Devotional thoughts for Saturday

Saturday 31. January 2015 

The Last Sunday after Epiphany 

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, ... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2. Timothy 3,1-2.4.5 ESV) 

We only need to watch the news or read a newspaper to see how true the words of the Apostle Paul are. We might pine for the good old days in our nation. The sad reality is: we have always been living in the last days of corruption, vice and every other manifestation of sinfulness. Some eras ebb and flow as regards to the severity of this sinfulness in a given culture, but we have always lived in a sinful and fallen world that takes its toll upon its human inhabitants.  

In this heart of darkness and corruption, the gospel needs to shine more and more. It is only the gospel of Christ crucified and risen from the dead that can turn aside the evils of mankind. When the Holy Spirit changes hearts and converts people to Christians, then the light begins to drive away the darkness. The proclamation of Jesus Christ much march onward and undeterred. 

Yes, the world will fight back. The world will ridicule and persecute the Church, her gospel and Christ Himself. Such are the actions of the fallen world losing ground to its Lord and Creator. The victory has already been won: Jesus' resurrection is the sign of that victory. He now sends the Holy Spirit to proclaim that victory through the Church and Christians so that the light and life of His victory is manifested in individual lives, and such individuals can begin to reclaim their corrupt culture and bring order and civility once again. 

Prayer: O God, whose never-failing Providence orders all things both in heaven and earth, we humbly implore You to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen. (H67, Treasury of Daily Prayer) 

Devotional thoughts for Friday

Friday 30. January 2015 

The Last Sunday after Epiphany 

Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33,20 ESV) 

The Bible uses many different images to describe the attributes of God. Here the psalmist uses a military image: a shield. He reminds us that God is our defense from all that would harm us, be that people or natural disasters. 

Old Testament Israel employed a popular military principle used by others in that time. Soldiers often fought as a team of two. There was a sword-bearer and a shield-bearer. One man attacked the enemy and the other defended. As such, the shield-bearer often moved around the sword-bearer to defend against swords or arrows. This is the image the psalmist uses: God is envisioned as moving around us to protect us from our foes. 

This dedication and love on God's part encourages us to be faithful in waiting for Him. We know He is here for us and we know that He will defend us from all things. 

Prayer: O God, our Refuge and Strength, the Author of all godliness, hear the devout prayers of Your Church, especially in times of persecution, and grant that what we ask in faith we may obtain; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen. (H82, Treasury of Daily Prayer) 

Devotional thoughts for Thursday

Thursday 29, January 2015 

The Last Sunday after Epiphany 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (2. Timothy 1,1-2 ESV) 

Two points stand out in Paul's greetings to Timothy in this epistle. First, Jesus is the promise the life. Not just any life, but the life. The Apostle is talking about eternal life that is everlasting. We can only have this in and through Jesus. By extension, if we have eternal life we also have all the blessings of physical life promised to us as well. We have this blessing now in part, but when we enjoy eternal life with Christ we will also enjoy all blessings of physical life that is centered in the body, a body that will be resurrected in glory. 

Second, Paul mentions grace, mercy and peace. Again, we only have this in and through Jesus. God gives us grace: our sins are freely forgiven through Jesus and His vicarious sacrifice. God gives us mercy: He unconditionally loves us and has saved us through the sending of His Only Son. God gives us peace: we are reconciled to God and our sins are forgiven; enmity between God and man has been removed by Jesus. 

Prayer: O Almighty God, You show mercy to Your people in all their troubles. Grant us always to recognize Your goodness, give thanks for Your compassion and praise Your Holy Name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen. (C81 Treasury of Daily Prayer) 

Matthew 17,1-9. Last Sunday after Epiphany

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Matthew 17,1-9        1015

Letzter Sonntag nach Epiphanias  19 

Conversion of Paul, 34. Acts 6-9 ✠ 

25. Januar 2015 

1. O God, Thou our Light and Life, in Christ Jesus we see Your faithfulness to us. In the darkness and uncertainty of these days we entrust to You our worries and fears for we know that You shine forth and drive away the darkness of our sinfulness. (VELKD, Prayer for the Last Sunday after Epiphany § 1).  Amen. 

2. »And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him. And Peter said to Jesus: „Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.“ He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said: „This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.“ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus went and touched them, saying: „Rise, and have no fear.“ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were walking down the mountain, Jesus commanded them: „Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.“ « 

  3. „O how we wish we had an encounter with Yahweh, the Great I Am, like Moses did on Mount Sinai at the Burning Bush. How envious are we of Peter, James and John who saw Jesus transfigured in His Glory on Mount Tabor, the highest and loftiest mountain in Galilee. Three earthly men, Peter, James and John, meet three heavenly men, Jesus, Moses and Elijah, but why were Moses and Elijah chosen to visit Him. Both Moses and Elijah beheld the Glory of Yahweh. Moses’ face had shone with light when he returned from speaking to Yahweh on Mt. Sinai. Elijah had stood in the presence of Yahweh when the heavenly fiery chariots swept him away from his protege and disciple, Elisha.  

4. Jesus spoke with the great prophets Moses and Elijah at His transfiguration. Luke tells us in his Gospel: »Moses and Elijah appeared in glory and were speaking of Jesus’ exodus, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem« (Luke 9,31). The departure of which these three holy men speak is the forthcoming and imminent death of Jesus. We remember that these three men all have unique, spectacular deaths. 

5. Joshua, the successor of Moses, tells us that Yahweh and Moses took one last walk together in Moab (Deuteronomy 34). They hiked up Mount Nebo, opposite Jericho, and Yahweh showed Moses the promised land of Canaan. Before Moses was the land Yahweh had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Israel; He was giving this plenteous land to their descendants. The land was a good and blessed land, flowing with milk, honey and vineyards. Moses saw the beautiful and bountiful land that Yahweh was giving to His beloved people, but he would not enter this land for he had sinned against God and disobeyed His command just one time (Numbers 20,1-13). Moses, at 120 years old, died apart from Israel, but he closed his eyes in the wonderful presence of Jesus, the Son of God, who then lovingly carried Moses in His own arms and with great care buried Moses in a valley opposite Beth-peor, a town five miles northeast of Mt. Nebo. No human being knows exactly where Jesus buried Moses.  

6. But the devil knew where Moses had been buried. He was waiting and watching to make his complaint before God in order to claim Moses’ body. The Apostle Jude tells us: »The Archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses« (Jude 9). With Yahweh’s own word, Michael rebuked the devil and ordered him to stand down and yield his claim for Moses’ body. 

7. Elijah likewise had a spectacular departure from this world, all the more wondrous because he did not die. When Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan River, a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire separated them and in a whirlwind Elijah ascended into heaven in his physical body (2. Kings 2,11). 

8. These two great prophets of the old testament descend at Jesus’ transfiguration to discuss with Jesus His impending death (Luke 9,31). Six days earlier Jesus had spoken to His disciples about this very topic, teaching that: »He must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, but on the third day be raised from the dead« (Matthew 16,21-22). 

9. The disciples were uncomfortable with this talk of suffering and dying, for this did not fit their ideal of who the Christ was supposed to be. Peter even tried to prevent Jesus from walking down this path of the Suffering Servant (Matthew 16,22), but Jesus’ transfiguration impressed upon Peter, James and John that the Law and the Prophets were all about Jesus and His death and resurrection. On Mt. Tabor these three disciples saw with their own eyes that Jesus is the very God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Jesus is the Son of God who appeared to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 24,9-18). Jesus is the Son of God who spoke to Elijah on Mt. Horeb (1. Kings 19). Jesus is the Son of God, incarnate in human flesh, who was born of the virgin Mary so He could suffer, be crucified and rise again. This Jesus, transfigured in His Glory, is God in their midst who has arrived to save you, me and all mankind from our sinfulness.  

10. Moses, the great Lawgiver of the old testament, will not save you. The Ten Commandments, as wonderful as they are, will not merit your salvation no matter how diligent you may be in keeping them. Elijah, the renowned Prophet of the old testament, will not deliver you. Only Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel can, and does, save you. The transfiguration declares that Jesus is this very God of Abraham. Moses and Elijah rightly point to Jesus as the Author and Fulfiller of the old testament, the one who brings the new testament, the one who humbles Himself unto death on a cross to save you. The mighty voice of God the Father rightly proclaims: »This Jesus is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him« The Heavenly Father is well-pleased with Jesus because Jesus will become the sacrifice that will redeem the world. 

11. Moses and Elijah returned to heaven. The Voice of God became silent. There is only Jesus in the midst of the three apostles. There is no need to be afraid, for Jesus is with you.  The impending suffering and cross is the means of your redemption. Only Jesus can save you. Only by the cross and the empty tomb can you have eternal life. The transfiguration is about Jesus (Gibbs 861). His path takes Him to the cross and the grave. Jesus exhorts you to travel this path with Him. Focus on the cross, the crucified Christ and the risen Savior, for He has redeemed the world; He has ransomed you. Jesus can and will sustain His disciples as they deny themselves, take up their cross and continue to follow Him (Gibbs 861). This is still true today, for Jesus can and will sustain you as you suffer and walk the way of the cross as His lowly disciple, because Jesus has named you co-heirs in His Glory.  

12. You have experienced Jesus in His Word and Sacraments. You behold His glory each week in the Divine Service. „You cannot stand still with such an experience, for you return to everyday life, often with suffering, but you take with you the Shining Light that encourages you to continue living in God’s Light“ (ELKB), the Light that is Jesus Christ, your Savior.  Amen.

13. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, Thou Brilliance of the Eternal Light Divine Icon of God’s Goodness, shine the light of Your gospel upon us so that we daily trust in Your mercy and grace.  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. 

Gibbs, Jeffrey A. Matthew 11:2 – 20:34. Copyright © 2010 Concordia Publishing House. 

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

Devotional thoughts for Thursday

Thursday 22. January 2015 

2. Sunday after Epiphany 

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12,9-10, ESV) 

The apostles devote a portion of their epistles to some practical application of the law in the lives of Christians. In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to love and show affection to one another. 

The sentiments seem obvious on the surface and rather easy to follow, but we know from our own personal experience how difficult loving and showing affection to some people can be. At times it can be a real challenge; we might not even want to pursue such an attitude or action. 

Consider the way the world is at the moment. More often than not, the news media reports to us stories of violence, hatred, abuse and other shameful and sinful events that question the very humanity of some people. We live in a world broken by sin inhabited by people broken by sin. Jesus entered this world and manifested Himself as the very Son of God in order to free us from the curse of sin and liberate us from the sinful world. He did this on through the cross and His resurrection. Now He sends to His Church and His Christians the Holy Spirit who empowers us by the gospel to love others as God loves us, to show affection to others as God shows to us. In this way we bring the gospel in imperceptible ways to our neighbors, often unnoticed by others, but life-changing for those we love and help. We do this for Jesus has done it for us. 

Prayer: O Almighty God, Divine Providence over all things in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear our prayers and grant us Your peace through all our days.  Amen. (Collect for the 2. Sunday after Epiphany, revised) 

John 2,1-11. 2. Sunday after Epiphany

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ 

John 2,1-11         0915

2. Sonntag nach Epiphanias  15  

The Confession of St. Peter 

Prisca, Virgin, Martyr at Rome, 275  ✠ 

18. Januar 2015  

1. O Jesus Christ, Creator, Redeemer and Foundation of Eternal Joy, You showed love, friendship and kindness to the steward in Cana. Help us to be Your stewards of reconciliation and healing in a world broken by sinful mankind and sinfulness so that our neighbors see Your love and mercy for them through us and our Christian lives.  Amen. (VELKD, Prayer for 2. So. nach Epiphanias  § 1). 

2. On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus was also invited to the wedding with His disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him: „They have no wine.“ And Jesus said to her: „Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet arrived.“ His mother said to the servants: „Do whatever He tells you.“ Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants: „Fill the jars with water.“ And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them: „Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.“ So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him: „Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.“ This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him. 

3. The Apostle John tells us that the first manifestation of Jesus’ miracles occurred at a wedding banquet in Cana. This feast is a gathering of family, friends and neighbors in Cana. Jesus attended this banquet along with His mother and disciples. Cana is about 7 miles NNE of Nazareth. Jesus almost certainly knew the bride and or the groom; perhaps their families were customers of Joseph and Jesus when needing carpentry work done.  

4. Some clarification on 1. century ad wedding traditions help explain the drama of the event that John has written for us in his Gospel. Jewish wedding feasts lasted at least a few days, and could continue for as long as a week. The richer you were, the longer the feast was expected to last in the minds of neighbors. At these feasts, the groom had two types of wine on hand for the guests: a small supply of expensive wine and a much larger supply of cheaper wine. The good wine was normally served first and then the poor wine was rolled out throughout the remaining days of the festive celebration.  

5. John tells us that at this particular wedding banquet in Cana the poor wine had run out before the feasting had ended. This is a highly embarrassing turn of events that threatens to tarnish the honor of both the groom and the steward he had put in charge of ensuring that the wedding feast went off without a hitch. Now the festivities are going to end sooner than anyone had anticipated and wanted.  

6. Jesus stepped in and kept the honor of both the groom and his steward intact. Jesus took the six stone jars filled with water and turned that water into 180 gallons of exquisite wine: this equates to 907 bottles of wine! The tradition was expensive wine first, and cheap wine last. Jesus made it so that the groom abrogated that tradition: good wine first, cheap wine next and exceptional wine last. 

7. Meditating one this, we discover that Jesus’ first miracle manifested simultaneous blessings: the honor of the groom and his steward were enhanced among their neighbors in Cana, a wine shortage was averted and over 900 bottles of the best wine were consumed in joyous festivities. These are all good temporal blessings that flowed from Jesus’ first miracle, but an even greater spiritual blessing occurred in Cana: Jesus had manifested His Glory with this miracle, and His disciples believed in Him.  

8. The Holy Scriptures often use wine as a symbol of the festive joy in heaven. David writes: »O Yahweh, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil and my cup overflows« (Psalm 23,5). David is referring to his wine goblet that overflows with wine because of God’s rich and abundant blessings. Solomon later philosophizes: »Wine gladdens life« (Ecclesiastes 10,19). Wine is considered a symbol of joy (Isaiah 55,1), and wine is often served at parties, festivities and the holidays to toast the particular celebration. Jesus, therefore, used a wedding feast and wine to manifest the great and glorious heavenly fellowship that His people will experience in His heavenly banquet hall. 

9. Jesus furthermore said at another occasion: »No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says: „The old is good“« (Luke 5,37-39). You can buy a bottle of Australian Yellow Tail Reserve Shiraz for $10, and I can tell you from personal experience that it is a fine-tasting wine, but many wine enthusiasts rate the French vineyard Domaine Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, France as the vineyard that produces the world’s best wines (http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/best-wine-world). A bottle of this vineyard’s exceptional 2005 Pinot Noir will cost you $8995 (€7779; £5956). The wine Jesus made in Cana is comparable to the French Domaine Pinot Noir; after drinking this fine wine you would never look at the common Yellow Tail Shiraz the same way ever again. 

10. Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus uses wine again to teach about the reign of God. Jesus says: »I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing« (John 15,1.4-5). 

11. Today Jesus gives this gift out to us once again. Take and receive it for your forgiveness and salvation. Jesus is good and gracious. His loving-kindness toward you is overflowing. In Jesus, you see God’s Glory. You do not see God from behind, after He has passed you by, but you see Him face to face in Jesus, for in Christ God has become man. This God-man suffered for you, died for you, and in His most glorious miracle, rose from the dead for you. He did all this so that you would enjoy abundant life forever. Jesus is the New Wine that is served last for the delight of all who partake of Him. He is the Best, the Most Expensive and the New Wine of the New Testament. He gives us the reign of God, redeemed us and promises to us an eternal life hat will be grander than a never-ending wedding feast with the best foods and finest wines.  Amen. 

12. Let us pray. O Christ, Thou New Testament that brings everlasting life, may our lives boast in You so that we may remain humble and happy in our hearts.  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.  

Bayer, Oswald. Martin Luther’s Theology. Copyright © 2008 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 

Cutler, Colin. The Ward of Heaven and the Wyrm in the Sea. Copyright © 2012 Eden Books. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

LSB. Lutheran Service Book. Copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.

Murphy, G. Ronald, Tr. The Heliand. Copyright © 1992 Oxford University Press. 

Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings. Copyright © 1991 HarperCollinsPublishers. 

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

Devotional thoughts for Tuesday

Tuesday 13. January 2015 

1. Sunday after Epiphany 

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not arrive through the law but through the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4,13 ESV) 

The Holy Scriptures make it clear: we are justified by faith and not by our works in obedience to the law. Many people think that the Old Testament teaches salvation by obedience to the law and the New Testament teaches salvation by faith in the gospel. This is simply not true. 

The Old Testament, page after page, teaches salvation through faith in the promise God made first to Adam, then to Abraham and finally codified at Mt. Sinai. God chose people. He saved them. They received that salvation and believed in the future messiah that He had promised them. To be sure, good works flowed forth from that faith, but salvation was grounded upon God, His promise and the faith His Spirit created in that promise. This New Testament teaches the same. 

St. Paul tells us that Abraham is the pristine example of this saving faith. Abraham was saved by faith, a faith that looked to God and His promise of a future messiah. We are also saved by faith, a faith that looks back to God who fulfilled the Abrahamic promise of the messiah in Jesus Christ. This faith takes all the burden of salvation off of ourselves and recognizes that the burden is, and always has been, on the Triune God who is our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. 

Prayer: O LORD, keep Your family the Church continually in the true faith so that, relying on the hope of Your heavenly grace, we may ever be defended by Your mighty power; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen. (L17, Treasury of Daily Prayer) 

Matthew 3,13-17. 1. Sunday after Epiphany

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Matthew 3,13-17        0815

1. Sonntag nach Epiphanias  14 

Hyginus, Bishop of Rome, Martyr 139-142 ✠ 

11. Januar 2015 

1. Draw near, O Holy Spirit, Thou Wisdom of God who shows us the Triune God who is merciful and gracious. Open our hearts so that we worship the One True God and in doing bear testimony to those with different religious convictions that Jesus is the Christ as attested by the Father’s Voice and Your descent upon Jesus at His baptism in the Jordan River. (VELKD, Prayer for 1. Sunday after Epiphany § 1).  Amen. 

2. »Then Then Jesus arrived from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Him, saying: „I need to be baptized by You, and You come to me?“ But Jesus answered him: „Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.“ Then John consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a Voice from heaven said: „This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.“« 

  3. „In today’s Gospel we hear the word of the Father at Jesus’ baptism: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. We will hear this word again on the Last Sunday after Epiphany in the Gospel for the Transfiguration of Jesus. The word of the Father through the Son is the framework of Epiphany“ (Wenz § 1). 

4. The season of Christmas ended five days ago with the Feast of Epiphany and the visit of the magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Christmas is about giving and receiving gifts, for God the Father’s gift to us is His dear Son. In Christ, your Heavenly Father shows you His deep and abiding love. Jesus brings us the gifts of forgiveness, righteousness and eternal salvation. 

5. It is not easy for people to freely accept gifts, especially from God. We have an innate desire to do things on our own. We think that we should at least do something for God to justify the great gift He has given us in His Son. Surely, we rationalize, it is fair to think that God expects us to perform some good deeds to prove that we have merited His gracious gift of forgiveness. Over the course of Church history we can trace how theologians argued that Christians should perform some good deed or or an act of penance to legitimize God’s merciful attitude toward us. 

6. John the Baptizer, however, has the right attitude: Jesus should be baptizing sinful John, not John baptizing the holy Son of God. But Jesus tells His cousin: »Let it be that you baptize Me, for it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.« In fulfilling this righteousness, Jesus stepped into the Jordan River, bowed His head and allowed John to pour the water upon His holy head. By stepping into the Jordan and receiving John’s baptism of repentance, Jesus declared solidarity with us poor, miserable sinners. 

7. For some, this is a stumbling block. Jesus must stay separate, and we must move to Him -- so some think (Nagel 43). Jesus should not draw near and be a sinner with us (Nagel 43). If you cannot deign for Jesus to step into the water among the other sinners, then you want another Jesus, a Jesus who is different from the one presented to us in the Holy Scriptures. In Matthew 3, Jesus is in the midst of, and with, sinners. He yields to the same baptism that the Jewish sinners were receiving from John the Baptizer. „Jesus takes on all that has gone wrong with us -- all our sins. Jesus is most sinner, most Savior. With that sin, He belongs with us. There is no distance or separation between us and Christ“ (Nagel 43). Jesus, then, begins His public ministry by receiving a baptism of repentance, with us, and binds Himself to us in all our corrupt and wicked sinfulness.  

8. In His baptism, Jesus reveals His righteousness, and yours. God has become man, and He does not shy away from you or your sins. Is there any greater joy, grace or righteousness than this? Is there now anything that Christ would withhold from you? Is there no blessing that Christ would not shower upon you? Indeed, God the Father has sent you His very Son. Jesus is baptized by John. Jesus is one of you. All that is Christ’s He now gives to you. His righteousness is now your righteousness.  

9. There can be no doubt about your salvation here. The Holy Spirit flew down like a dove and sat on Jesus’ shoulder; God the Father spoke from heaven that Jesus is His Beloved Son, and He is therefore pleased with Jesus. The baptism of Jesus shook the very foundation of the devil’s earthly reign. The Voice of the Heavenly Father deafened Satan’s ears and the Holy Spirit sent the devils fleeing in distress. In your Holy Baptism, God’s righteousness has been given freely unto you. The Baptismal waters are for you a holy bathe that washed away all your sins and made you a child of God, but that same Baptismal water is a searing acidic water that burns the devil and drives Him away.  

10. Jesus’ righteousness is given to you in Baptism. Jesus’ baptism is vicarious, for sinners, pointing forward to His crucifixion and resurrection in the place of sinners (Gibbs 185). In your Holy Baptism you are joined to Christ and united with Him in His death and resurrection (Romans 6,3-6). In Christ’s death you have died to sin. In Christ’s resurrection you have risen from the Baptismal waters into the newness of eternal, resurrected life. Yes, Christ has saved you in your Baptism. »You are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus« (Romans 6,11). God the Father’s words spoken to Jesus at His baptism are now spoken upon you: »You are My beloved son, My beloved daughter, with whom I am well pleased.« You are righteous before God, for you stand before Him covered with the pure and holy righteousness of Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

11. Let us pray. O Good God, who leads us on level ground, teach us to do Your will, so that we are always ready to give an account of Your precious gospel to our neighbors.   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. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand. 

Nagel, Norman. Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis. Frederick W. Baue, Ed. Copyright © 2004 Concordia Publishing House. 

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

Wenz, Armin. A sermon preached on 10. January 2010 (1. So. n. Epiphanias) in Oberursel, Germany on Romans 12,1-8. Copyright © 2010 The Rev. Dr. Armin Wenz. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2012.

Devotional thoughts for Thursday

Thursday 8. January 2015 

Epiphany

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1,28 ESV) 

Violence is the result of sinful, fallen mankind. God does not create violence, but He does allow mankind, with our God-given free will, to commit violent acts. Left to our own devises, we will commit whatever vile deeds that our debased minds can conjure up. 

Romans 1,28, however, is not the final word on this subject. St. Paul later writes in his epistle: all are justified by God’s grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom He put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness. (Romans 3,24-25) 

The Apostle Paul reminds us that God’s true nature is not one that demands submission, nor is He a God who made the universe and then stepped back to let it run on its own as He is seated detached far away in heaven, but His true nature is love, mercy and forgiveness. His mercy is ultimately revealed in Jesus Christ who by dying and rising for us shows us God’s love and forgiveness. 

So when we reel from the horror of violence, like the murder of twelve Frenchmen who worked at Charlie Hebdo, we also remember that God is merciful. He desires us to live according to His will, but knowing that we can never do this perfectly He forgives us and is kind to us and this forgiveness and kindness is manifested for us in Christ Jesus our Savior. 

Prayer: O Almighty and Most Merciful God, the Protector of all who trust in You, strengthen our faith and give us courage to believe that in Your love You will rescue us from all advertises; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen. (B70, Treasury of Daily Prayer) 

Devotional thoughts for Wednesday

Wednesday 7. January 2015 

Epiphany 

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel, which He promised beforehand through His Prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His Name among the all the nations. (Romans 1,1-5 ESV) 

The opening sentence of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans manifests for us the Glory of Jesus Christ. He summarizes the life and ministry of Jesus in one long sentence. Jesus is both man, descended from David, and God, for He is the Son of God. Paul mentions His death and resurrection; the Holy Spirit gives us the grace Christ has purchased on the cross and proven in His resurrection. 

Note also that Paul teaches the doctrine of the Holy Trinity without using the word "Trinity". In fact, the word "Trinity" does not occur in the Bible, but the concept and doctrine of the Trinity is found in both the Old and New Testaments. Here in Romans 1 Paul refers to all three Persons of the Trinity. 

Paul also mentions that grace and faith are for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Many of the Christians receiving and reading this epistle were Gentile Christians living in Rome. Many of them were probably Roman citizens, too. Paul tells us that the gospel is for all the nations, and the Holy Spirit spreads the gospel across all the world so that people will hear it, receive it and believe it unto everlasting life. 

Prayer: O Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. grant us Your Holy Spirit so that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen.  (B69, Treasury of Daily Prayer) 

Devotional thoughts for Tuesday

Tuesday 6. January 2015 
The Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord 

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying: „Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have arrived to worship Him.“ (Matthew 2,1-2) 

Epiphany brings to close the 12-day Christmas season we've been celebrating since December 24th. Christmas focused on Jewishness of Jesus, telling us how His birth fulfilled the promises of God to save His fallen creation. Epiphany focuses on the Gentileness of Jesus, telling us that people from other nations longed for, watched for and worshiped His arrival. The magi are the first recorded Gentiles to visit Jesus and worship Him. They would not be the last. 

John tells us that Jesus is the Light of the world who overcomes the darkness. At His birth, God puts a star in the heavens to announce His Son's birth. Starlight heralds the arrival of the True Light. Another light would prepare the way for Jesus, that being John the Baptizer. And so Epiphany is bookmarked by the lesser lights heralding the Great Light. 

During Epiphany we see Jesus manifesting His Divine nature in His public ministry. 

Prayer: O God, by the leading of a star You made know Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy heaven the fullness of Your Divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen. (L11, Treasury of Daily Prayer) 

Matthew 2,1-12. Epiphany

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ 

Matthew 2,1-12         0715

2. Sonntag nach Christfest  12 (Epiphanias, transferred) 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel 1,7  ✠ 

04. Januar 2015  

1. O Jesus Christ, O Eternal God, we have reason to celebrate and give thanks! You live among us, and You do not stay away from us. The angels have proclaimed it and tells the shepherds further said: Unto you is born a Savior. Your star had guided the magi to the manger in which Jesus, Your Son, and our hope, lies. Open our eyes and hearts to Your star so it illuminates our darkness, lights our paths and leads us to You. Let us feel Your closeness today, tomorrow and forever.  Amen. (VELKD, Prayer for Epiphanias  § 1). 

2. Now after Jesus was Born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying: „Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have arrived to worship Him.“ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him: „In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the Prophet: »And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you will be a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.«“ [Micah 5,2] Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying: „Go and search diligently for the Child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, so that I too may go and worship Him.“ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it went to rest over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.   

3. Simeon proclaimed when Jesus was 8 days old that this Holy Child is »a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel« (Luke 2,32). The shepherds had been the first in Israel to worship Jesus on the night of His birth. Two years later the magi were the first Gentiles to worship Jesus. They had told King Herod the Great that they had seen the Child’s star rise in the heavens to herald His birth. Starlight had alerted the magi of the arrival of a Royal Light, for stargazing was one of the vocations performed by the Mesopotamian magi. The world knew when Prince George had been born when his father, Prince William, walked through the hospital doors and announced his son’s birth to the myriad of reporters. Likewise, the heavens told the magi when a majestic prince had been born who was destined for great things. Just as millions around the world waited with anticipation and fervor for William and Kate’s firstborn to arrive, so did the magi and others who read the heavenly signs that said a crown prince had been born in Judah. 

4. Who were these magi in the Gospel according to Matthew? Magi were advisors the kings and rulers of Mesopotamia and Babylon. They were similar to the men and women who make up the president’s staff and advise him on many different issues. The Magi were priests, astronomers, scholars and doctors who were men well-versed in several academic studies so that they would be what we would called Renaissance men who mastered different disciplines. We find these magi in the Prophet Daniel. During the Babylonian Captivity, the King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon added the young Jewish men who showed an aptitude in learning arcane knowledge and wisdom. Among the young Jewish captives initiated into the Magi Caste were Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Daniel 1,3-7).  Daniel became so renowned in hi studies and knowledge that the king eventually elevated him as the chief of the magi (Daniel 5,11). They may have received their information about the star from the Prophet Daniel, who became the chief of the Magi before the Jews returned from the Babylonian Captivity (Daniel 5,11). In this capacity, Daniel may have passed on to the magi a knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures and the prophecies of their messiah. This new knowledge would then be studied and passed on to succeeding generations of magi.

5. There are several theories as to what exactly was this star that the magi had seen in the heavens. The Torah tells us that a star is a symbol of the Messiah: »A Star will arrive from Jacob. A Scepter will arise from Israel« (Numbers 24,17). Thus, Jewish tradition preserves a belief that the advent of the Messiah would be connected with some special star, comet or grouping of planets to form a conjunction. Abarbanel, a renowned rabbi of the Middle Ages, believed that the Messiah would come in the same month as the Exodus took place, and claimed that the Cup of Elijah in the annual Jewish Passover celebration preserves this tradition. He looked for Messiah to enter human history when Jupiter and Saturn conjoin in the constellation of Pisces which happens every 805 years. Jewish tradition identified the planets of Jupiter and Saturn with the Justice of God that vindicates the righteous and punishes the guilty. Therefore, a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Pisces would be the sign of Messiah’s advent into human flesh. This very conjunction took place a short time before Christ’s birth. 17. century German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler (a Lutheran), checking astronomical tables, found the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on 29. May, 29. September, and 4. December in 7 bc. This triple conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn in one year’s time is extremely rare. The final conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces put it over Bethlehem. Jerusalem is a mere 5.52 miles/8.89 km north of Bethlehem, and that is where the magi went since Jerusalem was the capital of King Herod the Great. Every 805 years there is a conjunction between Jupiter, Saturn and Mars (Mars joins them a year later.). Jupiter the King’s Planet approaches Saturn the Defender of Palestine: »You carried along the staues of the god Sikkuth as your king and the star-god Kiyyun, the gods you made for yourselves.« (Amos 5,26) and Mars signifies war, struggle or change. Thus, a Messianic King is arriving in Palestine amid a time of great change or who will bring about a great change. This is how the magi and other ancients read the meaning of the star that appeared three times right before Jesus’ birth. After this star appeared in the heavens, and the magi understood its significance, they began their trek to Jerusalem. 

6. We see from St. Matthew the importance of the star heralding Jesus’ advent. King David wrote this psalm: »The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge« (Psalm 19,1-2). The Apostle John writes in his Gospel: »In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome the Light. The True Light, which gives light to everyone, was arriving into the world. 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« (John 1,1-5.9.14). 

7. Starlight heralded the True Light’s arrival in the world. This Light is Jesus. He is the promised Messiah of Israel and the Christ of the Gentiles. He Light shines and gives Life to all live on this earth and furthermore gives Eternal Life to all who believe in Him as their Savior. Satan had tricked Adam to supplant the True Light with his own human light. This devlish trick plunged Adam and his descendants into darkness with the fellowship between God and man sundered. The Light had waned, but not forever, for God had promised that the Light would wax again upon mankind.   

8. The Son of God entered His Earth that had fallen into sin and darkness. His Light waxed brightly upon the world and illuminated both Jew and Gentile. The darkness, however, never yields willingly. The devil riled up his thralls and maneuvered the arrest and condemnation of Jesus. He sentence was death; the goal was to snuff out the Light once and for all so that darkness would enshroud God’s Earth. The darkness always underestimates the brightness and the heat of the Light. Jesus knew all that would befall Him and He allowed the darkness to have its day. It was a dark day, a day when darkness covered the land for three hours, but at the end, the Light had triumphed once more. Yes, Jesus died, and in dying He had redeemed fallen men and women back to His Father. For a time, the Light was shrouded in burial clothes and the darkness of a tomb, but the Light burst forth in resurrection Glory and Brilliance. The Light had triumphed over death and the devil. 

9. The Epiphany star did not divulge all this to the magi. They only knew that a majestic messiah had been born in Judah. They went to worship and adore Him, just as we did on the night of His birth. The star leads us to Bethlehem and shines down upon the Infant Jesus. The Holy Scriptures enlighten us about His life and the Light He would bring to the world, the Light of Life and Salvation that only God can bring. And bring it He did, in all His Brilliant Glory, Jesus Christ, our Light who shines now and always driving the darkness into the abyss.  Amen.

9. Let us pray. O Christ, Thou Eternal Light who is praised by the all nations and lauded by all peoples, be the Lamp for our feet and the Light on our path so that we remain always in Your presence.  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. 

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