaningful purpose for your body and life, even if you are unable to discern what good you are doing.  He calls you simply to do the duties of your place in life — to do so in faith toward Him, and in love toward others — and to be content with whatever He would thus accomplish in you and through you by His grace.

But the Lord Jesus also beholds that you are pretty tied up, entangled within yourself and in this world of sin.  You were conceived and born in bondage to another lord and master, and by your sinful nature you are frequently ensnared by that dark lord’s enticements and driven by that cruel master’s whip.  You cannot set yourself free, nor can you cover your shame.  You are found either naked in your sin or dressed in the devil’s prison garb.

So Jesus sends His disciples to loose you from your bonds.  He has seen you from afar, He has known you and loved you, before you ever knew Him, and He has sent His men to set you free from the ropes and chains that bind you: from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

He sends His two disciples, called and ordained to be servants of His Word, to bring you to Himself.  At His divine command, they clothe you in the garments of discipleship, by the catechesis of His Word and the washing of water with His Word in Holy Baptism.  They set the Lord Jesus Himself upon you — His sign of the Cross upon your forehead and your heart, His flesh and blood upon your body and soul — with the forgiveness of all your sins.

There are those disciples who thus go before Him, before His face wherever He Himself shall come.  And there are those disciples who follow after Him in faithful service, young and old, from nursing babes and infants to old men and women with grey hairs or balding.

Some are simply swept up in the crowd and carried along after Jesus.  Do not underestimate the power of positive peer pressure and the infectious attraction of sincere faith and love.

Your children and grandchildren are watching you, as well as your friends and neighbors, and they observe your enthusiasm for the Church and Ministry of the Gospel.  If they follow you in curiosity, Christ be praised if they get caught up in the crowd that praises Him.

Others may not heed the crowd, whether it is big or small, but in single-minded devotion they lay down their possessions, their bodies, and their very lives, in the way of the Cross of Christ.  Such holy martyrs are also an example for you, that you might consider what is of lasting value and importance, as compared to that which is fleeting and fading away.

But you do not become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ — and you do not enter with Him into His holy City — not by any choice or decision of your own; nor by any of your own works of love; nor by your own fulfillment of the Law.

In truth, your sinful flesh does not possess the faithful heart of a disciple.  You cannot choose what is good and right by your fallen reason or mortal strength.  Conceived and born in sin, you have no love in you that does not begin with an idolatrous love for yourself.  As such, far from fulfilling the Law, you cannot even begin to bear its weighty burdens.

The demands of the Law are simple enough, no doubt, and yet they are impossible for you.

No, it is not you, but Christ the King who has fulfilled the entire Law in His love for you and for all.  It is in that righteousness of His that He has come into His City and to His House, even here, having salvation for you.

This coming of Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law, because He comes in selfless love for His neighbor.  In the fear, love, and trust of His Father, He comes in love for you.  So does He enter into His glory, and He becomes your King, by coming in humility and gentle obedience, and by submitting Himself to sacrificial death upon the Cross on your behalf.

He has suffered Himself to be your Beast of burden, who has borne both you and all your sins in His own body.  Your sins He has put to death by His Cross, but you He raises from the dead in His own Resurrection: by His Gospel.  Daily He does so, again and again.

This Gospel — which is the Lord’s forgiveness of your sins and His free gift of salvation — this Gospel is the Light of Christ that now shines forth within and from His Church on earth, from His holy Cross.  For, again, this surely is the Lord’s House in the City of our God, the chief of all the mountains, to which all the nations are called.

To which you, dear child of God, are called.

It is this call of the Gospel that rouses you and wakes you from your stupor, and raises you up from the sleep of death to the life of Christ, to live and walk in the way of His Cross.

It is this Light of the Gospel that shines upon the path, enlightening your heart and mind, so that you are not swallowed up by the darkness of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh.  Not that you ever hit your stride perfectly in this valley of the shadow of death, but that He comes striding in, your King, who saves you by forgiving you, day after day.

The darkness that otherwise reigns within you and all around you is dispersed by the glory of this King and the brightness of His rising, which is the preaching of His righteousness.

For here He comes to you in love, no less so than when He came into Jerusalem to take up His Cross and suffer His Passion.  And here He gives Himself to you in perfect peace, so that you find your Sabbath rest and your everlasting joy in Him.

He comes to you here in gentleness and meekness, riding the donkey and colt of a chalice and paten, little more than a simple cup and saucer, but so to feed you with His own holy Body and precious Blood, as the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away all of your sins.

Rejoice, O daughter, O son, and welcome Him in faith.  Lay your old garments under His feet, for you are fully clothed and covered by His righteousness and holiness, by His grace.  And hail His gentle mercy toward you by loving your brothers and sisters in His Name, with whom you are here called and gathered together.

Here now, beloved, walk in the Light of Christ.  Form a procession up to His Altar, and lay hold of Him there.  For He is your gracious King, your one true God, your Savior and Redeemer, your benevolent Lord and Master.  He is the Son of David, who comes to save you now.  Hosanna in the highest!  Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The Word Is Near You

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God — by Whom all things were made.  In Him is Life, and the Light of the world, and the divine Love that upholds all things.

That Word has become flesh and dwells among us in grace and truth.  He has become like you, in order to be your Savior and to share His Life with you.  Having become true Man, He has borne your sins in His own body of flesh, and He has shed His blood to atone for all your sins.

This is what the Word of God has done for you.

He has created you for life and love.  He has fashioned your flesh, given you the blood in your veins, and breathes oxygen into your lungs, with the good and gracious will that you should live, not only here and now, but with Him forever.

For it is not only that He has become like you, but He has made you to be like Him.  He has created you in His Image, in order that you might become and be His brother; and that His God and Father should thus be your God and Father; so that His Holy Spirit should also abide in you and with you, and rest upon you, and remain with you, unto the life everlasting.

Therefore, the same Word of God who became flesh, true Man born of Mary, still comes to you and makes His dwelling with you.

He has not only given Himself for you and atoned for all your sins, but He comes to give Himself to you, to save you from your sin and death.

Being the Word of God, He comes to you by speaking, by the voice of preaching.  That is why St. John the Baptist was sent by God, a voice in the wilderness, to preach and point to Christ Jesus, the Word-made-Flesh, the Lamb of God.  In and with that voice of preaching, Jesus Himself drew near to His people and appeared among them.  And He has ever since continued to call and send preachers in His Name.

As St. John preached and pointed out Jesus to Andrew, and Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, so did Andrew and Peter preach to countless others.  And, following in their footsteps, first as disciples and then as ministers of the Word, the Lord has provided a holy tradition of pastors and preachers in every time and place, even to this time and place, even here and now.

The holy Apostles are the Lord’s first and foremost gift to His Church on earth — His one holy catholic and Apostolic Church — because, not only did they preach Christ and administer His Sacraments in their own day, but by their example and the inspired record of their words and works, of their doctrine and fellowship, Christ Jesus still draws near and dwells among us.  So does He speak to you and dwell with you today.

It is especially appropriate that the Feast of St. Andrew should mark the beginning of the Church Year, and the beginning of holy Advent — the sacred season of our Lord’s coming — since Andrew was among the first of our Lord’s disciples and Apostles.  Though we have no Scriptures from his hand, we have the apostolic witness of his life and ministry, of his discipleship and apostleship.  He heard and followed Christ Jesus, preached His Gospel, absolved sinners, baptized and communed disciples, and finally gave his body and life for this Ministry of Christ, our Lord.

Truly it is meet, right and salutary that we should remember St. Andrew with thanks and praise to the One who called and sent him.

The preaching of Christ Jesus is fundamental and necessary to faith and life and salvation, as much so as the Cross and Resurrection.  And the apostolic office of preaching is fundamental to that ministry of faith and life.  For how should any preacher preach the Word of Christ, if he is not called and sent by that one Lord, Jesus Christ, in His Name and stead, with His own voice and authority of the Gospel?

But, Christ be praised, that He does call and send preachers, and He puts His Word on their lips, into their mouths — His preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Like the Prophets before them, and like St. John the Baptist, St. Andrew and St. Peter and the other Apostles, and the pastors and preachers who have followed them in the Office of the Holy Ministry, have been appointed and ordained as watchmen for the Church on earth.  They warn against sin and unbelief, in order to turn you away from death.  And along with that, they preach Christ Himself, His Gospel and His Life into your ears, into your heart and mind, into your body and your whole life.  So it is that you live instead of dying.

The preaching of Christ Jesus is the preaching of forgiveness, because He truly is the Lamb of God who takes away your sins.  And that preaching of the Gospel of forgiveness is “the Word of faith,” because it is by that preaching of Christ that your ears are opened to hear Him, and your heart is opened to believe in Him, to fear, love and trust in Him.

Christ and His Spirit are actively present and at work in this preaching, and through this preaching, to create and nurture faith in your heart; in much the way that God created all things out of nothing by His Word, and called forth light out of the darkness by His Word.

That same Word of Christ that is preached to you, also opens your lips and your mouth to confess His Name and to call upon His Name.  And you shall not be put to shame; because He has mercy upon you, and He saves you by His grace — by this preaching of His Word of the Gospel.

Not only does this preaching of Christ Jesus forgive you and save you from sin and death, but it still points you to this Lamb of God, and it gives you life and salvation by setting you at His Table to feast upon His flesh and blood.  His sacrifice upon the Cross was once and for all, but just as He is risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, so is this great Feast of His Sacrifice, His Holy Communion, an ongoing and never ending meal of Salvation.

How much closer could He be to you, than He is here in this Feast of His Body and His Blood?

So, then, do you want to know where He is staying?

Come, and you will see.  Hear and heed His Word, His preaching, and follow Him here to His house, and stay with Him here, where He stays with you.

He is here with you and for you — He is near you, in your ears, and in your mouth, and in your heart — because He sends His preacher to you here, and He causes His Word to be preached to you here, and He draws near to dwell with you in this preaching.  This Word forgives you and feeds you, and it shall not fail you.  For this Word of Christ is the Love of God, His Life and Light and Salvation — for you and for the many.  He is the Christ, the Messiah, and He has found you here.

In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.