The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

 The Nativity of St. John the Baptist – June 24, 2022

Introit – St. Luke 1:68, 76-79; Isaiah 40:1-5; Acts 13:13-26

St. Luke 1:57-80

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

O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

         Who has set thy glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings

hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies,

         That thou mightiest still the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,

         The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

         And the son of man, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,

         And hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;

         Thou hast put all things under hi feet:

All sheep and oxen,

         Yea, and the beasts of the field;

The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,

         And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psalm 8, KJV)

Today we rejoice that God has seen fit to deliver our nation from the tyranny of a supposed right to kill children in the womb. It is by divine providence, that is, the foreknowledge and working of God in the world, that this decision by the Supreme Court was handed down on the same day as the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. Today is a day of great rejoicing.

Tomorrow, our rejoicing will be slightly tempered. Tomorrow, we ought to remember that while this decision removes a national mandate allowing the murder of children, it does not prevent the murder of children. This decision allows states to decide how and when they will allow mothers to ask doctors to kill their babies. I give thanks to God that there will be states protecting children, especially the state of Missouri. Our Attorney General certified the overturning of Roe vs. Wade this morning, meaning all abortions not absolutely medically necessary, are illegal in our state. Yet I still mourn the children sacrificed on the altars of pleasure, self-importance, and pride because they were conceived in a state unwilling to protect them.

But today, our rejoicing is great. We rejoice for out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, God has ordained strength in the face of His enemies. We especially rejoice for that one who is the greatest among men born of women. St. John the Baptist is the forerunner of Christ, who was called by God before his birth to announce the coming of the Savior.

Next Saturday, we celebrate the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that day when the Virgin Mary visits her relative, Elizabeth, and the child in Elizabeth’s womb leaps at the sound of Mary’s voice. St. John, who was himself around six months gestation, hears the sound of Mary’s voice, knows the presence of the Christ, and leaps for joy. Like a calf leaping forth from his stall, St. John rejoices at the presence of His Lord because it means salvation has come to man in the flesh of Jesus.[1]

There is a plethora of details surrounding the birth of St. John, each pointing to Christ, and more than could be understood in one evening. Tonight, we will focus on how and why he came to be named “John.” It was a surprise to everyone when Zacharias came out from offering the evening burning of incense and sacrifice and was silent. It was his duty to pronounce the benediction over the people. Having offered sacrifice to God, it was Zacharias’s duty to place the name of God on His people.

But his lips were sealed. Zacharias’s lips were sealed for a lack of faith. He did not believe God was able to give his aged and barren wife a son, let alone that this son would be the forerunner of the Christ.

The sealing of Zacharias’s lips is a mirror of the duty given to his son. John would be the voice crying in the wilderness. He would be the forerunner of the Christ through the preaching of God’s Word, especially that word of repentance.

Only on the day of John’s birth and only at the occasion of the gathered crowds who would not believe Elizabeth’s claim that the child was to be named John, were Zacharias’s lips unsealed. He wrote the name “John” and simultaneously spoke aloud. The voice of Zacharias was heard for the first time in ninth months. While his lips were sealed before he could bless the people, they were loosed for him to say, “His name is John.”

The name “John” means “gracious” or “benevolent.” The high priest at the time of the building of Solomon’s Temple was also named “Johanan.”[2] It is fitting that as the building of the spiritual temple of the Kingdom of God was being carried out by the heavenly Solomon, namely Jesus Christ, a man named John would serve as a priest carrying out a ministry greater than any of the Old Testament in preparing the hearts of man to receive their Lord.[3] [4]

It was the solemn duty of St. John to prepare the hearts of man by plowing the hearts inflated by pride and sin until they were plane, and raising up those who were sunk deep in the valley of despair. Through a baptism of repentance, St. John prepared the way of the Lord.

When we say that the ministry of John was a ministry of repentance, we mean the term “repentance” broadly, as including both the Law and the Gospel. John proclaimed the coming of the Messiah to fulfill the oath God swore to Abraham, the mercy promised to our fathers of old, and the holiness and righteousness of God who would deliver mankind from the hand of our enemies—sin death, and the devil.[5]

Then came the day when his own cousin, Jesus of Nazareth, came to John to be baptized. St. John knew Him to be the Christ, the promised Savior, and at first declined because of his unworthiness. Yet Christ proclaimed it was necessary that He be baptized by John so that they might fulfill all righteousness. Thus, Christ was baptized in the Jordan River, sanctifying all waters to be a washing of rebirth and regeneration.

Jesus declared that John would participate in the fulfilling of all righteousness. This was not because St. John had distinguished himself by ascetic living or devotion to God. John himself confessed that he was not worthy to tie the sandal strap of the Christ, let alone participate in the filling of righteousness. Yet it is the gracious Lord who brings John into the fulfillment of righteousness.

In your holy baptism, Christ also invites you to participate in the fulfilling of all righteousness. You are not then expected to do this on your own. You are still unworthy to tie the sandal of God in yourself. But you are also no longer alone. You are the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, the habitation of the Lord, Himself. The Son of God was made lower than the angels when He took on your flesh and He has now washed you in His blood. The Father looks upon you and sees His beloved children. In this state, it is a loving and gracious act of the Almighty God to invite you to participate in His loving works by serving your neighbor and showing love to God.

Your participation does not make you holy. It is a consequence of your holiness, just as John baptizing Christ in the Jordan did not grant John salvation—it was the consequence of what God declared concerning John before his birth. John would go before the Lord to prepare his ways, by preaching repentance and the knowledge of salvation to the people of God.

On this holy day, we celebrate the birth of the forerunner of Christ at the same time that we celebrate an act of our government to protect the lives of thousands of children. It is by divine providence that the day we celebrate the one who leapt in the womb at the presence of his Lord, we also celebrate the striking down of Roe vs. Wade. We celebrate John the forerunner and the preservation of the lives of children because God Himself was born a child at Bethlehem. The Son of God took on your flesh, was born of a virgin, that by bearing your sins into the death of the cross, He would redeem your flesh. Jesus ascended into heaven still bearing the flesh of man so that all mankind, from the smallest child in the womb, to the eldest among us, would be guided into the way of peace.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let us now rise and sing together the Te Deum, as found in hymn #941, glorifying God for the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.

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[1] Malachi 4:2.

[2] 1 Chronicles 6:10.

[3] Johann Gerhard, Postille: Exegesis and Explanation of Sunday and Main Festival Gospels; Part Three: Apostle and Other Festival Days, translated by Elmer M. Hohle, edited by Heidi D. Sias (Fort Wayne, IN: Lutheran Legacy, 2012), 67.

[4] 2 Corinthians 3:6-9.

[5] St. Luke 1:68-79. The Benedictus.

The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

Psalm 31; Revelation 6:9-11; Romans 6:1-6

St. Mark 6:14-29

In the name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

“There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between these two ways.”[1] These are the opening words of perhaps the oldest Christian writing outside of the New Testament called The Didache or “The Teaching.” The author of The Didache is likely referencing Psalm 1, “For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”[2] These two ways, the way of life and the way of death; the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly, are on clear display this morning.

King Herod was not in fact a king. He was a tetrarch, one of four men set in authority in the territory of Israel but subservient to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. So long as he kept the peace and served Rome, Herod was allowed to live as he pleased. He was rich beyond necessity and bore no real responsibility aside from pleasing the Romans. Herod associated with the rich and powerful, feasted sumptuously, wore fine clothing, and enjoyed the company of young women.

John the Baptist was an exile from birth. The father of this Herod – confusingly also named “Herod” – ordered all boys under two be murdered so that the coming Son of David would not assume the throne. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt. Zacharias, Elizabeth, and John, only six months old, fled into the wilderness. Donning the garb of a prophet, John ate locusts and wild honey, wrapped a leather belt around his camel hair shirt, and preached the Word of God, preparing the way for the Christ.

The contrast between the stations of Herod and John could not be wider. St. Mark is emphasizing that outward signs of blessing in this world do not correlate to the salvation of God. Christ came for the blind, the weak, the poor, and the lowly. The mighty he has cast down and the proud are made weak.

But before we condemn Herod for being a ruler, who showed all manner of outward blessing (in food, clothing, company, and wealth), God does not offer salvation based on outward lowliness either. The poor man is not saved by being poor nor is the rich man saved by being rich. Nor is either forgiven on account of changing his station – the poor pulling himself out of poverty through hard work or the rich man giving away his wealth to the needy. Our station in this life is given to us by God so that we would be stewards of what we’ve been given.

The contrast between Herod and John which is far more important are the words they speak. Because John was called to be the prophet who prepared the way of the Lord, his preaching was primarily that of repentance. He was to prepare the hearts of Israel so that they might receive the Christ. We are prepared for absolution through repentance. We are prepared to receive the Gospel through the condemning action of the Law.

Herod enjoyed this preaching of John. Herod, who murdered his brother so that he could marry his sister-in-law; Herod, whose hormones rages so uncontrollably that he was titillated by the dancing of his 14 year-old step daughter; Herod, who lived in excess and bowed the knee to the Romans, enjoyed hearing John preach the Law.

When John condemned the marriage of Herod and Herodias, the spiteful woman wanted to kill him, but Herod protected John. He would not allow the prophet to be murdered but he would allow him to be imprisoned – likely so he could please his now “wife” and hear John preach all the more. The sick and depraved Herod was intrigued by the Word of God spoken by the prophet. The Holy Ghost was working in the heart of Herod, seeking to destroy his stony heart with the hammer of God’s Law so that a heart of flesh might fill its place.

Then comes the fateful night of the birthday feast. Herod loses his mind to lust over the dancing of his stepdaughter, a young maiden, barely old enough to be betrothed, and offers her anything her heart desires. The girl is at a loss, so asks her mother, who demands the head of John the Baptist. Though he is exceedingly sorrowful, because of his oath and the presence of his noble guests, Herod gives the execution order. In that moment, all the preaching of John the Baptist has been rejected by Herod. Whatever Word of God had begun to work on his heart, Herod’s own lust, his pride, and his reputation were stronger.

Do not scoff at Herod. Perhaps he never had faith and perhaps he was only entertained by John, but do not scoff. For you too are like Herod. The time comes to tell your cousin it is a sin to sleep with her boyfriend and you don’t have the nerve. Especially when getting married would cause her to lose her deceased husband’s benefits. Your reputation before others if very important to you but notice that the 8^th commandment requires you to protect the reputation of your neighbor – not your own. Even then, if confessing the truth harms your reputation among your friends, they are not your friends or at least they are sorely confused about who you are.

Then there are the parts of Scripture you may not like. You do your daily bible readings and you come to church and listen to the sermons, but every time Christ says, “Rid yourself of crude jokes,”[3] your ears bristle and you think, ‘That can’t mean a dirty joke here and there…’

‘Submit to the government, not only the good but also the harsh.’[4] “I like when Jesus says, “Obey God rather than men, but submit to harsh rulers? No thank you.”

‘Wives, submit to your husbands.’[5] “That just means women can’t be pastors, it doesn’t mean anything at home.”

‘Let women be silent in the churches, not exercising authority over men.’[6] “Well, I just don’t like any version of that.” 

The point is Christ came to save the humble – those who humble themselves before God and his Word. You may not like the Word of God, you may not like the judgement of the Lord, but you are called to humble yourself before it and pray that he would reveal the joy of His Word to you. Humble yourself in repentance. We all need to repent. God already knows what you’ve done. He knows all and sees all. Repent of your sins because if you don’t, if you harbor them because of shame, they will be revealed on the Last Day, but they will be revealed to your judgement, like the sins of Herod.

Then there is John. John lived a life of humility, faithfully submitting himself to Christ. Even when Christ came to him to be baptized, John did not count himself worthy to Baptize the Son of God. Yet the Father had appointed John to be His prophet and to anoint the Savior of the World. Together, John and Jesus would fulfill all righteousness by fulfilling the Word of God and setting in motion of the ministry of Jesus – the Salvation of Man.

John continued to be faithful, to point to the Lamb of God, now anointed to be the sacrifice for the sin of the world. He preached repentance to everyone who would hear – the lowly and the great. He preached the Word of God to Herod who heard him. Then Herod betrayed him by following the way of death. Ironically, Herod’s way of death was the portal to John’s final steps on the way of life. What Herod meant for evil, God turned to the good of John. His labor was complete and now his only duty is to enjoy eternal bliss in glory.

Yes, you are as sinful as Herod. You are tempted by reputation, by threats of losing your job, by threats of losing family members to anger, by threats of losing your life or the life of your loved ones. These temptations are real, and you fail to deny them all. But right now, you are Herod listening to the preaching of God’s prophet. You are also called to be the prophet John the Baptist. You are called to believe, teach, and confess the truth of God’s Word. It is not given to every Christian to stand behind a pulpit nor distribute the Holy Sacraments, but it is given to every Christian to confess.

John never wavered in confessing the Law of God to Herod, his ruler. He also submitted himself to the authority of a very wicked man, accepting the consequences of living in a sinful world. You are called to no less. You are called to confess Christ before Kings and princes, employers and journalists, siblings, children, and friends.

The closest parallel to Herod in our day are the politicians who speak constantly against abortion. They claim to be champions of the unborn, standing for the rights of the defenseless children. But time and time again, they reveal themselves to be Herod. “It wasn’t the right time.” “We must move incrementally.” “We need to compromise.” They do this so that you will continue to vote for them. Where would Batman be without the Joker? Thus, he can never kill his archenemy. So too with the anti-abortion politicians, or at least most of them.

Far more timely are the ethics surrounding COVID-19 and vaccinations. No matter what you think or what you think you know about vaccination; whether vaccines will save the world or cause autism, assuming Christians who disagree with you desire the murder of others is sinful. Assuming that disagreement means you as a person are superior to others is sinful. Authorities at any level – federal, state, local, employers – authorities demanding vaccination while forbidding conversation about alternative treatments is sinful. They are no longer being harsh leaders but monstrous ones.

Forcing a Christian, whose conscience is plagued by the idea of participating in a drug created using tissues derived from abortion, to take said drug is a sin. So is claiming the burdened Christian is murdering those around them. Repent of these sins and treat one another with the eyes of Christ.

At the same time, do not be surprised when monstrous leaders take your job, your livelihood, your children, or throw you in prison. Do not be surprised when you cannot enter a store without proof of vaccination. Throwing a fit because you are not free to go where you please is also a sin. Deriding Christians for being afraid is a sin. Bear one another’s burdens. Encourage the faithful in the Word of God. Listen, respond, and communicate because we are all members of one body. The tongue is a poisonous member and no matter your stance is prone to vile sins against your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Hear again the words of today’s hymn, the first and final stanzas: 

“If thou but trust in God to guide thee

      And hope in Him through all thy ways,

He’ll give thee strength, whate’re betide thee,

      and bear thee through the evil days.

Who trusts in God’s unchanging love

      Builds on the rock that naught can move.”

“Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,

            Perform thy duties faithfully,

And trust His Word; though undeserving,

            Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.

God never yet forsook in need

            The soul that trusted Him indeed.”[7] 

St. John the Baptist knew these words. He proclaimed the truth of Christ because he knew God would be faithful to him. What did he get in return? The Scorn of man, a stay in prison, and his head on a platter.

God has promised to bear you through these evil days, but his unchanging love may not look how you want it to look. It may look like the inside of a prison, poverty, the funeral of your loved ones, or even your own funeral. God’s unchanging love definitely looks like the Son of Man nailed to a cross. God’s unchanging love definitely looks like an empty tomb and folded burial clothes. God’s unchanging love definitely looks like water poured upon your head and the Triune Name placed upon you. God’s unchanging love definitely looks like wine and bread, and with the eyes of faith, the same Body and Blood which hung upon the cross.

God’s unchanging love will be revealed in the fulness of glory on the last day, when our eyes will be perfected and open upon the glorious face of Christ, to whom John pointed. We are one in Christ, you, me, all of us together, with angels and archangels, with John and Peter. Do not allow Satan, and his minions, Herod and Herodias tempt you away from Christ in the name of taking away bodily needs. God has and will provide for your body. God has and will provide for your soul. Do not turn away and seek good from the world.

In T Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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[1] The Apostolic Fathers, “Didache 1:1,” 3^rd edition, translated and edited by Michael W. Holmes (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007), 345.

[2] Psalm 1:6.

[3] Ephesians 5:3-4.

[4] 1 Peter 2:18

[5] Ephesians 5:22

[6] 1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:8-15.

[7] “If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee,” stanzas 1 and 7.