Romans 15,4-13. Advent III

Romans 15,4-13   0325

Gaudete. Advent III 03

Valerian of Abbenza, North Africa, Bishop and Martyr 457

15. Dezember 2024 

1. ℣ Rejoice in the Lord always: 

  ℟ I say again, rejoice (Philippians 4,4). 

gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico gaudete. vul

О Heavenly Father, grant that Your beloved Church may receive her only King, Jesus Christ; and always rejoice in His wonderful advent, receive Him in pure and ready hearts, gladly rejoicing in Him and rendering all praise and glory to You forevermore.  Amen. (Löhe 414). 

2. »For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a slave to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your Name. [Psalm 18,49] And again it is said: Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people. [Deuteronomy 32,43 lxx] And again: Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol Him. [Psalm 117,1] And again Isaiah says: The Root of Jesse will arrive, even He who arises to rule the Gentiles; in Him will the Gentiles hope. [Isaiah 11,10 lxx] May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.« 

3. Prophecies about the Christ abound throughout the Scriptures. Paul mentioned four of them: two from the Psalms, one from Deuteronomy and one from Isaiah. The Christ is the Glory of Israel and the Light for the Gentiles. »יִזְרַ֣ח יְהוָ֔ה וּכְבוֹד֖וֹ עָלַ֥יִךְ יֵרָאֶֽה׃. Yahweh will arise upon you, O Israel, and His Glory will be seen upon you« (Isaiah 60,2b). »άνατελεΐ άστρον έξ Ιακωβ και άναστήσεται άνθρωπος έξ Ισραηλ«. A Star will shine from Jacob and a Man will rise out of Israel« (Numbers 24,17).

4. But fallen men and women tend to ignore or neglect the prophecies in Scripture. By Jesus’ day, instead of regarding the Gentiles as those who would hope in the Messiah, they were derogatorily referred to as stones. Even God-fearing Gentiles who worshipped Yahweh often had their reserved public space at the temple courtyard where they worshipped and prayed overrun by Jewish merchants selling animals for sacrifices and bankers exchanging foreign coin for temple currency. 

5. In the 21^st century, people often misapply the Scriptural prophecies and fail to see that they are about Christ. Justin Martyr was one of many of the Earliest Church Fathers who taught that the Scriptural prophesies are about Christ and how He fulfilled them. Paul gave four prophecies in Romans 15 where he says that both Jews and Gentiles believe and worship Jesus as the Messiah and the Christ. The star of Bethlehem, that led the Gentile Magi to Jesus, is the fulfillment of Numbers 24. »All the promises of God find their Yes, in Christ Jesus« (2. Corinthians 1,20). 

6. Jesus unites all of humanity. Paul declares that »In Christ Jesus there is neither Jew  nor Gentile for we are all one in Christ« (Galatians 3,28). Gaudete! Rejoice! The Psalmist  proclaims: »remisisti iniquitates plebis tuae operuisti omnia peccata eorum diapsalma mitigasti omnem iram tuam avertisti ab ira indignationis tuae. Yahweh, You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people, You have covered all their sin, You have softened the psalms, You have mitigated all Your anger from the wrath of Your indignation« (Psalm 84,3-4 vul lxx). The Prophets promise the Christ, and the Christ is Jesus who brings the gospel that announces our sin is forgiven. He is the Glory of the Jews and the Light of the Gentiles. »ἤγγισα τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν παρ᾿ ἐμοῦ οὐ βραδυνῶ· δέδωκα ἐν Σιὼν σωτηρίαν τῷ ᾿Ισραὴλ εἰς δόξασμα. ἰδοὺ δέδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους, εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. I have brought near My righteousness, and My salvation will not delay; I have given salvation in Zion to Israel for glory. Behold, I have given You for a covenant of the people, for a Light of the Gentiles, that You may be for salvation to the end of the earth« (Isaiah 46,13; 49,6).

7. Deus homo factus est
Natura mirante,
Mundus renovatus est
A Christo regnante.

God became man, O see,

With nature marveling,

The world renewed and free

By Christ now reigning.

8. „Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Agnus Dei invites us to Jesus’ altar to eat His body and drink His blood, which are given into death for the forgiveness of your sins. Body and blood He has because He was born of Mary. This body and blood was given and shed as the Lamb of God. Jesus has born all our sins. He gives His body and blood for you to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of all your sins. This is My body which is given for you.… This is my blood … shed for you (Luke 22:19-20). Jesus says this to you—He who is king, He who is the Lamb, He who brings heaven in his kingly presence: Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2) (Nagel 22-23).

9. The night is now fast receding,  

Make haste to yonder stall!  

There salvation is proceeding,  

Promised of old to all.  

Since sin began its story,  

Since guilt was first proclaimed,  

Now you’ve an ally holy,  

By God Himself ordained.

  (Die Nacht ist vorgedrungen elkg 322,3 2021 Jochen Klepper (1937) 1938)

This is most certainly true. 

9. Et pax Dei, quæ exuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra, et intelligentias vestras in Christo Jesu. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7).  Amen. 

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

To God alone be the Glory 

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

 

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

Evangelisch-Lutherisches Kirchengesangbuch. Copyright © 2021 Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, Hannover. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Faith. Copyright © 1902 Frank Carroll Longaker. 

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

The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.