Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: December 2022

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Colossians 2,3.6-10. Christmas Day

Colossians 2,3 (4-5) 6-10 0623

Christfest 1 7

Nativity of our Lord

25. Dezember 2022

1. ℣ Thou art My Son:

℟ This day have I begotten Thee (Psalm 2,7).

O God-Man Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary; shine upon Your people Your Glory and Your Light, so that Your birth and the salvation it brings is marvelous in our eyes. Amen. (Psalm 118,27a Gradual)

2. »For in Him the whole fullness of Deity dwells bodily.«

3. The New Testament teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully Man: 2 natures in 1 person. The Athanasian Creed states it this way:

But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess that our Lord 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 (§ 27-35).

4. The Divine and human natures in Christ are personally united, so that there are not 2 Christs, one the Son of God, the other the Son of Man, but that one and the same is the Son of God and Son of Man. Luke 1,35; Romans 9,5 (Epitome VIII,5). Mary conceived and bore not a mere man and no more, but the true Son of God; therefore she is rightly called and truly is the mother of God (Epitome VIII,12).

5. Thus did Elizabeth confess when Mary visited her: »Mary, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb!« (Luke 1,42). At Christmas we confess: Virgin Bearer of God, rejoice Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb, for you have given birth to the Savior of our souls.

6. With the birth of Jesus, the Lord is now with us too. The Prophet Isaiah declared 700 years prior to Christmas: »Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel« (Isaiah 7,14). God is with us is the translation of the name Immanuel. The Apostle Matthew writes in his Gospel: »All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the Prophet«; Matthew then quotes the Isaiah 7,14 prophecy about the virgin. When the baby was born, Joseph named Him Jesus, as the angel had instructed him, for this son will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1,21.25). Jesus is the English variation of the Latin Iesus, which is a variation of His Aramaic name, Yeshua, or as it appears in the Gospels, His Greek variation, ‘Ιησους. His name is a variation furthermore of an older name, Yehoshua, which we know as Joshua. Jesus/Joshua means Yahweh saves or Yahweh is salvation.

7. The Christmas proclamation is God is with us; God is among us. His name is Jesus; He is God the Father’s anointed one who saves us. Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh. God among His people is a reality that goes as far back as our creation and the Garden of Eden.

8. Moses tells us that Yahweh God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed life into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2,7). Then, while the man slept Yahweh God took one of his ribs and from it He made into a woman (Genesis 2,21-22). Yahweh God was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3,8). These stories in Genesis suggest the image of God bodily appearing to make man and woman with His very own hands and that He walked in the Garden as any human being would walk. Later in Genesis, Yahweh visited Abraham, conversed with him and shared a meal. Here we definitely are told that God has taken the form a a human being to visit Abraham. In Daniel we hear of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thrown into the fiery furnace; but another appears with them who is described as »the appearance of the fourth is like a son of God« (Daniel 3,25).

9. Jesus is the fulfillment of God with us. And not just the fulfillment, but He is both fully God and fully Man in one person. So in Jesus, we have God and man together in a grande fulfillment of Immanuel who will be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

10. John tells us in his Gospel: »And 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. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.« (John 1,14,.16-17). We celebrate and give praise for this in the birth of Jesus, the little Babe of Bethlehem.

11. Come, O ye faithful,

Joyfully triumphant,

O come, O come to Bethlehem!

Behold the Babe, born to us for salvation!

O let us worship, O let us worship,

O let us worship the King! (Herbei, o ihr Gläubigen elkg 363,1 2021 Friedrich Heinrich Ranke 1823/1826).

This is most certainly true.

12. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

13. Let us pray. O God, to whom glory is sung in the highest while on earth peace is proclaimed to men of goodwill, grant that goodwill to us, Thy servants, cleanse us from all our sins and give perpetual peace to us, and to all people. Amen. (The Week of the Nativity of our Lord, Vespers Collect 2. The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.)

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 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Luke 2,1-20. Christmas Eve Vespers

Luke 2,1-20 0523

Christvesper 05

Adam and Eve † 930 years

24. December 2022

1. ℣ Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given:

℟ The government shall be upon His shoulder (Isaiah 9,6).

O Incarnate Jesus, blessed are You who arrived in the Name of Yahweh; shine upon us the Light of Your salvation, so that we joyously praise You as Israel’s Messiah and the Gentiles’ Christ. Amen. (Psalm 118,26a.27a.23 Gradual).

2. »But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.«

3. Tonight we celebrate the greatest gift God the Father has given to this world: His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. For Mary, Jesus is a double treasure: He is her Messiah and also her firstborn son. She also treasured and pondered the words spoken by the shepherds which were the words spoken to them by the angel.

4. There are several key points to the words of the angel, particularly:

A. good news

B. city of David

C. Savior

D. Christ

E. Lord

5. The birth of Jesus is good news! His birth is pure gospel, for it is the fulfilling of many prophecies and promises given to Israel back through Abraham back to Adam and Eve. The gospel is to be proclaimed. The angel proclaimed it to the shepherds, the shepherds proclaimed it to Mary and Joseph and this gospel has been proclaimed for over 2000 years.

6. Jesus was born in the city of David, that is, Bethlehem. It was David’s hometown, and therefore Joseph’s hometown as one who descended from David. The Prophet Micah wrote (c. 750-686 bc): »and many nations shall come, and say: „Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.“ For out of Zion shall go forth the torah, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of Yahweh Sabaoth has spoken. For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God forever and ever.« The Messiah was to be of the house of David and born in Bethlehem; Jesus fulfills both promises.

7. The Messiah is a savior, yes, the Savior. The word savior appears in 24/39 books of the Old Testament. »I, I am Yahweh, and besides Me there is no savior.« (Isaiah 43,11). »Bless Yahweh, O my soul, … who is your Savior from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,« (Psalm 103,2-4). »Their hearts shall rejoice in Yahweh, for I am their Savior« (Zechariah 10,7d-8b).

8. The Messiah is also called the Christ. מָשִׁ֖יחַ : messiah : the anointed one was translated into Greek as χριστος : anointed one. The Messiah/Christ refers to one that is chosen by God, and when Jesus was born the conventional wisdom among the Jews was that the Messiah/Christ is the one chosen by God who will restore the positive things and the fortune of Israel (Voelz Issues,Etc. „The Confession of Peter“ 21st minute Tu 18. January 2011), but there were a number of differing opinions as to exactly how this would occur. So Jesus spent quite a bit of time in the Gospels detailing what the Messiah/Christ is about, and He centered on His suffering, death and resurrection.

9. Jesus is called Lord. The common Jewish word for lord is אֲדֹנִ֣ : Adonai; it is a title for God. One of the most famous Messianic psalms is the 110th: »Yahweh says to my Adonai: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool« (Psalm 110,1). The angel proclaims that Jesus is God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel)!

10. God Himself saves His fallen men and women, and He does so by becoming a man, born of a woman, entering the time and space of His creation with a physical human body. Tonight we remember and celebrate His birth, for it is the birth of the King, the Savior, the Christ, God in human flesh. He was born to save us. Hallelujah!

11. He becomes a servant and I a lord;

What glorious exchange!

How could He be more friendly,

The dear little Jesus (Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, alle gleich elkg 334,5 2021 Nicolaus Herman (1550) 1560).

This is most certainly true.

12. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

13. Let us pray. O God, to whom glory is sung in the highest while on earth peace is proclaimed to men of good will, grant that goodwill to us, Thy servants, cleanse us from all our sins and give perpetual peace to us, and to all people. Amen. (The Nativity of our Lord, Vespers Collect 2. The Daily Office.)

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Friday, December 23, 2022

Philippians 4,4-7. Rorate Cæli: Advent 4

Philippians 4,4-7 0423

Rorate Caeli : Advent 4 4

Gatianus, first Bishop of Tours, † late 3. century

Wunibald, Abbot at Heidenheim, † 760

Theodulph, Bishop of Orleans, † 821

18. Dezember 2022

1. ℣ Drop down, ye heavens from above:

℟ And let the skies pour down righteousness (Isaiah 45,8).

O God the Father, Thou Omnipresent Lord; send forth the Holy Spirit to dwell with us, so that as we draw ever nearer to Christ’s nativity we are assured that You truly are in our midst, for Jesus, our Immanuel, is God with us, now and always. Amen. (Psalm 145,18.21 Gradual)

2. »Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say: Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.«

3. John began preparing for the Messiah as an infant in his mother’s womb. Luke records for us: »In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry: „Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should visit me?« (Luke 1,39-43)

4. The Apostle Paul’s declaration, »the Lord is at hand«, complements John the Baptizer’s declaration »among you stands one you do not know, even He who arrives after me« (John 1,26-27). John prepares, and Jesus fulfills; John preaches repentance, and Jesus preaches forgiveness.

5. Yahweh had been preparing the world for its Christ since the Fall into sin at Genesis 3. The promise of salvation was traced through a particular family and lineage. From Adam and Eve to Seth to Noah to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) to Judah to David and the royal line. The virgin Mary recounts this in her Magnificat: »The Lord has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever« (Luke 1,54-55).

6. Yahweh did not merely work through Israel, but also through the Gentiles. Isaiah says that Yahweh worked through Cyrus (II the Great), King of Persia (559-30 bc). The Prophet Isaiah comforts God’s chosen one by reminding him that Yahweh alone is God and He is the God who saves people. Yahweh is not speaking to His chosen people, Judah, in chapter 45, but to Cyrus who created the 1. Persian Empire by conquering several other smaller empires in his region, including the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Yahweh calls Cyrus, who was a Gentile, His anointed one [χριστω] (45,1) and promised that He will go before him and secure his military victories (45,2). Yahweh wants Cyrus to know Yahweh, the God of Israel, has called him by name (45,3). It should therefore not surprise Jews or Gentiles that Yahweh desires to reveal His Glory to the Gentile Magi and graft Gentiles onto the tree of Israel because 600 years earlier He was doing this very thing among the pagan Persians. Yahweh chose Cyrus, and made him the Great, in order to redeem Judah who was still under Babylonian Captivity. Cyrus’ genius in leadership was that he respected the customs and religions of the lands he had conquered; when he triumphed over Babylon he decreed the liberation of the Jews, encouraged them to return to Israel and issued an edict authorizing the rebuilding of their temple in Jerusalem (2. Chronicles 36,22-23). It is not surprising then that the Old Testament mentions Cyrus by name 23 times.

7. When Cyrus conquered the Neo-Babylonian Empire (538/9 bc), Judah had been in exile for 70 years. They were being punished for their idolatry and rebellion against Yahweh. The people of Judah had become like a thirsty land and dry ground (Isaiah 44,3) during their exile. They longed for the land of milk and honey, the temple and the sacrifices that gave them forgiveness. Yahweh promised that righteousness will shower down upon parched Judah. They will return to the land, rebuild the temple and worship Yahweh as they once did in Jerusalem.

8. The promised Messiah is not only a savior, but an entirely eschatological blessing that effects the creation (cosmological). „The exile, far from a defeat by Yahweh, represented a victory and a vindication of His revelations to the earlier prophets. Similarly Christ reigns from the cross; especially John describes His death as His ‘glorification’“ (Hummel 215). Paul exhorts us to »rejoice, for the Lord is at hand.« This has global, cosmological implications. Isaiah proclaimed: »Israel is saved by Yahweh with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity« (Isaiah 45,17). The Gentiles too will be welcomed by Yahweh: »Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh say, ‘Yahweh will surely separate me from His people’; the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh … to love the Name of Yahweh … these I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations« (Isaiah 56,3.6.7).

9. Jesus proclaimed: »When I am lifted up from the earth, then I will draw all people to Myself« (John 12,32). Jesus said His death and crucifixion would bring salvation to both Jews and Gentiles. Through Jesus, God the Father showered down righteousness upon all peoples. Jesus poured down righteousness with His shed blood, for by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53,5). Paul exhorts us: »be found in Christ having a righteousness which comes through faith Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that you may know Him the power of His resurrection« (Philippians 3,9-10). Thus the O Antiphon for today exhorts us:

10. ℣ O Adonai and Ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the Burning Bush and gave him the Law on | Sinai: *

℟ Draw near with outstretched arm and re- | deem us. (O Antiphon for 18. December)

11. Now rejoice, all you faithful ones,

At this time of mercy,

Because our salvation has come,

He, the Lord of glory,

Though without proud splendor,

But to devastate the mighty

And destroy utterly

The Devil’s kingdom and power. (Nun jauchzet, all ihr Frommen elkg 310,1 2021 Michael Schirmer 1640).

This is most certainly true.

10. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Lord, give us grace to walk before Thee all the days of this our pilgrimage with a good conscience and pure mind, that when Thou shalt appear to reward every man according to his deeds, we may rejoice and not be ashamed before Thee at Thy coming. Grant this for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. (The Week of Advent 4, Vespers Collect 2. The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.)

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Isaiah 40,1-11. Gaudete : Advent 3

Isaiah 40,1-11 0323

Gaudete : Advent 3 03

Damasus, Bishop of Rome † 384

Coptic Martyrs (29) by IS at St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo † 2016

11. December 2022

1. ℣ Rejoice in the Lord always:

℟ And again, I say, rejoice my God, I trust in Thee (Philippians 4,4-5).

O Almighty and Merciful God, enthroned upon the cherubim; shine forth, stir up Your might and draw near to save us, so that we may follow You, for You lead us to the green pastures and quiet waters of eternal life. Amen. (Psalm 80,1-2 Gradual).

2. »Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfareis ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from Yahweh’s hand double for all her sins. A Voice cries:„In the wilderness prepare the way of Yahweh; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground will become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.“ A Voice says: „Cry!“ And I said:„What shall I cry?“ All flesh is grass, and all its beautyis like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of Yahweh blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever. Get up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of gospel;lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of gospel;lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah: „Behold your God!“ Behold, the Lord who is Yahweh arrives with might, and His arm rules for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.«

3. Before the advent of the Christ, Yahweh sent His prophet to prepare the way. »In the year that King Uzziah died [740 bc] I saw Adonai; sitting upon a throne high and lifted up. And I hear the Voice of Adonai saying: „Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us“ Then I, Isaiah, said: „Here I am! Send me“« (Isaiah 6,1.8). Nearly 800 years later, Yahweh sent another prophet to prepare the way: »In those days John the Baptizer arrived preaching in the wilderness of Judea: „Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!“ For this is he who was spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah when he said: „The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord“« (Matthew 3,1-3; Isaiah 40,3).

4. Advent tells us that preparation for Jesus’ arrival involves repentance. The Apostle John tells us in his 1. Epistle: »If we say we have no sin, then we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, then He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.« (1. John 1,8-9). Each Sunday we begin with this preparation, and the gospel declaration of the Psalmist sounds forth once more: »O Israel, hope in Yahweh! For with Yahweh there is steadfast loving-kindness [חֶסֶד], and with Him there is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities« (Psalm 130,7-8).

5. The forgiveness of sin is not an easy matter because sin is not an easy matter. Our sinfulness infects and afflicts everything on the Earth. Violence, discord and greed result from our sin. War, destruction and death are the effect of our sin. This sin cannot simply be forgotten; it must be atoned for and forgiven, and that requires the shedding of innocent blood. God’s Heilsgeschichte (salvation history) is centered upon the concept of propitiation: one who appeases God through a sacrifice. It is based on the Greek word ίλάσκομαι: to bring forgiveness, have mercy, propitiate an angry god. Jesus was our Propitiator on the cross, for there He became our sin offering and purchased our forgiveness. The payment was His own blood.

6. Isaiah prophesies about the Messiah being our Propitiator. Isaiah proclaimed: »Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfareis ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from Yahweh’s hand double for all her sins.« These verses are gospel promises. „The exile’s debt service is paid for by Yahweh, their Redeemer. The ‘warfare’ that Israel endures at the hands of Assyria and Babylon is also over. When Jesus announces the arrival of the kingdom of God, He is saying, ‘The exile of all sinners is ending’“ (Lessing 133).

7. Advent announces this Propitiator is arriving, has already arrived and He will one day return. Isaiah proclaimed Him. John the Baptizer proclaimed Him. Preachers proclaim Him. The cry goes out in the Church throughout the world: Prepare the way of Yahweh! Rejoice, for Yahweh is arriving! The Christ restores God’s relationship to us, has mercy upon us and makes payment for our sin. The gospel is preached to all the nations (Matthew 11,5).

8. When his son John was born, Zechariah proclaimed: »And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of 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 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.« (Luke 1,76-79).

9. John prepared the way for the Messiah, proclaiming: »Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire« (Matthew 3,8.11-12).

10. »Stand firm thus in the Lord, and rejoice in the Lord always. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God« (Philippians 4,1c.4a.5b.6).

11. The night has advanced,

The day is not far off.

So let praise be sung

To the Bright Morningstar!

Even those who wept at night,

He happily agrees.

The Morningstar shines

Upon also your fear and pain (Die Nacht ist vorgedrungen elkg 322,1 2021 Jochen Klepper (1937) 1938).

This is most certainly true.

12. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

13. Let us pray. O Thou who hast foretold that Thou wilt return again to judgement in an hour that we are not aware of, grant us grace to watch and pray always that whether Thou shalt come at even or at midnight or at the cock-crowing or in the morning, Thou mayest find us in the number of those servants who shall be blessed for watching for their Lord; for Thy Name’s sake. Amen. (3. Advent, Vespers Collect 2. The Daily Office.)

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Monday, December 5, 2022

Song of Songs 2,8-13. Ad te levavi Advent 2

Song of Songs/Solomon 2,8-13 0223

Ad te levavi (Advent 2) 2

Barbara, Virgin Martyr 235

4. Dezember 2022

1. ℣ Daughter of Zion:

℟ Behold, thy Salvation cometh (Isaiah 62,11b).

O Son of God, Thou Perfection of beauty shining forth from Zion, draw near to us with Your advent and gather Your faithful ones so that we may rejoice in the testament of Your incarnation and birth. Amen. (Psalm 50,2-3a.5 Gradual)

2. »The voice of my beloved! Behold, he arrives, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice. My beloved speaks and says to me: „Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.“«

3. In our Gospel pericope, Jesus tells us that the fig tree bears leaves in the summer. Thus, you can know when summer is based on the fig tree. Likewise, the advent of the Son of Man is observed with celestial and terrestrial signs. But on Monday of Holy Week, Jesus cursed a fig tree that had only leaves but no figs. The tree immediately withered. The fig tree often represents Israel in the Scriptures, and in Matthew 21 the fruitless fig tree represents Israel who, by and large, had rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Rejection leads to punishment and judgment—the very generation that had rejected their Messiah is judged by Yahweh through the Romans in ad 70 when the temple and Jerusalem are destroyed.

4. Judgement still befalls those who reject Jesus. Sometimes it happens temporally. Nations and cultures have fallen for rejecting Jesus. People have suffered for rejecting Jesus. On the last day, all who have rejected Jesus will receive harsh judgement and be eternally separated from Him.

5. But it need not be this way! Jesus is patient, long-suffering and has overseen the proclamation of the gospel to every nation and culture throughout the Earth. So Yahweh sent prophets to prepare Israel and the God-fearing Gentiles for the Messiah. The Holy Spirit sent apostles to prepare the Jews and the Gentiles; He sends bishops, pastors and evangelists to prepare people. »Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from Yahweh’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: „In the wilderness prepare the way of Yahweh; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. And the glory of Yahweh shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken“« (Isaiah 40,1-3.5).

6. The season of Advent exhorts us to prepare ourselves for the Christ. God’s Word tells us that we are sinful; God’s Word also tells us we have a merciful Lord. We prepare for Christ’s advent by repenting and confess our sin. We receive God’s Absolution spoken by the pastor, heard in the preached Word and given to us in the Sacrament of the Altar. We await Christ’s arrival studying the Scriptures, praying and being charitable to our neighbors.

7. Solomon describes the one who is ready and watching for the Christ as: »The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.« Christ and His Church are connected. „He has become as one of us—or rather, not as one but actually one. For to be make man’s equal was not enough for Him: He is a Man. That is the reason why He claims our earth as His“ (Bernard of Clairvaux 190). O Jesus, to You we lift up our eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens! (Psalm 122,1; 123,1 vulgate)

8. O dear Lord, hasten to judgement.

Let us see Your glorious face,

The nature/essence of the Trinity.

God help us now and always (Ihr lieben Christen, freut euch nun elkg 306,5 2021 Erasmus Alber 1546).

This is most certainly true.

10. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

11. Let us pray. Accept, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our praises and supplications, and look graciously upon this household that we may abide this night in peace and safety under the shadow of Thy wings, and so assist us by Thy grace that we may be fitted for that kingdom where there shall be no more sin, nor sorrow, neither any more pain, but all shall be joy and peace in the Holy Ghost. Amen. (The Week of Advent 2, Vespers Collect 2. The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.)

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Colossians 2,3.6-10. Christmas Day

Luke 2,1-20. Christmas Eve Vespers

Friday, December 23, 2022

Philippians 4,4-7. Rorate Cæli: Advent 4

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Isaiah 40,1-11. Gaudete : Advent 3

Monday, December 5, 2022

Song of Songs 2,8-13. Ad te levavi Advent 2