The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of Jesus

The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus – February 2, 2025

Psalm 48; Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18

St. Luke 2:22-32

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

Forty days after the birth of our Lord, Mary and Joseph bring Him to the Temple to be redeemed. At the same time, Mary presents a sacrifice for her purification. Both are according to the Laws of the Old Testament wherein the firstborn male of both humans and animals were to be given to the Lord and women who have given birth must be purified from the uncleanness inherent in giving birth.

In the case of some beasts, the firstborn could be redeemed with the sacrifice of a lamb in its place. In the case of the firstborn child, God commanded they always be redeemed. The redemption price of a son or daughter was a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering and either a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering.^[1] If a lamb was too expensive, two pigeons or two turtledoves would suffice.

To be redeemed means to be substituted. It means giving one thing in place of another so that you might receive back the first possession. Redemption is not quite the same as making a purchase. Giving the checker money in exchange for groceries isn’t the same as redemption because the groceries did not belong to you in the first place. Rather, if you’ve ever been to a wedding reception or banquet with a coat check, you have experienced redemption. You gave the clerk your coat in exchange for a ticket. At the end of the night, you redeemed your coat by giving the clerk your ticket. The coat is your property, and you willfully gave it to the clerk. You then “bought back” your coat at the price of the ticket. This is redemption.

The redemption of the firstborn is connected with the forgiveness of sins. God instituted the redemption of the firstborn in relation to the final plague of Egypt, wherein the firstborn sons of Egypt were killed by the Angel of the Lord but those of Israel were spared by the blood of a lamb placed on the doorposts. The boys of Israel were redeemed from the plague by the blood of a lamb. Their sins were passed over by the Angel, forgiven in the shedding of the blood of a lamb.

The purification of Mary is an acknowledgment of sin. Giving birth is a bloody business and coming into contact with blood makes one unclean in the Levitical law. This is because there is life in blood and if you are in contact with blood, it means that life has been poured out. Life being poured out is a sign of death and death is the wage of sin. Being truly a man, even the birth of our Lord was attended by the usual events of giving birth. Therefore, the Blessed Mother of Christ needed to be purified. She, too, required the forgiveness of sins.

If these rituals pertained to the forgiveness of sins, why did Christ, who is without sin, submit to them? Why did Christ need to be redeemed? There are at least two ways to answer this question. First, it is not Christ’s sins that need to be forgiven but ours. Much like His baptism in the Jordan River, Christ’s redemption at the Temple places Him into our redemption. Rather than forgiving His sins, it is placing our sins on Him. He is being “bought back” by the human race, that His holiness would be given to man and our sins would be given to Him.

Secondly, submitting to this ritual is part of Christ’s active obedience to the Law of God. When the Second Person of the Holy Trinity took on our flesh, He humbled Himself to be like us in every way but without sin. That means that He also humbled Himself to be placed under the same Law of God that had been placed on all mankind. He did not need to be redeemed from His sins, He didn’t have any, but He humbly submitted Himself to the same rigors and rituals that all mankind was expected to observe.

The significant difference is that all mankind fails in some aspect of the Law. St. James tells us that to fail in one tiny aspect of the Law is to fail in the whole Law, “Whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”[2] And even this tiniest of stumbles in the Law is worthy of eternal condemnation. And since the Law of God is eternal, it is necessary that the Law be kept perfectly. With man this is impossible. With God, nothing is impossible. Thus the necessity of the Law required that Christ not only submit Himself passively to death on the cross but that He actively keep the Law perfectly His entire life. Submitting to circumcision, the presentation, and the rest of the rituals commanded in the Law is Christ actively keeping the Law of God on our behalf.

When the rituals of the presentation and purification had been completed, an old priest approached the Holy Family and took the Christ child into his arms. Simeon did not need to be told who this child was. Like the magi, he immediately recognized his Lord. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had beheld the Christ, the Savior. Led by the same Spirit, he went up to the Temple and found the Lord’s Christ returning from fulfilling His obligation to the Law. Taking up the child in his arms, Simeon said,

“Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,
According to Thy word.
For Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples.
A light to lighten the Gentiles,
And the glory of Thy people Israel.”[3]

Simeon’s prayer is a prayer for death. The Holy Spirit had promised that Simeon would not die until he had seen the Christ. Since he was now holding the Christ in his arms, Simeon told God that he was ready to die. There was nothing left in this world for him to do; nothing to experience, nothing to long for. He had all in all. He had the Lord’s Christ in his arms and there is nothing more needful.

We sing this song of Simeon every Sunday after receiving the Holy Communion and we ought to sing it with the same vigor and intention of Simeon. What you receive in your hand or on your tongue is the same Christ that Simeon held in his hands. It is the same body of Christ, the same God become man who would forgive all your sins. So too, we ought to recognize that having received the very Body and Blood of Christ, we, like Simeon, are prepared for death. We have all in all, the thing most needful, and there is nothing left for us to do, experience, or receive in this world.

That is a radical thought. You might piously share it, realizing that the forgiveness of sins is the most important thing in this life. But at the same time, none of us is longing for death. You want to see your granddaughter’s dance recital and your son’s basketball game. You don’t expect to die on your way home today and I’m sure that you aren’t hoping to die today.

On the one hand, those thoughts are bad or sinful in themselves. You want to make use of the blessings and gifts that God has given you. You ought to enjoy the many gifts God has given you in this world.

On the other hand, you ought to be prepared at all times for death. To live is Christ and to die is gain, St. Paul says to the Philippians.[4] To live in this world is to be the Body of Christ, to enjoy the things of this creation, and to be stewards of God’s good gifts. It is to bear the light of Christ to the nations and His glory to His people.

And yet to die is gain. It is gain because it means freedom from the sin which clings to the flesh and the joy of the nearer presence of Christ. We are sojourners in this world, it is not our home, our final destination. For the Christian, to die is great gain because it is one step closer to the resurrection of all flesh.

Therefore, every time we sing the Nunc Dimittis, you ought to realize that you are prepared to die. At any moment, should the good Lord call you home, you are prepared. Your sins are forgiven, and Christ is prepared to receive you into His open arms. Will your loved ones mourn your death? Absolutely. Death is separation and separation is painful. But when a Christian dies, the Christians who mourn him do not do so without hope. We mourn the pain of separation and the loss of the presence of our loved one, but we also rejoice that they have conquered this world of sin. The victory of Christ on the cross has been made complete for our loved one and we now look forward to the reunion in the resurrection.

The Nunc Dimittis is a hymn of supreme confidence that the Body of Christ is the one thing most needful. It is a hymn of confidence that what Christ says is true and He has said that the death of a Christian is little more than sleep. Sing it boldly and confidently, believing that the words are true.

Should you find yourself doubting, fearing death, then turn toward the promises of Christ. One difference between us and Simeon is that he only had the word of promise from the Holy Spirit that he would see the Christ. You have so much more. You have the Word of God, like Simeon, but you also have Holy Baptism. You have the Holy Communion. You have the Word of Absolution spoken by your pastor with his hands placed on your head. You have God’s Word and His Word tied to physical means that the promises of Christ are true. Make use of these means of grace for the strengthening of your faith and the emboldening of your confidence that you are prepared to die.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Leviticus 12:6-8.

[2] James 2:10.

[3] St. Luke 2:29-32, The Nunc Dimittis.

[4] Philippians 1:21.

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 Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of Jesus

 The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus – February 2, 2023

Psalm 48; Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18

St. Luke 2:22-32

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

At the culmination of the Plagues in Egypt, God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and use its blood to paint the doorposts and lintels as a sign that the Angel of Death should pass them over. This Angel was sent by God to collect the lives of all the firstborn in Egypt—the firstborn of both man and beast. The firstborn of the Sons of Israel were spared this fate. They were spared by the blood of the lamb. However, once God had delivered the Israelites from Egypt and met with Moses on Mount Sinai, He made a new covenant with them. This covenant declared that all the firstborn of the Israelites belonged to the Lord.[1] The firstborn beasts were given to the priests to be sacrificed. The firstborn sons would be given to serve the priests.

In the case of some beasts, the firstborn could be redeemed with the sacrifice of a lamb in its place. In the case of the firstborn child, God commanded they should always be redeemed. The redemption price of a son or daughter was a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering and either a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering.[2] If a lamb was too expensive, two pigeons or two turtledoves would suffice.

First, what does it mean to be redeemed? It is quite simple. To be redeemed means to be substituted. It means to give one thing in place of another so that you might receive back the first possession. Redemption is not quite the same as making a purchase. Giving the checker money in exchange for groceries isn’t the same as redemption because the groceries did not belong to you in the first place. Rather, if you’ve ever been to a wedding reception or banquet with a coat check, you have experienced redemption. You gave the clerk your coat in exchange for a ticket. At the end of the night, you redeemed your coat by giving the clerk your ticket. The coat is your property, and you willfully gave it to the clerk. You then “bought back” your coat at the price of the ticket. This is redemption.

Second, it is important to note who is commanded by God to perform this redemption for the firstborn child. It is always the mother. The redemption of the child is tied up with the purification of the mother after giving birth. In this, we see the beauty of the office given to women. The curse of pain in childbearing is balanced with the joy of a new life brought into the world.[3] Under the Law of Moses, a woman must then spend 40 days alone if she bore a son. If she bore a daughter, the time was doubled.[4] She must spend this time alone because everything she touches becomes unclean. It is tainted by the uncleanness of her giving birth.

But on the final day of her solitude, the mother brings her firstborn to the temple and make the offering both for her purification and the redemption of her child. Such an arduous task is born by the woman and testifies to her fortitude and willingness to love and protect the child God has given to her.

Returning to the Gospel at hand, we must note that the laws I’ve described in no way apply either to Mary or Jesus. The Holy Spirit spoke clearly through Moses, that purification was required of all who had given birth on account of conception by a man. Mary did not know a man. The child she held so dear was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And, according to the pious opinions of some, was born in such a miraculous way as to spare Mary of the unclean flow of blood.

So too, the redemption of the child was required on behalf of sin, just as the blood of the lamb at the Passover was on account of the sinfulness of man. Certainly, Mary received the inheritance of original sin, but the Christ Child did not. And yet, Mary submitted herself and her child to both tenants of the law. Why?

It is first an act of love. Mary would be free to ignore this Law of Moses but she submits herself to it out of love for her neighbor and to give glory to God alone. The events of the Book of Exodus are initiated when a Pharaoh, who had forgotten Joseph, was afraid of the prosperous Hebrews. The Israelites were great in number and posed a legitimate military threat. With the right leadership and foresight, the Israelites could’ve mounted a coup against the Pharaoh and stolen the land of Egypt.

If they had, it would’ve been to their own glory. The cunning of generals and the might of valiant soldiers would’ve won the day. As history would have it, God acted to deliver the Israelites. They were His people to redeem, and their deliverance brought glory to the name of the Lord.

In the same way, Mary and Jesus submit to the Law of Moses that all glory would be given to God alone, lest anyone think that Mary herself was without sin or without need for purification.

The more difficult question is why did Jesus submit to redemption? He is, after all, the one to redeem all mankind. He is our Redeemer. Why then, does He submit to redemption by two pigeons? In one sense, the redemption of Jesus is like His baptism. Where our Baptism washes our sins away, Jesus’ baptism draws our sins upon Himself. His baptism institutes our own. In like manner, Jesus’ redemption institutes our own. Rather than the pigeons dying for Jesus’ sins, they are a foretaste of His own death.

In another sense, Jesus submits to redemption because He is truly the Firstborn of all creation.[5] Submitting to this law in love and without compulsion is the sign that He is the Firstborn among many brethren. He is indicating that we shall all follow in His likeness, that is, when His blood is shed, we shall be redeemed. We shall be purchased from the mouth of hell and returned to the holy habitation of the house of God.

What then of this idea that it is the mother who redeems the child? Where else do we receive the redemption of the blood of Christ than in Holy Mother Church? The Church is our loving mother, who brings us to the sanctuary—the Temple—to receive the redemption at the cost of the blood of the Lamb.

Which brings us to a final comment on the godly Simeon. When our Lord is presented at the Temple, after the purification and redemption according to the Law of Moses, Simeon takes up the Christ child in his arms and praises the Lord for fulfilling His word. Tonight’s feast is sometimes called “Candlemas,” a reference to the historic practice of blessing the candles for use in the Church and the distribution of candles to the congregation for use at two important parts of the service. Such candles would be lit during the reading of the Holy Gospel and during the consecration. They signify the “Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.”[6]

This Light, the Light of Christ, comes to you in the proclamation of God’s Word and in the Holy Eucharist. As Simeon reached out his arms to behold his Lord, so too you will come forward to hold the Lord. Just as God’s word was fulfilled for Simeon, so too God’s word is fulfilled for you this evening. Tonight is the culmination of everything that has happened since Christmas Eve: the Incarnation of our Lord, the Adoration of the Magi on the Epiphany, the miracles of Jesus, His glorious Transfiguration, and finally the entering of Christ into the Temple. Tonight, He is entering the sanctuary of this Church precisely so that you might take and eat; take and drink. With this Body and Blood, your redemption price was paid and your glory awaits.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Exodus 34:19ff.

[2] Leviticus 12:6-8.

[3] St. John 16:21.

[4] “If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. ³ And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. ⁴ She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. ⁵ ‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.” Leviticus 12:2-5

 [5] Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15, 18; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 1:5.

[6] St. Luke 2:32.

The Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany

The Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany – January 8, 2023

Psalm 100; Isaiah 42:1-9; Romans 12:1-6a

St. Luke 2:42-52

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

On Christmas, we celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord and place a special emphasis on the humanity of Jesus. Last Friday, at the Epiphany of our Lord, we celebrated the revelation that this child in the manger is truly God. At the Epiphany, there is a special emphasis on the divinity of Jesus and His kingship over all creation. As the Sundays after the Epiphany progress, the Gospel readings will focus on the miracles of our Lord which reveal His divinity. Epiphany means “to reveal.”

It is then notable and quite interesting that we begin the Sundays after the Epiphany not with a miracle text, but with the only text God has delivered to us which describes our Lord’s boyhood. When Jesus was twelve years old, His family went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, as was their yearly custom. After the feast, His family departed Jerusalem to return to Nazareth. Since they’ve spent eleven years with Jesus in the family and have come to expect His perfect obedience, they didn’t even bother to check that He was numbered with His brothers. Joseph, Mary, and their relatives departed for Nazareth.

It took an entire day for them to notice that Jesus was not with them. When they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him, it took three more days for them to look in the Temple. At last, when they found Jesus, Mary rebuked Him for making Joseph and her anxious. Jesus responds, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”[1] After this, Jesus went down with them and was subject to Joseph and Mary, increasing in wisdom, stature, and favor in the eyes of God and men.

The first question you may have of this text is how could they forget Jesus for a full day? Remember, Jesus is God in the flesh. They have raised Him for the last twelve years and He is perfectly obedient. Joseph and Mary have left Jesus behind because they’ve grown complacent. Because He is perfectly obedient, they’ve come to expect that He can read their minds. When they forget to tell Him they are leaving town, they expect He will know anyway.

From this, we see that neither Joseph nor Mary is without sin, but Jesus is. Jesus does not sin if Joseph and Mary fail to communicate with Him. Even Mary’s attempt at rebuking Jesus makes it clear that the sin lies with her and Joseph. “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”[2] It is clear that she is at fault for not being a diligent parent and yet to admit as much would be embarrassing. She knows it would be a lie to say, “You hid from us” when the truth is they forgot Him. So she says the next best thing, “why have You done this to us? You made us so anxious.”

Upon further examination, we must learn from the sin of the parents and the sinlessness of our Lord. The sin of the parents is complacency. They have grown so comfortable with the obedience of their Son, they believe He no longer needs parents. They have abdicated their role to train up their Son—whether He is divine or not.

This is the temptation for anyone who has been a Christian for any length of time. It is tempting to become complacent with your faith. It is tempting to believe that you’ve already heard about that stuff and so you don’t need to come to church, or bible study, or read the bible at home, or review the catechism. In fact, there are many in our church body who believe that once you’ve been examined in a confirmation class, you no longer need to do memory work and there is no reason for the Pastor to examine what you know of the Scriptures.

This is complacency. All Christians must be on guard against such complacency because should you fall into this temptation, you won’t even notice that you have left Jesus behind. Joseph and Mary were blessed by God to have remembered after one day of journeying. If you fall into complacency, you have no promise that you will remember after one day or even before your death. The less you attend to your faith, the less you will want to.

On the other hand, the sin of Joseph and Mary speaks specifically to parents. Sending children to school—be it public, private, or otherwise—does not absolve you as being in charge of their education. We do not send children to school to be taught by experts. We send them to school to assist us in our duty to educate them. The same goes for teaching the faith. Catechesis classes at the Church are important but one hour a week at Church will do nothing to foster the faith of anyone. Daily prayer, daily bible reading, daily discussions concerning the Word of God are necessary for raising a child in the faith.

It is necessary that children be present at the Divine Service. Children’s Church is a terrible heresy of the North American church. By distracting children with food and games during the Divine Service is the same as telling them there is nothing here for them. How does a child learn? A child learns by imitation. Repetition is the mother of learning. The youngest among us is learning the faith right now. Sure, the infants in our congregation do not yet understand language, but they are learning the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even tastes of the church. If we teach children that the church is a place to play and eat, then we can’t be surprised when they leave the church for more entertaining pastures.

We must now turn our attention to Jesus. Whether Joseph and Mary completely forgot to tell Jesus they were leaving or if they simply gave unclear direction, we do not know. We do know that without sin, Jesus remained in Jerusalem. He remained in Jerusalem and went straight to the Temple to learn. Do not misunderstand the text. He is not teaching in the Temple. He is sitting diligently at the feet of the teachers. He is listening to them and asking questions. Those standing around were amazed at what diligent of a student He was.

Imagine a student is perfectly attentive and perfectly obedient. Then imagine the teacher asking a question and this student doesn’t give an inappropriately academic answer, but gives a thorough answer displaying understanding of precisely what the teacher was teaching. This is the boy Jesus in the Temple.

From this, we must first understand that faith in Jesus Christ is not about academic knowledge. The avoidance of sin is not about academic knowledge. Keeping the righteousness of Christ is not about academic knowledge. It is about attentiveness to the Word of God. It is about diligently listening and taking to heart the things of God. It is about trusting the Word of God above your own thoughts and desires.

It is very rare that I share personal stories from the pulpit because you come here to hear the Word of God, but in this case, it is illustrative. Sometime in grade school, we were given an assignment over the weekend to write a story about our summer break. Because the assignment was to write a story, I returned on Monday morning with a fantastical story about falling into a hole in the street and discovering a cave full of treasure. The teacher was delighted but told me I misunderstood the assignment. She was looking for a story about something that really happened.

The point of this anecdote is that in misunderstanding the directions, I did not sin. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, can remain perfectly sinless and perfectly obedient while making a mistake. Mistakes of this nature are not due to sin, but to the imperfection of the world around Him. Thus, it would be entirely possible for Christ to have mis-measured a board in the shop with Joseph or answer a question of the teachers in the Temple incorrectly.

The difference between Jesus and you & me, is that we do not know what it is to make mistakes without sin. I miscut a board because I am in a hurry and didn’t carefully measure. You miss questions in Bible Study because you were busy talking to your neighbor or thinking about lunch. We make mistakes because we are imperfect. He made mistakes because we are imperfect.

This ought to bring you a degree of comfort. Jesus Christ, True Son of God and True Son of Mary, was capable of making mistakes without sinning. He is truly man and is displaying that God is not interested in all Christians having perfect academic records. The Father is interested in diligent study of His Word. Does that mean everyone must know Greek and Hebrew? No. God has given you other vocations. Does it mean that everyone ought to devote more time than you do to God’s Word? Absolutely. Diligent study of God’s Word simply means to read and reread the Word of God so that it becomes a part of you.

Our Lord’s subtle rebuke of Mary is astonishing. “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” It is as if He is calmly saying, “Why didn’t you start by looking in the Temple?” Where else would Jesus be? Joseph and Mary likely went to all of the places a human twelve year old would be found; a twelve year old driven by the passions of his flesh and the desires of a sinful heart. They remembered that Jesus is True Man but had somehow now forgotten that He is True God.

Why be anywhere else? Not all Christians are called by God to spend their days contemplating the Word of God from sunrise to sunset. You have families. You have homes. You have vocations every bit as pious and holy as the Office of the Holy Ministry to attend to.

At the same time, when there is the opportunity to come into the House of the Lord, the Christian heart rejoices. “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go unto the House of the Lord!”[3] It is the complacent hearts of Joseph and Mary who would now say, “But how much do we have to go? Does Thursday count for Sunday?” To ask such a question is to ignore the Gospel. It is not an exercise of Christian freedom to seek the least number of services to attend in order to maintain membership. That is a sin. It is a sin against the Third Commandment and a sin against God’s Word.

Rather, find the joy in receiving God’s Word. Enjoying coming to Church doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy other activities. It means you can enjoy those other activities because God has given them to you. The joy of the Divine Service and the Daily Offices comes not from getting what you want but from receiving what you need.

This is the final lesson to learn from the Boy Jesus. From beginning to end, Jesus displays humble submission in this text. While He is in the Temple, Jesus sits quietly and obediently learns from the teachers. He does not question their authority, even though He has been since before the world began. He does not demand the teachers act according to His expectations or even that they teach the topics He is most interested in. No. The Word through whom creation was made humbly obeys the authority of His teachers and diligently learns from them.

Then, when the Holy Family returns to Nazareth, Jesus is said to be subject to them. In spite of the sins of Joseph and Mary, Jesus is subject to them because they are His parents. God has set the world in order, and it is not always related to ability. God created Adam first and then Eve. Man is the head of woman not by ability but by Divine Order.

  What do I mean not by ability but by Divine Order? It is conceivable that a woman could craft better sermons and teach more effectively in the church than a man. Yet God has strictly forbidden this. Why? Because it is not given to woman to have authority over men. Man is to be the head of woman even as Christ is the head of the Church. If Jesus Christ can submit Himself to His parents, then all women are capable of submitting themselves to the authority of men.

And make no mistake—submission does not mean weakness nor slavery. Submission means recognizing the authority of another and placing yourself under that authority. The one who is in authority must also recognize his duty to lovingly serve and care for those under his authority. No Christian is to lord his authority over another, be it male or female. At the same time, having authority sometimes means rebuke, warning, and exhortation. Sometimes authority means simply to teach. In all cases, him with authority is called to lead by divine right, not by human order.

If Jesus Christ, True Son of God and True Son of Mary, can submit to teachers in the Temple and sinful human parents, then all Christians can follow His example by submitting our wills to His. By such submission, we too will follow our Lord in growing in wisdom, stature, and favor with both God and man.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Luke 2:49.

[2] St. Luke 2:48.

[3] Psalm 122:1.

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.

In Memoriam + Susan Kay Fields +

In Memoriam + Susan Kay Fields + – November 1, 2022

Psalm 23; Job 19:21-27; Romans 3:19-28

St. Luke 2:25-32

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

Although Scripture does not tell us his actual age, it is presumed that Simeon is an old man when he sings the words just read. “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant, depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples.”[1] Presumably many years before, the Lord revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the coming of the Lord’s Christ. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple, Simeon joyfully took up the child and burst forth in song.

What Simeon is praying for is death. He is praying that God would release him from this veil of tears because the Word of God had been fulfilled. The Savior had been born to save the world from sin. Confident that the Christ had come to forgive his sins, Simeon tells God that he is ready to die in peace.

Be very careful not to misunderstand these words of Simeon. When he asks to depart in peace, Simeon is not asking for a quiet death. He is not praying to fall asleep with a pleasant dream and simply not wake up on this side of glory. The peace in which Simeon prays to depart is peace with God. This peace is only possible with the coming of the Savior, the coming of the Son of God in human flesh, the coming of Jesus Christ.

St. Paul writes that “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in [God’s] sight…for there is no difference; all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”[2] To be justified in God’s sight is to be declared, to be made, righteous, and yet there is nothing to be done according to the deeds of the law for man to make himself righteous. All have fallen short. All have sinned. All have sinned first through the original sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, and then through the sins of your own flesh; sins in thought, word, and deed.

What are these sins? They are the works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, wrath, selfishness, dissensions, envy, murder, drunkenness, and the like.[3] Anything that is contrary to the will of God is sin and there is no one who is free from sin. All have fallen short of the glory of God.

Falling short of God’s glory would not present a problem if God was unjust. If God was unfair, unjust, and played by inconsistent rules, then sin would not matter. God would choose those whom He likes, or who please Him, and they would be saved. Those He doesn’t like; they would be damned. But the True and Living God cannot be persuaded. He cannot be bribed. He is not partial and He is not unfair. God is just.

God’s justice means that the only fair punishment for rebelling against His Word is death…eternal death. All sin is worthy of eternal death no matter how slight in your eyes because all sin is a despising of the God who created you. According to God’s justice alone, man does not stand a chance.

The evidence of sin and the consequences thereof lay before us today. Susan died because of sin. Do not misunderstand me, she did not die because God was punishing a specific sin. God is not so petty as to punish a lewd joke with a terrible disease. No; Susan died because she is human and in being human, she has participated in the sins common to all mankind. The wages of sin is death.

Thanks be to God that He is not only just. He is also the justifier of man. What does this mean? It means that God Himself is the one who took on human flesh. It means that God Himself lived a perfect life. He was born without sin because He was born of a virgin, without inheriting the sin of Adam. As Jesus walked through Galilee and Judea, teaching and healing, He was also gathering the sin of man upon His shoulders. When the Pharisees and the mob took Him to Pilate and demanded Jesus be crucified, He humbly submitted to an unjust death.

Where God is perfectly just, man is unjust. Therefore, God submitted Himself to an unjust death. The sins of man that He bore on His shoulders, He carried with Him to the cross. As Jesus Christ breathed out His final breath on the cross, He died the death that every human deserves. He endured the anguish not only of His own torturous death on the cross, but the physical and spiritual torment due to every human at every time and in every place. There is no suffering common to man which our Lord did not endure.

This same Jesus rested in the tomb for three days and then rose again. Christ rose from the dead not only because He is God, but because death had no claim to Him. He had not sinned in any way. The wages of sin is death and He had not earned death. Because of this, Jesus broke the power of death. He broke the chains of death. He ripped the teeth out of the vicious dog.

This is what Jesus means when He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”[4] The death and resurrection of Jesus is the opening of the doorway to eternal life. Death no longer has dominion over those who are in Christ Jesus. Thus, when Simeon prays for a peaceful death, he is not rushing to die. He is not trying to hurry along. He is not looking for a death with dignity. He is asking that God would deliver to him the joys of salvation, that which has been promised to him in the death and resurrection of the Christ.

There was not a moment of Susan’s illness that was not torturous. Aggressive cancer is an ugly sight. It is an ugly sight because it is a visual reminder of the ugliness and the terrible effects of sin. It is the body consuming itself through growth against the will of man and the will of God. How can a just and merciful God allow such suffering, especially to one of His dear children?

Susan was a humble woman. A part of her humility was never bothering to question why God brought her such suffering. Susan’s faith, her trust in God, was an example to us all. And yet, not all of us are capable of such humility. We may question. We may worry.

The 17^th century pastor and hymnwriter, Paul Gerhardt, can help us to understand Susan’s humility, and possibly help us to imitate her great faith:

8    Leave all to His direction;

            In wisdom He doth reign,

      And in a way most wondrous

            His course He will maintain.

      Soon He, His promise keeping,

            With wonder-working skill

      Shall put away the sorrows

            That now thy spirit fill.

9    A while His consolation

            He may to thee deny,

      And seem as though in trial

            He far from thee would fly;

      A while distress and anguish

            May compass thee around,

      Nor to thy supplication

            An answering voice be found.

 

10  But if thou perseverest,

            Thou shalt deliverance find.

      Behold, all unexpected

            He will thy soul unbind

      And from the heavy burden

            Thy heart will soon set free;

      And thou wilt see the blessing

            He had in mind for thee.

 

11  O faithful child of heaven,

            How blessed shalt thou be!

      With songs of glad thanksgiving

            A crown awaiteth thee.

      Into thy hand thy Maker

            Will give the victor’s palm,

      And thou to thy Deliverer

                  Shalt sing a joyous psalm.

(Paul Gerhardt, Commit Whatever Grieves Thee, stanzas 8-11, translation as found in The Lutheran Hymnal. Text is in the public domain.)

On this side of glory, the children of God will continue to suffer because there is sin in the world. There is sin in our flesh. Satan and his demons still lurk in the shadows and still seek to destroy our faith that we would join them in their eternal suffering. And yet God never leaves us alone. What is a lifetime of suffering compared to an eternity of bliss in the presence of Christ? What is a year of cancer compared to an eternity of perfected glory? What is the pain of seeing a loved one suffer compared to an eternity of seeing your Savior with your own two eyes?

We are brought together today because of death. We mourn the loss of Susan because we can no longer reach out and hold her. We can no longer spend evenings talking and laughing together. It is just and right to mourn because death is not good. Death is not the friend of anyone. It is not a part of the circle of life.

However, we also gather today to look forward. We look forward to the day when all who have died will be raised. There will come a day when Christ returns to gather His people as a mother hen gathers her flock. On that day, all who have died in Christ, all who believe in Christ alone for their salvation, all who look to Him as the way, the truth, and the life will be reunited for all eternity. We shall open our eyes and see the face of Christ in glory.

However, on that day, all who do not follow the way, the truth, and the life will also be raised, but they will be raised to everlasting destruction. These will look to the face of Christ and see only judgement. These will only receive the justice of God, a just punishment for their sin. This eternal punishment is far worse than any human can imagine.

It is for this reason that we, like Susan, must rely on Christ. We must go to where He has promised to be—in His Word and Sacraments. We must gather with the church so that our bodies and souls will be fed on the Bread from heaven. We must train our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to trust on Jesus with everything that we have, praying that He would forgive our sins and strengthen us against the temptations of evil.

For a while, God may deny His consolations, His comforts to you. Susan certainly endured such a while. It may seem as though God is far off while distress and anguish surround you. And yet, if your faith perseveres, that is, if you trust that every act of God is for the good of those that love Him, then you know that He will find a way to bless you. When you least expect it, God will unbind your soul, releasing you from the burden of your sins, from pain and suffering. In Susan’s case, this meant calling her home to His side.

And then, with songs of glad thanksgiving, there will come the day when all His saints shall arise. With crowns of gold and palm branches of victory held high, the saints of God will sing His praises day and night. What a joyous day that will be. What a beautiful sight to behold. And all those who repent and believe in Christ will be there—with angels and archangels, with all the company of heaven, with Susan; and we will laud and magnify the glorious name of Christ forever and ever.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Luke 2:29-30.

[2] Romans 3:20, 22-23.

[3] Galatians 5:19-21.

[4] St. John 14:6.