Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: James 5,7-8. Ad te Levavi (2. Sunday in Advent)

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

James 5,7-8 0216

2. Sonntag im Advent: Ad te Levavi (Unto You, I lift up my soul) 02

Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, ✠ 352

6. Dezember 2015

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, who by Your Son has revealed to us that heaven and earth shall pass away, so that our bodies shall rise again, and that we all shall appear before the judgment seat: We beseech You, keep us by Your Holy Spirit in Your Word; establish us in the true faith, graciously defend us from sin and preserve us in all temptations, so that our hearts may not be overcharged with surfeiting, drunkenness and cares of this life, but so that we may ever watch and pray, trusting fully in Your grace, await with joy the glorious advent of Your Son, and at last obtain eternal salvation, through Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One True God, world without end. Amen. (Veit Dietrich for the 2. Sunday in Advent)

2. Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the advent of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the advent of the Lord is at hand.

3. The Apostle James has in mind the words spoken by his older brother Jesus: »There will be signs in sun, moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near« (Luke 21,25.28). James exhorts us to be patient, for the advent of Jesus is at hand.

4. James wrote those words almost 2000 years ago. Is Jesus’ return really at hand. The Apostles Peter discussed that very topic in his epistle: »Know this first of all, that scoffers will arrive in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say: „Where is the promise of his advent? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.“ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord 1 day is as a 1000 years, and a 1000 years as 1 day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but He is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance« (2. Peter 3,3-4.8-9).

5. The apostles tell us that God’s concept of time is different from our concept of time. God is eternal and removed from the constraints of linear time. We, however, are not. Time for us ticks by second after second, day after day and year after year. Our concept of time is ever forward as the sun, the moon and the stars make their celestial journeys across our heavens. We use these stellar bodies as chronometers to measure the relentless passage of time. At this very moment, however, God experiences time all at once: ad 33, 2015 and 3001 are all a real present for Him in His Divine omnipresence, omniaeternam and omniscience. This then means that God is patient in unfolding His plan for mankind.

6. God’s plan for humanity was that men and women, the crown of His creation, would live in fellowship with the Divine. The Fall into sin destroyed that created order. Adam’s sin brought death, and death brought physical separation from God. Our Lord, however, would not let sin, death and the devil have the victory. He promised all men and women, conditioned to Eve and spoken to the devil, that: »I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel« (Genesis 3,15). This is the first proclamation of the gospel; Adam and Eve believed what God told them. This promised gospel was passed down through the patriarchs, the prophets and was finally fulfilled when Mary gave birth to Jesus. The season of Advent is the preparation of celebrating the fulfillment of Genesis 3,15.

7. The Bible tells us that God works through human history. We think of history as a series of dates and events. 6. June 1944 is immortalized as D-Day. Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon on 20. July 1969. We also think of history as historic speeches given by larger-than-life people. We all know John F. Kennedy famous line spoken near the end of His 1961 inauguration speech, where he said: „And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country“ (3. last paragraph), but does anyone remember what he said at the beginning of his speech: „Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty“ (4. paragraph)? We also know Ronald Reagan said in Berlin: „Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall“ (13. paragraph)! But mankind’s history is more than dates, events, people and speeches. Mankind’s history is intricately connected to God and His interaction within human history. God brings an eschatological dimension to human history that focuses on studying the last days with three key points: 1. History’s goal is the coming day of universal judgment. 2. Jesus is in control of history. 3. This present sinful age will be overtaken and supplanted by the new age to come. This new age will come with effects for the entire cosmos; the whole creation will be affected (Gibbs 29). Our world history, then, is ultimately about Jesus Christ (Christusgeschichte), and Jesus’ Christological emphasis is to save His fallen world (Heilsgeschichte). The linchpin for this history is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world.

8. Jesus tells us in our Gospel pericope for today: »There will be signs in sun, moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is befalling upon the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man descending in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near« (Luke 21,25-28). Such signs attended Jesus’ first advent: the angelic choir sang on the night of His birth, the Epiphany star lead the magi to Him, the sky turned dark at His crucifixion, the earth quaked to tear the temple veil and the dead were raised. St. Matthew writes in His Gospel: »The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and going out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection they went into Jerusalem and appeared to many« (Matthew 27,52-53). Similar signs will attend Jesus’ second advent.

9. Celestial signs will herald the return of Jesus. Nations will war against nations, famine and pestilence will afflict portions of the world, and evil will increase upon the world. Sounds like 2014, doesn’t it? Yes, and such signs are meant to remind us that Jesus will return. History is in His hands and unfolds under His will. Everything happens under His plan and He uses both good and evil events to further His reign upon this earth.

10. Evil men want events like 9-11, the Paris attack and the San Bernardino murders to scare us into submitting to their will. Such events do not intimidate Christians. We have a Savior who died, burst asunder hades’ gates and rose from the grave. We fear no wicked man or evil deed. Jesus has conquered sin, death and the devil himself. Jesus has ascended to the right hand of God the Father; Jesus will return again. Today we look back at Jesus’ Passion and Ascension; next week Advent will focus our attention on Jesus’ promised birth and the fulfillment of it that culminates in Christmas. Rejoice and be glad, for because your redemption is drawing near. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Lord, the world’s Righteousness Judge, when the stars grow dark and the seas roar in rage, then comfort us with the promise of our salvation on account of Your righteousness and faithfulness that You have freely credited to us by grace through faith. 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.

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Monday, December 7, 2015

James 5,7-8. Ad te Levavi (2. Sunday in Advent)

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