Genesis 18,1-2.9-15. Rorate Caeli

Genesis 18,1-2.9-15           0421 

Rorate Caeli  04 (4. Sunday in Advent)

Ammon, Zenon, and other Confessors, ✠ 250

Katharina von Bora Luther, ✠ 1552 

20. December 2020

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, it is meet and right that we should give thanks unto You, that You have given us a more glorious baptism than that of John the Baptizer, and have therein promised us the remission of sins, the Holy Spirit, and everlasting life through Your Son, Jesus Christ: Preserve us, we beseech You, in such faith in Your grace and mercy, so that we may never doubt Your promise, but be comforted by the same in all temptations: and grant us Your Holy Spirit so that we may renounce sin, and ever continue in the righteousness bestowed upon us in Baptism, until by Your grace we obtain eternal salvation.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich) 

2. »And “And Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth. They said to him: „Where is Sarah your wife?“ And he said: „She is in the tent.“ Yahweh said: „I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.“ And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying: „After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?“ Yahweh said to Abraham: „Why did Sarah laugh and say: ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.“ But Sarah denied it, saying: „I did not laugh,“ for she was afraid. He said: „No, but you did laugh.“« 

3. There is a parallel between Genesis 18 and John 1: prepare the way of Yahweh. In Genesis 18 it is Yahweh Himself who prepares His way, and in John 1 it is John the Baptizer who prepares the way. In Genesis 18 Yahweh tells Abraham and Sarah that when He returns this time next year they will have had a son, whom we know is Isaac. In John 1 John the Baptizer tells the people that the Messiah, the descendent of Isaac, is about to arrive, whom we know is Jesus

4. The Messianic promise goes through Abraham and Sarah, but in chapter 18 they have no children and the prospect is bleak because Sarah is 89 years old – she is past the childbearing years. So the fact that she laughs at hearing she will become a mother at 90 is a laugh of surprise with a tinge of mocking humor, one which we would expect from someone in her position. Yet, Yahweh will turn her laughter into one of joy. Genesis 21 tells us the story of Isaac’s birth. His name means he laughs. Sarah herself says: »God has made laughter for me« (21,6). Not only did Yahweh give Sarah the joyous laughter but He rained down blessings upon her with the miraculous birth of Isaac who is the heir of Abraham and the ancestor of the Messiah. 

5. On the 4. Sunday in Advent the heavens shower down righteousness and salvation (Isaiah 45,8), for Yahweh has arisen and has had compassion on His creation; it is now the time of grace; the appointed time has arrived (Psalm 102,13). The Prophet Isaiah proclaimed: »Break forth together into singing, for Yahweh has comforted His people; He has redeemed them« (Isaiah 52,9).  

6. Today’s Advent antiphon is: 

℣ O Key Key of David and Scepter of the house of Israel, You open and no one can close, You close and no one can open: 

℟ Draw near and rescue the prisoners, those who are in darkness and those in the shadow of death. 

Yahweh opened Sarah’s womb and she bore Isaac; Yahweh caused Mary’s virgin womb to conceive and she bore Jesus. This Jesus is the Key of David and the Scepter of Israel. He holds the keys of Death and Hades; He opens locked doors, releases those bound by the Devil and brings light to those in the shadows of despair and lost in the darkness of unbelief. Christ is the splendor of light everlasting. 

7. The 4. purple Advent candle is lighted today, and proclaims: »Rorate caeli, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness« (Isaiah 45,8a). Its light completes the advent wreath and shines forth with the other candles. The 1. candle begins the  illumination of Advent and proclaims: »Rejoice greatly, Populus Zion! Behold, your King is drawing near to you; He is justifying and saving« (Zechariah 9,9). The 2. candle adds its light: »Unto You, O Lord, Ad te Levavi« (Psalm 25,1). The 3. candle brings the light of joy: »Gaudete in the Lord always; rejoice: the Lord is at hand« (Philippians 4,4-5). The righteous rainfall of Christ’s grace cleanses us as we anticipate the 5. candle in our wreath, the white center one, that transforms the Advent wreath into the Christmas wreath on Thursday Eve with its proclamation: »The Lord said to Me: „You are My Son, today I have begotten You« (Psalm 2,7b), for we will celebrate Christ’s birth in 4 days with Word and Carols.  Amen. 

8. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, the Perfect Song of Your Heavenly Father; inspire in us the verses we sing to You, our King, so that our hearts overflow with a pleasing theme.  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 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2019 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2020 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands.