The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2023

Psalm 34; Sirach 24:7-8, 10-15a; Hebrews 4:1-10

St. Luke 10:38-42

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

“Brethren, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”[1] The word “dormition” is simply a fancy way to say, “the falling asleep” and in this case it is a euphemism for death. Other cultures, believers and unbelievers alike, have compared death to sleep. For the unbeliever, this can only ever be a euphemism, a nice way to say something unpleasant. For the Christian, it is a euphemism, but it is also true on its face. When the Christian dies, she enters rest. Her body is laid in the earth to finish the decay wrought in the flesh by sin. There is no tension, pain, or stress remaining in the flesh. It is at rest even as it is returned to dust.

Her soul is taken to the bosom of Christ, her true rest. Here, the Christian knows rest like she’s never known before. All tears, worries, cares, and anxieties are wiped away. All that she now knows is peace and joy.

All of you have the promise of this peace and rest at this very moment. By virtue of your Holy Baptism, by being placed into the name of Jesus, you have been given the promise of eternal rest with Christ. This promise does come with a warning. The promise cannot be taken from you, but you can forfeit it. You can give up your claim to the promise. This happens when you stop paying attention to the promise and to the One who has given that promise to you.

In the Gospel, we heard of Mary and Martha—Mary who chose to listen attentively to Jesus and Martha who busied herself with much serving.[2] I’m still not convinced this is the same Mary that bore our Lord, but she exhibits the same type of faith as the Blessed Virgin. Both understand the importance of the Word of God and how to place her own wants and desires beneath that of God. Both trust that what God has to say and what God is doing is to her benefit, even if neither comprehends it fully. ‘The dishes can wait, Jesus is speaking.’ ‘My plans for a fancy church wedding can wait, I am to be the mother of God.’ 

“Brothers, and all who have come to this place at this hour of our mother Mary’s departure, you have done well to light lamps that shine with the fire of this visible earth. But I wish that each of you will also take hold of his immaterial lamp in the age that has no end; this is the threefold lamp of the inner person, which is body and soul and spirit. For if these three shine forth with the true fire, for which you are now struggling, you will not be ashamed when you enter into the marriage-feast to rest with the bridegroom. So it is with our mother Mary. For the light of her lamp fills the world, and will not be quenched until the end of the ages, so that all who wish to be saved may take courage from her. Do not think, then, that Mary’s death is death! It is not death, but eternal life, because ‘the death of the just will be proclaimed glorious before the Lord’ (Ps 115:15 [Psalm 116:15]). This, then, is glory, and the second death will have not power to do them harm.”[3]

These words are spoken by St. Peter in one of the earliest records we have of the death of St. Mary. They are a summary of the importance and purpose for remembering her death. It is good if you have faith in this life but if you allow the lamp of faith to falter in your dying hour, then that faith is for nothing. Throughout this account of St. Mary’s death, she is preparing to die. Even the mother of God is frightened over the prospect of death. She knows that it will be Satan’s last chance to tempt her away from the faith and he will be like a cornered and rabid dog, viciously seeking to tear her away from her Son and Lord.

St. Paul gives the Hebrews a similar warning: “Since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”[4] This is not so much in the spirit of a finger wag, “You better start paying more attention or else…” as it is a warning of danger. Know that death is real. Know that Satan is real. Know that the demons are real. Do not fear them, for Christ has conquered them for you. But do be cautious of them. Do know that your own strength, your own efforts, are not enough to overcome them.

At the same time, know that your life as a Christian is not to sit on the couch and just assume that Jesus does everything so you can watch TV. This is the laxity that can damn. On the other hand, there is the business which can damn. Martha is distracted by serving such that she doesn’t have time to hear the Word of God.

What does St. Mary do when she is concerned about the impending temptations associated with her death? She prays to Christ. She prays, remembers the promises He has given her, reminds Him of His promises, recites Scripture, then lays the outcome in the pierced hands of Jesus.

If the mother of God, who saw multiple angels in her lifetime, bore the Son of God, watched Him die, saw Him rise, and likely watched Him ascend into heaven, had a moment of fear, doubt, or worry concerning the temptations which arise before death, don’t be ashamed of your own fears, doubts, and worries. The Lord regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden, and He will do the same for you. He who is mighty has done great things to her and He will do the same to you.

We do not gather tonight to worship St. Mary. Scripture makes it clear that the promise of eternal rest does not lie in created humans. “If Joshua had given them rest, then [God] would not afterward have spoken of another day.”[5] Even the early accounts of St. Mary’s death have people try to claim miracles on her behalf, to which an angel says, “No one can perform miracles apart from [Jesus’] hands. For He provides power to everything that is.”[6] And when some relatives scoff that Mary is concerned about temptation, she rebukes them and tells them to pay attention to their faith, lest their own lamps go out and they miss the Bridegroom.[7]

We gather to give thanks to God that He has shown mercy on us by the Incarnation of His Son. We give thanks that St. Mary was the vessel chosen to bear the Christ child so that all mankind could be saved. We give thanks that God has chosen to give to His church a mother, not infallible, but as the figurehead of the Church.

We gather tonight that our faith would be strengthened. If Mary could tremble at temptation and yet be given holy rest in Christ, then so can we.

We gather tonight that we might learn to imitate the faith of St. Mary, she who always displayed a proper orientation toward the will of God, submitting her own will to His. We learn to imitate her humility and her steadfastness, insisting that God keep His promises to her now and at the hour of her death.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Hebrews 4:1.

[2] St. Luke 10:38-42.

[3] John of Thessalonica, “The Dormition of Our Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary,” On the Dormition of Mary, Popular Patristics Series, Vol 18, translated by Brian E. Daley, series editor John Behr (Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1997), 58.

[4] Hebrews 4:1.

[5] Hebrews 4:8.

[6] John of Thessalonica, “The Dormition of Our Lady,” 50.

[7] John of Thessalonica, “The Dormition of Our Lady,” 53.

Christmas Eve

The Eve of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas Eve) – December 24, 2022[1]

Psalm 2; Isaiah 9:2, 6-7a; Titus 2:11-15a

St. Luke 2:1-14

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

This night, we celebrate the visitation of an angel, that heralds the arrival of the Christ. An angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds in the field and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were afraid.[2] And the angel said to them, “Fear not.” An angel, likely the same angel, appeared to Zachariah, to Joseph, and to Mary herself, announcing the coming of the Lord and each time saying, “Do not be afraid.” These angels came not to bar the gates to eternity, but to announce their being flung open. The Christ child is born in the city of David to bring peace to man.

This peace is brought about through reconciliation. The birth of the Christ brings reconciliation between man and the holy angels. To be reconciled does not mean “to let bygones be bygones.” Reconciliation requires acknowledgment of the harm done, restitution or atonement for that harm, and forgiveness by the one harmed.

The presence of angels almost always strikes fear into the heart of man because angels are the messengers of God and man’s heart is sinful from birth. Our wickedness, our sinfulness, even the inclination to sin is an abuse of the life God has created within us. We have taken His good creation and corrupted it. We have stolen what is rightly His. We have blasphemed His holy name by acting in wickedness. By our actions and our inactions, by our thoughts and lack of prayers, by our own faults, by our own most grievous faults, we have broken the relationship between God and man because we have placed ourselves before Him.

Yet this night, the presence of the angels no longer sparks fear, but joy. The words “Fear not,” are an absolution, words which restore the relationship between two people. The angels have come to announce the coming of the Reconciler, God’s Anointed. “When all was still and it was midnight, [the] Almighty Word…descended from the royal throne.”[3] The cattle, donkeys, and sheep even take notice. These beasts lift their heads in recognition that the Creator has entered creation for the sake of bringing reconciliation to the cosmos.

The reconciliation celebrated by the holy angels is achieved in the flesh of Jesus Christ. The very Son of God, Second Person of the Trinity, unites Himself to us by becoming one of us. His flesh is no different than your flesh or mine. Yet within His flesh dwells the fulness of divinity. He is truly the God-Man. Christ’s divinity and humanity are the significance of the bright shining “glory of God” which shone around the angels when the shepherds saw them.

By taking on our flesh, He not only makes us his brothers and sisters, but He gives us the right to become children of the Father. This right is given to those who receive Christ through faith. No longer are they born of the sinful flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.[4] Your heavenly inheritance is eternal life with Christ.

Already in the manger, the Christ child lays wrapped in swaddling clothes. These clothes point forward to the burial shroud which will again envelop his body. The flesh which Christ has assumed within the Virgin Mother will lay in a virgin tomb for three days. The death of Christ is the necessary condition for reconciliation with the Father. Christ declares He makes a new covenant in His blood and a covenant takes effect only by the shedding of blood. After the three days’ rest, that same flesh rose again, to restore you and all creation to a holy relationship with the Father, and one another.

“If we had not inherited sin, the fellowship of nature would move us so much that everyone would love his neighbor as much as he loved himself, because we would all be of one essence, of one blood and of one relationship. A few sparks of that kind of natural attachment still remain in the love between parents and their children [and] between married couples – whose light of love would be far brighter, had not the darkness of sin overshadowed it. Now Christ’s flesh is a holy flesh, which has not been poisoned by sin in the least; that’s why this fire of love burns in it brightly and undarkened so that Christ heartily and passionately loves us because we are His flesh and blood.”^[5]  

Thus the glory of the Lord shone around the holy angels as they visited the shepherds. The angels gather this night, with all the saints of God as we joined them in song, “Glory be to God on High, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”[6] Soon, we will again join them, the angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, singing, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Sabbaoth. Heaven and earth are full of your glory! Hosanna in the Highest!”[7]

You see, the songs of the angels rejoice at the Incarnation. They rejoice when God comes near to His people, when there is peace is the world. The Son of God becomes the Son of Man that you would have peace with God. We rejoice in the presence of our Lord this very night. He is not locked in heaven as some would imagine. He is here, present for you in Body and Blood. The very flesh by which Jesus won your reconciliation with God is now present for you to be eaten. He has partaken of you in His Incarnation that you might partake of Him in his Exultation.

Bethlehem is not just the site of Jesus’ birth and the city of David. The very name “Bethlehem” means “house of bread.” The Bread come down from heaven was born in a manger, that you would find your home with him.[8] He who eats Christ’s flesh and drinks Christ’s blood abides in Him.[9]

The Advent fast has come to an end. With full joy and splendor, we celebrate Christ’s presence among us now and every day until the visible return of Christ in the flesh. We look to the shining light of Christ’s glory found in a chalice and on a paten. Christ is with you. This is the time when Christ was born, when a Savior appeared. This is the time when angels and archangels sing and the righteous exult and proclaim, “Glory to God in the Highest! Alleluia!”  

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] The propers used are appointed for the Christmas Midnight Mass.

[2] St. Luke 2:9-10.

[3] Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15.

[4] St. John 1:12-13.

[5] Johann Gerhard, “On Holy Christmas Day II,” Postilla, Vol 1 (Malone, TX: The Center for Lutheran Orthodoxy, 2003), 60.

[6] St. Luke 2:14.

[7] Isaiah 6:3 (the Sanctus).

[8] St. John 6:32-33.

[9] St. John 6:56.

Wednesday Vespers following Populus Zion (Advent 2)

Wednesday Vespers following Populus Zion – December 7, 2022

Psalm 85; Malachi 3:1-5; 4:1-6

St. Matthew 11:11-15

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

The Book of the Prophet Malachi is somewhat of a mystery. We know it was written after the return from exile and after the restoration of the Temple. It seems that it was written either at the same time as Ezra or within a generation. Worship in the Temple had been restored and enough time had passed for both the people and the priests to grow weary of the temple sacrifices.

It is so easy to become weary with the things of God. Reading the same texts year in and year out becomes boring. The hymns of our fathers aren’t relevant.

Another way to become weary is to shift your focus. Rather than reading the Word of God, it is more exciting to listen to radio preachers, watch the History Channel, or let your pastor do the heavy lifting. “As long as he is preaching, I don’t need to read it.” If you can’t remember singing a hymn from your childhood, then it must not be a traditional hymn. Decorations, presents, and parties are the focus of Advent rather than repentance, the Word of God, and preparing to receive your Lord. The world is having fun so why can’t we?

In Malachi’s day, the people began to bring sick, blind, and lame animals to be offered as sacrifices. Our Lord denounces these actions for two reasons. First, they are disobeying His commandment. His people have been commanded to bring Him the first fruits of their labor, the best of what they have to offer. By bringing diseased animals, the people are mocking the Lord as though He wouldn’t notice or as though they are more worthy of a healthy beast than God.

Second, the people of God are despising His priests. The Levites were given no inheritance, no land on which to raise cattle or wheat. They were sustained by the offerings of the people. By offering sick and blind animals, the people are depriving the Levites of their wages. They are depriving the ministers of God of their rightful sustenance that they might dedicate their lives to God, His Word, and His people.

At the same time, our Lord denounces the priests as well. The priests have failed in their duty to warn the people. Rather than rebuke them for offering profaned sacrifices, the priests were accepting these sickly animals and proclaiming the people righteous for it. The priests failed both to teach the people concerning right sacrifice and to guard the Temple of the Lord from profane things.

It is again, so easy to become weary with the things of God. Why bring God a tenth of what you have when He already has everything? Why offer the sacrifice of prayer when God already knows what you need? Why worry about avoiding sin when God has promised to forgive your sins? When your sins have been washed away in Baptism? When you can come to confession?

Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.”[1] God will not sit idly by while His people become weary and His preachers become lazy. He sent His messenger in the person of St. John the Baptist, whose duty was to prepare the hearts of men to receive their Lord.[2] How is a heart prepared to receive his Lord? It is prepared by being confronted by sin. St. John did not have a pleasant job. He was not given the task of preaching concerning the vision of a beautiful heaven. He, like Malachi, was called to teach concerning the Law of God. When the people are not following the Law of God, John must show them their sin.

It is never fun to be told you are sinning. No one likes to hear his conscience say, “Don’t do that! God is watching!” let alone to have someone else do it. Cries of “Tyranny!” and “Who do you think you are?!” and “Who made you God?!” immediately burst from our lips.

At the same time, we ought to be thankful for Malachi and John. Men like these, sent by God, are messengers sent before the coming of the King. It is their duty to prepare you so that you will not be caught unawares.

“Who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?”[3] None can stand according to our sin. None can stand according to our nature. None can stand without having heard the preaching of men like Malachi and John.

When the Lord comes, “He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap.”[4] If you remain in your sins, if you reject the Word of God, if you reject the preaching of Malachi, you are a solid rod of dross. When the refiner’s fire is applied to the rod, it will be entirely burned up.

But to you who fear the Name of the Lord, you are a rod with a core of silver. When the refiner’s fire is applied to you, your sinful dross which still clings to you, will be purged from the rod. Such purgation will leave behind a pure rod, a rod of pure silver. It is this pure rod which can offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness, pleasant to the Lord.[5]

The faith of the people in Malachi’s day was revealed in their profane sacrifices. The faith of the priests was revealed in their sloth. No one needs to claim that we cannot see their hearts because their faith is revealed in the works of their hands. This has not changed. Your faith is seen in the works of your hands.

Now, do not mistake me. Do not lie awake tonight trembling over your works, “Have I done enough? Have I done the right things? How much more do I need to do?” These questions are useless. God is not concerned with the quantity of your works. Malachi is no where writing about such questions. God is concerned with the orientation of your heart. Do you seek to follow the Word of God? Do you fear the Name of the Lord?

“To you who fear [God’s] name, The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.”[6] To fear the name of the Lord is akin to loving Him. It means you do not want to disappoint Him. It means you understand that you are undeserving of His love. It means you trust that He has forgiven your sins by His mercy and that even still, you are as an ant to a young boy with a magnifying glass in hand. To fear the Name of the Lord is to desire never to disappoint your Heavenly Father and trust that He will always, always hold you tenderly in His hand.

The rising of the Sun of Righteousness points directly to the Incarnation of our Lord. It speaks of His descending into the flesh of man because in this flesh, He brought healing. The Second Person of the Holy Trinity became man so that He could die. By His death, you are healed. You are purged of the sin and filth of former times. You are made righteous, as in the days of old, as in former years, when Adam and Eve were made stewards over the earth but had not submitted to temptation.

Though your eyes cannot see it and experience tells you otherwise, this healing has already taken place. It occurred when Christ breathed His last on Friday and then breathed again on Easter morning. By this healing, “you shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that” Christ conquered death.[7] Though the world roar and foam; though Satan claw at your soul with his wickedly sharp talons; though your own heart would leap from your chest to obtain the objects of its lust; you shall trample such wickedness because Christ is yours. Because your heart has been turned toward your Father and His heart toward you.

Therefore, “remember the Law of Moses, [God’s] servant.”[8] That is, remember the Law of the Lord. Until Christ returns, it will never seem like you are trampling on the wicked. In fact, it will always appear that the wicked triumph and the Church suffers. In this age, it is necessary to remember the moral law, to recite the Ten Commandments and the Table of Duties, so that you would not grow weary. Do not grow weary of righteousness so that you will not be caught unawares. Do not grow weary of hearing the preaching of Malachi and John so that you too would be called to repentance. Repent for the sake of loving your Heavenly Father.

Repent now, for the reality is that the triumph of the wicked is only an illusion. The wicked are nothing more than a wolf backed into a corner. They lash out fiercely because they know they are soon to die. The war is won. The wicked are defeated. Any last efforts are only the final actions of a dead man, because the Sun of Righteousness has arisen and has brought healing to all who hear the Word of the Lord.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Malachi 3:1.

[2] St. Matthew 11:14.

[3] Malachi 3:2.

[4] Malachi 3:2.

[5] Malachi 3:2-4.

[6] Malachi 4:2.

[7] Malachi 4:3.

[8] Malachi 4:4.