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The Upside of Death March 12, 2006
Mark 8: 31-38 Pastor Mark Nieting
On this, the Second Sunday in Lent, the focus of our Gospel lesson is one that fascinates?ñ.and scares?ñ..all of us. The topic is death. Death is a very real part of life. Cells are dying all the time in our bodies. In fact, we wouldn??t be alive and we wouldn??t be who we are now unless parts of us are constantly dying.
Look at your hand. It has five fingers because the cells that used to live between your fingers died off when you were still an embryo. The death of certain cells is what keeps us from being overrun with cancer. Cells on our skin die regularly so we have a healthy defense from the outside. And when our immune system has finished wiping out an infection, the white cells we no longer need, who have swallowed up all the nasty stuff from our bodies, commit suicide in a very orderly fashion. The human body, we can say, stays alive in large part because of death.
It??s not, though, that we like death. The story is told about an artist who asked the owner of the gallery if there was any interest shown in the paintings he had on display. ?¨I have good news and bad news,?Æ said the owner. ?¨The good news is that a gentleman inquired about your art and wondered if it would appreciate in value after your death. I told him yes, and he bought all 15 of your paintings.?Æ ?¨That??s wonderful,?Æ exclaimed the artist, ?¨What??s the bad news??Æ ?¨The guy was your doctor!?Æ Death?ñthe world sees it only as the ?¨downside of life.?Æ
Jesus knows that there is an upside to death. Today??s Gospel begins immediately after Peter has confessed that Jesus is the Messiah (Mark 8:29) and immediately before the wondrous moment of the transfiguration of Christ. (Mk 9)
Jesus turned to his disciples and begins to teach them that He would be rejected, suffer, die and rise again. He does it in a very matter of fact manner, almost like a biology teacher giving a lesson on cellular mitosis.
Jesus knows this is why He has come, but the disciples don??t hear it that way. Their image of Christ is still caught up in what I call ?¨Messianic Militarism,?Æ someone who would raise up an army, defeat the Romans, and restore Israel to the glory of the days of David and Solomon. With the miracles and the crowds and the adoration of the masses, Jesus seemed to have been off to a good start. But now, with talk of betrayal, suffering and death??? Peter has never heard anything so outrageous, so he takes Jesus aside and tries to change his mind. Scripture uses the word rebuke, the same word used in Mark??s gospel when Jesus ?¨rebukes?Æ unclean spirits and calms the wind and the waves. It??s not a gentle rebuke, regardless of whether his motive was positive?ñ.wanting to save Jesus from such a fate, or negative?ñ.thinking that Jesus was ?¨NUTS!?Æ
Jesus isn??t so gentle and subtle with Peter. With all the disciples listening clearly, Jesus says to Peter, ?¨Get behind me, Satan! You??re setting your mind on things that aren??t divine, but on things that are human!?Æ (8:33par).
It??s a stinging rebuke for Peter, for several reasons. First, it was public?ñ.and very few of us like to be rebuked publicly, do we? Next, Jesus called Peter ?¨Satan,?Æ since Peter??s attempt to dissuade Jesus from His intended mission was the same one Satan had tried on Jesus at the beginning of His ministry (Mt 4: 8-10). And finally, Jesus tells Peter that his focus on living was entirely backwards. Mark may even have been indicating the presence of an unclean spirit within Peter, one which caused Peter to focus more on the things of the world than on the things of the Spirit!
And it sure is easy to focus on things of the world, isn??t it? I watch young couples bury themselves in credit card debt trying to ?¨have it all.?Æ The media pressure to buy ?¨with no payments til 2009!?Æ is intense?ñforgetting to remind us, of course, that we will pile up so many obligations by 2009 that we??ll be in bankruptcy then. But the ?¨Stuff of the world?Æ is what most people call the indications of success; and the idea of sacrificing to get there is almost unheard of in the secular world.
Another indicator of worldly success is social acceptance: and still, Jesus tells us that he?ñ.and we?ñ.will be rejected! From these perspectives, it??s almost no wonder that Peter responds the way he does to Jesus?? description of suffering, rejection, death, and then resurrection?ñ.a concept that probably floated right over Peter??s head if he heard it at all at the end of the list.
Yet Jesus KNEW that the ?¨Son of Man?Æ?ñ. His favorite expression for himself, used 81 times by Jesus in the Gospels and never used by anyone else?ñ. MUST undergo great suffering and finally be killed. He must die because of the benefit this brings to the greater whole?ñ.then and now?ñto Peter, to us, and to everyone in between. Jesus must die to pay the price for our sins and to reconcile our sinful selves to the Father who is perfect. Jesus dies to show how much God loves us. Jesus dies to call us to follow Him in suffering servanthood. Jesus dies to achieve victory over death?ñ?ñ..Jesus dies, that we might live?ñ.forever!
Like a cell programmed to die, Jesus?? death brings benefit to the greater whole. It might seem foolish to the world, but, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1: 18, ?¨to us who are being saved, it is the power of God!?Æ The challenge for us is to see how we can find the upside of death in the lives we live every day. To be a follower of Jesus means to be willing to sacrifice ourselves for the good of all and to deny ourselves for the good of others.
Taking up the cross, fighting the good fight, and following Jesus can mean many things. It can mean self-denial. It can mean personal suffering, sacrifice, or even martyrdom. Since these challenges are posed not only to the disciples, but to the entire crowd who is there listening to Jesus, we know that it??s just not pastors Jesus is talking about, or Lutheran school teachers, or even congregational officers: it??s all believers: It??s about The Holy Christian Church on earth. It??s about you.
So, how do we DO this? How DO we pick up our cross, fight the good fight and follow Jesus?
Let??s look again at the cells in our body and notice that the upside of death involves three things: 1. Seeing the big(ger) picture; 2. fighting the good fight; and 3. knowing when to get out of the way. Put these three things together and you can get a good idea of what it means to deny yourself and follow Jesus.
First: See the big picture. Back when you were an embryo, the cells that made up the placenta that fed you for nine months didn??t have the luxury of being obsessed with their own survival. They had to die so that you could be born and live! Their death?ñ.like Jesus?? death?ñ.produced our lives! It??s true that Peter, obsessed as he was with human things, couldn??t see how this could work, but the cross was something Jesus was prepared to face because HE saw that it was part of God??s bigger picture: the divine plan of salvation.
Where is it that we need to expand OUR vision of God??s plan for us? It may be that we need to ?¨die?Æ to the idea that we are the brightest and best of God??s stars in the galaxy. Maybe it??s our own opinion of our own abilities (and gifts) that needs re-evaluation. It can take the ?¨death?Æ of pride to be willing to be a part of God??s bigger plan for His kingdom and even for this congregation.
Second, fight the good fight. It??s helpful, of course, to pick the right fight. Lots of energy has been and still will be expended in fights that don??t matter. Our bodies are healthy when their cells are fighting germs?ñbut they aren??t healthy when the body fights with itself. How many churches have wasted incredible amounts of energy and even money fighting about things that in the end, are just plain ridiculous! How silly for churches to fight, and even split over the color of the fellowship hall or whether the flowers are on the altar or a credence table?ñ.and what a terrible witness that is for the Gospel! Yet Jesus DOES challenge us to take a stand for HIM, even when the pressure is on us?ñlike it was on Thomas or Peter or Judas to sell him out. It takes the ?¨death?Æ of self to be willing to focus on the big picture and fight to get the Gospel spread and the disciples made, and Jesus calls us to do just that, with the warning that if we don??t, He will be ashamed of us! (verse 38).
Finally, know when to get out of the way. White blood cells have an important job in our bodies, but when they are done, they self-destruct in very orderly fashion. Jesus tells us that those who work hard to SAVE their lives will lose them, but those who ?¨lose their live for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel will save it!?Æ
In the life of the church, sometimes people have a hard time getting out of the way. Older pastors want their distinctive approaches to be remembered and revered. Older church members want the hymns of their childhood to be sung every week. Baby boomers expect their children to ?¨do church?Æ like they did and Gen-Xers are perplexed by the way the Millennials that follow them express their spirituality. At some point each of us has to remember that the church of Jesus Christ has been handed over to us, and our job is to pass on the Good News of Jesus to those who follow us. Maybe we need to learn that someone else can take the lead we have had for a long time. Maybe we need to let someone else have the credit we think we deserve. IT takes the ?¨death?Æ of self in order to be utterly Unconcerned about the glory, but radically concerned about the Gospel!
Death is a part of the Christian faith. In fact, there would be no faith without death. We need a cross?ñ.and a grave?ñ.before we can have an empty tomb and an Easter Sunday. It takes the Execution of the Son of Man before we can celebrate the Resurrection of the Son of God! That??s the upside of death!
Amen.
Joseph of Arimathea: In Secret, Now Out Good Friday 2006
John 19: 38 Pastor Mark Nieting
?¨Jesus called out with a loud voice: ?¨Father into your hands I commit my spirit.?Æ When he said this, he breathed his last.?Æ (Luke 23: 46) Imagine, if you can, the scene on Golgotha. Most of the people gathered together on that scary place weren??t there for the two thieves, they were there to watch Jesus. When Jesus said these words, the last of His ?¨Seven,?Æ it seemed to be all over but the grieving. I??m sure some of the people left to ?¨beat the rush?Æ back into Jerusalem, just like people run out of sports events early when the score??s a blow-out.
But the history of Jesus wasn??t over. There was one man, Scripture calls him a ?¨rich man?Æ and a ?¨respected member of the Council, a good and upright man?Æ (Lk 23:50) who was still there. He was a man who was ?¨looking for the kingdom of God.?Æ (Mk 15:43). He most likely sat in on the trial of Jesus, but he was one who ?¨had not consented to the (council??s) decision and action.?Æ (Lk 23:51) Matthew calls him a disciple of Jesus. (Mt 27:57). His name was Joseph, and he came from the small town of Arimathea, a village in the hills about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem. History knows him as Joseph of Arimathea.
Scripture records for us that Joseph went boldly to Pontius Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus, and that Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own unused tomb.
The way Mark records it, it was an action that must have taken some real guts.
Our text spells the story out a bit farther. ?¨Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he feared the Jews.?Æ Joseph was a Jew who was looking and hoping for the promised Messiah to come. He knew the prophesies of the Old Testament, and he had heard?ñand seen Jesus. It was through this that the Holy Spirit brought Joseph to faith in Jesus Christ?ñ.but he didn??t want anyone else to know. He was afraid. And why shouldn??t he have been?
Joseph had friends in high places, influential members of the Sanhedrin and the ruling council. They were powerful people who held swap almost literally over matters of life and death?ñ.and Joseph had seen what they had manipulated to happen in the case of Jesus. Joseph was a man of means and a man who had position?ñ.and wrong politics and wrong religious leanings could cost a man hugely?ñ.even his life. Belief in Jesus as the Messiah was both wrong politics and wrong religion in the eyes of the Jewish leaders.
It??s like this: Joseph knew the truth, but the truth was no more popular then than it is today. So being a good and upright man, Joseph committed himself to working within the system to do the things he could do to keep things fair for Jesus?ñ.but he wouldn??t admit to believing IN Jesus. He played it close to the vest to protect his vested interests. So he tried to hang on to the truth, and to his job and money. He was living in two worlds?ñ.one open and one in secret.
It was, however, the events of THIS Day, Good Friday, that proved to be more powerful to Joseph than his desire for self-preservation. It was the death of Jesus, the Son of God that opened Joseph??s heart fully and his mouth finally. He couldn??t witness the sham that was the trial of Jesus and watch the crucifixion and eventually the death of Jesus and remain silent. He couldn??t stay a secret believer any more. Jesus had said some words that finally made the difference to Joseph, ?¨Whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.?Æ (Mt 10:33) Jesus was who he said he was and Jesus?? words would last.
He KNEW he couldn??t stay a secret believer, so boldly he did what history records.
We??ve addressed a lot of characters during this Lenten season: Pilate, Nicodemus, Judas, Simon of Cyrene and more, but more than all the rest, I think that you and I can be a lot like Joseph of Arimathea. Belief in Jesus can be risky for most of us. Belief in Jesus challenges the beliefs that others around us hold so dear to themselves. Expressing your faith might cost you your job. Try teaching science in a major public school system and lift up creation, even as an ?¨alternative?Æ to evolution and see what happens. Try asking your soccer coach for Wednesday evenings off for confirmation class and see where it goes. Try blowing the whistle on immoral behavior on the part of the boss and see how long you last. What??s the sense of lifting up the cross of Christ in public if it??s going to get your throat cut?ñ.financially, anyway? A guy has to be practical, doesn??t he?
Joseph had reasoned?ñand lived?ñlike that until he reached the point where he had to stand and speak up for the truth. What gave him the courage? Knowing that Jesus Christ was truly GOD!
All four Gospel record the witness that Joseph gave for Jesus, a rather amazing testimony to a man who, for most of his faith life, was silent. All four Gospels record more details conjointly about Jesus?? burial than they do about His last words from the cross?ñand they all record that Joseph buried Jesus in a shroud.
The Shroud of Turin is arguably the most famous piece of cloth in the world. It is purported by some to be the very cloth which Joseph used to wrap Jesus, imprinted, some say, by the face of Jesus from the radiation energy of his resurrection. But we??re not here to engage in scientific speculation. The Shroud of Turin isn??t the evidence that creates faith in Jesus Christ, nor is it the place to which we look to even add to our faith.
Yet interestingly enough, the Shroud keeps the testimony of Joseph of Arimathea in full view of millions of people 2000 years later. It reminds us of Joseph. Hidden belief comes full circle and is now broadcast to the entire world. Here is a miracle of faith right in the midst of a world that doesn??t believe in miracles. It??s the testimony of one man: Joseph, who was given the courage to speak by the cross of Christ.
Maybe we too need the courage of our own convictions, the boldness of our beliefs so that we will not be secret believers, but rather bold witnesses willing to tell anyone and everyone about Jesus?ñ.the one who gave His life, so that we can live. It??s time to stand up and be counted?ñ.for Christ, with Christ.
Amen.
The First Sunday after Christmas
Sir, we would see JESUS!
Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Asheville
Luke 2: 22-40
In the Name of Jesus!
Grace, mercy, and peace grow and increase among you through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The holy, inspired Word of God on which I base my message to you on this 1st Sunday after Christmas is the Gospel according to St. Luke 2: 22-40.
Beloved, please pray with me: O eternal God and Father, as You fulfilled Your gracious promise to Simeon long ago when he took the Baby Jesus in his arms, fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit, so that we, too, abide confidently in Your peace. Amen.
In the name or our newborn King and only Savior, Jesus Christ, dearly beloved:
It is so hard for most of us
To wait and wait and wait
For things that oft we think we need
That come not soon, but late.
But when that day comes with its joys
That we have waited for,
Then we with wishes granted us
Rejoice with one accord.
For waiting??s done! We then have seen
Desires e??en fulfilled!
And with our cup of joy so full
We??re happy and so thrilled.
Imagine then the joy that rose
In Simeon??s aged chest
As he beheld the Son of God
Laid in his arms to rest.
For Jesus Christ, the Lord of life,
Unto His earth had come
To rescue sinners from their doom
To make e??en heav?´n their home.
He came deliverance to bring
To each and ev??ry one
Who look to Him as Savior Lord;
He came for sin t??atone.
And yet He came in lowliness
As wee and helpless Babe
To draw His people unto Him ?±
Eternally to save.
But Simeon saw as He beheld
Lord Jesus Christ, that Child,
With eyes of faith he knew much more
?´bout Babe so meek and mild.
He knew our Holy God had come
Deliv??rer, strong indeed!
He would the devil??s pow??r destroy
As God??s own Word decreed.
He??d conquered death and hell itself,
All evil in our world!
He??s set His people free fore??er,
His banner He??s unfurled
Before the eyes of faithful folk
Who look to Him to save.
So peace Christ brought to Simeon,
Who sang God??s pow??r to save.
Oh, we who gather here today
God??s saving love do need.
?¨Deliver us from evil, Lord!?Æ
We in our pray??rs do plead.
For we do sin and do much harm
To God and those around
Hurt by our deeds, our ugly words.
We do in sin abound,
Till Jesus, strong Deliverer
Forgives in saving love.
He pardons us and sets us free
With mercy from above.
We??re folks who??ve also seen our Lord,
With eyes of faith, our King;
And we believe His promise sure:
Christ does salvation bring!
Like Simeon in days long gone
We for Christ??s coming long ?±
E??en now we yearn for His return;
For we to Him belong
By virtue of what Jesus did
For us in life and death,
And then arose on Easter Day,
As His own Word had said.
We wait each day with longing hope
For Christ??s return to earth.
For then deliv??rance will be o??er!
We??ll sing with joyous mirth
With angels, saints round sapphire throne
Of God, the Lord of grace.
Christ??s peace we??ll own; death??ll be no more!
We??ll see our Savior??s face.
But we??re still in this fallen world
With evil all around.
There??s much for which God??s help we need
That in Christ??s love is found.
There??re tasks that seem beyond our pow??r.
There??re sickness and great trials,
Our tears, our hurts, our wretchedness,
And we face Satan??s wiles
As he seeks out to lead astray
From all that??s good and right,
While death lurks like an enemy
Though not within our sight.
But Jesus takes what seems so bad
And turns it right around
To serve our good, while reaching out
To us by God??s love found.
With gifts of His deliverance
That brings Christ??s grace so near,
We are surrounded by God??s pow??r
That pushes out dread fear.
To lift your hearts in faith and love
To Jesus Christ, our King,
And sing His praise with Simeon,
Who thanks to God did bring.
Turn unto Christ in trusting faith.
Lift unto Him your plea:
?¨Deliver us from evil, Lord;?Æ
Then His salvation see,
Until in heav??n we need no more
That pray??r to God to raise.
For Christ will save us by His grace .
So, sing forth Jesus?? praise. Amen.
To GOD be all glory!
© The Reverend Frederick A. Stiemke, DD
Vacancy Pastor
The Centurion: ?¨Truly this was the Son of God?Æ April 5, 2006
Matthew 27: 51-54 Pastor Mark Nieting
Professional soldiers, especially those who have risen through the ranks to the NCO level, can be rather hardened individuals. They are usually highly trained and highly motivated. Often, especially when they??ve been ?¨in the field?Æ for any length of time and seen some combat, they have become quite skeptical and cynical. And when they??ve worked with criminals?ñ.especially criminals condemned to die?ñ.die by crucifixion?ñ.there probably isn??t anything they haven??t heard.
When we think of Roman soldiers, we usually think in terms of the Roman Legions. A Legion consisted of about 6000 fighting men, arranged in groups of 10 ?¨Cohorts?Æ of about 600 men, each Cohort made up of 6 Centuria, groups commanded by a Centurion. The Centurion, and that??s who our subject is on this 6th Midweek of Lent, was the Roman officer responsible for a group called a Centuria, a group of 100 soldiers (at least on paper), hence the name that sounds like it is straight out of the metric system. This Centurion, whose name is lost to history, was the part of Pilate??s army responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus and the two criminals. It wasn??t unusual duty for Roman soldiers. They did it all the time, and probably heard every story in the book from the men that they crucified.
There were differences about THIS particular day and this particular crucifixion, however. First, it was DARK; unusually dark; totally dark during the middle of the afternoon. That in itself is enough to make one think, and Centurions were men capable of thinking. This was no ordinary thunderstorm?ñ.it wasn??t the same, didn??t feel the same and there??s no record that it rained. It just got DARK. Pitch dark.
Next was the crowd. Normally the crucifixions were accompanied by a few family members, everyone else wanting to stay as far away as possible, so they didn??t end up on a cross as collateral damage. This time there was a big group of religious leaders gathered around; a rather bloodthirsty lot of Pharisees and members of the Sanhedrin. They weren??t a quite bunch, instead they were all jeering and making fun of the Man in the Middle, saying that He should be able to come down from the cross in spite of the iron spikes through his ankles and wrists?ñ..or that God?ñor Elijah?ñshould come and TAKE him down. Yeah, that??ll happen, the Centurion no doubt thought?ñ.but why the furor? Why the frenzy? Why call Him a prophet? Why say Elijah should come back just for Him?
There was also, a little farther back and trying not to get noticed, a group of men who had been followers of the man crucified in the middle?ñ.but most of them didn??t stay?ñ.they ran. And there were women?ñ.more than the normal number.
Then there was the matter of the sign over the man??s head. It wasn??t a label of accusation?ñ.a sign that named a crime for which the punishment was death by this particularly horrible means. That would have been normal, part of the tactics the Romans used to keep their vassals in line. But it wasn??t that way for the man in the middle. This time the sign was a rather amazing, rather grand Title: ?¨Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.?Æ No Roman Centurion had ever crucified a King before?ñ?ñand this one sure hadn??t.
There was also the matter of what the ?¨man in the middle?Æ had to say. He asked ?¨His Father?Æ to FORGIVE the soldiers who were crucifying Him. That had to be a first, the Centurion had to have thought. It was normal to hear screaming, moaning, and to be cursed out simply for doing their jobs. Most guilty men ?¨wear halos?Æ all the way to the end, so it was normal to hear excuses and ?¨Not Guiltys?Æ from the condemned men, but it was NOT normal to hear words of forgiveness. The same went on between the Man in the Middle and one of the thieves?ñ.garden variety criminals who were getting what they deserved?ñ.and this Jesus promised that they would be together in paradise?ñ.that same day? Amazing! Sometimes it took two or three days for a man to die up there?ñ.unless someone came along and broke their legs so they couldn??t keep pushing up.
Then there were words of care from the man in the middle to a man who was to care for his mother. How could He have focused on such details when He was obviously in so much pain?ñpain that caused Him to cry out ?¨My God, Why have You Forsaken me??Æ
Usually it??s the other way around, isn??t it? Usually it??s WE who mess up?ñand it is WE who end up saying, ?¨My God, I??m sorry that I have forsaken YOU!?Æ Usually it is our sins who separate us from God?ñbut this time, God separated Himself from the One in the Middle, the one called Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. And He KNEW anguish because of it! It tore Him up?ñ..so evident was the torment of His alone-ness on the cross.
Finally the Centurion knew that they had come to the moment of death, far too soon for the standards of a ?¨normal?Æ crucifixion. The Man in the Middle, this Jesus of Nazareth, called out that ?¨It was Finished?Æ and gave up His Spirit to
His Father and died?ñ..and when He died, an earthquake shook the land. Earthquakes are common to the area around Jerusalem, with the Dead Sea Transform Fault Line between the Sinai Plate and the Arabia plate running right along the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. But the timing? Right at the exact moment of the death of the Man in the Middle, and right when it was the darkest, at 3 PM?
So what was it that caused this hardened professional soldier to come to the conclusion that THIS TRULY WAS THE SON OF GOD? Remember what St. Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, ?¨Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes from the preaching of Christ.?Æ The Pharisees, even if they didn??t mean it, proclaimed that this was the Christ. So had the other enemies of Jesus. The crucified robbers had done the same. Nature had said the same thing, in several different ways. Coming from all these different places and all these different sources, the Holy Spirit wove the events of the day together to create faith in the heart of the Roman Centurion. All of this bears witness to what Luther wrote in the meaning of the Third Article of the Creed: ?¨I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and keeps me in the true faith.?Æ
It all adds up to one simple truth: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the World. The Centurion, by the Work of the Holy Spirit, knew it and bore testimony to it. Even as he watched and heard with the eyes and the ears of an unbeliever and a Gentile?ñ.God gave Him the gift of faith in the One whom He proclaimed as the Son of God?ñ..Jesus, our Savior.
Was, Is, and Is to Come
by Pastor Hugo Kaeding
December 31, 2006
Luke 2: 16, Luke 24: 51, Acts 1: 11
Christmas is a special holiday because it speaks to us about our past. It has a great deal to say about our present life, it tells us about our future. There are three verses that represent our text.
Luke 2: 16 The babe lying in a manger
Luke 24: 51 While He blessed them He parted from them and was carried up into heaven
Acts 1: 11 This same Jesus shall so come, in like manner as you have seen Him go
St. Luke wrote all three passages. Each represents a stellar moment ?±a high point in Jesus?? life. To understand Christmas, you must understand and connect all three.
When we hear someone say, ?¨So what if we do not say Merry Christmas, it is still a holiday. What??s wrong with Happy Holiday or Season??s Greetings? They all refer to the same holiday.?Æ Christmas is not a holiday. It is a unique holiday with a past, present and a future. People who think like this don??t understand and have not comprehended what Christmas really is. If you think about it, a life that began in such an unusual way as Jesus?? life began, can??t end with the common ordinary death that we all face. Jesus?? ascension into heaven did not end His life. It didn??t end His relationship with the human race. It only ended His physical appearance. The third event has not yet come, but we know something about it.
Notice what our creeds say:
1. He was born of the Virgin Mary, it goes on and states
2. He ascended up into heaven. It doesn??t stop there and it adds
3. From thence, He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
So let??s look at these three events so we truly understand Christmas.
Let??s start with Christmas. What took place in the stable in Bethlehem was not such an unusual event. In fact, it happened often and nobody though anything of it on that day. Remember how the shepherds told the villagers but nobody visited the child?
Men said, ?¨A child was born.?Æ The Angels said, ?¨The Word became Flesh.?Æ Which meant the eternal Godhead had just entered the human Family. The Son of God is now a man. Jesus?? birth had three goals:
1. To reveal God to sinful man in terms sinners could understand.
2. To live a perfectly sinless life, and
3. To be the great sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Jesus came to show us God. Jesus came to show us what we are. Jesus came to show us what we could be. Jesus came to show us what we will one day actually be. Once we realize Jesus was not born to end up in a grave, we begin to penetrate the mystery that surrounds Jesus?? birth. We ask, ?¨Why did God the Father do this??Æ Surely not out of anger. He could have punished us from where He is now. It must have been a benevolent reason. It was how God solved His problem. I am now speaking in human terms.
When Adam and Eve sinned, God lost His beloved people. They lost there image of God. But God did not want to lose the human race. Yet as a holy righteous God, He has to punish sin and separate Himself from sinners. He solved His problem by deciding to dump all the sin upon His Son and punish His Son instead.
Now we can understand the awe, the wonder, and adoration of the angels when they saw what God had done. Christmas reveals how much God loves us. Only one act of love is greater than Christmas and that was the cross.
How can anyone who sees God??s love for us on Christmas not want to praise, adore and worship God? Is it any wonder that Christians hug their Faith so tightly and treasure it even unto death? We along with Mary, begin to ponder these things in our hearts. We then begin to hang on to our faith with all our strength, heart and mind. We remember with thanksgiving all the blessings God has poured into our lives. We then sincerely want to become more and more Christ-like.
Let??s look at the second great event in Jesus?? life. Jesus?? ascension had one great goal. To let the benefits of His birth, death and resurrection become available to all mankind.
The Jesus that ascended was not the same Jesus that left God??s throne to be born. When Jesus ascended, He took with Him His human nature. Jesus?? human nature is permanently eternal. Christians see in that fact great comfort because it hints at the time when we as human beings will enjoy eternal life. I said enjoy because we already have eternal life.
Think how that fact changes the way we think and feel. We are quick to forgive others when we realize how much God has forgiven us. We want to become more Christ-like because bone of our bones, and flesh of our flesh, sits next to God the Father on His Throne. Jesus lives and rules the universe for our benefit and protection. How is it possible for us to not love on another?
On the cross, Jesus shouted it is finished. It may take centuries before the angels will say, ?¨It is finished?Æ as they gather God??s sons and daughters together on that great day. Let the world see us love one another here at Emmanuel.
This takes us to the third great event. Jesus?? second coming. The ascension did not end Jesus?? earthly life. As He rules this world, protects His Church and people, He is patiently waiting for the last true believer to be born. Then He will come again. Jesus decided when He would be born. He decided when He would die, and He will decide when He will come. But come He will.
This same Jesus with His manhood will come as they saw Him ascend. There was no whirlwind, no chariot, no fiery horses, no vehicle to lift Him up. He just began to gently and softly rise until the cloud folded its billows around Him.
Jesus will return and show Himself as He is. King of the World, Lord of lords, Savior of mankind. With all His glory, majesty, and brilliant Divinity. We who belong to Him think, ?¨He interceded for me when my sins were reported to God the Father.?Æ Can??t you see an angel handing God the Father a message telling Him what our sin was? God the Father will then sadly say, ?¨Yes, record it in the book of life.?Æ At that moment Jesus will lean over and say, ?¨Father, forgive. This one belongs to Me.?Æ The Father with a broad smile of happiness would then say to the angel after the deed was recorded, to blot it out so no one can read what was written.
Yes, Christmas started God??s plan and His plan will continue to function until Jesus returns. On that day, Jesus will order His angels to go into the mass of the living and the dead to bring out His people. The angels will go and tap people on the shoulder and point to Jesus?? right side. Then one angel will come and tap you on your shoulder and whisper in your ear, ?¨Go to Jesus?? right side and stand with His sheep.?Æ You will hear this whisper because Christmas came first.
Folks, I don??t know about you, but for me and my family, December 25, will always be Merry Christmas. Amen.
Rev. Hugo Kaeding
Every Sunday
Every Wednesday
