Is Christmas for Children? - Luke 2: 11

We often hear people say that Christmas is especially for children. Why is that? For some people, it’s because St. Nicholas or Santa has a special concern for children. Others think of Mary giving birth to her firstborn son and wrapping Him in swaddling clothes (Luke 2:7). Some imagine shepherds come to adore the child and give Him gifts. Some also think of the Wise Men who traveled to bring Him gifts when He was one or two years old. All those associations can be pleasant, and it is good to show special concern for children as we celebrate Jesus' Birth. Children should enjoy their childhood Christmases, and adults should appreciate the joy of childhood celebration.

However, Christians must also remember that Christmas isn’t just for children. It is for everyone. We always need to remember the words of the angel in Luke 2:11, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." So, as we get older, let us not think that we will ever outgrow Christmas. In fact, sometimes we can appreciate the Birth of the Christ Child even more as we get older. Every year, we can realize more and more how much we need Jesus to be our Savior. In fact, the new challenges that arise in human life should point us to the Incarnation in new ways, and our reasons to rejoice become clearer. Christmas is good news! Let us always think about that- how we need Jesus to come into our hearts again and again and help us. That is true whether we are 9 months old, 9 years old, or 90 years old. Glory to God in the highest!

Advent- Mark 13:32-37

Advent is the beginning of the Church year, the time of preparation to remember Christ’s first coming as the infant Jesus. It is also a time to think about other ways that Jesus Christ comes into human lives, including His second coming (Mark 13:32-37). As we contemplate the Scriptures, we should realize that there is both judgment and mercy, both Law and Gospel, both demand and promise. In our preparations to celebrate Christ coming into the world anew, we need to keep both sides of the message in our hearts and minds. As a season of preparation, Advent stresses waiting in humility and repentance as we look forward to the joy of the Incarnation. Advent is not quite as somber as Lent (hence the relatively recent tendency of some churches to use blue rather than purple during Advent), but Advent is a time for serious reflection and self-assessment. Human beings often prefer to skip over that and rush the Christmas celebration. Even believers do this, and the secular world is even worse.

It is not easy to resist these social pressures, but we must try to set aside some time for serious reflection. We need to think about Christ’s comings into the world and into our lives. And before we rush into celebration, we need to ponder our spiritual condition as Christ’s Church and as individual believers. We should reflect upon the various ways Christ comes to us: as an infant at Christmas, as the messianic king in Holy Week, and as our judge on the last day. We must also be open to Him to come to us through worship every Sunday (especially in the Lord's Supper) and in Scripture and prayer every day of our lives.

Harvest Time and Thanksgiving

Through the ages, many peoples have observed feasts and offered prayers of thanksgiving for harvests. Although it had other historical connections, the Jewish Feast of Booths or Tabernacles was related to the autumn harvest. In medieval and early modern Europe, there were various local harvest festivals. In England and Germany, there were often harvest thanksgivings in local churches in early October. In the early history of America, European explorers and colonists of various nationalities gave thanks in many places and ways. In Virginia, there was a celebration of thanksgiving at Berkeley Hundred on December 4, 1619. Of course, the case in Massachusetts in 1621 was a dramatic case of survival, and it was propagated and publicized by New Englanders. At the time of Independence, this New England practice was promoted by the Continental Congress, and in 1789, the American Episcopal Book of Common Prayer included a Thanksgiving Day Office.

So despite popular legend, Thanksgiving or the Harvest Festival is not just for or about Puritan Pilgrims and Native Americans. The giving of thanks is a Scriptural theme found among many religious groups. It is a normal part of Christian worship to give God thanks for all things. It is also appropriate that we should pause in autumn to give special thanks for the products of the land which sustain and enrich life. Nun dunket alle Gott, "Now thank we all our God..."

All Saints Day- Hebrews 12:1; Jude 3

All Saints Day is one of the great feasts or celebrations of the Church. Although it was not established as a universal feast in the Western Church until the 800's, it reflects a long development from the early years of Christian history. From the days of Christ's earthly life and the time of the Apostles, there was a strong sense of community and communion among believers. Christians shared with one another, interceded for one another, gave thanks for one another and honored the witness and example of those who had gone before. They had the sense of being surrounded by a great "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1); they also knew that they must continue to "contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). So All Saints Day is a celebration of the continuity of the Christian faith from Biblical times to the present and beyond.

Of course, the evangelical Lutheran perspective on this celebration and on the general theme of the saints is special. Like some other traditions, Lutherans have a sense of continuity with the best from the Church of all ages. We incorporate the witness of the saints of the past through Scripture, the calendar, the liturgy, and the historic creeds. At the same time, Lutherans have deliberately avoided the excesses of the medieval cult of the saints, and it is no accident that Reformation Day is the Eve of All Saints. Lutherans clearly reject ideas about a treasury of merits from the saints and popular medieval practices about relics. Luther stressed that a person is a saint or holy one only because of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. All true believers, even those who are not always very "saintly," have been made holy through Christian baptism and faith in Christ. So it is appropriate to set aside a day to remember all those- great and small, famous and forgotten- who have gone before us in Christian faith. We give thanks for all the saints and pray for grace to be and remain part of that fellowship.

Reformation 500- 31 October 2017- Romans 3:28

This year, October 31, All Saints Eve, marks the Five-Hundredth Anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation. This date commemorates Luther’s 95 Theses against corruption and in favor of sincere faith. Much has been and can be said about this anniversary and about the Reformation in general. The Reformation of late medieval catholicism was and remains important for both world history and for worldwide Christianity. For those who consider themselves Lutheran, Protestant, or generally Evangelical, this commemoration is a reminder of some core convictions.

We can use various terms, but the central point of the Reformation is the message of God’s forgiving and saving grace made available through the unique work of Jesus Christ. We may value many aspects of our universal Christian heritage, but we should always remain focused on Jesus Christ. By grace through faith in Christ, we are justified or set right with God (Rom. 3:28).

We are not saved by obtaining papers of indulgence, or by invoking the saints. We are not saved by the pope, by any bishop, or by any pastor. We aren’t saved by a particular translation of the Bible, certain orders of worship, or venerable hymns- no matter how beautiful and full of meaning such externals are. And as important as our own good deeds are as a sincere fruit of faith, we are certainly not saved by our own efforts or goodness.

We are only forgiven, set right with almighty God, and saved from our fallen condition by Jesus Christ, God's unique Son, the eternal Word made flesh. Only Christ crucified and risen can give us the grace we need. Only by believing in and trusting in Christ’s work do we find true wisdom, strength, and guidance for walking the Christian walk and for carrying out our mission on earth. Individually and corporately, we always need to be reformed. Daily, monthly, and yearly, we need to return to Scripture and re-apply its message about our Lord Jesus Christ, both to the church and to our own lives.

Labor Day and Christian Vocation

As we observe American Labor Day, the concept of Christian vocation deserves more attention than we often give it. St. Paul's epistles repeatedly remind believers that they have been called in various ways to various stations in life and to various forms of service. In church, the word "vocation" often brings to mind the ordained ministry.  And a vocation to ordained ministry is certainly important, but Christian vocation is a broader concept. Vocation is also more than a job or an occupation, although a job or a profession can be part of the way an individual Christian expresses his/her vocation. 

In fact, every Christian has a general vocation or calling to faith in Christ expressed in all of life. Each Christian also has a unique combination of sub-vocations, including job(s), family roles, community responsibilities, and religious or churchly service. Such a view of vocation goes back to the Scriptures, and it was renewed during the Reformation era by Luther and other reformers. So Labor Day is an appropriate time for us to pause and consider all the ways God calls us and how we may be of greater service to God in all our callings or vocations.

Trinity Sunday

It is appropriate that we focus on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity one week after celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. Although we can use metaphors from nature and employ reason to talk about the Triune God, a personal appreciation of this uniquely Christian teaching really comes when the Holy Spirit pours divine grace into our hearts and minds. 

We can cite certain New Testament texts (such as Matthew 3:16-17, John 3: 5-16, Ephesians 2:18, 2 Corinthians 13: 14, 1 Peter 1:2) which express a Trinitarian understanding of God's self-disclosure to humanity. But the doctrine is subtle, and its expression developed gradually among Christians. Notably, it was expressed in the ancient baptismal questions about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit which became the basis for the Apostles' Creed. As misunderstandings arose, the doctrine was more deliberately expressed in many Christian texts including the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed (Quicunque vult), and in hymns such as the Gloria Patri, the Gloria in excelsis, and the Te Deum.

As we think about the importance of the doctrine of the Trinity, we do not all have to become philosophical theologians who delight in discussing abstractions. However, as Christians, we do affirm or confess this basic doctrine. The doctrine of the Trinity is a central and biblically based Christian belief that summarizes Christian beliefs about God, It is deeply rooted in the experience of redemption and in Christian prayer and worship. At various moments, we focus upon one or the other divine Person, but there is a constant interaction of the three Persons as we consider revelation, justification, sanctification, and salvation. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow,... Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

Pentecost 2017- John 3:8; John 16:13-14

The readings, liturgy, and confessional resources  for Pentecost are rich. All remind us of the special work of God the Holy Spirit that began among the disciples fifty days after Christ's Resurrection and ten days after His Ascension. This year, I would like to focus on the work of the Holy Spirit by juxtaposing two contrasting passages from the Gospel of John.

The first verse is John 3:8 -"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (ESV). These words of our Lord stress the mystery and the freedom associated with the work of God the Holy Spirit. It is not tangible and not always predictable. It goes beyond our normal human categories and expectations.

The other passage is John 16:13-14 - "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you" (ESV). These words of our Lord emphasize the truth and continuity of divine revelation. Although Pentecost marks a new phase in the work of God the Holy Spirit, the Spirit continues the work of God the Son, Jesus Christ. Despite the mystery and sometimes unexpected details, the truth is the same.

As Luther and the Lutheran Confessions taught, the true work of the Spirit is not whimsical. Although it involves all aspects of human life, it is not primarily emotion or private inspiration. Most commonly, the Holy Spirit works through Scripture and Sacrament. So the Spirit is free but also orderly and not chaotic. If we want to understand the Holy Spirit's work in the Church and in our personal lives, we must always relate it to those things revealed in the life and work of Jesus Christ.
As Christians, we need balance in our responses to the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to be open to some new and surprising applications, but we also need to maintain a sense of continuity. There are three divine Persons but only one God and one enduring divine revelation.

Ascension

Thursday April 25 was the fortieth day after Easter, the commemoration of Christ's Ascension, and this Sunday is often called Ascension Sunday. The Ascension of our Lord is a teaching of Scripture and the ancient creeds, and if we pause to consider, it has deep meanings for us as believers.

Let us briefly consider three meanings of the Ascension. 1) The Ascension marks Jesus' return to His heavenly Father and the completion of the earthly ministry He began at the Incarnation. Those thirty odd years were unique in human history and in God's work for human salvation. The Ascension marks the glorious completion of Christ's earthly ministry. 2) As Christ tells His followers more than once in the Gospel according to St. John, His return to the Father also prepares the way for a new and powerful working of God the Holy Spirit among human beings. As long as Jesus was physically present on earth, the disciples would tend to be localized in Palestine. His return to heaven and the new descent of the Holy Spirit means that the Christian mission can spread to other places. 3) Christ's return to the heavenly Father means that His followers everywhere have a heavenly mediator and intercessor at the right hand of the Father. Our Lord watches over us in all places and times and intercedes for our well-being and eternal salvation. So His Ascension is a strengthening reminder of all that He has done and is doing to pour His grace into our lives.

Easter- Matthew 28:1-10

Easter is the greatest Christian celebration, but it is not always easy to find the right words to talk about it. The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the overwhelming expression of divine power and grace in all human history. Sermons, hymns, and liturgies are important and appropriate responses, and yet they only scratch the surface. So for me, the quiet reading of a resurrection Gospel and basic prayers of thanksgiving for God's redeeming work sometimes make the point as well as the largest and most elaborate services. The cross of Christ has been transformed and given new meaning. God's grace has overcome sin and death and offered us new life through Jesus Christ.

The Lord is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Thanks be to God. Alleluia!

Good Friday Reflections

Unexpected events prevented me from observing this Good Friday the way I planned.  Nevertheless, I did hear some impressive words and music through the media, and in my travels, I also dropped in on two different services. I even heard a non-Lutheran praise Luther's theology of the cross! 

At least, there were a few moments when I really meditated on some of the prayers for the day and the Passion Gospel from St. John. The meaning of it all was brought into focus. There were reminders of the brokenness and sin in my life, in the lives of those I know, and in the whole world. We all need Christ, the Lamb of God. We might all pray the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us sinners") for ourselves and all people. And we should all have a sense of gratitude for divine love and grace flooded.

Thus, although my personal plans for spending the day were derailed, God still used this Good Friday to speak to me through His Word. Thanks be to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, for the mighty and awesome deeds of redemption, for His loving grace, and for the promise of salvation to all who have living faith in the crucified Lord Jesus Christ!

Mid- Lent, Observing Lent Too Much?

Many Christians pursue some basic Lenten devotions, and certainly Lent is an important time of preparation. Observing this season devoutly can help us prepare to commemorate our Lord's crucifixion and resurrection more deeply. Yet, sometimes I wonder about our observances. In our parishes, we often have special services, more ecumenical contacts, more Wednesday night studies with simple meals, extra devotional booklets,  etc. I don't deny the the devotional and disciplinary value of such observances. Each one of them can be good and useful.

However, sometimes we may overdo them. The Lenten schedule may lead us to exhaustion or to a jaded feeling. And at times, we seem to be seeking merit before God just as much as the medieval church did. Furthermore, we sometimes seem to expend so much time and energy during Lent that we have little left for Easter and the season commemorating the Resurrection. So at this mid-point of Lent, let us assess our seasonal devotional life. If we have been lazy, then it is a good time to dedicate ourselves to new efforts. And if we have been hyperactive and bordering on works righteousness, let us calmly focus on the meaning- which is what God has done in Christ, both His atoning suffering and death and His gracious offer of new and eternal life.

Presentation of Christ- Light for the Nations- Luke 2:32

February 2 has several associations. Especially among Americans, it is known as Groundhog Day, which is based on an old German custom involving a badger. More importantly, it is the 40th day after the Feast of the Nativity or Christmas.

St. Luke 2 tells us that Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to perform her purification rites and Christ's redemption rites as first-born male. In the course of these events, the aged holy man Simeon and the prophetess Anna speak of the promises of redemption. Simeon speaks in his hymn of Christ as "a light to lighten the nations." This phrase is a summary of Christ's mission and the theme of the Epiphany season. It is also an indication of what we are about as Christ's Church. We have received the light of Christ, and we seek to reflect His light in our lives.