Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
9 E Homestead Ave. Palisades Park, NJ 07650 201-944-2107 Sundays 11:00 a.m. We preach Christ crucified (1. Corinthians 1,23)

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Wednesday

Wednesday 31. December 2014
1. Sunday after Christmas 

Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. (Psalm 111,2-3 ESV) 

On this, the final day of 2014, the words of the Psalmist focus our attention on the center, the center of all the universe, and that center is the LORD our God who is our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Three Persons comprising One God, He is the Triune God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

The works of the LORD were great in 2014. Perhaps our own experience would argue different: sickness, hardships, loss and death were a part of our 2014. Not everything worked out the way we wished. We may have had financial struggles. War and violence made headlines from around the world and even in our beloved nation. Nevertheless, the LORD did great things in 2014. 

As one year wanes, a new year waxes, and the Word of the LORD assures us that the works of the LORD will be great in 2015. Hardships and trials will be part of this new year, but we will not bear them alone, for the LORD God will be with us. His righteousness endures forever. This truth is a great comfort to us and sustains us in the days and months ahead as 2015 ticks by in our lives. The LORD bless us and keep us in His grace and mercy each day. 

Prayer: O Eternal God, we commit to Your mercy and forgiveness the year now ending and commend to Your blessing and love the times yet to arrive. In the new year, abide among us with Your Holy Spirit so that we may always trust in the saving Name of our LORD Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen. (F06) 

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Tuesday

Tuesday 30. December 2014
1. Sunday after Christmas 

And the angel Gabriel said to Mary: „Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear son, and you shall call Him Jesus. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.“ (Luke 1,30-31.32b) 

Luke traces Jesus' Davidic ancestry through David's son, Nathan, and takes us all the way back to the beginning with Adam. Jesus human genealogy is a rich tapestry of Old Testament patriarchs, including David, Boaz, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Shem, Noah, Seth and ultimately Adam. The Apostle Paul calls Jesus the Second Adam: The first man Adam became a living being; the Second Adam became a life-giving spirit. The first Adam was from the earth, a man of dust; the Second Adam is from heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of the dust, we will also bear the image of the Man of heaven. (1. Corinthians 15,45.47.49) 

The Scriptures testify that Jesus is human from His mother Mary and He is God from His own Divine nature as the Son of God. Jesus is both God and man in full union and communion in one person. He is man as we are man, but He had no original sin or sinfulness in Him. He is God and promises to make restore us in His Divine image. This is the Light and Glory of Christmas: God has become man. God has become one of us. God has dwelt in our midst in order to redeem us. 

Prayer: O Almighty God, grant that the birth of Your Only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from the bondage of sin; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen. (L08) 

Monday, December 29, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Monday

Monday 29. December 2014
1. Sunday after Christmas 

In as much as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1,1-3) 

Luke the Evangelist was a traveling companion with the Apostle Paul on several of his missionary journeys. Luke probably was a disciple of Paul, and his Gospel certainly has a Pauline style to it. The Gospel according to Luke is one of the Four Gospels and also a Synoptic Gospel. Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because they share a number of pericopes (stories about Jesus) and a similar framework in regards to the chronology of Jesus' ministry. 

Luke tells us that Jesus and His ministry did not happen in a vacuum. People heard Him and saw Him. Roman documents and histories attest to His life and death. Luke wrote an orderly account of Jesus and His Gospel bears that out. Luke has a detailed account of John the Baptizer and Jesus. He discusses the announcements of their conceptions and their births. Luke gives a detailed genealogy of Jesus. These items ground Jesus into the very history of the first century A.D. 

Jesus is a Savior who is in the midst of mankind's history. God has a long history of doing this throughout the Old and New Testaments. He is a God of action and does not shy away from intervening into the lives and history of His human creation. Jesus culminates that intervention by taking up human nature into His Godhood. He became mankind's Savior by becoming a man Himself in order to redeem fallen mankind back to God the Father. That, simply, is the meaning of the Christmas pericope and narrative that Luke so beautifully writes for us in his Gospel. 

Prayer: O God of Majesty, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven, we give You thanks for David who, through the Psalter, gave Your people hymns to sing with joy in our worship on earth so that we my glimpse Your beauty. Bring us to the fulfillment of that hope of perfection that will be ours as we stand before Your unveiled Glory; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen. (1133)

Luke 2,25-38. 1. Sunday after Christmas

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠
The Word of the Lord Endures Forever
Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Luke 2,(22-24) 25-38 (39-40)    0615
1. Sonntag nach dem Christfest  09 
The Holy Innocents. Martyrs about 4 B.C.  
28. Dezember 2014 

1. O Christ Jesus, heralded by starlight, watch over and protect all Christian children who suffer on account of Your Name and their faith in You, so that by Your grace they may be brought to peace and safety (VELKD, Prayer for 1. Sunday after Christmas § 2).  Amen. 
2. »Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and 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 people, a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel.“ And His father and his mother marveled at what was said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother: „Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed and a sword will pierce through your own soul also, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.“ And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 
  3. Yahweh gave Abraham the Messianic promise: »Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and ... in your Offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed« (Genesis 22,16-18). The Offspring spoken of in Genesis 22 is the Offspring of Mary who is being circumcised in Luke 2. This Offspring is Jesus and of Him Simeon proclaims: »O 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 people, a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel.
4. The covenant Yahweh had made with Abraham stated that every male born was to be circumcised in the 8. day (Genesis 17,9-13). Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the temple to be circumcised and that is where Simeon praised Him as the Christ. Simeon declared Jesus to be God’s salvation for the world. He accomplished this by fulfilling the prophecies and perfectly keeping the Mosaic law. Jesus thus went to the cross as the spotless and unblemished Lamb for sacrifice. His death on the cross paid for our sin and His resurrection opened the grave with new life. Jesus is the salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high (Luke 1,77-78). »For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,  then you will be saved. For the Scripture says: „Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.“ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For „everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved“« (Romans 10,4.9.11-13). 
5. Simeon also proclaimed Jesus to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles. One of the Advent O Antiphons speaks to this Divine Light: ℣ O Morning Star, Splendor of Light Eternal and Sun of Right- | eousness:* ℟ Draw near and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shad- | ow of death. (fn) O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis. The Prophet describes our Gentile condition: »The people who walked in darkness have seen a Great Light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them Light has shined« (Isaiah 9,2). The newborn Jesus is our Light who shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome Him (John 1,4-5). In the darkest of our nights, when all hope is extinguished, when death seems unconquerable and when despair is all around us, Christ the Light of the world burns brightly and illuminates the darkness. Hope is restored. Death is conquered. Despair becomes joy. This Light took up human flesh and bone and became man. Jesus did this to redeem us and to be the Light of our salvation. The Light was extinguished for a time, but the Light rekindled Himself. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and He rose on the third day. He is the Morning Star who heralds the dawning of a new day, a day full of hope, life and joy. 
6. Finally, Simeon praises Jesus as the Glory of Thy people Israel. Abraham is the forefather of Israel and through Him the line of the Messiah descends. The Glory of the Lord is Divine presence (the Shekhinah Glory) that lead Israel as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13,21). When the temple was built, the Glory of the Lord dwelt in the Most Holy Place (1. King 8,10-13). Jesus is the Incarnate Glory of the Lord. »The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His Glory, Glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. For from His Fullness we have all received, grace upon grace« (John 1,14.16). The Glory of the Lord appears to deliver, redeem and save. The Glory of the Lord ransoms captive Israel. 
7. The news of this Messianic birth was not good news to everyone. When King Herod the Great heard about it from the magi two years later, He ordered the death of the Holy Innocents: »Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the magi, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah: A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more (Matthew 2,16-18). The celebration of Jesus’ birth is still greeted with derision, mockery and persecution by some today. Nevertheless, the Light shines forth in this darkness and the Glory dwells among us calling people to repentance and forgiveness. Simeon knew the newborn Jesus was the Light and Glory to bring salvation to all men and women. We confess this today and celebrate it especially during Christmas.  Amen. 
8. Let us pray. O Lord, Thou does remember Your steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel, send forth the Holy Spirit to enlighten the Gentiles so that all the ends of the earth may behold the salvation of our God.   Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 
Soli Deo Gloria

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.  
ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 
http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/12/12/rpt-isis-beheads-4-christian-children-iraq

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Luke 2,1-20. Christmas Eve Vespers

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠
The Word of the Lord Endures Forever
Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Luke 2,1-20 0512
Christvesper 05
Adam and Eve 
25. Dezember 2014

1. O Well-beloved Emmanuel, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Highest, and Son of the Virgin, we give thanks unto You that, You have come to us from the Father’s throne into this misery below, taking upon Yourself our flesh and blood, so that we might be made partakers of Your own Divine nature. Now, indeed, has the Heavenly Father shared His loving heart with us; and in You is His wrath appeased. By Your holy birth, we are born again unto heaven, and You have become the veritable gateway of heaven for us; and by You we have access unto the Father, and abundant entrance into Your reign. O then help, Dear Lord, Gracious Emmanuel, so that we may rightly realize the mystery of Your revelation in our flesh (Löhe 448-50).  Amen. 
2. And the angels said to the shepherds: „Fear not, for behold, I bring you the gospel of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be sign for you: you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.“ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: „Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!“  
3. It was standard administrative procedure for the Roman Empire on a regular basis to call for a registration in all their provinces in the form of a census. The reason for this was quite simple: the emperor wanted to know how many citizens and subjects lived in his provinces so that they could all be taxed. The latest historical research indicates that the census referred to in Luke 2 was authorized in the spring or summer of 3 B.C. (Steinmann 241-42).   
4. „The census is more important that it might appear. Luke … includes information about the census to give historical reasons for Joseph going from Galilee to Bethlehem. By describing this movement, … Luke shows both that Old Testament prophecy is fulfilled and that it is the Davidic lineage of Joseph that is the reason for the trip“ (Just 106). Luke furthermore indicates that the Holy Family has been in Bethlehem for some time. It would be far easier to make the 90-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem while Mary was in the early months of her pregnancy. Mary arrived in the region of Bethlehem shortly after she miraculously conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke, you remember, tells us that when Mary heard from the Archangel Gabriel that her older cousin, Elizabeth, was also expecting her first child, that Mary straightaway went to visit Elizabeth, who lived near Bethlehem in one of the many small villages dotting the Judean hillside, and in fact remained with her for three months, at which time Elizabeth gave birth to John sometime in June, who would be known as „the Baptizer“. When John was born, Mary would be about three months pregnant, and it would be reasonable for her to just remain near Bethlehem until her own son was born. (Luke 1,56 says Mary returned not to Nazareth, but to „her home“.) It is also probable that Mary, along with other relatives, would have served as midwives and wet-nurses for Elizabeth, who in turn would do the same for Mary when her time arrived to give birth. Joseph may have joined Mary at a later date in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus, or it is very plausible that Joseph and Mary travelled together, with Joseph securing lodging at the home of one of his relatives in Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary might have stayed with Zechariah and Elizabeth, since they were relatives. Joseph could have offered his carpentry services to local merchants in the region of Bethlehem while Mary helped Elizabeth for three months. Or perhaps when Mary was ready to return to Nazareth the Imperial decree for the census was issued and she remained in Bethlehem with relatives while Joseph made the trip south to be with her. Either way, the romanticized version of Mary and Joseph making a last minute dash down to Bethlehem while she is nine months pregnant and the frantic search for a place to stay is certainly not the way events unfolded in the Bible. 
5. Gone, too, must be the image of a miserly, Scrooge-like innkeeper, turning away the family because he has no vacancy, because the common English translation of the text with „inn“ is a bad translation, for it was not an inn but in reality an upper room in a simple, peasant Bethlehem home. The manger was not located in a separate barn or stable. In the average Palestinian village, the house was, and still is, a two-room structure. One room was exclusively for guests and was an additional room built onto the main room or it could be situated on the flat roof of the home; this guest room was often called the upper room. The main room was the family room which served as kitchen, dining room, living room and bedroom. The front part of this main room, the area nearest the front door, was designated what we would consider a stall. At night, the animals were brought into this portion of the main room to stay warm and also secured them from thieves. At dawn, the animals were taken out to the yard and the stall area swept and cleaned. This stall area was blocked off with heavy timbers and the demarcation line from where the animals stayed and the family stayed were one or more mangers, either moveable wooden crib-like structures or stone troughs carved directly out of the stone floor. These mangers served as feeding troughs with hay or grass and they were also used as cribs for any infants in the household. The added benefit of having the animals in this stall area was that they kept the room much warmer, which was ideal for infants and young children. It was not uncommon to find the children snuggled next to one of the family’s goats, lambs, or donkeys at night. 
6. Luke’s description, then, of Jesus’ accommodations reveals that Joseph would have secured room and board for his family well in advance of their arrival to Bethlehem for the census. Since he had relatives in the city, Joseph and Mary would stay at one of their houses in the upper guest room. This is the very room that could not accommodate Mary and Joseph because other relatives were already staying in the guest room. So when Mary gave birth, they proceeded to the stall area where the women would act as midwives. Jesus would be placed in one of the available mangers with fresh hay for a mattress, wrapped in swaddling clothes as was common among peasants in the villages and the animals would be led to lay around the manger to give the infant Jesus additional warmth and comfort. All in all, warm hospitality extended and received in love. 
7. All this, however, is merely the setting for the great and wonderful event of Jesus’ birth. Such Palestinian familial hospitality is how Yahweh intended to dwell with us. Yahweh has an immanent and incarnational relationship with mankind. He is never far away, and He often makes His presence known. God’s incarnate Son had been promised to men and women since Adam and Eve fell into sin, were subsequently expelled from Yahweh’s presence and denied access to the tree of life. Mankind’s history since the Fall has been a history of depravity, plague and warfare. Man’s inhumanity to man is well-documented both in the pages of Holy Scripture and the annals of historians. We only need to reminisce the past one hundred years to realize mankind has not created a utopia, but has continued building a hellish, rebellious regime in direct challenge to God’s rule and reign. We are all  sinners whose sinfulness blights God’s wonderful creation with the rotting stench of our sins. 
8. Into this war-torn hellhole of human existence, God the Father fittingly sends His majestic angelic choir to a group of shepherds. These men and boys were not well-educated or wealthy, but they were hard-working, blue-collar folk who tirelessly took care of sheep, goats or cattle. They had an earthy smell and dirt under their fingernails. In Jesus’ day, shepherds were despised by the wealthy and educated in Jerusalem as simple peasants whose vocation was not very respected. To people such as these, our Heavenly Father sent forth the first jubilant announcement that the Christ had been born. How fitting that God sends Bethlehem shepherds to see the Son of God who is King David’s heir, David who had spent his youth shepherding his father’s animals.  
9. Into our war-mongoring, God-denying world the promised Christ Child is born. He is the single light of hope and salvation in the midst of a dark, storm-tossed world. That single light of Christ, however, is so penetrating and piercing, that the very heavens erupt in joy as the spiritual veil is torn asunder and the heavenly choir of angels announce in wondrous song the birth of the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. The Prophet Micah described Jesus this way: »You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you will come forth for Me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. And He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the Name of the Yahweh His God. And they will dwell secure, for now He will be great to the ends of the earth. And He will be their peace« (5,2.4-5). 
10. Luke simply records the fulfillment of the Prophet Micah with these words: »And while Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Jesus in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the upper room.« This single event changed the course of human history. Luke tells us how Jesus’ birth not only effected the destinies of simple peasants, like the shepherds, but also reverberated all the way back to Rome and made powerful rulers tremble in either fear or worship. Yes, this Child would grow into manhood and He would tear down the very strongholds of hell, route the devil, and undo death itself. Truly the angelic choir’s song has reverberated through the annals of history: »Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and goodwill toward people!«
11. This glory of God is the little Lord Jesus who was born in Bethlehem. He is both the very Son of God and the Son of Man. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who is surrounded by lambs and shepherds, who arrived in the world in the manger at Bethlehem, who later exchanged the wood of His manger for the wood of the cross where at Calvary laid down His life for your sins and sinfulness. He has risen, He lives, and is returning again on the last day, appearing to open for us the pearly gates of heaven. „Jesus alone is the Savior and no one else, He calls you and me to Him. Blessed is everyone, who hears His Name and along with the shepherds adore Him all their life“ (Wenz 3).
12. A venerable 17th century Gerhardt hymn describes this holy day this way: 

O Jesu Christ, 
dein Krippe ist
Mein Paradies, da meine Seele weidet.
Hier ist der Ort, 
hier liegt das Wort
mit unserm Fleisch persönlich angekleidet.

Du höchstes Gut
hebst Fleisch und Blut
zu deinem Thron hoch über alle Höhen. 
Du ewge Kraft 
machst Brüderschaft
mit uns, die wie ein Dampf und Rauch vergehen (ELKG 412 §1,3). 

O Jesus Christ,
Your manger is
My paradise, where my soul feeds upon.
the place is there, 
the Word is here
with our flesh personally put on.

O Jesus Christ,
Your manger is
My paradise at which my soul reclines.
For there, O Lord, 
Does lie the Word
Made flesh for us; herein Your grace forth shines (LSB 372 §1).

You are the greatest good
lift Your flesh and blood
to Your throne high above all the heights.
Your eternal might
does us fraternity brotherhood
with us, which vanishes like steam and smoke.

13. The very Son of God was incarnate in the virgin Mary, taken into His Godhood human flesh and was born in the city of David. Christ birth brings peace from God to you for He is born to be your Redeemer from sin and the devil. In Christ, you have peace, joyous peace. Rejoice and be merry, for unto you this day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 
14. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, Born this day our Savior, on this day appears to us which God has sanctified. Help us to see this glorious gospel in Word and Carol which proclaims that today the Great Light descends upon the earth, so that we can rejoice in all things and give thanks to You who is the greatest gift given to us by our Heavenly Father.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 
Soli Deo Gloria

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.  
ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 
Bailey, Kenneth. Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes. IVP Academic © 2008. 
Gerhardt, Paul. „O Jesu Christ, Dein Krippe ist“ (O Jesus Christ, Your Manger Is). Evangelisch-Lutherisches Kirchengesangbuch. Copyright © 2005 Lutherischen Buchhandlung. Translation © 2009 The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind.  
Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand. 
Steinmann, Andrew E. From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology. Copyright © 2011 Andrew E. Steinmann. 

Wenz, Armin. A sermon preached on 24. December 2008 (Christmas Eve Night) in Oberursel, Germany on Luke 2,1-14. Copyright © 2008 The Rev. Dr. Armin Wenz. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2009. 

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Tuesday

Tuesday 23. December 2014 
Rorate Caeli: 4. Sunday in Advent
O Emmanuel   

℣ O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Hope of the nations and their | Savior:* 

℟ Draw near and save us O | Lord our God. 

The O Emmanuel Antiphon is the final O Antiphon and is from Isaiah 7,14: »Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin conceives, bears a Son and calls Him Immanuel.« Immanuel means "God with us", and the birth of Jesus is exactly that: God has been born into our world and He is in our midst in a way never before seen. God has taken up into His Godhood human flesh and blood. 

The Athanasian Creed beautifully explains Jesus' incarnation and birth: "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man. He is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; and He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age: perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father with respect to His Divinity, less than the Father with respect to His humanity. Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ: one, however, not by the conversion of the Divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of the humanity into God; one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ." (Lutheran Service Book 320) 

What this means simply is: Jesus, the Son of God, took up a human body and was born into this world in order to redeem us back to God the Father. This is the great joy and gift of Christmas. 

Prayer: Draw near, O Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, who mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.  Amen. 

Monday, December 22, 2014

Luke 1,26-38; Matthew 1,18-25a. Rorate Caeli: 4. Sunday in Advent

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠
The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 
se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ 

Luke 1,26-38; Matthew 1,18-25a        0415
4. Sonntag im Advent  04 Rorate Caeli
Thomas, Apostle Martyr 72 ✠ 
21. Dezember 2014  

1. O Jesus Christ, Thou Morning Star, Splendor of Light Everlasting and Sun of Righteousness: Draw near and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.  Amen. 
2. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said: „Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!“ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her: „Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His reign there will be no end.“ And Mary said to the angel: „How will this be, since I am a virgin?“ And the angel answered her: „The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.“ And Mary said: „Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.“ And the angel departed from her. 
3. Mary was well-versed in the Scriptures. She knew that whenever God or His angel appears and speaks to you that something wonderful yet life-changing is about to happen to you. Her response to the angel’s greeting was to be greatly troubled. She was afraid and filled with trepidation, for her conception would change her life. There would be the gossip in the little town of Nazareth. There would be accusations of unfaithfulness. What would Joseph do in response to all this? St. Matthew tells us that Joseph is a righteous man unwilling to disgrace Mary. He had been particularly chosen by God the Father to be the man who would raise Jesus as His earthly father.
4. The angel’s words strengthened Mary. Her faith was emboldened because she knew that God always takes care of His people whom He calls to great accomplishments. Mary knew how Yahweh provided for Sarah in the Negeb, Rahab at Jericho and Ruth in Bethlehem. Yahweh would care for her, too. Mary is favored by God. She is His servant chosen to bear the Son of God in a miraculous conception between the Holy Spirit and Mary. Some Biblical commentators believe that Mary conceived the very moment she confessed to the angel: „Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.“ 
5. This 4. Sunday in Advent brings together the Holy Family. There is Mary, Joseph and Jesus. There are the cousins Mary and Elizabeth. There is Joseph and Zechariah. Finally there are the cousins Jesus and John. These are men and women of faith waiting for the redemption of Yahweh. They never imagined they themselves would be actual participants in that Divine redemption but each of them was chosen by God to be an active part in His Heilsgeschichte (salvation history). Mary bore our Messiah and Elizabeth bore His Messenger. John would prepare the way for Jesus for he is the light-bearer heralding the way for the True Light. 
6. An angel of Yahweh told Joseph that Mary will bear a Son, and you will name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. The Medieval Anglo-Saxon Christian poet Kynewulf describes the angelic pronouncement to Mary and Joseph this way in his poem Crist: „Hail Morning Star, Brightest of angels Thou, sent unto men upon this Middle-earth, Thou art the True Brilliance of the sun, radiant above the stars, and from Thyself illuminest forever all the tides of time! And as Thou, God indeed begotten of God,“ (Kynewulf 104-09). 
7. Isaiah had prophesied: »The people who walked in darkness have seen a Great Light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has Light shone« (Isaiah 9,2). We once walked in darkness and dwelt in the land of shadows. This darkness was our cursed and sinful condition we inherit from Adam. The doom and gloom of our sinfulness left us discouraged and in despair. Would redemption ever dawn upon this earth? Into this darkness God sent His angels of Light to give us hope. Two sons were born; one preceding the Light and the other was the Light made flesh dwelling among us. 
8. The Son of the True Father was sent to us, Thou Radiant Sun, who has enlighened us who have for so long been wrapped around with darkness and gloom, having sat in the lifelong night shrouded in sin, we have had to endure death’s dark shadow. Now the Hope of our salvation has been promised and given to men and women through God’s own Word (Kynewulf 110-20). Jesus is our Morning Star, the Splendor of Light Everlasting and the Sun of Righteousness. He draws near and enlightens all those who dwell in the depth of their sin and the fear of death. 
9. Jesus was conceived to save us from our sinfulness. He did not chose a cultured woman of royalty. May was a simple woman from a small town in Galilee that was not considered to be hometown for the Messiah the religious leaders of Israel expected. Joseph was not a man in David’s lineage who would ascend to the throne. The Romans ruled Palestine, and they had chosen the Herodian family with its nebulous Davidic lineage to rule over the Jews. Joseph made his living as a carpenter. He was a blue collar man in a blue collar town. What Mary and Joseph lacked in royal airs they made up for in their simple faith, piety and humbleness. Jesus chose regular folk to be His earthly parents, and He made their names great in the history of the world. Jesus was born into this world to make our names great, too, before His Heavenly Father. He has made us sons and daughters of God, co-heirs with Him, for the everlasting fellowship in His heavenly reign. Jesus does not abhor the physical body, flesh and blood but willfully took up humanity into His Divine Person in order to redeem His fallen jewel of creation. As a newborn baby brings hope and joy into a family, so Jesus brings hope and joy to us and all people for He fulfilled Scripture, was born of a virgin and dwelt among us to save us all.  Amen. 
10.. Let us pray. O Christ, Thou Daystar, we look forward to celebrating Your birth once again; let Your Light shine in and through us so that we may be heralds of Your Light to our neighbors lost in the darkness of sin.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 
Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm 

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.  
ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 
   Cynewulf. Crist. Copyright © 2000 In parentheses Publications. Translation © 2000 Charles W. Kennedy. 
Murphy, G. Ronald, Tr. The Heliand. Copyright © 1992 Oxford University Press. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Devotional thoughts for Monday

Monday 22. December 2014 
Rorate Caeli: 4. Sunday in Advent
O Rex Gentium   

℣ O King of the Nations, the Ruler they long for, the Cornerstone uniting all | people:* 

℟ Draw near and save the human race, whom You formed | out of clay. 

The O King of the Nations Antiphon is from Isaiah 9,6 and 2,4: »For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government is upon His shoulder, and His Name is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He judges between the nations, and decides disputes for many peoples; and they beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation does not lift up sword against nation, neither do they learn war anymore.« 

This Antiphon teaches us that the Jesus is the promised Messiah for Israel and the Christ for the Gentiles. All the nations find their salvation only in Him. God told Abraham that all nations would be blessed through Him, and His Offspring fulfilled that promise. Simeon sang in his Nunc Dimittis regarding Jesus: mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thous hast prepared before the face of all people, a Light to lighten the Gentiles and the Glory of Thy people Israel.  

Prayer: Draw near, O Desire of the nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind, bid our sad divisions cease and be our King of Peace.  Amen. 

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Sunday

Sunday 21. December 2014 
Rorate Caeli: 4. Sunday in Advent
O Oriens  

℣ O Morning Star, Splendor of Light Eternal and Sun of Right- | eousness:* 

℟ Draw near and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shad- | ow of death. 

The O Morning Star Antiphon is from Isaiah 9,2: »The people who walked in darkness have seen a Great Light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them Light has shined.« 

In the Gospel according to John, the Apostle John uses light as one of his metaphors about Jesus. He writes: »In the Word was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome Him.« (John 1,4-5)

In the darkest of our nights, when all hope is extinguished, when death seems unconquerable and when despair is all around us, Christ the Light of the world burns brightly and illuminates the darkness. Hope is restored. Death is conquered. Despair becomes joy. The Light was extinguished for a time. But the Light rekindled Himself. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and He rose on the third day. He is the Morning Star who heralds the dawning of a new day, a day full of hope, life and joy. This Light took up human flesh and bone and became man. Jesus did this to redeem us and to be the Light of our salvation. In three days we celebrate and remember His birth. 

Prayer: Draw near, O Morning Star, from on high and cheer us by Your drawing nigh, for You disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death's dark shadows put to flight.  Amen. 

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Saturday

Saturday 20. December 2014 
Gaudete: 3. Sunday in Advent
O Clavis David  

℣ O Key of David and Scepter of the House of Israel; You open and no one can shut; You shut and no one can | open;* 

℟ Draw near and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shad- | ow of death. 

The Key of David Antiphon is from Isaiah 22,22; 9,7; and 42,7: »I will place on His shoulder the key of the House of David; He shall open, and no one shall shut; He shall shut, and no one shall open. To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from prison and those who sit in darkness out of the prison house.« (Isaiah 22,22; 42,7) 

This Antiphon shows us what Jesus was born to do. He was born to redeem us from sin, the curse imposed upon creation on account of that sin, release those separated from God and defeat death and the devil. Jesus did this through His death and resurrection. He has the Key to death and hades. Jesus is Eternal Life, and He gives us that Life. 

Jesus has decreed it. He is the King, heir of David and Son of God, and His decree is a royal decree spoken from the very throne of heaven above. He sends His emissaries to carry out this decree. Pastors preach the gospel, and Christians take that gospel to the most remote regions of their towns and around the world so everyone can hear that Christ has freed all people. 

Prayer: O Jesus, Key of David, unlock the hearts and minds of people lost in sin and unbelief so that they will believe Your gospel, trust in You for salvation and by faith receive their redemption You have merited for them.  Amen. 

Devotional thoughts for Friday

Friday 19. December 2014 
Gaudete: 3. Sunday in Advent
O Ratix Jesse 

℣ O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign among the people; before You kings will shut their mouths, to You the nations will make their | prayer:*

℟ Draw near, deliver us, and delay no - longer. 

The O Root of Jesse Antiphon is based upon Isaiah 11,1.10: »A Shoot shall spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. On that day the Root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the people; the nations shall inquire of Him, and His dwelling shall be glorious.« 

Jesse was the father of King David. The Prophet Micah prophesied that the Christ would be of the house and lineage of David and would be born in David's hometown of Bethlehem. The Gospels according to Sts. Matthew and Luke trace Jesus lineage back to David and Jesse. St. Matthew tells us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. 

We see here how God keeps His promises to His people. He promised the Christ would descend from the House of David, and He did. He promised to redeem the world through His Only Son, and He did. He promised to return for us and resurrect our body, and He will. 

Christmas is one event in the fulfillment of those promises, and we rejoice in the Babe of Bethlehem who would grow up and fulfill them for us 2000 ago. 

Prayer: O Jesus, the Root of Jesse and the Christ, rule over us as our King so that we live eternally in Your glorious reign where sin, death and hell are removed from our experience.  Amen.  

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Thursday

Thursday 18. December 2014
Gaudete: 3. Sunday in Advent
O Adonai


℣ O Adonai, and Ruler of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law | on Sinai:* 

℟ Draw near with an outstretched arm and re- | deem us. 


The O Adonai Antiphon is based upon Isaiah 33,22: »For the LORD is our Ruler; the LORD is our King; He will save us.« 


Adonai is a Jewish and Aramaic word that means “my Lord” and is used in place of God’s Name which is Yahweh. Yahweh is often translated into English as the LORD. Adonai, then, is used interchangeably with “God” in Jewish and Christian literature. 


Notice how this antiphon makes the connection that the LORD who appeared to Moses in the burning bush is Jesus. The antiphon teaches us that Jesus is the LORD. The New Testament furthermore informs us that Jesuss is the Son of God and the Second Person of the Triune Godhead. 


The antiphon also connects Moses, the Exodus, the law and redemption together. The Sinai testament redeemed, saved and forgave Israel. The Calvary testament now replaces the Sinai testament and thereby redeems, saves and forgives all the world. Jesus instituted both testaments. In them we see His salvation history throughout the history of mankind. As the Babe of Bethlehem, Jesus began to bring the salvation of fallen mankind to fulfillment. 

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Wednesday

Wednesday 17. December 2014 
Gaudete: 3. Sunday in Advent 
O Sapientia 

℣ O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, permeating all creation, mightily ordering | all things:* 

℟ Draw near and teach us the way of | prudence. 

An ancient tradition in the Western Church is the liturgical practice (at least since the 8. century, but perhaps as early as the 6. century) of reciting an O Antiphon at Vespers each of the seven days before Christmas (17.-23. December). Today is the first O Antiphon: O Wisdom. 

The O Wisdom Antiphon is based upon Isaiah 11,2-3: »The Spirit of the LORD shall rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.« and Isaiah 28,29: »He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.« 

Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah and said that the very Holy Spirit would rest upon Him. We see this fulfilled at Jesus' baptism when the Holy Spirit descends upon Him as a dove. Isaiah lists 6 attributes that the Messiah will manifest: wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and fear of the LORD. We see these attributes exhibited by Jesus throughout the Gospels in His teachings, actions and miracles. 

Jesus is all these things for us, who though we should also exhibit them as children of God, cannot perfectly do so because of our fallen nature. Jesus perfectly exhibits them for us in our place and thus in Christ we have these attributes attributed to us too as a gift of grace through faith in Christ. 

Prayer: O draw near, O Wisdom from on high, who orders all things mightily; to us the path of knowledge show and teach in us ways to go. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel will draw near to thee, O Israel.  Amen. (Lutheran Service Book 357). 

An antiphon is a musical response by a choir or congregation, often as a Gregorian chant, to a psalm or other Biblical text. 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Tuesday

Tuesday 16. December 2014 
Gaudete: 3. Sunday in Advent 

This is he of whom it is written: »Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.« (Malachi 3,1; Matthew 11,10

This is he of whom it is written: »Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.« (Malachi 3,1; Matthew 11,10) 

Jesus said His cousin, John the Baptizer, was the promised messenger spoken of by the Prophet Malachi. John was received, but also ridiculed. The same was true of Jesus: He was received by many in the crowds, but he was ridiculed by the religious and political leaders. Nothing has changed today. It's okay to celebrate Christmas, but you best not emphasize Jesus too much or you will offend people. 

John and Jesus were not afraid to offend people. They called a spade a spade. They held people accountable to their thinking and actions. But they didn't just preach the law and wrath of God. John said the Messiah was in Judah's midst and He had arrived to bring the reign of heaven. Jesus proclaimed He is the reign of heaven in our midst and He preached the gospel of forgiveness, salvation and righteousness that is a gift of grace from God received by faith in Him. 

This is not an easy message to accept. Our sinful nature struggles against it because it puts all the work on God and removes any claim of merit from us. God is completely exalted and we are completely humbled. This is what Advent prepares us for: to acknowledge our sinfulness and need for a savior, and then Christmas delivers that savior in the birth of Jesus in the little town of Bethlehem. 

Prayer: Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created. Give us the faith to behold the majesty of Your presence in simple words, simple water and simple bread and wine, as You draw near to us in the very body and blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.  Amen. (1129; Treasury of Daily Prayer

Monday, December 15, 2014

Matthew 11,2-10. Gaudete: 3. Sunday in Advent

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠
The Word of the Lord Endures Forever
Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Matthew 11,2-10     0315
3. Sonntag im Advent  03 Gaudete 
Spiridion, Bishop on Cyprus, ✠ 348 
14. Dezember 2014 

1. O Christ Jesus, Thou Living Word, bless us, Your Church, to preach the gospel so that those who suffer may be assured of Your mercy and love in this life and the next. We await Your advent, O Morning Star (VELKD, Prayer for 3. Sunday in Advent § 6).  Amen. 
2. »Now when John the Baptizer heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and asked Him: „Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?“ And Jesus answered them: „Are you the one who is to arrive, or shall we wait for someone else?“ And Jesus answered them: „Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight and the crippled walk, lepers are made clean and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.“ [Isaiah 35,5; 61,1] As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: „What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Behold, those who wear fancy clothes are in kings’ houses. Did you go out to see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it has been written: »Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.«“ [Malachi 3,1] 
  3. Advent tells us why Jesus was born on Christmas. In ten days we will celebrate Jesus’ birth, and here in Matthew 11 Jesus tells us the sort of man He had grown up to be. Jesus told John the Baptizer’s disciples that the ministry of the Messiah was about overturning the curse imposed upon creation as a result of mankind’s sinfulness. The sick and infirm will be made well, the dead will be resurrected and the gospel will be preached to those who are dejected. Thus the 3. Sunday in Advent is called Gaudete, for we rejoice over all Christ our Lord does for us. 
4. Is there rejoicing during times of persecution? By Matthew 11 John the Baptizer had been behind bars for about one year. Herod Antipas, King of Galilee and Perea, had imprisoned John because Herod’s wife, Herodias, was offended by John’s preaching, for John told Herod that he should not have married his brother’s (Philip) wife (14,12). Herodias was scorned by this moralistic pronouncement so John felt her fierce wrath. Blessed is the one who is not offended by Jesus, and the following is also true: blessed is the one who is not offended by John the Baptizer. John prepared the way for Jesus, so if someone is offended by John then they are also offended by Jesus. John certainly had his adversaries: Queen Herodias, Princess Salome, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. John had made some powerful political and religious enemies, but no angel was sent to unlock the cell door and lead John to freedom (Acts 5,19).  
5. Like John we have our moments of despair. Events in our lives may confine us or restrict our freedom. Perhaps our influence has waned in the eyes of children or co-workers. Maybe our enemies slander our good name or plot their petty  revenge against us for some unintended slight. Even the world’s ridicule of our Christian faith can take its toll upon us. We are mocked for believing in a God who promised to return but has thus far delayed His return for 2000 years. John had languished in a royal prison but he had not lost hope in Jesus whom he had baptized. He had prepared the way for Jesus and was comforted by the news his disciples brought him that Jesus was indeed fulfilling the messianic promises spoken of by the Prophets. 
6. John’s ministry was immensely important. Jesus declared that His cousin was more than a prophet. He prepared the way for the Christ, and thus John the Baptizer was the greatest born of women (11,9-11). This is high praise from the One who was miraculously conceived and God incarnate in human flesh. 
7. Nevertheless, the world often responds to the gospel and God’s messengers with violence and force (11,12). We see it around the world how Christians are forced from their homes, their property confiscated and their churches razed to the ground merely because of the faith they confess. Our brothers and sisters in the faith endure far worse than we do here. Several days ago ISIS beheaded four Iraqi Christian children because they refused to follow Mohammed. They confessed: „No, we love Yeshua; we have always loved Yeshua.“ For such martyrs the vision of the Apocalypse shines forth: »Then one of the elders told me: „These clothed in white robes have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who is seated on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes“« (Revelation 7,13-17). In His day,  Jesus accused His own people of being feckless children who got upset when Jesus did not dance to their tune or cry at their dirge. They accused John of being possessed by a demon because he fasted and was a teetotaler. Then they accused Jesus of being a glutton and a drunkard because He feasted, drank and befriended sinners (11,16-19). As the world treats Jesus, so it treats us (10,24-25). The gospel is offensive and foolish to the world’s reasoning (1. Corinthians 1,18). 
8. In all this we rejoice! We do not rejoice that the world rejects Jesus and His gospel. We do not rejoice that the world is unrepentant and heading to hell. We rejoice because Jesus is our Savior from sin, death and hell. The gospel of Christ crucified is the power of God unto salvation (1. Corinthians 1,18). This proclamation offends people because it removes from them any of their own merit in regards to salvation and a right standing before God. Jesus offends people because He does not approve their conventional wisdom of who He is supposed to be and what He should be doing as the Christ. Jesus made it clear that the Christ was born to liberate people from the curse imposed upon mankind because of our sinfulness, to redeem the world as its vicarious sacrifice and to call all people (Jew and Gentile) unto Him as the only Savior who gives righteousness and everlasting life.  
9. Advent is the liturgical season that prepares us for the birth and arrival of this Savior. He is the Son of God and Mary’s Firstborn Son who redeems us back to our Heavenly Father. We rejoice in this and praise Him for being our Gift of everlasting life.  Amen. 
10. Let us pray. O Lord, You are gracious, righteous and merciful; give us the spirit of joy in this world of sin and suffering so that we prepare for the celebration of Your birth with peacefulness and confidence.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 
Soli Deo Gloria

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.  
ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 
http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/12/12/rpt-isis-beheads-4-christian-children-iraq
VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands.