Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: January 2021

Sunday, January 24, 2021

John 4,46-54. Epiphany 3

John 4,46-54 1121

3. Sonntag nach Epiphanias 016

Timothy, St. Paul’s disciple, Bishop of Ephesus, Martyr in Ephesus 80 W

24. Januar 2021

1. O Almighty and Everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all dangers and necessities stretch forth Your mighty hand, to defend us against our enemies. Amen. (Veit Dietrich)

2. »So He went again to Cana in Galilee, where He had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to Him and asked Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him: „Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.“ The official said to Him: „Lord, come down before my child dies.“ Jesus said to him: „Go; your son will live.“ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him: „Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.“ The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him: „Your son will live.“ And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when He had gone from Judea to Galilee.«

3. The Apostle Paul tells us that Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom (1. Corinthians 1,22). In John 4 Jesus affirms this of His brethren: »Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.« „Jesus’ response to the official is not a rebuke of a weak faith seeking the security of miraculous proof. Rather, [it] is a “solemn promise and expression of the necessary requirement of faith.” [In the exodus story] God’s “wonderful signs” are always witnesses of his saving power, and God grants these signs so that faith might take root and grow” (Weinrich 540). The 10 plagues of Egypt hardened the heart of pharaoh and caused his troops to perish in the Red Sea at the same time that the same signs caused the believing and deliverance of Israel through the same Red Sea (Weinrich 540).

4. John makes it clear in his gospel that the signs of Jesus both hide and reveal; they are capable of misunderstanding, and they are capable of the discernment of faith (Weinrich 540). John begins his Gospel telling us this: Jesus was in the world, among His Jewish people, but many of them did not receive Him (1,10-11). However, others did receive Him and became children of God (1,12).

5. John highlights 7 particular signs [1] of the many Jesus did in and among Israel. His first sign was turning water into wine. Today’s healing of the official son is the second sign. This son is at death’s door step, but Jesus restores his life. In chapter 5 Jesus declares: »For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. I tell you the absolute truth, whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life« (5,21.24). These 7 signs are messianic epiphany-miracles (Weinrich 324). They serve to convince the people, that just as Moses was sent from Yahweh with signs, so too is Jesus sent from Yahweh with signs to show He speaks and acts with Divine authority. Seven is the Biblical number of completeness and perfection. Genesis tells us that God’s work at creation took 6 days, and each day was good, and on the 7. He rested for everything was very good on the 6. day.

6. „After each sign Jesus had made the situation good. When the wine had been depleted in Cana, Jesus created more wine and it was good. When the official’s son was dying, Jesus restored his health and it was good. Jesus’ signs culminate with the raising of Lazarus from the dead and it was good, for soon after the resurrection of Lazarus Jesus Himself would rise from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is very good.

7. Adam’s sin brought the curse and death upon Jesus’ very good creation. God’s salvation history is His redeeming of His creation to make it very good once more. The signs Jesus performs in John’s Gospel show God’s redemption of creation, and it culminates with Jesus’ resurrection. Sin is paid for and forgiven. Death is overcome by life. Hades is opened and heaven receives all believers in Christ. The words Jesus spoke to the official are for us to: Your son will live. We live because Jesus lives risen from the grave. As the father believed Jesus’ word, so do we believe Jesus’ word as Paul informs us: »If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved« (Romans 10,9). John affirms this: These signs are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name (20,31). Amen.

8. Let us pray. O Lord, who reigns over heaven and earth; let all people rejoice and be glad, so that our praises glorify your Holy Triune Name. 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 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

1 Turning water into wine 2,1-11; healing of the official’s son 4,46-54; the healing of the lame man 5,1-17; the feeding of the 5000 6,1-15; walking on water 6,16-21; the healing of the blind man 9,1-41; and the raising of Lazarus 11,1-47.

Epiphany 3 video

Epiphany 3 Divine Service 4

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Ephesians 1 video

Ephesians 1,1-14 Bible study

Monday, January 18, 2021

John 2,1-11. Epiphany 2

John 2,1-11 1021

2. Sonntag nach dem Epiphanias 012

Antonius the Great, hermit in Thebais, Egypt ✠ 356

17. Januar 2021

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, we beseech You to send Your blessing upon everyone, so that we may not provoke each other to anger and strife, but live peaceably together in love and godliness, receiving Your gracious help in all temptations; grant unto us all to walk before You, in purity and holiness, to put all our trust in You, and lead such lives on earth, so that in the world to come we may have everlasting life. Amen. (Veit Dietrich)

2. »On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ²Jesus was also invited to the wedding with His disciples. ³When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him: „They have no wine.“ ⁴And Jesus said to her: „Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet arrived.“ ⁵His mother said to the servants: „Do whatever He tells you.“ ⁶Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.⁷Jesus said to the servants: „Fill the jars with water.“ And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸And He said to them: „Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.“ So they took it. ⁹When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it was from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom ¹⁰and 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.“ ¹¹This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.«

3. an epiphany is a revelation and manifestation of a divine being. In our common usage it also refers to a sudden insight or intuitive understanding. In the Gospels, an epiphany is when Jesus manifests His Divine nature. John began his Gospel with a theological and philosophical presentation of who Jesus is. John 1 is chock-full of epiphanic language, including: »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 1,14). John is making an obvious connection to the Glory of Yahweh shown in the Old Testament. This Divine Glory was manifested as the Pillar of cloud by day and of fire at night who lead Israel. Later this Glory resided in the most holy place in the temple. John says Jesus is this Divine Glory now manifested in a human body.

4. John tells us that Jesus’ first epiphany, or miracle, happened at a wedding when He changed water into wine. John calls it the first of Jesus’ signs whereby He manifested His Glory. Think about this for a moment. Jesus manifest His Divinity in numerous ways throughout the Gospels – He heals the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead and forgives peoples’ sins – but His first miracle is none of these; His first miracle is turning water into wine.

5. This might seem an odd choice, but it has profound Scriptural and theological implications; Jesus does this miracle to make a particular point. I like how Wilhelm Löhe describes Jesus’ miracles in his 1859 sermon on John 2: Jesus’ miracles „are miracles of blessing through which man is led to his salvation and they are also given as examples and proof that the Lord uses nature in His healing of humanity“ (Löhe 176 § 5).

6. Weddings and wine have a theological symbolism in the Scriptures. A wedding banquet was a feast, literally, and in small towns like Nazareth and Cana, these events brought nearly the entire community together. As such, wedding banquets were used to show and teach the great and glorious heavenly fellowship that we will partake of in paradise. Jesus used weddings as a way to teach this fellowship in several parables. The apostles, particularly John, use this image to describe eternal life. Wine and weddings go together. The Prophet Isaiah says that wine is a symbol of joy (55,1). Solomon wisely states: wine gladdens life (Ecclesiastes 10,19). David describes Yahweh’s rich and abundant blessings as his wine cup overflowing (Psalm 23,5).

7. The Master of the feast praises the bridegroom for bringing out the best wine for last. Making this wine better than all the wine that had been served thus far, Jesus is making a theological point with His first sign: God saves the best for last. God had given His people promises of His arrival, and now Jesus is here to fill those promises. God had given Israel patriarchs and prophets, and now Jesus is here as the Chief Prophet. God had given Judah kings, and now Jesus is here who is the Son of David and the Rightful King. Jesus is the True Vine (John 15,1); He is the Best Wine given last.

8. The Sinai covenant was good, but Jesus fulfills it and brings a better covenant. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1,29). Jesus destroyed the temple, His body, and then three days raised it up (John 2,19). »For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world shall be saved through Him« (John 3,16-17).

9. John tells us at the conclusion of his Gospel that the signs Jesus did are written in this book so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have ζωήν (life) in His Name (John 20,30-31). Jesus’ first sign, turning water into wine, was done so that we would believe He is the Christ and the Savior who gives us eternal life. The Scriptures record these epiphanies to remind us that God is with us, in our midst, and He desires to save us. Today, Jesus gives us the gift of wine again, for in the Lord’s Supper we received the bread and wine that is His body and blood given for us and our forgiveness. Jesus is the Sacramental Wine that is served last for the blessing of all who partake of Him. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, Divine Image of the Father; help us to believe Your signs, hear Your Word and receive Your Sacraments, so that through them we receive by faith all grace upon grace. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Löhe, Wilhelm. Evangelien-Postille für die Sonn- und Festage des Kirchenjahres. Copyright © 1859 Samuel Gottlieb Liesching. A sermon preached on John 2,1-11 for The 2. Sunday after the Epiphany. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2011.

Epiphany 2 DS III video

Epiphany 2

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Ephesians 1 video

Ephesians 1,1-14 Bible study

Monday, January 11, 2021

Isaiah 60,1-6. Feast of the Epiphany

Isaiah 60,1-6 0821

Fest der Erscheinung des Herrn (Epiphanias) 013

Epiphany of the Lord

6. Januar 2021

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, who hast given us the light of Your holy Word, the guiding star, which leads us to the Christ-child: Send, we beseech You, Your Holy Spirit into our hearts, so that we may receive this light and make use of it unto our salvation, and that we, like the Magi, when they were seeking the star, may not be afraid because of any hardship or peril, but put all our trust in Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, as our only Savior; devote our earthly possessions to the advancement of Your kingdom, and in all things serve Him, Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Veit Dietrich)

2. »Arise, shine, for your Light has arrived, and the Glory of Yahweh has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but Yahweh will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations will draw near to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they draw near to you; your sons will arrive from afar, and your daughters will be carried on the hip. Then you will see and be radiant; your heart will thrill and exult,because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will draw near to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba will arrive. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will bring the gospel, the praises of Yahweh.«

3. The Prophet Isaiah looks ahead, 700 years forward, to when the light and glory of Yahweh has appeared. He proclaims that the Messiah is for the Gentiles too.

4. Notice what he says: »They will bring gold and frankincense.« These have royal and messianic connotations; the Song of Solomon mentions frankincense and myrrh in connection with Solomon’s bride, thus royal and priestly connotations (3,6; 4,6.14) (Gibbs 127). The Magi bring these 3 gifts, gifts one would expect a monarch to receive (Gibbs 126). Yet in the context of God’s (Heilsgeschichte) salvation history these gifts have royal, priestly and messianic connotations which reminds us that Jesus is simultaneously prophet, priest and prince.

5. What led the Magi to travel west with these kingly gifts? A: a star. „The ancient historians of the Near East, Greece and Rome were fond of describing astronomical phenomenon“ (Maier 51). Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) calculated that every 805 years Jupiter and Saturn conjoin, with Mars joining the conjunction a year later (Maier 54). Astronomers have computed that Jupiter and Saturn were conjoined in September and December 7 bc. Mars joined them in February 6 bc. In 7 bc this conjunction occurred in the constellation of Pisces, the Fishes (Maier 54). Kepler calculated that Jupiter conjoined with Saturn on 22. Jun 7 bc in Pisces, and that this is when the Magi first saw it. The planets conjoined again on 3. December 7 bc. Jerusalem also saw this conjunction in February 5 bc. Astronomers have long known, dating back to the Magi and earlier, that Jupiter and Saturn conjoin every 20 years and that every 800 years they conjoin in the same constellation. „In ancient astrology, the giant planet Jupiter was known as the ‘King’s Planet,’ for it represented the highest god and ruler of the universe: Marduk to the Babylonians, Zeus to the Greeks, Jupiter to the Romans. And the ringed planet Saturn was deemed the shield or defender of Palestine, while the constellation of the Fishes, which was also associated with Syria and Palestine, represented epochal events and crises. So Jupiter encountering Saturn in the Sign of the Fishes would have meant that a cosmic ruler or king was to appear in Palestine at a culmination of history. This, at least, may help to explain why the Magi were well enough informed to look for some ‘King of the Jews’ in Palestine. And the time of this rare conjunction in 7 bc fits part of the Nativity chronology very well indeed, even if Jesus were born in 5 bc. King Herod would later order the slaughter of all male infants in Bethlehem ‘who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men’ (Matt. 2:16). Seven minus two is five“ Maier 54-55).

6. Matthew tells us the Magi saw an άστέρα, what we normally translate as star in English, but the Greek word can mean any object in the heavens – a star, planet, comet, nova, etc. Certainly it can refer to a conjunction of planets. The magus was a caste of gifted sages in the Persian Empire who specialized in everything from astronomy to religion. They would have been familiar with the Messianic prophecies in Moses and the Prophets (from Daniel and other Jews who entered the magi caste), as well as the star as the symbol of the Messiah: »A star will come from Jacob. A scepter will rise from Israel.« (Numbers 24,17). From 586 bc - ad 414 a large Jewish community lived in Babylon (near Baghdad).

7. We can ascertain a basic conclusion to how the Magi interpreted what this conjunction foretold. Jupiter the „King’s Planet“ approaches Saturn the „Defender of Palestine“ in Pisces representing Syria and Palestine the constellation also associated with epochal events and crises (enmity for the Babylonians). This would have brought to mind the following Hebrew Scripture: »You carried along the statues of the god Sikkuth as your king and the star-god Kiyyun, the gods you made for yourselves.« (Amos 5,26) or the LXX: »You took up the tent of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship.« (Acts 7,42) Thus the Magi read this conjunction as: „a King is coming to Palestine at a culmination of history.“ Mars joins this conjunction a few months later; Mars is associated with the bringer of war, strife and change. It fits well with King Herod’s orders to murder all boys under two years of age, and ironically enough Herod dies shortly thereafter (Maier, In the Fullness of Time 54). Add to this another important event in the heavens: on 17. April 6 bc Jupiter is in Aries indicating a spectacular royal event was looming. Saturn and the Sun also came into Aries (a favorable sign), the Moon eclipsed and revealed Jupiter (another favorable sign), and in the dawn Jupiter emerged as a morning star (a sign of birth). This was a most powerful time to bring about the birth of a king with all these astronomical occurrences. The conjoining of these solar events indicates the birth of a super-king, a King of kings, the Messiah.

8. Recall that both Simeon and Anna, along with other Jews, were looking for the consolation of Israel and the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2,25.38). If the Jews saw these conjunctions in the heavens it is probable to reason that seeing these epochal events would further stoke the flames of their longing for the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah. We also have the miraculous birth of John to Elizabeth and Zechariah. The stories of what the angel told Zechariah, a priest in the very temple where Simeon and Anna we at, namely, that John will have the spirit and power of Elijah, one of the greatest Jewish prophets, preparing the way for Yahweh (Luke 1,17). Clearly the messianic hope was shining brightly, and the heavens verified that hope.

9. Capricornus often represents society, new knowledge and wisdom. „The earliest recorded evidence of this constellation is dated to the 21st century bce, where the “Sea Goat” was depicted on a Sumerian cylinder-seal. In the Babylonian star catalogues, which are dated to ca. 1000 bce, Capricornus (horns of the goat) was named suhurmašu (“The Goat Fish”). The constellation would later become the symbol of Ea (Enki) and was associated with the winter solstice“ (https://www.universetoday.com/19825/constellation-capricornus/).

10. At at the close of 2020, we again saw Jupiter and Saturn conjoining. It happened on 21. December in Capricornus. We are reminded that Jesus Christ draws near to His people, the Church, defends them and all society as He exhorts us of the knowledge of His Heilsgeschichte:

℣ O Morning Star, Splendor of the Eternal Light and Sun of | justice: *

℟ Draw near and give light to those who sit in darkness and the shad- | ow of death. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, the Praise of all nations; let us laud You so that all people see You as the Saving Light of the world. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Romans 12,1-8. Epiphany I

Romans 12,1-8 0921

1. Sonntag nach Epiphanias 014

Paul of Thebes, first hermit, ✠ 340

Basil the Great of Caesarea ✠ 379, Gregory of Nazianzus, Patriarch of Constantinople, ✠ 389 and Gregory of Nyssa ✠ 394

10. Januar 2021

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, who in mercy has established the Christian home among us: We beseech You so to rule and direct our hearts, so that we may be good examples to children and servants, and not offend them by word or deed, but faithfully teach them to love Your Church and hear Your blessed Word. Give them Your Spirit and grace, so that this seed may bring forth good fruit, so that our home life may conduce to Your glory, honor and praise, to our own improvement and welfare, and give offense to no one. Amen. (Veit Dietrich)

2. »I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable worship.²Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable and perfect.³For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴For as in one body we have many members,and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.«

3. In today’s Gospel pericope we here about 12-year-old Jesus in the temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions (Luke 2,46). Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers (Luke 2,47). Jesus here fulfills the Scripture, which is 1. Chronicles 29,11, a prayer David prayed at the collection take it up to build the temple: »Behold, now the Lord of lords arrives, and the kingdom, the power and the glory are in His hand.« Jesus arrives in His temple and teaches the teachers.

4. We are more prone to ignore sound teaching. We prefer to speak rather than to listen. We opt for action instead of hearing. Speaking and acting can lead to disastrous results as the past 12 months have show cased for us, not only in America but by others around the world. Mankind often chaffs at being seated and learning, especially when what they hear goes against the grain of what they believe. We are prone to think more highly of ourselves that we ought to think. The Apostle Paul cautions us against this. He exhorts us to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Paul wants us to be enlightened, but he’s not talking about the sort of Enlightenment from the 18. century, but rather to become enlightened by the Word of God and His will.

5. Epiphany is about enlightenment and seeing the glory of Yahweh in our midst. Our epiphany is Jesus Christ and he lights our way. Jesus gave Himself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to His Father, on the cross. He became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is our vicarious sacrifice; He died in our place. Paul exhorts us to likewise present ourselves as a living sacrifice which is our proper worship of Jesus. This involves learning at the feet of Jesus through the Holy Scriptures, as well as using our talents and gifts to benefit the Church and our neighbors.

6. „What Simeon foretold when Jesus was forty days old, Jesus now states unequivocally at age twelve: he is the Son of God and his destiny is in Jerusalem“ (Just 130). That destiny is unfolded in the Gospels. The next time Jesus is in Jerusalem for Passover in Luke’s Gospel is when He will go to the cross and rise from the dead; the cross and resurrection is Jesus’ destiny.

7. Today’s Gospel pericope concludes by saying: »Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and man« (Luke 2,52). Epiphany reveals to us that Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior and the Christ. As we learn this, meditate upon it and confess it, we too increase in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God. We are on the path of those first disciples and apostles who needed to learn who Jesus is, what is Messianic destiny is and to proclaim it to the nations. Faith receives the gospel given out in Word and Sacrament, and in receiving believes that we have what Jesus promises us: sin is forgiven, death is overcome in resurrected life and the gates of everlasting life are open wide for us to enter into eternal fellowship with the Triune God. Amen.

8. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Teacher of Your Heavenly Father’s will; pour out Your righteousness upon us so that we remain on the level ground of Your salvation. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

Epiphany 1 video

Epiphany I Divine Service III

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Matthew 2,13-23. 2. Sunday after Christmas

Matthew 2,13-23 0721

2. Sonntag nach dem Christfest 012

Enoch. Genesis 5,18-24

3. Januar 2021

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, who did suffer Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, to become a stranger and a sojourner in Egypt for our sakes, and did lead Him safely home to His fatherland: Mercifully grant that we poor sinners, who are strangers and sojourners in this perilous world, may soon be called home to our true fatherland, the kingdom of heaven, where we shall live in eternal joy and glory. Amen. (Veit Dietrich)

2. »Now when the Magi had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: „Rise, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the Child, to kill Him.“ ¹⁴And he rose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Out of Egypt I called My son. [Hosea 11,1] ¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the Magi, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the Magi. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ¹⁸A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more. [Jeremiah 31,15] ¹⁹But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying: ²⁰„Rise, take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.“ ²¹And he rose and took the Child and His mother and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that He would be called a Nazarene.«

3. In his insightful commentary on Matthew’s Gospel, Jeffery Gibbs writes the following: „Jesus the individual is God’s Son in his own person. Even as a child, Jesus is God’s Son, not by any process of adoption, but by right. He recapitulates or summarizes and repeats the history of the nation of Israel. The sons of Israel went down to Egypt and came up again; Jesus the Son goes down to Egypt and comes up again. The sons of Israel came up from Egypt because God was freeing them from bondage and captivity. Jesus, on the other hand, comes up from Egypt in order that he might live and grow and finally save his people from their bondage to sin (Mt 1:21). With the first “son,” God was acting to save “him.” God had acted to save his second and greater son from Herod (Mt 2:12-15), and now God is acting so that, through Jesus, he would save Israel. Historically, Jesus takes the place of Israel, and reenacts its history, but where Israel failed, Jesus succeeds.“

4. In today’s Gospel pericope, Matthew points out 3 ways Jesus does this, and He is still an infant! And yet, Jesus is not merely Israel reduced to one, but He is all the Gentiles reduced to one as well. Yahweh told Abraham that in his offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 22,18). The Prophet Isaiah also proclaimed the following words from Yahweh Himself: It is not glorious enough for the Messiah to redeem Israel; He will also be a Light for the Gentiles so that My salvation reaches to the end of the earth (49,6). We sing Simeon’s confession of this in our Nunc Dimittis: Jesus is the Glory of Israel and the Light of the Gentiles.

5. Matthew cites 3 Old Testament prophecies that the Infant Jesus fulfilled, particularly Hosea 11,1 and Jeremiah 31,15, and in doing so Matthew develops a typology that Jesus is the embodiment and representative of the nation of Israel (Gibbs 136). Whereas Old Testament Israel persistently rebelled against Yahweh who had redeemed them from Egypt, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law and is faithful to His Heavenly Father. Jesus takes the place of Israel, and redeems its history, but where Israel failed spectacularly, Jesus succeeds marvelously (Gibbs 142). Jesus is Israel reduced to 1 who will save His people. He goes „where they went (to Egypt and back), by standing where they stood (in the waters of the Jordan), by fighting and winning spiritual battles where they fought and lost (in the wilderness for a period of 40 years), and ultimately, by dying where and how they deserve to die: in their place as the ransom payment in the place of all (20:28; 26:28)“ (Gibbs 143).

6. The Gentiles are included in the „all“. The first Gentiles to be in lightened by Jesus are the Magi. Then the Egyptians beheld Jesus during His brief sojourn there. Later the Greeks living west of Nazareth in the Decapolis. Then all the nations to whom Jesus sent out His disciples to baptize and teach. On 1. January the Church celebrated the Feast of Christ’s circumcision and the giving of His name. In His circumcision, all people, all the nations, are circumcised once and for all, because Jesus represents all humanity. Of this, the Apostle Paul proclaims: »In Christ Jesus you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in Baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses in the circumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands« (Colossians 2,11-14).

7. We have celebrated the birth of the world’s Savior. Today we are reminded that not everyone is overjoyed at Jesus’ birth and that they might attempt to turn a happy day into a mournful day. But St. Matthew is very clear on this point: God wins the victory for those who suffer on account of His Son’s birth. God remembers those who suffer for the Name of Jesus and He will reward them with heavenly blessings that far outweigh the earthly tribulations they may suffer. The Psalmist assures us that: »For Yahweh’s anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy arrives in the morning. O Yahweh, You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, so that my glory may sing Your praise and not be silent. O Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to You forever!« (Psalm 30,5.11-12). May this be on our hearts, minds and lips as we remember the good times and the bad from 2020 and look ahead to the new year 2021 where Jesus will be with us no matter the circumstance bringing good for us in every situation. Amen.

8. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, whom of the angels praise; receive the joyful noise we lift up across the earth to glorify your name, so that we serve you with gladness. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

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Isaiah 11,1-10. Christmas Vespers

Isaiah 11,1-10 0521

Christvesper 05

Adam and Eve

24. Dezember 2020

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, we give thanks unto You, that of Your mercy and compassion You did suffer Your dear Son to become incarnate, and did through Him redeem us from sin and everlasting death: We beseech You, enlighten our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, so that we may ever be thankful for such grace, and comfort ourselves with the same in all tribulation and temptation, and at last obtain eternal salvation through the same. Amen. (Veit Dietrich)

2. »There shall come forth a Shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Yahweh. And His delight shall be in the fear of the Yahweh. He shall not judge by what His eyes see, or decide disputes by what His ears hear, but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His waist, and faithfulness the belt of His loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Yahweh as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a Signal for the peoples—of Him shall the nations inquire, and His resting place shall be glorious.«

3. All seemed bleak for Judah in the days of Isaiah. The prophet describes the dynastic line of David to be a mere stump of a once beautiful, growing tree. Judah had declined politically, morally and religiously since King David was on the throne hundreds of years earlier. Whereas David had a heart for Yahweh and desired to follow His will, Ahaz, the current king, had a heart for idols and desired to trust in them rather than Yahweh. If the house of David is faltering, what does that mean for the promise of the Messiah who would descend from this line? Is the messianic promise in doubt now?

4. We are able to empathize with the Jews of Isaiah’s day. 2020 has challenged us in many ways, caused some to question or doubt God’s providence, instilled fear in others and caused strife between people. Where is God’s mercy in the midst of a year of suffering and heartache?

5. Isaiah’s „prophecy reaches behind David to Jesse. A ‘stump’ is descriptive of a broken, cut-off dynasty. It takes up the figure of the Master Forester with the trimming and thinning of the forest describing the troubled times of Ahaz’s reign. It realistically recognizes the severely reduced status of the throne, a reduction by the division of the kingdom and more recently by the vessel status of Ahaz and the reduced area controlled by Judah. A ‘stump’ indeed!“ (Walls 786).

6. From this stump, Yahweh promises new life! He has not forgotten His promise to David and his descendants; He has not forsaken His messianic promise. There will not be a new dynasty, but from Jesse, the house of David, a new, living Branch will shoot fourth. The Messiah will arrive! Recall the great antiphon for 19. December: ℣ O Root of Jesse, standing as an Ensign of the people, before whom all kings are mute, to whom the Gentiles will seek: ℟ Draw near quickly to deliver us. Isaiah promises us: Yahweh has not forgotten us.

7. Tonight we celebrate the fulfillment of the messianic promise in the birth of Jesus. Luke tells us in his gospel: »And the angel said to the shepherds: „Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.“ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: „Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!“« (2,10-14).

8. God is fond of employing signs to signal something important to people. He promised Ahaz that all would be well and He sealed this promise with the sign of a virgin conceiving, bearing a son and naming him Emmanuel – God is with us. He gave to the shepherds the sign of the child in the manger. He has given us at the close of 2020 another sign, a sign that the Magi saw 2000 years ago, Jupiter and Saturn conjoining in the heavens. When the Magi saw this they set out to find this newborn Jewish prince so they could worship Him.

9. The Prophet Isaiah proclaims that the Christ is a Prince of peace (Isaiah 9,6). Jesus is „a wondrous king who is spoken of by the prophet, He will take care of such great matters that He will overcome death, sins, the law, reign without a sword and make the world full of joy. For Isaiah clearly says here that all these things arrive because a Child is born to us and unto us a Son is given. ... [Jesus] bears a name that tells us that He is born for us. ... To all of us and for our good He is born. For He had no need to be born for Himself. For this reason all that He is, has and does, by birth or according to His humanity is called ours and is ours. By it our salvation and blessedness are served to us“ (Luther 39-40). Amen.

10. Tonight Luke reminds us: Messiah promised is now Messiah among us. Behold and marvel at the mercy of God who sent His Only Son into our world to redeem us back to Himself. Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart; the shepherds glorified and praised God (Luke 2,19-20). Let us treasure the birth of Jesus in our hearts and glorify God for His birth. This Baby beams with the light of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at His birth. He is our Savior and Friend. He is our Redeemer and Deliverer from the tribulations of 2020. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, born this night our Savior, whom God has sanctified; help us to see this glorious gospel in Word and Carol which proclaims that the Jewish Messiah and the Gentile Christ descended upon the Earth, so that we can rejoice in all things and give thanks to You who is the greatest Gift given to us by our Heavenly Father. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

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Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Sunday, January 24, 2021

John 4,46-54. Epiphany 3

Epiphany 3 video

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Ephesians 1 video

Monday, January 18, 2021

John 2,1-11. Epiphany 2

Epiphany 2 DS III video

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Ephesians 1 video

Monday, January 11, 2021

Isaiah 60,1-6. Feast of the Epiphany

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Romans 12,1-8. Epiphany I

Epiphany 1 video

Saturday, January 9, 2021

Feast of the Epiphany video

Christmas Eve video

2. Sunday after Christmas video

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Matthew 2,13-23. 2. Sunday after Christmas

Isaiah 11,1-10. Christmas Vespers