57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.
59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”
61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.
But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” (vs. 61)
The world desires to name us and have us conform to itself. It desires to call us its own. Truly, each of us comes into this world of the world. By virtue of being conceived by sinful man, we are not holy, not welcome into the presence of holy God — actually, enemies of God. We enter this life as worshippers of ourselves like the world around us. Even into adulthood our flesh can bring us to lash out if our needs and wants are not immediately met. If you doubt this, go for a drive in rush hour traffic. We are idolaters who believe that our needs and wants are to be fulfilled without regard to how it affects others.
Just as John was set apart from the tradition of being given his father’s name. By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit calls us and separates us from the world. Adopted as God’s children, through the waters of Holy Baptism, we are born again as holy children of God. We are given a new name. And, though we remain in the world, we are no longer “of” the world. The world now does not understand us any more than it understands Christ our Savior or John His forerunner. We get to rejoice that God our Father claims us as His children.
When Jesus comes — O blessed story! — He works a change in heart and life;
God’s kingdom comes with pow’r and glory To young and old, to man and wife;
Thro’ Sacrament and living Word, Faih, love, and hope are now conferred.
(TLH 65)
Let us pray: Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Posted inDevotion|Comments Off on Each Day in the Word, Thursday, December 22nd
Which of you would like to be defined by your worst moment—by that time when you really dropped the ball, behaved badly, fell into sin, by a time when your faith failed? None of us would. Unfortunately (in a way), the apostle Thomas is generally known for what we might call a bad moment. Of course, most of the apostles had their bad moments. Peter had a few of them. James and John had at least one. And if we go back into the Old Testament, most of the saints we encounter had some very bad moments, too, like Noah, or Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, Solomon, and so on. But they all are known for some very good moments, too, times when their faith shone brightly. Thomas just isn’t mentioned as often in Scripture and isn’t usually remembered for anything good—although he should be, as we’ll see in a moment.
He’s often referred to as “doubting Thomas,” though I would ask you never to call him that. The word doubt, especially as it’s used in Scripture, refers to a state of mind in which a person goes back and forth about something, when a person wavers, when a person just isn’t certain about something or someone. That doesn’t describe Thomas in the lesson you heard tonight. Thomas didn’t doubt the Lord’s resurrection. He didn’t waver in uncertainty. No, even though the other apostles gave him their eyewitness testimony that the Lord had risen from the dead, Thomas was quite certain the Jesus was still dead. And, as he told the apostles, the only thing that could make him certain in the other direction was to see the living Jesus with his own eyes, and put his finger into the nailprints in Jesus’ hands and put his hand into Jesus’ side where the spear had pierced Him through. Thomas wasn’t experiencing a moment of doubt. He was living in outright unbelief.
Jesus acknowledged that unbelief in Thomas. Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put your hand here and place it into my side, and be no longer unbelieving, but believing. So, yes, Thomas had a bad moment. A bad week and a half, really, from Maundy Thursday evening when he, along with the other apostles, abandoned Jesus, until this Sunday after Easter, during which time he remained unbelieving.
But then, after seeing Jesus, he had a very good moment that we should really remember him for: Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” That’s one of the clearest confessions of Jesus’ divinity in the whole New Testament, just as clear as the Christmas morning Gospel we’ll hear from John 1, where the Word was with God and the Word was God. It’s hard—impossible, really—to get around this verse. If Jesus weren’t God, then He should have rebuked Thomas for calling Him his God. Instead, He praised Thomas for his confession, although not for how he came to it.
“Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.” Now, for Thomas to confess Jesus to be his Lord and his God, that still required faith. What he saw with his eyes was a man whom he had seen dead and whom he then saw alive. Thomas didn’t have faith that Jesus rose from the dead. Faith is for those things we can’t see. He had faith in Jesus’ identity as God and in His authority as Lord. The things he saw in Jesus led him to believe the things he still couldn’t see.
But that’s not good enough for the billions of people who would never have the opportunity to see Jesus, people like you and I. We go about our earthly lives having never seen the Son of God, having never seen a true miracle of God, having never seen an angel. How are we supposed to believe in Jesus?
That’s the power of His word. It’s the word that brought Thomas to faith in the first place, that brought him to acknowledge that, yes, he was a wretched sinner, but that the unseen God loved him and had sent His Son into the world in a way he could see. And the Old Testament word of God brought Thomas and the other apostles to believe that, yes, this Jesus was the promised Messiah and their Savior from sin. Where Thomas fell, where Thomas failed, was in letting his eyes get the better of him, letting the word of Christ suddenly become meaningless when He told His disciples that He would rise from the dead. Thomas chose to stop listening to the Holy Spirit of God, chose to follow his own human reason rather than to believe the word of Jesus. That’s always a mistake.
It’s a mistake for us, too. More than that, it’s a sin. We have been convinced by the word of God that we are sinners. We have been called to repent and to believe in the God who has revealed Himself in Holy Scripture, the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to believe that He is who He says He is, has done what He says He has done, and will do what He says He will do. And, by God’s powerful working through His word, we have believed it. We have confessed it. We have begun to live it. Don’t let your eyes fail you now. Don’t let your human reason take over and ignore or disbelieve what God has said.
Instead, let the blessing of Jesus Himself rest upon you: Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed. And then consider how great the blessings are for those who believe! Paul mentioned just a few of them in the first lesson this evening. God has blessed us with every kind of spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And then he lists some of the greatest spiritual blessings: he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love; He predestined us for adoption into his own family through Jesus Christ, not according to any good thing we had done, but according to the good pleasure of his will, the same good pleasure or “goodwill” He had the angels announce to the world on the night of Jesus’ birth. Why? For the praise of his glorious grace, by which he has made us acceptable in the One he loves. It’s only in Christ, the beloved Son of God, that we are made acceptable in God’s sight. And we’re only “in Christ” through faith, not by seeing Him, but by believing in Him as our Savior and Redeemer.
None of that can be seen. It all has to be believed. And you ought to believe it, because God’s word says it’s true. You may have had some bad moments in your life when you didn’t believe everything God’s word had to say. But believe it now, so that you’re not defined by the bad moments, but by the faith that God’s Holy Spirit is working in you even now.
Speaking of those bad moments, while Thomas is known by many Christians around the world for his bad moment, for his doubts, or rather, for his temporary moment of unbelief in that week following Christ’s resurrection, that’s not how he’s known by the Christians in India. Because Thomas went forward in that good confession of Jesus Christ, his Lord and his God, and took the Gospel to India, where many Christians still give the name Thomas to their children, remembering, not Thomas’ worst moment, but the faith that came after that moment, the faith that led him away from his home in Israel to their country, where he preached the word of faith to those who lived in darkness and the shadow of death, with faith firm enough to face the executioner rather than to deny that Christ was the world’s Savior who had risen from the dead. May the Lord bless us all with the faith and perseverance of Thomas! Amen.
“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” (vss. 46-47)
Mary, in being the mother of our brother Jesus, is, in a sense, the mother of us all. Mary was not proud and puffed as she carried Christ-God in her womb. Instead she was awed by the grace of God shown to her. She made no claim to holiness, but rejoiced in God her Savior. Her joy was not that she had done great things, but that God has done great things for her. She knew she was not worthy. She knew she was a sinner. We do well, then to follow her example.
Like Mary, we too need a Savior. We, brothers and sisters of the One born of the Virgin, have nothing of which to boast in ourselves. We have not kept God’s Law. On the contrary, we break it daily. But God, according to His eternal promise made so long ago, is merciful and sent Jesus to live, die, and rise again for us. God could not die for us, nor could he live for us. But taking the human nature into Himself in Christ, He could live under God’s Law and die under God’s Law — and He did! Therefore Jesus is God our savior, having fulfilled God’s Law and having died to pay for our sin.
A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth, The guilt of sinners bearing
And, laden with the sins of earth, None else the burden sharing;
Goes patient on, grows weak and faint, To slaughter led without complaint
That spotless life to offer,
He bears the stripes, the wounds, the lies, The mockery, and yet replies,
“All this I gladly suffer.” (TLH 142, LSB 438)
Let us pray: Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Posted inDevotion|Comments Off on Each Day in the Word, Wednesday, December 21st
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
“And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” (vs. 41)
There are some who are quick to respond to the question, “When did Christ become man?” by saying, “When he was born.” But Christ Jesus was among us a full nine months before that, hidden from sight. Christ became man when He was conceived in the womb of the blessed virgin.
Every human being except Jesus is a condemned sinner while still inside their mother. Each one of us began as an enemy of God — not fearing, loving or trusting in God. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, Christ was with her—with her words. The effect of Christ’s presence with Mary was that the Baby inside of Elizabeth was stirred by those words. Since Christ Jesus is still present with His Word today, that word has creative power, and faithful Christian mothers do well to take their baby to church while still in the womb.
Adults are also affected by Christ’s presence in the Word. Elizabeth, whom we are told was among the faithful, was filled with the Holy Spirit at Mary’s words. She in turn spoke a blessing to Mary and told her of the things of God. Because Jesus is present with His Word, it has the power to create and increase faith. Thanks be to God!
Once He Came in Blessing, All our sins redressing;
Came in likeness lowly, Son of God most holy;
Bore the cross to save us; Hope and freedom gave us. (LSB 333)
Let us pray: Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Posted inDevotion|Comments Off on Each Day in the Word, Tuesday, December 20th
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (vs. 22-23)
The theology of the incarnation can be summarized in this way: The Holy Spirit by the will of the Father makes Christ present for us. Therefore we know that the holy triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is of one mind with regard to salvation. And we see Jesus present in an incarnate way (some call this “incarnationally”) not just in His birth in Bethlehem, but also in Word and Sacrament.
Jesus said the wealth of the whole world is not enough to buy a single soul out of God’s prison. He proclaimed, “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” The price of salvation is infinite; therefore only infinite God could pay the price. “God with us”means that our Savior-God gave His infinitely valuable blood in exchange for our souls. Because His blood has infinite value, it is valuable enough to pay for all souls. What will a man give for his soul? If he is of the one true faith he will give the precious blood of Christ, “…given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.”
O ye heights of heaven adore Him; Angel hosts, His praises sing.
Pow’rs, dominions, bow before Him And extol our God and King.
Let no tongue on earth be silent, Ev’ ry voice in concert ring
Evermore and evermore. (LSB 384)
Let us pray: Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Posted inDevotion|Comments Off on Each Day in the Word, Monday, December 19th
