We heard in the Gospel text today, “The Land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” St. Matthew being led by the Spirit quotes Isaiah as to why Jesus had His ministry headquarters in Capernaum in the region of Galilee. After they entered the Promised Land from the exodus, the far northern part of Israel had been allotted by Joshua to the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. Both Zebulun and Naphtali were sons of Jacob. Throughout the years this area had seen much war and bloodshed. It was the frontlines and the first land to be invaded and dominated by the Syrians and Assyrians and later the Babylonians. Even after the Jews were freed from Babylon and resettled Palestine, the area was never settled as fully by the Jews as the southern part of Palestine. They figured, to be closer to Jerusalem meant to be closer to being a true blue Jew. This area of Galilee became a major crossroad of traffic for non-Jews. It was a major stop over point between the area of modern day Iraq and Iran on the road to Egypt and places south, the area called the fertile crescent because of its arching shape. People traveled through as they headed further west to the major ports of Tyre and Sidon, or to travel north and further west to Asia minor, Greece, and Rome. For this reason, you could say that the area was more multicultural than southern Palestine. There were many people of Jewish blood and religion, but there were many who had mixed ancestry, and many, many Gentiles passed through this area that Jesus chose as His main base for His earthly ministry.

What is the point of this geography lesson? To understand the text, of course. Isaiah and Matthew refer to the people of this area as those dwelling in the region and the shadow of death because of all spiritually deadly unbelief, idolatry, and false beliefs that crossed this road and hung around in the mix trying to overshadow the Truth of God’s salvation. Myriad screeching false prophets and philosophies crying out where Truth was meant to reign. But now, at this time, the time of Jesus, Now those who had been dwelling in darkness for them, we are told, for them a light has dawned.

This is Jesus as He began His earthly ministry in the fullness of time, in the place prophesied. He is the light to the nations, to the Jews and Gentiles. He is the living human embodiment of the star that the magi followed, except His message was more clear than the star. His message which He brought in His Word of preaching, His miracles, and fulfilling the Law. In all this, He was bringing to earth the kingdom reign of heaven.

John the Baptist had now been arrested. He picked up the preaching mantel of the prophet John the Baptist and began preaching, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” These weren’t just words, Jesus showed that He, as the Word of God, was not just announcing the reign of heaven, but was bringing it with Himself. Now in Jesus Christ, God is breaking into history in a new way, manifesting His power, breaking through the reign and rule of Satan, driving him back, undoing all the consequences of his slanders and temptations. Jesus already confronted the devil one on one in the wilderness and rebuked his every trick. Now Jesus in His ministry would show the signs of His power, binding the evil strong one with His Words and His miracles in His earthly ministry. What Jesus accomplished in that time and age hearkens and points to the age which is to come when Jesus will come on the final day of history and destroy Satan and his every power. He will punish the unrighteous and the unfaithful, but He will gather all those throughout time who believed on His name and trusted in Him and the kingdom which He established in His death and resurrection. Jesus came in His earthly ministry to the war torn and weary area of Galilee to a region of those dwelling in darkness, to those set upon by the lies of Satan and the world, to call from among them disciples to Himself, some of whom He would later appoint apostles to be sent out in His name. Yet, He came not just for them, but for all people who have lived in darkness, who have been dwelling in the shadow of death. For all dwell in the shadow of death as a result of the curse upon sin since Adam and Eve. The curse of sin which made all creation broken, which brought death into a creation that had been made for life. Sin brought confusion and enmity between God and man when before there was communion and peace. This first sin of rebellion compounded itself as every generation is born in ignorance and sin, subject to the poisonous aftereffects of sin the result of which is the death of our mortal bodies. This sin is the reason there continues to be political chaos, anger, miscommunication, between all people in families, marriages, and quite obviously in the public square as we have seen with all the violent rhetoric, protests, responses and ongoing chaos in Minnesota and elsewhere.

Because of this sin, our flesh suffers even now. Fighting and kicking, trying to make sure in a selfish way, that we get what we think we want, what we think we need. Like a child closing their eyes in a midst of a tantrum, so too when we sin, do we close our eyes again to the truth of God’s Law embracing the darkness of unbelief, giving way to the shadow of death.

But my dearly beloved, our dwelling in the shadow of death and the curse of darkness and unbelief, of warring against God and against our fellow man and woman is at an end.

It is at an end because Jesus comes as the great light, destroying the dark with His Word even as we heard it and are hearing it now. He calls for repentance yes, to turn away from the deeds of sin and darkness, but not that you can burst free from the bonds of the sin that holds you, but He calls you by name even as He is destroying the power which Satan had over us, so that you can hear His voice and be turned by His Spirit to hear His voice and hope by faith. He uses the net of His Word and sacrament to gather His people from the darkness of the abyss, the sea of confusion, where people otherwise drown in Satan’s lies. These are the tools which He uses to spiritually fish for men and women through His apostles and pastors. The net is His voice calling to us hear in His Word. The net is baptism where He calls us by name and actively takes us to the place where sin has been punished, to the cross of His perfect sacrifice. There our sins have been washed away in His blood. There we are given the hope of resurrection from our mortal death because of Jesus’ own resurrection These are the tools through which God continues to bring His spiritual reign upon earth. This is where Jesus again enters and descends with great power.

He does continue to call people from darkness into the glorious light to believe the forgiveness of sins won for them in Jesus Christ. This forgiveness of sins which is for you. Through the Ministry which He has given to the Church and exercises through the pastoral office He continues to give forgiveness of your sins, to heal that poison which caused every disease and affliction in your heart and mind and in all people. The heavenly Father forgives every sin to those who believe for Jesus’ sake. He has mercy even upon you and me, because we have been reconciled to Him through His Son, brought near to Him by His blood, by His cross. The cross is the power of God for our salvation, it is through His sacrifice that you are reconciled to the Father, it is only in Jesus that we can have peace with each other, learn to have patience and live for more than ourselves.

Jesus has indeed saved us from our sin, He has called us as His own, He hears us as we pray to Him. He has called you to follow Him, to follow His cross, to the place where He is, to be served by Him, so you can hear His Word and receive His very body and blood as a comfort in your bodily needs. To be uplifted for the upcoming week, months, and years. In the midst of any and all fleshly maladies and afflictions He gives us joy and hope, using His sacraments to bring us His crucifixion and resurrection victory now and pointing to the end of this age; the redemption and resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

What do we do now? We give our Lord thanksgiving and praise and follow Him. We seek His Word, and gladly hear and receive it. We follow Him by the power of the Holy Spirit to show that same love which He has showed us in Christ to those who come into the crossroads of our lives, into our paths and vocations. We become as human Capernaums to bear witness to those among us the words of Truth in Jesus Christ which dispels the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil whose voices grow more loud as their judgment draws nigh. Those who live among us in this time, but who yet have the veil of the shadow of death and darkness clinging to them need to hear this hope. To them you too can be lights, you can be fishers in your vocations to the people in unbelief or trapped in false churches. You too may point them to Jesus, to His cross, to His forgiveness as the answer for the poison of sin.

God continues to reign in you and for you. He continues to rule His kingdom of heaven the Church as He dispels the clouds of darkness and death from our paths by His Word. His Word made flesh. For you He has given His Son as a Savior, the One who continues to come to you and strengthen you and give you peace now and forevermore. May God grant it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Some of the greatest works of art have been created as visual sermons for all who see them. One of those works of art is the Isenheim Altarpiece painted by Matthias Grünewald around 1516 and is now in the Unterlinden Museum at Colmar, Alsace, in France. An altarpiece was a work of art placed right behind and above the altar.

Like most altar pieces, the central focus of the piece is the crucifixion of Jesus. But one of the unusual things that makes this work so striking is that it shows John the Baptist at the crucifixion. The Bible tells us that John the Baptist was long dead and buried by the time Jesus died on the cross. So, what is the message that Grünewald was trying to convey in this work?

As you study the figure of John the Baptist in the painting, the thing that stands out the most is the index finger of his right hand. It is pointing straight at the crucified Jesus. This is John pointing at Jesus and saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” This is the message of John that speaks to all people down through the centuries. If you could understand everything there is to know about this sentence, you would be worthy of the title Doctor of Theology many times over. This sentence from John the Baptizer is one of the most powerful expressions of the Gospel in the Bible. Within the full meaning of these words are all the sentences of all the Creeds of the Church.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! The word “Behold” is an epiphany word. It means “look here; I want to show you something”. John uses this word so that he can show Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, to his listeners and to us. He had already received an epiphany from God. Last week we learned that after John baptized Jesus, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended like a dove, and the voice declared that this Jesus was God’s beloved Son. Now John is proclaiming this epiphany to his listeners. He is doing the proper work of a prophet and pointing to Jesus Christ, the Son of God and savior of the world.
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Now, although some sacrifices in the OT required bulls, goats, or birds, the lamb more than any other animal was the animal required by most of the sacrificial regulations of the ceremonial law. The word “Lamb” as it is used in this sentence brings to mind the continuous flow of blood from the altar in Jerusalem. Consider the multitude of regular sacrifices: the morning and evening sacrifices, the purifications, the sin and guilt offerings, and so forth. Then there are the many festival sacrifices: the Feast of Booths, the Pentecost, the First Fruits, and let’s not forget the Passover. When John says the word “Lamb” the image of all these sacrifices comes to mind.

All devout Jews knew that they were the ones who should be punished instead of the lambs or other animals. They knew that they had earned God’s eternal wrath with their sins. Just as they knew that sheep are amazingly helpless regarding the things of this world, so they also knew that they themselves were equally spiritually helpless regarding the things of God. This image was so strong that God often referred to the people as His sheep with Himself as their shepherd. They understood that the sacrificial lamb was taking their rightful place of punishment. Now John was saying that this man was the Shepherd who had become a lamb in order to become the sacrifice for His sheep. The word “Lamb” reminds us of the sacrifice that was made also in our place for our sin.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This Lamb is God’s Lamb. The sacrificial Lamb of Old Testament ceremony must not have any blemishes or spots. It was to be as close to perfect as is possible on this sin filled earth. Its sacrifice was to remind the people that one day God would send His perfect lamb to make the sacrifice pointed to by all the sacrifices described in the Scriptures. 

John is saying that this man is God’s Lamb of promise. He is not just close to perfect. He is perfect. He is the culmination of all the sacrifices of all time. He is the sacrifice that fulfills the first sacrifice that God had made when he killed some animal to provide the skins that covered Adam and Eve after they sinned. He fulfills the sacrifice that Abel offered and He fulfills the sacrifices that Noah offered after he landed safely in the ark. He fulfills the sacrifices of Abraham including the sacrifice he made after he nearly sacrificed his own son, Isaac. He is the one time for all sacrifice that makes all the other sacrifices meaningful.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! The words “the sin” gather the stench of everyone’s sin into one disgusting mass of evil. It includes all the wars and murders and rapes and thefts. It includes all the sinful thoughts, words, and deeds that anyone at any time has ever had. It includes the sinful nature that we were born with. It includes all our gossip, complaints, grumbling and worry. It includes every lie we have ever told to our parents, our teachers, our spouses, our children, our pastors, ourselves, yes, even the lies we have told to God. It includes everything putrid and vile that you, I, or anyone else has ever thought, done, or said that flew in the face of God’s holy law and earns us eternal damnation.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! The words “of the world” mean that the work of God’s Lamb, Jesus Christ is good for the whole world, not just those who believe. The word for “world” in this sentence is the root for the word cosmos. This word means everything that God has created, everything that God has brought into being by the command of His word. God’s gifts are not German or Roman or Greek or Jewish. They transcend all nations and people groups. They are not restricted to the rich or the poor or the young or the old. They are for all people in all times and in all places. There is no sin anywhere by anyone that this Lamb of God does not take away.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! The words “takes away” are just one word in the original Greek. That word means to lift up and carry to another place. This means that the Lamb takes the load, the curse, the damnation of the total massive amount of sin onto Himself. He lifts the awful burden from us and carries it to the cross. There our sin is crucified with the Lamb. There our sin is put to death. This one act of lifting and carrying away our sin is good for all time.

The path that Jesus took when He carried the sin of the world began when he was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. John’s words tell us that it is Jesus’ vocation to carry away the sin of the world. John’s words tell us that Jesus was already carrying the sins of the world when he had made his declaration, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

When John said these words, he considered the taking away to already be a done deal. The forgiveness of sins that comes as a result of the Lamb’s sacrifice was already available to all. All the saints of the Old Testament received salvation because this Lamb’s sacrifice is good for all time and all places and all people. God’s promise is as if John had already heard Jesus declare His victory from the cross with the words, “It is finished.”

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! The word “the” before the word Lamb tells us that there is only one Lamb. This Lamb that John points out is the one and only savior. There is no other. All the other faiths of the world tell us that we must earn our own salvation, but, as soon as we are honest, it is easy to see that no one can earn his own place in heaven. No one is good enough. People can lead lives of desperation in their sin, they can wear their conscience down to a pulp so they do not feel their sin, but they can’t save themselves. Only the Lamb of God can do that.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! We respond to John’s declaration in the Divine Service, that we do in faith behold Him where He says He is. God reveals the presence of the Lamb in the sacrament and we ask for mercy as we approach this altar and sing “O Christ Thou Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World, have mercy upon us.” Here we will eat the flesh of the Lamb crucified and raised and drink His true blood poured out for our redemption. Here we will join with angels, archangels, and the armies of heaven to glorify and give thanks to God with the words, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory; Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He, Blessed is He, Blessed is the Lamb that cometh in the name of the LORD.”

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” This sentence will stand forever. Long after this world is gone – long after the world as we know no longer exists – long after the creation of a new heaven and a new earth – we will gather before our Lord and say, as in Revelation 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And we shall sing a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! When John the Baptizer saw Jesus, pointed at Him, and said this short sentence, he said more than I can possibly explain this morning. When God inspired John the Evangelist to quote John the Baptizer, God gave us something to think about and to comfort us for the rest of our lives and on into eternity.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Amen

Pr. Aaron Kangas

We are taught as Lutheran Christians what Baptism is according to scripture in the Small Catechism. It says Baptism is not just plain water but it is water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word. That Word is specifically the command at the end of Matthew to go into all the world making disciples by baptizing people in the name of the Trinity and teaching them all that Jesus has taught.

We are also taught what the benefits of baptism are: It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this as written in St. Mark “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved”. We confess that these great things in baptism are done by virtue of God’s promise and power in the command along with the water as it is written in Titus chapter 3 “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His Grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” We are taught to remember our Baptism as a sign of daily contrition and repentance so that our old nature would be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. If you ever want to review what all is said in our catechism but don’t have a catechism handy, the entire catechism is reproduced in our hymnals.

So now that we have reviewed what Baptism is for the New Testament Church, that it is a sign and seal of forgiveness of sins for sinners, we can turn our attention to the text in Matthew appointed for today. It also happens to be about baptism, specifically about the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. But there is a difference between the baptism that John baptized with and the baptism that Jesus instituted. The baptism of John was a sign of repentance and renewal in the hope of the Savior to come. The baptism instituted by Jesus has power of the Holy Spirit to give faith through the fulfillment of the Savior’s work: His death and resurrection of Jesus who is here in our text getting baptized. Both baptisms were intended for sinners, to receive the forgiveness of sins, therefore why should Jesus need to be baptized? Was Jesus a sinner in need of repentance? That answer is “NO”.

Why then did Jesus desire to be baptized by His cousin John at the Jordan? As John himself points out. “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” John knew who Jesus was. Jesus was not only His cousin, but He was the promised Messiah, the One for whom John had been sent to prepare the way, the one whom John had predicted would come with a greater baptism. Yet here was Jesus coming with sinners to be baptized in repentance according to the Old covenant. Though John would have prevented Jesus from being baptized, Jesus answered him and said, “Let it be so now”. In other words, just go with it, I know what I am doing. He continued, “for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness”. Then John consented. But how did this fulfill all righteousness?

By Jesus being baptized, He was fulfilling all righteousness as the substitute and sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He was repenting on behalf of the world and placing their sins upon Himself. It was a sign of His submission to His Heavenly Father’s will and through it Jesus was anointed and set apart for His Work as prophet priest and king as the one in His obedience fills all righteousness.

In the Baptism of our Lord, the sinless One, who knew no sin and would never sin Himself was placing Himself under the Law, under its curse for the sake of sinners. Because of the fallenness of our human flesh, all those other people being baptized by John the Baptizer would continue to sin. All people today who have been baptized into Jesus, sadly, will still struggle with sin, but in Jesus Christ there is one who didn’t need to “repent”. For that reason, He is the only One who could repent for our sakes and not sin again. He is the true Holy Israel who came unto the Jordan to be washed and sanctified before entering the Holy Land. He is the fulfiller of the demands of the covenant between God and man. All because no Jew, no Gentile throughout time living or dead was capable to fulfill this covenant except the very Son of God Himself.

This is why He had to be baptized, so that He could fulfill all righteousness, so that He could be a perfect substitution in His life for the life of the world so that in His death at the cross He could make complete payment for sin by His own innocent suffering and death to make atonement and satisfy God’s righteous wrath upon sin. Having been crucified and raised from the dead, He has the power to institute this Baptism, a true washing of regeneration and righteousness as people are brought through His own crucified blood and sacrifice, anointed into His name and the name of the Holy Trinity. Through this baptism the Holy Spirit would come upon His people, work faith in them, and make them heirs of eternal life as members of the new creation: believers through faith by grace in Christ Jesus.

Going back to the text, when Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened up and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove hovered over the water coming down from heaven and rested upon Him and a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Here we have affirmation that Jesus had begun to fulfill all righteousness, that He was beginning His earthly Ministry, the ministry of service and substitution which would lead to the death of an innocent man for the sins of the world. Yet when He died on the cross, He was no longer innocent, because Jesus Christ had become sin for us and the whole world. He took upon Himself the sins and guilt of every sinner at the cross so that in the eyes of God’s wrath it was as though “the sinless one” had become “the worst sinner”. The substitution for sinners begun at His baptism at the Jordan saw its completion at the crucifixion. All this He did out of obedience and love so that all righteousness could be fulfilled, that sin death and the power of the devil could be destroyed; that those who confess their sins and put their faith in JC and His atoning work at the cross might be saved from eternal death.

This past Tuesday was the celebration of the Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ, that is, when God made clear, His mercy in the person of Jesus Christ: that He was given for all people even as the Gentile wise men were led to worship Him. Here in His baptism and at the Cross, God is manifesting Himself again in His Trinity in Jesus Christ the Son of God and Son of Man. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove shows that God and Man are now reconciled: that we repentant sinners are able to be at peace through Jesus Christ and that righteousness He was fulfilling. In the Holy Baptism that Jesus would give and command after His resurrection, believers can bear witness through the eyes of faith that the Holy Spirit continues this reconciling through the blood of Jesus Christ. In Holy Baptism the Holy Spirit also comes down to us working through the water and the Word of promise. The person who had been born according to the flesh as an enemy of God has now been reconciled to Him and reborn by the Spirit as a child of God. In Holy Baptism peoples’ sins are placed upon the cross of Christ through this washing of regeneration and rebirth and are declared righteous for Jesus’ sake.

Now those who have been baptized into the name of the Trinity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, have the mark and sign of righteousness upon them, the cross of Jesus. His Cross is the place where we have become the children of God and redeemed as the true Israel. Now God the Father looks at us through the lens of His son’s sacrifice and can say that we are His beloved sons and daughters and through faith in Him He is also well pleased with us. Now we are entrusted with that Good news that God’s love and Christ’s death and resurrection have power over the evil of this world. Sin, death and the devil are defeated through Christ’s death and resurrection, yet many are still enslaved to sin by their unbelief and addiction to sin. That is why God continues to use His children to witness and reflect His love in Jesus our Savior. We cannot do this by our own strength, but He gathers us around His word to confess our sins and receive forgiveness through absolution and the proclamation of Jesus death for our sins. Now we live in the joy of His substitution and receive the hope of eternal life in the life He now gives us. He invites us to feed on His body and blood in His supper and gives us rest as we wait for the rest in the promised land of heaven which Jesus has prepared for us. May God keep us ever in that hope which has been given through Holy Baptism unto life eternal. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

One of the major problems that revolve around the parent child dynamic is one of power. Now I am not talking about physical power, but authority, and not just any authority, but the authority that comes from knowledge and wisdom. That is the answer to the question: “Who is it that knows best? The parent or the child?”

Good parents try to do what is best for their children, they make decisions, rules, give advice, but I don’t know of a single person in my experience who hasn’t chaffed, rebelled, or protested at some point over and against their father and/or mother regardless of intent and care on the part of the parent. It is a difficult thing for the parent, because parents do want their children to be able to stand firm and be able to defend their thoughts as adults, but they also don’t want them to rebel, show disrespect or fight them on every little thing, especially on matters where discernment, experience, and a true knowledge of good and evil are on the line. Yet, such is the growing pangs of parenthood and life on here earth.

For all you grown ups, look back upon your own youth and you know that it is true. You all, I’m sure, can remember such a time when you chaffed and took exception to your parents. Why? Because you thought you knew more than them. Or because you wanted something else even if it wasn’t going to be good for you, but you thought you knew better than them, that it must be good because others have it or are doing it or whatever. Were you justified? Are young people today, justified in defying or arguing with their parents? No. Probably not. Although it depends upon the topic and God’s Word of truth. Hopefully, you can look back upon those times and see truthfully what was good, right, and proper. And for you younger people, you will be able to keep this mind and look back later on and understand.

Understanding. Discernment. Who has it? Who can get enough of it? What is it? Where do you go to get it? In the readings for today, we have the answers to those questions.

What is the first point to consider: regarding wisdom and understanding? If we look first to the example of the 12 year old Jesus, we may become confused. Jesus was no ordinary child. Even though it appears from the text that Mary and Joseph had temporarily forgotten whose child He was and just how exceptional He was. We may say to our children (or to ourselves) why can’t you be more mindful and respectful like Jesus? Why can’t you be so smart and yet be submissive and well behaved? Yes, well why not?

Because we are not Jesus. Let us look at the definition of what it means to have wisdom and understanding in the first place. The OT reading defines wisdom from the words of Solomon as he spoke with God: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil.”(1 Kings 3:9) An understanding mind is one that can discern or tell the difference between good and evil. Why is that a problem for us? We are by nature like our Father Adam and mother Eve who thought that they knew more than God who was their Father in the sense that He brought them forth. They were warned for their good over and against evil, but they didn’t trust that God had their best interests at heart and ate what they were told not to. The fruit of the knowledge of good and evil introduced evil into their hearts and minds, and now all of us when given the choice gravitate towards the evil, the harmful, the forbidden, the dangerous. This is the very opposite of wisdom. It is folly and harmful, because it sin, and as such it is of unbelief, death, and worthy of damnation.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) This is the real starting point. Faith. Belief. Going to the source of all wisdom, all life and light. God Himself. But it starts even sooner. It starts when God, Himself, speaks to us even in our darkness by His Word, and the Word of His Law and Gospel reveals to us: our ignorance, our folly, our sin and self harm.

When we finally admit, that we are spiritually shallow, silly, often stupid, stubborn proud sons and daughters of Satan in our rebellion, and repent of it… then we are ready to learn and acquire the understanding that comes with faith. Wisdom and understanding come with faith, and the Word of God is our instructor.

This Word of God is wrapped up in and pointing to this same Jesus in today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus whose earthly father was not Joseph nor any sons of Adam but was begotten and brought forth by and from God as He was the eternal Word already. He came to give true understanding by the knowledge of evil and good. To flee the evil and embrace the good. When it says that “the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” It means that Jesus lived a human life and grew up from baby, to child, to man, showing forth, living, and speaking God’s wisdom that was already in Him as God’s Son until the time for His earthly ministry of service and suffering began. God knew that nobody could embrace His truth nor comprehend His good and grace naturally, nor keep the Law so He joined Himself to our flesh by His incarnation to fulfill what we could not, to take the punishment which we deserved, so that our bodies of flesh could be redeemed along with our fallen souls and spirits of darkness. Jesus died upon the cross to give understanding of His good which overcomes the evil of our sin and points to the rescue that His righteousness and purity delivers by the forgiveness of our sins.

Jesus Christ is the now the source of understanding and wisdom and He uses His Word to affect change within us from year to year growing and changing us even as our physical bodies grow and change with each passing year.

When Mary and Joseph desperate and panicking in their fear and pain looked for the boy whom they thought was lost, Jesus said:
“Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” In the Greek it does not say “house” but it is more in the meaning of He must be with His Father with His dealings. In other Words: God the Son, with the Father and the Holy Spirit are always working together through the means which He has established for the good of His people.

Dear friends in Christ, when we are tempted to think that we know everything or when we are overwhelmed by fear or worry by the evil that is coming into this world, let us flee to where Jesus is. There is no mystery as to where He is for us with His great strength and power. He is in His Word. He is in His Absolution. He is in His body and blood with the bread and the wine. He is there to give understanding. To embrace the goodness of God and give power to recognize and forsake the evil.

But this is and will be a challenge for us in our human flesh. There will be times where we understand but do not care for it and wish to rebel against it. There will also be times where like Mary and Joseph, who “did not understand the saying that He spoke to them.” we will not understand what God is doing or what He means. But take courage. You are now God’s children baptized into Christ for service and a blessed future and can in trust be submissive to His wisdom. As Paul says in our Epistle:

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, which he set forth in Christ to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in Him in the fullness of time.”

God knows what is best for us. He loves you and in Christ He will give you a wise and discerning mind. You can abide in His Word and Sacraments in His peace. Be talking about them, asking questions finding His answers, pondering His mysteries receiving His Grace. You can serve your neighbor in your vocations reflecting that love and wisdom of God. And as you live with your heavenly Father surrounding yourself with His Word, praying for more understanding and wisdom, know that you shall in humble joy receive it, and your heart be made glad. By God’s Grace, you can and will grow evermore in His wisdom and stature receiving His favor as one of His Beloved in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pr. Aaron

On Christmas Day we heard this from the Gospel of John chapter 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” These verses talking about darkness and light are not talking about the good creation of night and day and its intricate balance made by God. This is talking about the theological difference and estrangement between the good of God and the evil of that which is opposed to Him. The darkness is referring to evil, sin, Satanic lies, to unbelief, ignorance, anything that is the opposite of that which is Good, Holy, Pure, true or wise which comes from the light of the True God and Lord of all. Spiritually speaking, the darkness struggles to grasp hold of the light and to understand it. So great is the chasm caused by sin and Satan’s deep delusion upon the earth.

Sadly, this darkness is the natural state of mankind after the fall into sin. As you know, every man and woman naturally born, is born with sin, without faith in God but rather an inborn fear and dread because of that sin: a fear for oneself as our natural inborn instinct is to worship ourselves. We are born as those belonging to Satan, the father of lies, the author of evil, who so often seems to be ruling this world through the evil thoughts and deeds of men and women.

But God did not create humanity for evil, for death, for punishment, but for life, true life which comes through knowledge of His light, His love, His truth which is fully revealed in Jesus the Christ, born on Christmas in order to rescue those who have dwelt in darkness and under the shadow of death.

This is the great message of Christmas and Epiphany. The message that the light of God in Jesus Christ has come to save and redeem those could not on their own understand the light and cannot by their own strength flee the darkness of evil, sin, and unbelief. Jesus gives them faith and by it, the right to become the children of God and receive salvation in His name.

This movement from children of darkness to children of light is not a soft and easy thing without any shock, pain, or strong reaction. When the Lord bursts into the lives of people with the glory of His presence and His Word… It is much like a person whose eyes are used to the dark and are suddenly exposed to a bright spot light: there may be shock, confusion, fear, panic, there may even be rage. “What? What is this? What does this mean? How dare you?”

When the holiness of God and the demand of His holy Law meet sinful mankind, the reaction is swift. When the Law strikes properly to convert minds and hearts, it begins with an awe that inspires fear of punishment, a recognition of unworthiness before the righteousness of God. We see this in the reaction of the shepherds to the light and message of the angel. We see this in the reaction to the Pagan magi, who see the light of the Epiphany star and immediately ask: “What does this mean?” And moved by curiosity and fear of the celestial warning begin to search and finally come to the Truth of God’s Word. This Word of God moves them and their noble caravans to travel to the land of Jacob’s heirs, to Jerusalem seeking “He who is born King of the Jews”.

However, in Herod, we see how all too often, the world and the flesh as it rejoices in its evil and immorality, in its thirst for earthly praise, power, and self made security reacts negatively to the Word of God. This is the negative and often times violent reaction of the darkness to the light of God’s Law, not in a proper shock and humility, but rather doubling back in rage, wanting and trying to destroy and overcome the light to protect the darkness.

In Herod we see the personification of Satan himself, He hears of a rival, and wishes to hear more, yet it is not to worship, but to plot against, to gather information to destroy and rage against in protection of his own glory. Satan is also insecure, even as Herod is insecure, even as each human clinging to their sin is insecure. Why so insecure? Why such dread alarm at the Law of God?

Because they know, sinners know, deep down, that they are weak, they are sinners, that they are in the wrong, but do not want to admit it. It is one part pride, but it is also one part delusion in that pride, not wanting to face facts and reality. Unbelievers are escapists. They wish to escape the reality of their mortality, they know that they only have so much time on this earth before they receive a judgement for their brutish selfishness. Therefore, they now justify their brutality to other people as a defense against the brutality that they fear from others: expecting that all hearts of men and women are like them, and that if they show weakness, they will be overthrown.

The Law of God is therefore a threat. The Gospel is therefore even a threat. Jesus Christ coming to redeem is a threat to evil, to immorality, to cruelty, to selfishness, to pride, to self rule, to a culture and mindset of utilitarianism: That is, the attitude: “I will only tolerate you, if I have a use for you from which I can benefit, but if you are a nuisance, a responsibility I do not want, a drag upon my conscience, I will thrash out against you, dehumanize you, seek to silence or eliminate you.”

We see this even in our modern dehumanizing impatient political discourse. We see this in the terms used for unwanted pregnancies where unborn children whose lives are individual and precious miracles are called “blobs of flesh” or “parasites” and scientific terms which sound less like “one’s own offspring and child” even though it is the Latin word for it. I’m speaking of the word Fetus, BTW.

This is all the delusion of sin, of Satan, of the darkness reeling and thrashing against the goodness of the Lord in being anti-life and anti-light. This also explains the increase of persecution against Christianity that we see in Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, here at home and everywhere. Satan and those who remain under his power know that their time is short and they do not want to hear the Word of God, nor do they want others to hear it, because it is the truth and it frightens them, though it should comfort.

The Church in her calendar acknowledges that persecution and hatred is often the reaction of the world to the message of God’s Word in Jesus Christ. Dec. 26 was the feast day of St. Stephen, the first New Testament Christian martyr who was stoned for his confession of Christ. Dec. 27 is the feast Day of John the Evangelist who was persecuted and martyred in the sense that he was banished to the Island of Patmos. Today, Dec. 28, we commemorate what we call the Massacre of the Holy Innocents. The Church calls these young boys martyrs who bear witness to the truth of Jesus Christ not with their mouths but with their sacrifice of blood. For their blood was shed as the price to be paid for the madness and jealousy of evil Herod who reacted violently to the Word that came to Him that Jesus the Messiah and king would be born in Bethlehem.

But the good news cannot be overcome, Jesus Christ is still king. Herod could not destroy what God had designed. The children killed for his vanity were redeemed and are alive with the Lord while Herod is likely suffering in damnation.

Could there have been forgiveness for Herod? Is there forgiveness offered even for those who actively work against God’s Word, against the value of life, against anything that contains the light of God in His Word of Scripture or in Creation? Yes.

That too is the good news. Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, the greater light which the star points and leads to. He came to overcome the darkness of all humanity’s corrupted hearts and redeem them from damnation by turning them to the light. He came to overthrow the spiritual oppression, the delusion, lies, and unbelief which the Devil tries to nurture. Jesus Christ overthrows the Devil’s plans to keep all in darkness. He is the Word made flesh. The light and life of mankind. Jesus took your sins and the sins of the world to the cross to receive our punishment, so that all who did and do receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

He continues today to undo and overthrow the darkness of unbelief and evil by sending forth the Light of His Word in faithful preaching and teaching, and the administration of His Sacraments where He continues to give and work belief, wisdom, purity, kindness, and love, by His power in the forgiveness of sins.

Therefore, come and bask in His light here. Be warmed by it against the cold of the dark and deluded world. Be emboldened by His Spirit, and be made wise men and women, in Him. He is the one who in the light of His Word gives us faith to boldly proclaim His name and truth even against the hate of the world, the flesh, and the prince of this dark world, Satan.

You are now God’s children: Children of the light… not to be ruled by darkness again but in Jesus Christ have overcome the darkness, and have been given the light and life eternal by faith in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Who doesn’t find great joy at the birth of a baby? Especially if it’s your own? With the pain and sorrow of the labor having come and gone, you’re left with a precious little child in your arms. And you’re mesmerized by this precious gift from God – counting the tiny fingers and toes – analyzing the features of the baby’s face – the eyes and nose and mouth. What wonder – what excitement – what joy! 

I’m sure a lot of this joy at the birth of a child feeds a lot of our thoughts and feelings about Christmas. We love that nativity scene – Mary holding her precious newborn son, Joseph hovering over them, ready to protect and to provide at a moments notice. As beautiful and serene as this scene is, it’s no wonder a lot of Christmas hymnody speaks of peace, silence, and wonder at the beauty of this sight.

Yet, like a newborn that suddenly awakens and screams due to hunger pains, the Gospel for this Christmas Day breaks the silence and awakens us to the truth that the baby in Mary’s arms isn’t just a lovely and cute son of man, He’s the eternal Son of God – who was in the beginning with God – who is eternally begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.

He wasn’t just with God in the beginning, but He is God. Along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He made all things: hanging the stars in the sky, giving the sun its light, creating the earth fit for plants and animals and human life, and designing the miracle of the human body. “All things were made through him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).

What wonder, what excitement, what joy, that this new mother and her husband would’ve had! Not only were they holding a precious newborn child in their arms, but they were holding the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God! That means the tiny fingers and toes they would have touched were God’s fingers and toes. The face they gazed upon would have been the very face of God. What wonder! What excitement! What joy! What an amazing privilege to behold the face of God in joy and peace and not in terror and judgement.

Yet, why did God take such drastic measures? Why would He – the creator of the entire universe – lower Himself to become a creature? Why would the God of the heavens and the earth come into His creation and join Himself to it, when the world that He made didn’t know or acknowledge Him? Why would He come to His own when His own people didn’t receive him? God comes into the world through the flesh and blood of Jesus, so that “all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12).

He descended in this way, so that we could know Him in His mercy rather than in fear and judgement. Before we were made children of God, we were “by nature, children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3), as St. Paul writes in his Letter to the Ephesians. We are born according to the flesh in sin, spiritually dead in our trespasses, born under the curse inherited from our earthly fathers. This is hard, if not impossible to believe or understand, especially when you’re holding a precious newborn child when they appear quiet, sweet, and innocent. Yet, the words of Holy Scripture are clear. The will of man begets children of man, children doomed to disobedience and ultimately wrath.

Spiritually dead in our trespasses and born under the curse of our earthly fathers, we are unable to free ourselves from the condemnation we justly deserve. Therefore, God in His mercy and infinite love, Himself takes on human flesh and blood to come and rescue us. He comes to redeem our fallen flesh by His Holy flesh. To make us His beloved children and to give us the forgiveness and life that we desperately need, The Holy Word of God, the only begotten son of the Father, is conceived then born in the person of Jesus.

Being born of an earthly woman, Jesus is a true human: “man” like you and me in our usual functions, one needing to eat and drink and sleep, one who is subject to illness and even death. Yet, whereas you and I were conceived by the flesh of man, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Where your flesh and blood has been corrupted by sin, His flesh and blood is pure and guiltless and free from sin. Where we fail to keep God’s Commandments perfectly, He placed Himself under the Law and was obedient to His heavenly Father in every way, even unto death upon the cross. All this He does for you and your redemption!

Jesus is the baby born to face your death. Carrying your sins, your burdens, your sorrows, the eternal Son of God goes to the cross to suffer the Father’s wrath for your sin. And dying the death that you deserve, He who was once wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger, would be wrapped in burial cloths and laid in a grave for you.

While Jesus is the baby, born to die in your place, He’s also the baby, born to be raised and live forever for you. As the eternal Son of God who fulfilled the plan of salvation, the grave couldn’t hold Him. He has been raised triumphant over death and sin. Jesus, as true God, has proven that He is the fountain and source of life now and for eternity. He lives today and He continues to work through His Word and Sacraments to give you His forgiveness and life. All so that you may know Him by faith, and be made a child of God, no longer a child of wrath.

St. Peter writes that we’re born again through the abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). He makes us His beloved child as the Holy Spirit works through His Word as it is spoken through preaching, Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. This is wonderful news! We can’t make ourselves worthy to be His children or earn His love. Just as a newborn can’t change his diaper or feed or care for himself nor give anything in return for their parent’s love and service, so we receive and are cared for by God free grace and loving mercy.

This is God’s good and gracious will for us. As we heard in the Gospel for this Christmas day: “to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Fellow children of God, we can celebrate this Christmas Day with all the wonder and excitement and joy that even the smallest of children experience as they open their presents. Our heavenly Father loves us and has given us the greatest gifts, which are redemption, forgiveness, and the hope of life everlasting through Jesus Christ His Son. This Son, our Savior not only came to dwell for 33 years upon the earth during His ministry, but He continues to dwell and abide with us. He comes to us to us to strengthen us as His children, to walk in His ways. He restores our faith and joy as He gathers us here together in His house to unwrap and receive His gifts each and every week where He speaks His Word and gives us His body and Blood crucified and raised for the forgiveness of our sins.

As beautiful and serene as the Nativity scene is, we get to experience and receive its fulfillment in Christ, here. The glory of God is present in Christ’s presence. This is where God’s peace continues to descend on earth to those with whom God is well pleased for the sake of Jesus. With the same tenderness that we imagine Mary and Joseph showed to the newborn Jesus, God shows to us now as His beloved children born again through the washing of regeneration in Christ. As the most loving Father, He turns His face to us and looks upon us and sees us as precious and beautiful for we have received the holiness of His beloved Son. This is the beauty of the words of the benediction that we don’t always appreciate. “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”

He gives you His peace as He comes to you here in Jesus Christ. So justified by His Grace, let us continue to receive and rejoice in His tender mercy this Christmas Day and every day. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

A very Blessed and Merry Christmas to you all!

Tonight let us continue the theme of looking at the songs of Luke’s Gospel. Tonight we heard the words of the host of angels following the announcement of the initial angelic herald. These beloved words have inspired multiple Christmas carols, songs, hymns, including the hymn which we just sang a part of: “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” which was written by Martin Luther. We also use the angels’ song in our liturgy which we sing most Divine services throughout the year in what we call the “Gloria in excelsis” or “glory in the heavens”.

The Words of this angelic annunciation and chorus are full of meaning though it be short in length. The interplay between the shepherds and the angels are filled with the themes which resound throughout the Christmas season and the life of the Church year. Enmity and division between God and Man being ended by reconciliation through a Savior bringing peace. Terror being met with peace and turned to joy, the darkness of evil being dispelled by God’s pure glory and light, humanity’s ignorance and unbelief being turned by God’s revelation to wisdom and faith.

The shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks during the night. Darkness surrounding them except perhaps stars and moon if the sky were clear. This is theologically like the world without the direct revelation of the Lord in His Word. The world abides in the darkness of unbelief not giving proper attention to the signs of His light in creation. Then when the Lord bursts into the lives of people with the glory of His presence and His Word…When light meets the darkness suddenly without warning: shock, pupils dilating, confusion, fear. When the holiness of God and the demand of His holy Law meet sinful mankind, the reaction is swift. When the Law strikes properly to convert minds and hearts, it begins with an awe that inspires fear of punishment, a recognition of unworthiness before the righteousness of God. This is described in the very real reaction of the shepherds to God’s reflected glory with the angel. Listen to how it is described in the literal Greek:
“An angel of the Lord came among them and the glory of the Lord shone all around them and they were filled or seized with a terror and great fear.” A “mega” Fear.

The verb described the kind of fear that puts to flight, to flee in terror: that is how great the separation created by man’s sin is to God’s holiness. But behold, the grace of God, sending the angel and angels, with the message: not a message of “yes, cower with fear o sinner”, no, he sends this message: “Don’t be afraid” “Fear not”. And then he explains why they don’t need to fear. In which he explains why you don’t need to be afraid of God. Why by faith your fear over sin is at an end. Why Christmas and the incarnation birth of Jesus is so dear and wonderful.

“Behold I bring you great tidings “euaggelizomai”, that is I bring you the Gospel, the Good News, News of joy, which in the Greek says “Xara megalayn”. Great joy in exchange for your great fear. Why? What makes this good news message so great with joy?

“Because brought forth/born for you this very day, the Savior, is Christ the Lord in the city of David.” Notice the word order. Born FOR YOU. For you. This very day. In the midst of this dark evening, the daylight has come upon you. A Savior, [who] is Christ, that is, the long foretold and promised Messiah, He is also “the Lord”, that is He is God. In other words, God has brought forth of Himself your Savior, your Christ, your Lord and God. And this happened in the city of David, which was understood by the shepherds to be Bethlehem. A sign of His fulfillment of David’s reign.

The sign to them was that they would find, and here the Greek is “Heurisko” that is, to find out for one’s self, to acquire, get, obtain, procure, to meet with after long searching and enquiry or to come upon. This is the same word base as “Eureka”, “I have found it” made famous in the discovery of Gold in California or by Archimedes and taken up as the cry of triumph for any discovery or any mystery revealed. But God is the One who has brought and revealed the gift to be “discovered”: that Savior far more precious than Gold. A new born infant in a feeding trough swaddled in common cloth. In flesh seemingly common to us all but Divine and perfect. A truly Divine mystery to be pondered.

What does this mystery mean to those invited to behold and come to know in the presence of this Christ? Now the angelic chorus rings out. It means that in Jesus Christ is: “The Glory in the heavens to God and [now] upon earth there is peace to mankind and good will and benevolence.” The glory of the heavens has come down upon earth. The heavens and the earth declare the glory of God because He has brought forth the Son of God, our Savior, the Christ, the one who will shepherd His people, who will reign upon the throne of His Father David forever as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace with justice and righteousness with no end having defeated the enemies who dwell in darkness: that is the Devil, death, and sin.

This one of whom the angels sang and heralded to the shepherds, came to be your Savior. He reconciled you to God by His incarnation, death, and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins. He has heralded this to you this night even as He did at your baptism and continues to in His Word. The sign of discovery which makes for your peace is still in Jesus, no longer in the manger, but forever crucified, raised, and ascended. This sign is not unattainable as a far and distant mystery, but you shall find Him wrapped in bread and wine with His body and blood for you to eat and to drink. To come and worship and be filled with His joy and peace by His righteous reign of forgiveness. Then return from here ever glorifying and praising God for what we have heard and seen: our Savior, Christ, the Lord, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

During our midweek Advent services this past month, we have looked at the songs of Advent in the Gospel according to St. Luke. These canticles celebrated the faithfulness of God in the fulfillment of His promises of mercy by sending the anointed Savior into the world. These songs were sung by Zechariah, Mary, and Simeon, faithful people all. They were all led by the Holy Spirit to sing out their confession of faith and joy because of the revelation that God had given them about the Christ child and the coming Messianic age.

As our Gospel lesson for today began, there is one who did not have a song of joy in his heart at the news that Mary was pregnant, a song more like the blues perhaps, but not joy. Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, the betrothed husband to be of Mary. He had found out that Mary was with child. Joseph could not have known at this time that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Mary might have told him about the angel visitation and Gabriel’s message, but even if she had, honestly, how could Joseph believe her? He knew how things worked biologically. He knew that he could not be the father. Even though betrothal in the Hebrew world meant that Joseph and Mary were legally bound, during their betrothal they did not yet live together or have sexual relations. Could it be that Mary was just making excuses for having sinned with someone else? The time to make some hard decisions had arrived for Joseph. His options were two; he could take Mary to be his wife and claim responsibility for the unborn child which to the Jews would have been an admission of guilt and sin… or he could divorce her. By divorcing her, he would be absolving himself of any responsibility and guilt for the sin of fornication. The usual form of divorcing in such a situation was public denunciation which would then have exposed Mary to public humiliation and possibly execution by stoning.

Joseph is described as a just and righteous man; as such, he certainly wouldn’t admit guilt when he had been innocent, but he also didn’t want Mary to suffer shame and execution so he ultimately resolved that He would find a way to divorce her as quietly as possible.

Joseph’s plans to be married to Mary had been changed by circumstances beyond his control; now he had resolved to take control, to absolve himself and protect Mary in the divorce, but God had other plans for Joseph. As Joseph slept that night an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and addressed him: “Joseph, son of David” not only would an angel in your dreams be unusual but this greeting was unusual. The Gospel writer, Matthew had just given us the full genealogy of Joseph. Joseph’s birth father’s name was Jacob not David. It is true that Joseph was a descendant of King David, but he was 28 generations down the line from him. In fact, for the last 14 generations, the royal lineage of David had no throne to rule. Therefore, this formal greeting of the Angel referring to Joseph’s royal ancestry already indicates the significance of this child’s birth.

The angel after greeting Joseph by name, told him to change his plans again, to take Mary as his wife without fear. She was innocent of the sin of fornication. The child in her was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and was not a result of any carnal relations. God had a plan and purpose for this pregnancy with significance beyond the relationship of Joseph and Mary. The plan was revealed in the name that Joseph and Mary were to name this son once He was born: Jesus. Jesus is the English version of the Hebrew Yeshua which means “God Saves”. The name is the same as Joshua, the name shared by the Joshua who led the Israelites into battle for the promised land by God’s hand after Moses. Yet that Joshua only prefigured and pointed to the greater work of this Joshua, this Savior, announced to Joseph. This son born of Mary named Jesus/Joshua was born to be a God’s anointed savior by saving His people from a greater enemy than the Canaanites, and by leading all of God’s people into a greater destination that an earthly kingdom. This Jesus was born to save His people from their sins and bring them into an eternal kingdom by conquering sin death, and the power, of the devil.

How could He do this? Because this Son of Mary was not just a man, but He was also the Son of God. He was and is Immanuel which means “God with us”.

In the meantime, God’s plan for Joseph was to bless him and use him in the vocation of husband and adoptive father of Jesus. He was to protect them both Mother and unborn child as part of the miracle of God’s salvation plan. He was to be the earthly hands of the heavenly Father taking care of Jesus until the time was fulfilled for Jesus to enter into His public office of Christ.

We are not told a whole lot about the biography of Joseph of Nazareth. Based on Scripture, we know that he was alive and involved throughout the early years of Jesus…very much parenting when Jesus was 12 and brought to the temple. However, we assume that by the time Jesus began His teaching and preaching office as the Christ around His age of 30, Joseph had been called by God to His eternal rest. Yet, it must have been recent as Jesus was known in Nazareth as “the carpenter’s son” (Mt.13:55). We know that Joseph was a righteous man, but he knew that that righteousness came not from himself, but from God. It was God who had revealed the truth of Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. Joseph was given the ability to believe that this son of Mary was also going to save him, that is, Joseph from his sins.

As we heard last week, quite often in this life our earthly plans get changed and our expectations are limited. Unlike with Joseph and Mary, all too often the reason for the change in plans is because of sin and the failures within ourselves. This is part of the curse which we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve who first sinned. That original sin is passed down from generation to generation making all children of Adam born with unbelief, imperfection, sin, and are by nature at enmity with God, subject to His wrath. But God does not desire the death and destruction of all people. Because of His love and in mercy for our condition, God provided the suitable sacrifice for our sins by sending the Son of God, to be conceived the way He was: begotten from eternity, conceived and born in time by the Holy Spirit, outside the plans or desires of human flesh, so that His flesh and blood was perfect and sinless. Then Jesus lived up to His name. The perfect man and Son of God allowed Himself to be despised, rejected, and crucified so that people might be saved from their sins. He took the punishment of sin upon His flesh so that our own flesh could be redeemed. This was and is the plan of God the Father who sent His Son, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, men and women who receive this message of grace through the Gospel would believe and be saved by the forgiveness of their sins.

Dear, fellow redeemed, you may not have had an angel come to you in a dream to deliver the message of Jesus Christ, but you have been brought to the waters of Holy Baptism, and have had the curse of original sin from Adam and Eve drowned and buried with Christ in His tomb. Through His resurrection you have been given new life through faith. No longer are you slaves to sin, but you are set free to live holy lives by God’s Spirit in Jesus Christ’s name. God not only has a plan of salvation for you through Jesus Christ by the forgiveness of your sins, but He will bless you in your vocations. You can pray that God may use you and guide you in all wisdom as you make your earthly plans and pray that God’s will would be done in your life. He will continue to guard and keep you from fear and unbelief by His Word of promise. He continues to gather you and us and all the church at the foot of the cross, as we confess the times that we have failed and have sinned, but then receive forgiveness again. He strengthens our flesh for eternity as we receive the flesh and blood of our crucified and risen Savior in the bread and wine.

He gives us the power to also sing and rejoice at the news of Jesus Christ, for He has fulfilled His heavenly Father’s plan of salvation through His suffering and dying and rising again for the forgiveness of our sins. And we know that He will come again in glory to bring us soul and body to our eternal rest which Christ has prepared for us in Jesus Name, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Have you ever had failed expectations? I am talking disappointments in something you had hoped for, planned for, worked for, or believed in, but the results ended up not rising to meet your hopes. I would venture to guess that we all have experienced this to some extent, because life is filled with the unexpected. Sometimes it is easy to cope with these unexpected results, but sometimes it can result in great pain and anguish. Failed marriages, lost job prospects, disappointments in friends, children, loved ones, people letting you down… maybe realizing that the failure is in you, and you have let yourself and others down or maybe it isn’t you but doubt begins to grow within you…these can all lead to great soul searching, agony, and trouble of the soul and mind.

The book of James has written these words to those who feel downhearted in the midst of disappointment and suffering. James says, “be patient… as an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.” It is not always easy to be steadfast in faith, in hope, when we are in the midst of suffering and turmoil. It is difficult when the world, the devil, our flesh, and the many events around us are constantly trying to tear us away from faith and the hope which we have in the expectation of Christ’s fulfillment. As we think of our own feelings and experiences, let us remember what James said. We are not alone in our suffering or doubt. Let us take courage in today’s Gospel lesson which speaks of John the Baptizer suffering in prison, but who receives words of encouragement from our Lord.

John was a great prophet, and as Jesus said, “John was more than a prophet, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.” But where was John as we introduced the Gospel reading for today? He was in prison. According to some preachers, shouldn’t he have been having success, glory, and sunshine for doing God’s Work? No. Because that is not the reality of life as sin and the truth of God’s Word war with one another. John was living the weight of that spiritual and emotional war and despite the greatness of his prophetic power and His belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the account today shows that he may have been having his doubts about the Messiah, perhaps even about his own prophetic ministry. He had done everything he was supposed to do, and here he was in prison for preaching the truth and rebuking sin, most likely facing execution, which we know that he did.

We heard last Sunday that John preached repentance: preparing the way the Lord. John likely expected Jesus to immediately fulfill everything John had been given to preach. John expected Jesus to come baptizing with the Holy Spirit and real fire, that He was going to be a judge right then and there, as John declared about the Messiah, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and “He will clear His threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Jesus did not do this right away; bringing judgment and punishment upon all things was not what His first coming was all about. Therefore, John probably wondered as Jesus seemed to fail to meet his expectations. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. John preached with power. John baptized the Lord Jesus and heard the voice from heaven and saw the Spirit descend as a dove. Surely someone who had all these experiences wouldn’t crack under pressure.

Wrong! For us Christians, there is never a time when faith is very far from the edge of unbelief. Satan never leaves us Christians alone, but each day he works harder to take us away from Christ. John was no exception. The sad reality is that preachers can lose the faith they preach to others. Both the preacher and the hearer are not immune to unbelief but need constant help. But how does Jesus respond to this questioning? Jesus answered John’s disciples, “Go and tell John what you hear and see.” Jesus understood John’s doubts. He understood that John needed assurance. He did not condemn John, but Jesus appointed John’s disciples to be apostles- sent ones, ones sent to deliver their witness to John. Jesus invited John’s disciples to witness His work and then take the proclamation of His work back to John. Jesus was fulfilling the Scriptures, Jesus was healing the blind, the lame were walking, the lepers were being cleansed, the deaf were able to hear, the dead were being raised up, and most importantly, the poor were having the good news preached to them. The miracles which Jesus performed were His credentials as the Christ. They validated His authority in His preaching as the One who was sent from God. These miracles pointed to an even greater miracle which only God Himself could perform, the miracle of forgiveness for sin and the gift of faith. This is the significance of the good news being preached. This good news is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the anointed Savior, who not only works physical wonders of healing, but also brings spiritual healing and faith by the forgiveness of sins. John the Baptist was correct in thinking that the earthly ministry of Jesus was about judgment, but that judgment of God’s wrath for sin was placed upon Jesus. As Jesus was taking the burden of the ills, diseases, and pains of the world upon Himself, He also was taking the sins of unbelief and doubt upon Himself to the cross.

You see, John the Baptist, as great as he was, could not live up to the expectations of the Law. When it comes to the expectations of God’s Law, everybody has been and is a failure. It is not that the Law is unfair, it is that since Adam and Eve all creation, especially humanity has become twisted and sinful. Nothing goes the way it should it seems, good people do bad things, the pure becomes spoiled, and the expectation for this mess should be nothing but doom and punishment. That is why Jesus came, so that the more realistic expectation of punishment, condemnation, and eternal suffering would be turned away for those who repent and believe this hope: “Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me” said Jesus. We are blessed and accounted as righteous through faith in Jesus Christ by the forgiveness of sins. Jesus became a curse for you on the cross, so that you might be saved. Jesus became an offense to His Father by taking your guilt so that by His Word and through Holy Baptism you would believe and not take offense at the cross. By believing in Him you are now no longer offensive to the Father. As you were baptized, you have Christ placed upon you. You have His righteousness earned for you. You are forgiven through faith in these words even as John the Baptist was forgiven and saved through faith despite any doubts he had had.

Guadete, a Latin command to Rejoice! That is the theme of this Sunday in Advent, the significance of the pink candle. It is the theme of the Introit which we spoke earlier: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! The Lord sets the prisoners free. The Lord lifts up those bowed down. The Lord loves the righteous”. Dear friends, let this joy, the joy of the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached to you this day encourage and comfort you. Let it dispel all doubt and fear. May His joy abide with you always and be in your mouth and in your lives continually. You are forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. He forgives your failures, and He gives us more blessings than we should ever expect. He promises to hear and comfort us when we call out for help when our earth-bound plans and expectations fail. He will help you and carry you through those times… even as He has carried your sins to the cross and buried them in His tomb.

When you are weak and heavy laden come to Him, confess your sins and your burdens, then receive His absolution, His forgiveness and love. Come to the altar and let Him remove the bitterness of the disappointments and sins of this life and fill your mouth and heart with the sweetness of His grace in the very body and blood of Jesus Christ given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. In this way He fills your mouth with joy again by His Holy Spirit. Rejoice with the Church as we wait and watch for the expectation of His final coming which will not disappoint. Rejoice, that by His Spirit we are given His love and forgiveness to be able to remain steadfast in the confession of faith. The Lord has taken His judgements away from you. The Lord God is even now in your midst, a mighty one who will save and has saved…you! In Jesus name, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

It is the season for deliveries. Now more than at any other time of the year, there is more mail, there are more packages being sent and received, and the people working in the shipping and delivery professions might even be working longer hours. As we look at these people, these postal workers, UPS, Amazon, and FedEx truck drivers delivering our packages, our bills for said packages, our messages of Christmas greetings to loved ones near and far, have you ever noticed anything about them? Something sets them apart. It sets them apart so that you can recognize them in their vocation as one who is delivering something to you that is yours. You can trust that they aren’t a sales person or a traveling heretic a la the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witness when they ring your doorbell, or some other person who may or may not be up to no good. What is it? It is their uniform. You can recognize them by their uniform.

In today’s Gospel lesson we are able to recognize by his uniform and his message another delivery man, John the Baptizer. John the Baptizer delivers the message from God to mankind, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” His uniform is the same uniform as Elijah the Tishbite. The same Elijah of the Old Testament who preached against the sins of Israel at the time of wicked Ahab and Jezebel and their son Ahaziah. This particular uniform of the prophet Elijah was no ordinary look, but is described in 2 Kings 1:8 the same way John the Baptizer’s look is described in our Gospel lesson. “John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt.” The purpose of this uniform as well as the diet mentioned “locusts and wild honey” is not to distract from the message, but rather to point to the seriousness of the message: The comforts and luxuries of this world will not save you nor bring you comfort in the face of God’s coming judgment. There is an end to this life and this world and there is only one way to “Make ready the way of the Lord, prepare His way, make straight in the desert, a highway for our God.” How is it and why is it that the hills and mountains must be made low and the rough places made smooth? The how to prepare is not by earth movers and a highway development project. It is much much more difficult. Why is it difficult? Because it involves sinners repenting and the moving of their hearts of stone. Yes, human broods of vipers, hard-hearted sinners whose souls are a wilderness of tangled weeds and fruitless trees that should all be crushed, cut down, laid bare and thrown into the fire. This describes us too, not just the people of Elijah’s or John the Baptizer’s day. We along with all people have been disobedient to our creator and master. We have sold ourselves to become slaves to our worldly cares and wants, to sin and the power of the devil, time and time again.

Yet the Law of God as cried out by John the Baptizer in the wilderness and throughout the ages is , “Repent, Repent, turn back from your sin!” This message has packaged within it, the message leading to hope. Hope for mercy, the message that there is a way to flee from the wrath that is to come. That hope is not within ourselves, and it is not within humanity. We do not have anything that makes us worthy to be saved. The message delivered within the Law, the message which exposes our sin and cuts us down in our pride, which brings us down from the hills of sand which we have gathered under our feet, causes us to repent so that the way into our hearts and minds and spiritual darkness might be cleared and de-cluttered for the hope that comes from God.

Behold the hope within the lesson of the stump and root of Jesse: the line of David many of whose sons were unfaithful kings and then were brought down in humility: chopped down to the very root by God’s judgement. This remaining stump and kingly line looked to be done as though no great tree of life or hero could come from it. Yet from this humble stump comes the branch and greatest tree of life, the One to whom John the Baptizer pointed, and still points. This is He who comes in the name of the Lord, who is righteous and has salvation as judge and redeemer. He is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He who was born of Bethlehem of Judea. The son of God and Son of man through Mary. His was the way John the Baptizer prepared, yet Jesus did not come in His first coming to clear His threshing floor, with a winnowing fork in His hand. He came in humility to serve, to preach, to heal, to suffer and to die. It is true what we heard Isaiah the prophet say in today’s Old Testament text, “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 Lord.” Jesus came not with a prophet’s garment of camel hair and leather belt, nor did He come in king’s robes or priestly raiment, yet He fulfilled all three offices of the Messiah in His perfect sinless life. During His earthly Ministry His full glory was clothed in humility and meekness, but what the world perceived to be weakness was actually part of Jesus’ and God’s plan of salvation for us. The garment which Jesus wore was imperceptible to human eyes. Righteousness is the belt of His waist, and faithfulness the belt of His loins. This righteousness and faithfulness could not be fully perceived until all the clutter of earthly expectations were stripped and burned away. Then we and all mankind may behold Him as He is by faith, our sacrificed Savior, crucified among sinners as the payment for our sins. Through His sacrifice, because of His faithfulness to His Father in the keeping of the Law, His righteousness and love can cover over a multitude of sins. He experienced the full wrath of God upon sin at the cross, the same wrath which should have come to us and all people.

This is the Gospel hope. Jesus did come and has taken our punishment upon Himself. He is the One who prepares His own way delivering this message of repentance and salvation through His Word and sacraments. He is the one who sends His Spirit to move men, women and children to repent and be given the eyes of faith, to see Jesus Christ coming to them clothed in that righteousness and faithfulness. He does indeed baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire through water and the Word. As He has baptized us, He has washed away our sin and filth and burned away the brambles and weeds of unbelief. He has crucified our sins and has brought us forth through His resurrection to be grafted upon Himself and become His children and people. We are now clothed with His righteous robes, set free from sin and condemnation in Christ’s name.

We now wear the garment of salvation, we now have Christ put upon us as we have been anointed in His blood. Therefore, we are able to rejoice and praise the Lord with all His people, and come into His presence with thanksgiving. We are able to confess His Holy name, and receive His body and blood in the bread and wine as we celebrate His victory and the stomping of the serpent’s head in His death and resurrection.

Now that we have been redeemed, we leave this place clothed with Jesus Christ. When people of the world see us, do they see the garment and uniform of a Christian? Do we deliver to them a message which they can trust? A sure message of hope, forgiveness, and love in Jesus Christ? Or do we cover ourselves again with the garments of the world so that we blend in with our surroundings? It is difficult during this season, throughout our life, in a culture of consumerism and self-worship, with our old flesh nagging at us. It is difficult not to succumb and fall back into sin, selfishness, and lazy blending in. If we rely on ourselves and our own power, failure is inevitable. And if you sin, pray “Lord have mercy” and return, repent. This is what we do every Sunday and every time we are gathered together, we repent, and we are washed anew by the power of our baptisms in Absolution by the blood of Christ. He cleans those garments of salvation and prepares our hearts and minds to receive Him again through faith for the forgiveness of our sins and be grafted again upon the tree of life.

He continues to prepare us each and every day of our life, for we know that the day is coming soon, when time will have run out, and Jesus Christ will return with a shout and a trumpet blast. Then He will be coming with that winnowing fork for He will be returning to judge. Woe be unto unbelievers and the wicked on that day, but to those have returned and repented, who live by faith and not by sight, who have been clothed in Righteousness, we shall recognize Him as Christ our deliverer, who comes to deliver us to His resting place which shall be glorious and eternal. May God keep us in this hope, In Jesus’ name, Amen

Pr. Aaron Kangas