Wednesday Vespers following Populus Zion (Advent 2)

Wednesday Vespers following Populus Zion – December 7, 2022

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

St. Matthew 11:11-15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Malachi 3:1.

[2] St. Matthew 11:14.

[3] Malachi 3:2.

[4] Malachi 3:2.

[5] Malachi 3:2-4.

[6] Malachi 4:2.

[7] Malachi 4:3.

[8] Malachi 4:4.

Populus Zion (Advent 2)

Populus Zion (Advent 2) – December 4, 2022

Psalm 80; Song of Solomon 2:8b-14; Romans 15:4-13

St. Luke 21:25-36

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

Our Lord is coming, and he is coming soon. Today we heard of the cosmos groaning in anticipation of His return. The sun, moon, and stars will be darkened. The sea and the waves will roar. The powers of the heavens will be shaken. St. Paul likens the groaning of the earth to a woman in labor.[1] Her contractions are increasing in intensity and frequency. The pain is reaching its peak just before the child comes into the world. So too creation itself is groaning louder and louder. Pain and suffering are increasing until the day when the child of the Virgin returns.

When a person grows old, his feet shake. As the world grows old, the foundation pillars of the earth shake, and we experience earthquakes, upheavals of the earth. Everything will eventually come crashing down like poorly constructed buildings. Sometimes fluid builds up in our joints and we experience painful inflammation. So too do the seas and their waves roar and roll when the earth is nearing its end.^[2]

When God finished creating the entire cosmos, crowned by His beloved man, He declared everything to be “very good.”[3] God created the cosmos and everything in the world to love and serve Him by serving the rest of creation. The trees praise God by providing shade, beauty, and fruit. The soil praises God by being fertile and aromatic, giving nutrients to the plants which feed the rest of God’s creation.

In the fall of Adam, creation itself was rent from perfect service to the creator. Trees are now forced to shade the wicked as well as the righteous. Their fruit rots. Their branches fall in storms. The soil dries hard and must be forced into submission before it is willing to give up food. Because of the Fall, all of creation longs to serve the purpose for which it was made – to love and serve God by serving the rest of creation.

Creation grows weary in awaiting the return of Christ. So too, do the hearts of man grow weary. “Men’s hearts fail them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth.”[4] We grow weary of hearing about wars and rumors of wars. We grow weary from earthquakes and roaring seas. We grow weary of plagues, pandemics, vaccines, and death. We grow weary and are tempted to focus our fear, love, and trust on the passing things of this world, on the creation which is dying.

Repent. Repent of idolatry. Repent of your misplaced fear, believing the wrath of God against creation is meant for you, His beloved. Fear causes us to shrink away from action. ‘Things are bad and might get worse if I do something, so it is best to do nothing.’ ‘If I keep quiet, maybe the persecution will pass me by.’ Repent and lift up your heads.[5]

When Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father, the Apostles stood, staring into the heavens after him. Then two angels said to them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”^[6] The Apostles were focused on counting the signs so they wouldn’t miss the return of Christ. Yet the Angels admonished them. The return of Christ will be sudden and a surprise, but no one will miss it. Every eye shall see, and every knee will bow at the return of Christ.

Place your fear, love, and trust in God alone. He bids you to lift up your heads on that last day, to see your King descending upon the clouds. The heavens and the earth, all of creation will be destroyed on that last day. They will be burned in fire and a new creation will arise.[7] God will bring forth a new creation, free from the corruption of sin and once again, declare it “very good.”

This idea of “new creation” has already come to you, beloved of the Lord.[8] In Holy Baptism, the Old Adam, the Old Creation, is drowned and dies. He is buried beneath the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his chariots. From this flood arises the New Man, the New Creation, a beloved child of God. This child has nothing to fear from falling stars, darkening suns or moons. This child of God sees the budding of the fig tree, that is, the signs of the end in creation, and lifts up her head toward Christ. Surely, heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will by no means pass away.

The Word of God is the most precious gift given to man. The Holy Sacraments—Baptism, the Eucharist, and Absolution—are that precious gift wrapped in physical means. Why would you ever neglect this precious gift of God for a few extra minutes of sleep? For a few extra minutes of television? For an extra helping of jell-o salad?

And when you have conquered the Old Adam and brought yourself into the House of God, why would you ever spend that time distracted by other people; distracting others, especially children; or thinking of your tasks for later in the day? Rejoice that you have come into the House of God. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.[9] I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go unto the house of the Lord!’[10] Lord, I love the habitation of Your House, and the place where Your glory dwells![11]

Why is the Psalmist so glad to be in the House of the Lord? Because that is where he receives the Word of God. That is where he dwells with God. That is where he will be for eternity. Heaven and earth will surely pass away. Jell-o salad, sleepiness, coloring books, crackers, football, and housecleaning will pass away. The Word of the Lord endures forever. The Word of the Lord alone endures forever.[12] Only those who are sustained by that Word of the Lord will endure forever in bliss. All others will endure forever in hellish torment.

The enduring Word of God communicates with his people. He is not silent. This communication is driven by His mercy. The prophecies of Christ regarding the final judgment are a warning. They are a warning so that you might be prepared. They are a warning so that you would know to repent of your sins and seek the Lord where He may be found.

“Behold the days are coming” says the Lord. “[When] I will send you Elijah the prophet… [who] will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction”[13]. This Elijah, this prophet, is fulfilled in John the Baptist, who came to prepare the way of the Lord through the preaching of repentance.[14] This Office of Prophet is now filled by all men called into the Office of the Holy Ministry. Pastors are called:

To give knowledge of salvation to God’s people
By the remission of your sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high,

[Christ the Light of the World,] has visited us;
To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide your feet into the way of peace.^[15]

Because of the enduring Word of God and the proclamation of the Gospel, the return of Christ for the final judgment is no surprise. But the precise timing will be a surprise. The Father has reserved knowledge of the day and hour of Christ’s return for himself.[16] This is another mercy of God. If we knew when Christ planned to return, we would wait until the last moment to repent… and we would probably miss it. The nature of the heart of man is to find a loophole in the law and exploit it. This never works out well.

So, the Father keeps us from knowing the day and the hour. God desires that all men would be prepared through repentance and faith. He sends his messengers before to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins so that we would always be prepared. Advent is to prepare us for the year when there is no Christmas; for that day and hour when Christ returns.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Romans 8:22. Cf. St. John 16:20-22.

[2] This paragraph is based on Johann Gerhard, Postilla, Vol 1, trans by Elmer M. Hohle (Malone, TX: The Center for the Study of Lutheran Orthodoxy, 2003), 15-16.

[3] Genesis 1:31.

[4] St. Luke 21:26.

[5] Psalm 24:7; St. Luke 21:28.

[6] Acts 1:11.

[7] Isaiah 65:17.

[8] 2 Corinthians 5:17.

[9] Psalm 84:10.

[10] Psalm 122:1.

[11] Psalm 26:8.

[12] St. Luke 21:33.

[13] Malachi 4:1, 5-6.

[14] St. Matthew 11:14.

[15] The Benedictus, Luke 1:77-79

[16] St. Matthew 24:36.

The Feast of St. Andrew

The Feast of St. Andrew – November 30, 2022

Psalm 89; Ezekiel 3:16-21; Romans 10:10-18

St. Matthew 4:18-22

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

Whenever we celebrate the feast of an Apostle, or read a portion of Scripture about one of the Twelve, our minds immediately turn toward the Office of the Holy Ministry. This is a good thought, and it is the final destination of tonight’s Gospel text. However, there is another, very important lesson to learn first. Before any of the Twelve were sent out as Apostles, they were first called to be Christians.

St. Andrew is one of the first disciples to be called by our Lord, let alone one of the first of the Apostles. He is the brother of St. Peter and these brothers are from Bethsaida.[1] They were fishermen by trade.[2] Prior to being called by Jesus, Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. When John pointed to Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” Andrew and another disciple of John followed Jesus. They spent the day with Him and sought where He would be staying that night.[3]

Sometime later, Andrew returned home to tell his brother that they had found the Messiah.[4] We are not told Peter’s reaction, but we do know that both brothers returned to fishing. It was fulfilling their vocations as workers that Jesus next found Andrew and Peter. He called to them and said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”[5]

This call can be viewed in two ways. First, there is the general call to follow Jesus. This is the call to faith, the call common to all Christians. Here, Jesus is calling these men to abandon house and home, financial security, mother and father, wife and children. Jesus is calling them to abandon these worldly blessings in favor of His eternal blessing.

As I said, this is the call to faith given to all Christians. We are called out of this world. We are called to abandon all things that would hinder us from following Jesus. This is much easier said than done. The idea that Jesus would ask you to abandon your family for Him seems counter-intuitive. It is counter to the Will of God if you misunderstand.

If you understand this call as the Medieval monks did, then it is against the Will of God. They believed that God called them to abandon father and mother in a temporal sense and that by locking themselves behind the walls of a monastery, they would be more holy than all other Christians. They even fooled themselves into believing that by separating themselves from their loved ones, they could save father and mother, wife and children, through their own prayers and merits. This is not the call of our Lord. It is the call of Satan.

  Notice how St. Andrew first understands the call. He goes home and tells his beloved brother that he has found the Messiah. While I doubt this is true, it is possible that Peter’s response was a scoff. It is possible that Peter made fun of Andrew for such silly ideas. It is possible that Peter told Andrew he was seeing things and that the Messiah was a fantasy.

I doubt this to be true because Peter likewise follows Jesus at His Word. But we, who are gathered in this room, know what it is like to be rejected for our faith. You know what it is like to be scorned for confessing Christ. If you don’t know, then perhaps you have spent your life in fear of such a response. Perhaps your fear of the response of your brother is greater than your love for him.

St. Andrew could be considered the first domestic missionary of the Christian era.[6] After spending a day with the Lord Jesus Christ, he went home and proclaimed the coming of the Messiah to his family. Andrew loves his family enough that he is willing to endure scorn and shame. Andrew trusts the Word of God enough that he believes it will cause faith to sprout in Peter’s heart.

Much later in our Lord’s ministry, some Greeks came to the Apostles asking Philip if they could see Jesus. Philip went to Andrew, but Andrew knew to go directly to Christ. He did not want to continue this game of telephone, but instead consulted the Incarnate Word of God. Jesus responded to this request with a prediction of His death and resurrection. He was praising Andrew for coming to Him and subtly telling Him that these Greeks will be saved just as Andrew is—by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

  In this way, St. Andrew could also be considered among the first foreign missionaries. Tracking his movements throughout the Scriptures, you get the sense that Andrew couldn’t wait to tell others about Jesus. He trusted the Word of God such that he understood it to be the most precious thing in the world. He knew Jesus to be the most precious gift given to man and he wanted everyone to receive Him.

We have entered a time in which our society has begun to collapse. There could be days, weeks, years, or even a few decades left before complete collapse, but it has begun. A sign of this collapse is the utter disdain of the church and the protection of the government toward those who would blaspheme the Lord. This blasphemy is not just abstract. It is experienced by the Church. It is experienced by you in your daily interactions. St. Andrew heard the call to follow Jesus and never looked back. It was later revealed to him that following Jesus promised scorn and persecution at the hands of men. For Andrew, it would also mean martyrdom.

Yet St. Andrew was not deterred. It is recorded that Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross at his own request. He did not count himself worthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus. The Greek governor who ordered him to be crucified also wanted him to suffer. Rather than nail his arms and feet to the cross, he was tied to it. Andrew spent three days hanging on his cross. But even during these three days, he continued to proclaim Christ to all who could hear him. At one time, he loudly cried, “O cross, most welcome and oft-looked for; with a willing mind, joyfully and desirously, I come to thee, being the scholar of Him who did hang on thee; because I have been always thy lover, and have longed to embrace thee!”[7]

So many were hearing the preaching of St. Andrew and turning toward Christ, that after three days, the governor ordered that the ropes be cut, and Andrew taken down. As the last cord was severed, “the body of the Apostle fell to the ground quite dead.”[8] I pray the Lord would inspire such courage and such faith in all of us.

The second way to view the call of St. Andrew especially focuses on the second part of our Lord’s call, “and I will make you fishers of men.”[9] This is the call into the Office of the Holy Ministry, and especially in this case, the call to Apostleship. I will save a sermon on the doctrine of the Office for another time, but know this: before any of the Apostles were ordained, they were Christians. They were called to be Christians.

In this sense, there is very little that is different between the Office of the Holy Ministry and the Office of Christian. Both are called to follow Jesus. Both are called to be fishers of men, albeit in different ways. A Pastor is called to make his living as a fisher of men. He is to publicly proclaim the Word of God; rebuke the unrepentant and absolve the penitent. He is to teach and examine the Church. He is dedicated to the Scriptures in a way that is not possible for most Christians as they have other vocations requiring time and effort.

And yet all Christians are called to be fishers of men. Before Easter evening in the upper room, when Christ breathed on the disciples and sent them to proclaim His Word, Andrew told his brother of the Messiah. Andrew brought the prayers of the Greeks to Jesus. In the same way, by virtue of your Holy Baptism, you have been called to follow Jesus by trusting in His Word. Trust that His Word has forgiven you sins. Trust that His Word has changed your stony heart into a heart of flesh. Trust that His Word has loosed your tongue such that the Holy Spirit will guide you in sharing this Word of Truth with the world.

Not all Christians are called to preach and teach on behalf of the Church. That is the duty of the Office of the Holy Ministry. But all Christians are called to preach and teach in your homes; in line at Walmart; to your relatives; and all you meet. Such proclamation is a duty, but it is also a joy. It is the same joy of tasting a sweet dessert and insisting your husband try it. You want to share the cake with him because you know he would enjoy it.

Even greater is the joy of talking about Jesus with your friends, family, and neighbors. It is true that they might scorn you or reject this Word of God, but the joy is still yours. The joy is yours because it is not your work to make them understand or even to receive the promises of Christ. That is the work of the Spirit. Your joy is simply in sharing the beautiful proclamation that Jesus has died for you and for them. Your joy is saying that Jesus loves you. Your joy is resting in the promises of God and looking forward to His eternal embrace.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. John 1:44.

[2] St. Matthew 4:18.

[3] St. John 1:35-40.

[4] St. John 1:41.

[5] St. Matthew 4:19.

[6] William C. Weedon, Celebrating the Saints (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2016), 216-217.

[7] John Foxe, Foxe’s Christian Martyrs of the World (Westwood, New Jersey: Barbour and Company, Inc., 1985), 30.

[8] Foxe, Martyrs, 30.

[9] St. Matthew 4:19.

Ad Te Levavi (Advent 1)

Ad Te Levavi (Advent 1) – November 27, 2022

Psalm 25; Jeremiah 23:5-8; Romans 13:[8-10] 11-14

St. Matthew 21:1-9

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

No one man, not even a group of men, sat down and created the Church Year, or the liturgy. It has developed over hundreds, even thousands of years. Because of this slow development, handed down over generations, there are some parts of the Church Year that don’t seem to make sense. This slow development has also led to many insights that one man alone could not conceive. The beginning of the Church Year occurring with Advent and the choice of the Triumphal Entry as the first Gospel reading of the year are just such magnificent insights.

The word “advent” means “coming.” Thus, in the season of Advent, we celebrate three times our Lord comes to man. First, He came in the flesh, born of a Virgin in Bethlehem. Second, He comes to us by grace, wherever His Word is spoken, and His sacraments received. Finally, He will come in power and might to judge the living and the dead.

The season of Advent is then the perfect bridge to bring us from the end of the Church Year to its beginning. We end the Church Year hearing our Lord’s teachings and warnings about His return. We heard of the division of the Sheep and the Goats, where many who believe they are Christians by their outward works will be condemned and those whose faith has taken hold in their hearts will be saved.[1] We heard also of the wise and foolish virgins, in which our Lord calls His beloved Church to vigilance, for we know not the day or the hour of His return.[2]

After this focus on Christ’s return in judgment, we hear of our Lord entering Jerusalem for the last time. He comes humbly, seated on a donkey, and rides into the city to die. He is coming to fulfill His ministry. He is coming to fulfill your salvation. He is coming to die that He would rise and conquer death. This text is heard in the context of Advent, the season immediately before Christmas, when we celebrate His coming in the flesh, the Incarnation. The Son of God must have taken on flesh so that He could die in your place. Therefore, we begin the Church Year by encompassing the two greatest feasts on our calendar: the Incarnation at Christmas, and the death and resurrection at Holy Week and Easter.

Christ’s entry into Jerusalem has another aspect that directly affects you today. The crowds that gather to hail our Lord proclaim, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”[3] You sing these words every Sunday, as you hail the coming of your Lord in and under the Bread and Wine. You sing them in the Sanctus. 

When the crowd proclaims them, they are reciting at least a portion of Psalm 118, if not the entire psalm. What is far more interesting is that they change the psalm. The twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth verses of Psalm 118 read, “Save now [or hosanna], I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.”[4] The crowd replaces the divine name, “O Lord” with “the Son of David.” This is a Messianic title. They are saying that Yahweh, the Lord God Almighty, is the Messiah, the Savior, the One who comes to save them. What’s more is that they are saying that this Jesus is that Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah who is the Lord God Almighty and has come to save them from sin, death, and the devil.

There is a problem, however. This same crowd, when asked about the identity of this man, will call Jesus nothing more than a prophet from Nazareth.[5] It is almost certain that a portion, if not the entirety, of this crowd will also be present days later when they cry out, “Crucify Him!” These subsequent actions force us to ask, “Did they know what they were saying on Palm Sunday? Did they know they were heralding the coming of the Son of God in the flesh?”

Scripture is silent as to their understanding and so we cannot answer this question. There were certainly some within the crowd who had faith and knew Jesus to be the Messiah. Even some of these likely got caught up in their own sin and joined in with the cries to crucify their Messiah.

A more fruitful answer to the question of just what the crowd understood is this, “Do you know what you are saying?” The danger of a set liturgy is it can become rote, memorized and repeated without thinking. How often do you find yourself reading from the page, responding from memory, or even forgetting to respond without thinking? How often do you look up from your morning devotion and not remember a single word you have read? How often have you not cared about what you say, chant, sing, or read?

These are truly dangers to your soul. Such sloth is dangerous because it is treating the Holy Word of God as less than common. If you can recite the stats of players from the Chiefs but not a psalm, then shame on you. If you know the words to the top 10 hits of any decade but cannot sing a hymn from memory, then shame on you. This is not from lack of access nor opportunity. It is from lack of desire.

It is true that memory is difficult and becomes far more difficult with age. The shame of which I speak does not come from the failure of your memory but from your misplaced priorities. The desire to know the Scriptures, to know what God says to you is part and parcel of faith. If only we recognized the multitude of gifts God has given us each day, we would shout with joy, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!”[6] Instead, we grumble when trouble arises. We grumble with fear when facing a situation that seems hopeless. We accuse God of being unjust because we don’t get what we want. We sound like spoiled children. 

Nothing we sing, speak, read, or pray in the Church that just fills the silence. Drawn from Scripture, the Liturgy is God’s Word coming to you in manifold and rich ways. No one can be expected to know and understand every insight of the liturgy, but all are expected to receive it. All can sit in quiet contemplation of the Word of God. All can search the Word of God for the understanding of why we sing what we sing or say what we say. You may not find the answer to your specific question, but you will be enriched by the journey.

Lest we fall into the trap of moving from slothful ignorance of God’s Word to purely satisfying intellectual curiosity, remember that it is in the Word of God and His Holy sacraments that Christ comes to you today. He comes to you in that very Word which we sing, chant, speak, and read. He comes to you humbly, seated in Bread and Wine. He comes to you in grace, not on account of your preparations or worthiness, but on account of His love and mercy. He has descended into your flesh so that you would be elevated to be with Him in eternity.

Today, and at every celebration of the Lord’s Supper, when you sing the words of the Sanctus, remember that you stand with the crowds. You stand with them both as they hail the coming of their Lord and cry out for His death. You stand with them because you are prone to fall into sin. You stand with them as you hail the coming of your Savior. You also stand with them as you await the final coming of Christ, when He will descend not upon a donkey or a paten, but upon a cloud. You stand with the crowd in the shame of your sins and cry out to the one who has come to relieve you of those sins. You stand and sing because the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Matthew 25:31-46; the Holy Gospel for Trinity 26, the Second Last Sunday in the Church Year.

[2] St. Matthew 25:1-13; the Holy Gospel for Trinity 27, the Last Sunday in the Church Year.

[3] St. Matthew 21:9.

[4] Psalm 118:25-26.

[5] St. Matthew 21:11.

[6] Psalm 118:1.