Lent Midweek 4

Lent Midweek 4 – April 2, 2025

Psalm 122; Ezekiel 36:23a, 23c-28

St. John 9:1-38

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

When the disciples as Jesus, ‘Who sinned? This man or his parents that he was born blind?” they are asking Him to explain the Law. It is as though they were asking, “Teacher, what does the bible say about this man’s condition? Is it the result of his sin or his parents’ sin?” Their question is understandable. In the 5^th chapter of St. John’s gospel, they saw Christ heal a paralytic who had been lying by the pool of Bethesda. When the miracle was complete, Christ said, “Go and sin no more.”[1] It was a natural conclusion for the disciples that this man’s blindness is also related to sin.

Christ’s response to the disciples tells us that the disciples are on the right track but have made a slight error. The man’s blindness is related to sin, but not to sins committed by this man nor his parents. This blindness is related to original sin, the sinful condition of man, the opposition to faith.

In fact, this miracle stands in the middle of the long-standing debate between Christ and the Pharisees over who Christ is. The miracle then stands as a testament to the work of God, namely, the recreation of man in the image and righteousness of Christ.

The Holy Spirit, working through St. John, has already set this Gospel in the context of creation when the first chapter begins with a summary of creation focused on Christ. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”[2] This Word is the light of the world, something Christ applies to Himself in our text.[3]

The theme of light and darkness, also present at creation, serves for the distinction between the absence and the presence of God. The wicked “do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness.”[4] “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness.”[5] “In that day, [the day of the Lord], the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.”[6] “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”[7]

This light and darkness is manifest in sight and blindness. Those who see rightly, see by the light of Christ. Their eyes are open to the glory of God, manifest in the person of Jesus Christ. This Word of God is the light to our feet and the lamp to our path.[8] Darkness is blindness, a complete lack of sight, not to mention seeing rightly. It is a confusion of vision. Our first parents’ eyes were open to their nakedness and sin at the same time that they were closed to the righteousness of God. In seeing, they became blind. Christ will say the same of the Pharisees who condemn the man born blind when they refuse to acknowledge that He is the Son of God.[9]

As Christ goes to heal the man, there is no discussion of what the blind man desires nor what he would have the Christ do. Our Lord simply spits on the ground, makes clay, anoints the man’s eyes, and tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. Our Lord’s conduct in this miracle is very revealing. This man was born blind, born dead in trespass and sin. Being dead in sin, he could not plea for his salvation. He could not make a decision to be relieved from sin. The Lord is the first and only actor in the man’s salvation.

And how does He do it? He mixes water and clay, the very elements of the first creation, then speaks to the man. In the beginning, God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.[10] Our Lord is signifying that He has done much more than heal this man’s malformed body. He has called this man to faith, bestowed faith upon him. He has recreated this man in the righteousness of Christ. The miracle comes to fruition when the man washes himself in the waters of Siloam. This washing signifies Holy Baptism, when the man made of dirt is washed clean of his sins.

The event which follow the miracle are also very instructive for the life of the Christian. We see that the man does not immediately comprehend everything that has happened to him. His faith is not entirely formed. His sins are forgiven but he does not understand the source of that forgiveness, not entirely. We could liken this to the faith of a child but a better comparison would be the faith of the saints of the Old Testament. They looked to God for salvation but until the time of Moses, they did not have His name. Even then, they had a title for God, “I AM,” but they did not know His personal name.

Over time, more was revealed of precisely how God would save them from their sins. They looked forward to the birth of the Christ, the very Son of God, but they did not know His personal name. He would be Immanuel, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.[11] It was not until a lowly virgin gave birth to the Son of God that the world would know the Christ, that we would know Jesus, the name at which every knee in heaven and on earth will bow.[12] This revelation of the name of Christ is the light to lighten all the nations of the earth.[13] In the name of Christ, man is reborn through the waters of Holy Baptism, born from above, born a child of the Heavenly Father.

Just as it took time for this revelation to come to the people of God in the Old Testament, so too it took time for the man born blind to see Who it was that restored his sight. Even then, it is not until Christ reveals Himself to the man that he fully understands what has happened. And immediately, the man confesses “I believe!” and bows before Christ in worship.

The journey of the now seeing man is analogous to the life of the Christian, especially in enduring affliction. From the time of his healing to his confession of Christ, he is bombarded by interrogations, first by his neighbors and then twice by the Pharisees. Each time he speaks, his confession of the miracle he has received becomes clearer, more specific. In the history of the church, it was always times of persecution and controversy that led to a greater understanding of God’s Word. The creeds were written against heretics. The Reformation occurred to correct the errors of the medieval Roman church and under constant threat of death. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

So too, as we face physical pain, sadness at the loss or suffering of loved ones, and persecution in our jobs, communities, and families, we find opportunity for faith to grow. The affliction of this man was so that the works of God would be revealed, made manifest in him.[14] Pain and suffering are real but Christ is the greater reality, the light no darkness can comprehend, let alone overcome.

In Holy Baptism, we are not just made new creations set loose to wander in the world. We are created new in Christ. We are grafted into His Body, the Church, wherein we find our home. We are made new as the Old Adam is drowned and washed away. He is our light and our sight. Being made new in Him, we have new sight to see and receive the mighty blessings of God, even if our eyes of flesh see only the pain and suffering of this world. You have been given the new eyes of faith, that with the man born blind, you might confess, “Lord, I believe.” In that confession, you have more than anything in this world can give you. You have the Christ. You have the mercy, grace, and love of God, who is the light of the world. You have the name of Jesus, who is present with you always, to light even the darkest of places.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] St. John 5:14.

[2] St. John 1:1.

[3] St. John 1:4-5; 9:5.

[4] Psalm 82:5.

[5] Isaiah 5:20.

[6] Isaiah 29:18.

[7] 1 John 1:5.

[8] Psalm 119:105.

[9] St. John 9:41.

[10] Genesis 2:7.

[11] Isaiah 9:6.

[12] Philippians 2:10.

[13] St. Luke 2:32.

[14] St. John 9:3.

The Eve of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas Eve)

 The Eve of the Nativity of our Lord – December 24, 2024

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

St. Luke 2:1-20

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

When Caesar Augustus commanded that a census be taken, Joseph journeyed with the young, pregnant virgin, to whom he was engaged, to Bethlehem, the city of David. Joseph was a pious, kindhearted man. He had sought to quietly annul his engagement to the Blessed Virgin when he found her with child but the angel Gabriel revealed to him that the Son in her womb was the very Son of God, the Savior of mankind. Believing the archangel, Joseph set his mind to be a faithful steward and guardian of the Child. Part of his faithful guardianship was to ensure his family was counted in this census.

But arriving in the city of David, among Joseph’s many relatives, no room was found for the Blessed Virgin, great with child. Not a single man was willing to give up his bed for this young girl, that she might rest her head in a bed. Consequently, there was no crib for the Child soon to be born. When it came time for His birth, the Holy Family found themselves among the animals. The Newborn Babe was wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger, a feeding trough for the animals.

From this, we see a picture of the Church. Mary is a picture of the Church, the household of God, and the world has little esteem for her. Even those who are friendly, even those who are related to her are unwilling to step aside to provide for her. She is left alone to bear the child. Joseph, her betrothed, could be seen as pastors, those who are given stewardship, guardianship over the church. The child to be born is not of his blood but is to be born for Joseph as well. He does what he can to provide for Mary and the child. He guards and protects her in this dangerous hour.

The relatives of Joseph have also come to be counted for the census, but they have no mind for the Savior in their midst. The world wants to hear Christmas songs and participate in the mystical quality of the birth of Christ, but they have no mind for the Savior who is to be born. Many might feel compelled to attend a church on Christmas Eve, to hear the words of Luke 2, to watch children sing and imitate the birth of Christ, but they do not ponder these things in their hearts. It is a stage show for many, who can’t be bothered to leave their beds on Christmas morning, leaving the Christ child to be laid in a manger far away.

It is for this reason the Holy Angels announce the birth of the Savior to the shepherds. They are watching their flocks by night, doing the duty given to them by God. They are faithful to the sheep but despised by man. Shepherding was not a noble task. It was dirty and for the lowly. But the Holy Messengers of God reveal to these lowly men that a Savior is born this night, born for them and all people in the city of David. And this birth is the occasion for great joy.

Joy is much more than happiness. Joy is contentment that a promise has been fulfilled. Joy is a relief that what is to come is here. Joy erupts from the bowels of the joyful, leaping forth from the cattle stall of hearts frozen by fear. The joy attending the message of the Holy Angels is that Peace has been born in Bethlehem and God’s good will has come to dwell with man.

Tonight is the beginning of the feast of the Incarnation of our Lord. The Son of God is without beginning and without end. He was with God in the beginning at the very creation of the cosmos. The cattle stall in Bethlehem was not the beginning of His being. It was, however, the beginning of His Incarnation—His being wrapped in human flesh.

He took on flesh that He might fulfill the Law of God. Since the sin of Adam, sin has reigned in the flesh of all men, passed on from father to son. This Original Sin clings to the flesh of all mortals and renders us incapable of keeping the Law of God. We are incapable of keeping the Law because by our sinful nature, we are enemies of God. We deserve nothing but God’s wrath and punishment, both temporal and eternal. If you break even the least of the commandments, you are guilty of breaking the entire Law of God. The Law of God is His eternal will and as such, it demands to be fulfilled. We can’t do it. It required fulfillment and we can’t do it.

Thus, the Son of God was born without the help of man. He was Incarnate in the womb of the Virgin without the seed of man. He was born the Seed of the woman, the promised Seed of Genesis 3:15. Having no human father means that Original Sin was not wrought in the Christ’s flesh. He was without Original Sin and actively fulfilled the will of God. He kept it perfectly such that death had no claim on Him.

The Son of God also took on flesh that He might learn of your suffering. He was born in a manger among the animals. He endured poverty and scorn. As a man, He would endure physical suffering and torture, even death. There is no suffering known to man that the Christ did not endure. He endured these things so that He would take your suffering, pain, and sorrow onto Himself. He bore your sin and suffering so that they would be nailed to the cross with Him.

Above all, the Son of God took on mortal flesh so that one day, He would die on the cross and rise three days later. As God, He is life and cannot die. As a man, it is His fate to die. It is the fate of all men to die, that is the end of all flesh. The Son of God became man for this purpose, that He would die in your flesh, ending the curse of death given to man in the Garden of Eden.

This is the cause of Peace, and God’s goodwill toward men. Without Christ, there is only enmity between God and man. We are God’s enemy outside of Christ. There is no hope; there is no peace; there is no goodwill among men outside of Christ. The Holy Angels give glory to God on behalf of the birth of the Christ, the Savior of mankind. This is our joy this evening. This is our joy tomorrow morning. This is our joy every day of the year. Ponder these things in your heart and let the joy of the Incarnate Christ, the Son of God and Son of Mary, erupt from deep within you. This peace, this joy cannot be taken from you. Nothing in heaven or earth can snatch you from the Father’s hand so long as you have Christ.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2024

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

St. Luke 1:39-55

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

“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”[1] What are those things which were told to Mary from the Lord?

Mary is told to rejoice for the Lord is with her.[2] This is fulfilled from the moment of her conception, when she was born in the faithful anticipation that God would come to save His people. God is with her all the days of her life. It is fulfilled again when that same Lord is incarnate in her very womb. God is with her intimately as He grows in her womb, soon to be born a man. The Lord is with her as she watches Him be crucified. He is with her when He rises from the dead. He is with her even as she lay dying, some 15 years after His ascension.

Mary is also called blessed among women. This is fulfilled already during the ministry of our Lord, when a woman in the crowd cries out to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”[3] It is fulfilled again tonight and every time a Christian refers to her as the Blessed Virgin Mary. And it is true. Mary truly is blessed among women. Not only is she blessed with faith, but she alone was granted the holy privilege of carrying the Christ in her womb. She alone beheld the Word by which creation was made within her own body.

One of the greatest of things told to Mary by the Lord is that she would be the mother of God. She would bear the Son of God and call His name, Jesus.[4] Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is true God, begotten of the Father before all worlds and true man, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since the Incarnation, His humanity and divinity cannot be divided. He is one Person, although with two natures. Because of this, it is fitting and correct to call Mary the mother of God.

Perhaps the greatest thing said to Mary is that this Son of God and Son of Mary would inherit the throne of David and that He would reign forever.[5] Her Son would be David’s Son and David’s Lord, the everlasting Prince of Peace, the Savior.[6] Mary was told by God that her Son would save her from her sins.[7] That He would go before her to prepare a place for her to rest for all eternity.[8] That He would reconcile her to His heavenly Father, making peace where sin once made for enmity.

I say this is the greatest thing because when you think of all the things Mary heard regarding her Son, this might seem like the least of things. It was accomplished by death. There is no physical sign, per se, that it was accomplished. And yet, it is the entire purpose of the Scriptures and the Incarnation. The salvation of Mary and all who believe is the reason God became man. And if there is anything we are to learn from Mary, it is that God chooses the lowly to be exalted. Jesus was born in a cattle stall, not a grand palace. He was born to a virgin girl, not a queen or empress. He made Himself lower than the animals for the sake of His beloved mankind.

The same is true for you. Just as Mary was promised that everything said to her by the Lord would be fulfilled, so too, those things the Lord has said to you have been, are, and will be fulfilled. In your Holy Baptism, Jesus declared that you are righteous. You have been born again into Christ. He said that you are a son or daughter of the Father. Your sins have been washed away and He prepares a place for you in the heavenly mansions. This is most certainly true.

Why come to church on a Thursday evening to celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary? Because she is the sign, the image, of Christ’s church. Jesus was alive in her womb. He sought a resting place, a dwelling among His people.[9] Her body was His holy temple, just as you are the Holy Temple of the Holy Spirit. If you have been born again through the waters of Holy Baptism into Christ, then you too, have been born into His holy habitation.

For centuries, Christians have looked at Mary as the mother of all Christians. That doesn’t mean we worship her or elevate her to some “demi-goddess” status. No. She is our adoptive mother just as the Church is our mother. The Church is our mother because she is the place where we are given new birth. We ought to love and respect Mary because she was a lowly virgin who placed all her hope and trust in her Son, the same Son of God that we worship. She is an example of faith and an example of one for whom Jesus died. And just like you might celebrate the birthday of your beloved mother or grandmother who has died, for the sake of her memory, we too celebrate the death of Mary for the sake of honor.  

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] St. Luke 1:45.

[2] St. Luke 1:28.

[3] St. Luke 11:27.

[4] St. Luke 1:31.

[5] St. Luke 1:32-33.

[6] Psalm 110; Isaiah 9:6.

[7] Genesis 3:15.

[8] St. John 14:3-10.

[9] Sirach 24:7-15.

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.

---

[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.