Luke 1,67-79. Gaudete

Luke 1,67-79   0321

Gaudete 3. Sonntag im Advent  03

Lucia, Virgin Martyr of Syracuse 304

Odilia,Virgin, Abbess, ✠ 720

13. December 2020

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, who did suffer Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to become man, and to come into the world, so that He might destroy the works of the Devil; deliver us poor offenders from sin and death, and give us everlasting life: We beseech You so to rule and govern our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, so that we may seek no other refuge than His word, and thus avoid all offense to which, by nature, we are inclined, in order that we may always be found among the faithful followers of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and by faith in Him obtain eternal salvation.  Amen. (Veit Dietrich) 

2. »And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying: „Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath that He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. 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.“« 

3. There are two miraculous births at the beginning of the Gospels. Jesus is the obvious one, for He was conceived while Mary remain a virgin. The birth of John, later called the Baptizer, is the other. His parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were older than was the norm to be having babies, and Elizabeth furthermore was barren. The only way they were going to have a child was if the Lord Himself intervened, which is exactly what He did. Jesus, of the house of David, is a prince, and John, of the tribe of Levi, is a priest; both of these cousins were also prophets. In Jesus and John we have the three Old Testament offices active: Prophet, Priest and Prince.  

4. There are all sorts of prophecies being uttered in the opening chapters of Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels. The angel Gabriel prophesies to both Zechariah and Mary. Zechariah, Elizabeth and Mary all prophesy at the announcements and the births of both John and Jesus. The last canonical prophet was Malachi, whose name means in English My messenger, who prophesied in 430 bc; four centuries separate Malachi from John and in that gulf the prophetic voice was silent. As the Gospels of Matthew and Luke begin, the prophetic voice is once again speaking boldly and powerfully. 

5. The prophecies in Luke 1 are joyfully jubilant, and they rejoice in what the Lord is doing. Zechariah calls Jesus »a horn of salvation« and John »the prophet«. Together these cousins would give light to those who sit in darkness and guide our feet in the way of peace. 

6. When John begins his prophetic ministry, he begins where Malachi ended: The Lord spoke through Malachi: »Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I arrive and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction« (Malachi 3,1; 4,6). Jesus quotes the Prophet Malachi when He tells the crowd that John is the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophetic messenger to come. 

7. John’s preaching is one of preparation, and as the last of the Old Testament prophets his message is an exhortation to repent for the reign of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3,2). The Judeans who heard his proclamation were baptized by him confessing their sins (Matthew 3,6) and bearing fruit in keeping with this repentance (Matthew 3,8). The Messiah who is coming after me is mightier than I; He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Mathew 3,11). John is referring with this phrase, the Holy Spirit and fire, to the last day (Gibbs 172). Christ baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire referrals directly to the final salvation and judgment that Christ will administer when He returns in glory (Gibbs 173). John proclaims that on the last day, Jesus will pour out the Holy Spirit on those who repented and looked for the advent of God’s reign in Jesus, and all such will be saved (Gibbs 173). Those who persist in their unbelief and reject God’s reign in Jesus will receive on that day the fire of eternal judgment (Gibbs 173). Only God can do this, and John points to Jesus and declares: »Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1,29)! 

8. The advent of Jesus and the messianic reign He brings that ushers in the last day is cause for rejoicing. The central theme of this messianic reign is God’s redemption and restoration of His fallen creation. Sin is forgiven. The curse upon sin is now being undone. The gospel is being preached. God’s Absolution is spoken to the repentant. Those who believe in Jesus are blessed (Matthew 11,6). 

9. John the Baptizer prepares the way for Jesus. He called people to repentance and promised that the Lord is merciful and forgiving. The order of our Divine Service follows this proclamation: we prepare our way unto the Lord with repentance and confession; God’s Absolution and forgiveness is spoken to us; the Word and Sacraments remind and assure us that we have a gracious, merciful Savior in Jesus Christ. Rejoice!

10. The 3. Advent candle is lighted today, and it is not purple bit rose/pink. It sets this Sunday apart from the other 3 Sundays in advance, for it proclaim: »Gaudete in the Lord always; Gaudete: the Lord is at hand« (Philippians 4,4). This candle shines forth with the 1. candle and its proclamation: »Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Behold your King is drawing near; He is justifying and saving« (Zechariah 9,9), and also with the 2. candle and its proclamation: »Lift up your soul unto the Lord, for your redemption is drawing near« (Luke 21,28). Let us rejoice at Jesus’ advent in anticipation of the 4., and final, Advent candle with its exhortation of: »Shower down, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness!« (Isaiah 40,8a).  Amen. 

11. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, our Merciful God; pour out upon us Your grace and righteousness, so that we may rejoice, and in rejoicing bear witness to all the world of the salvation You bring.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

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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. 

   Gibbs, Jeffrey A. Matthew 1:1 – 11:1. Copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.