Embrace the humility of Christ’s first Advent

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for Advent 1

Romans 13:11-14  +  Matthew 21:1-9

We enter the Advent season again this year with purple on the altar, and on the pulpit, and on the pastor—the three symbols of Christ in our midst, calling on us, through the preaching of His Word and the administration of His Sacraments, to wait for Christ’s advent, for His coming at the end of the age, with repentance. What does that mean? It means that we wait for the arrival of our King eagerly, but humbly, with no pride in ourselves, but with an honest evaluation of ourselves, an evaluation not made by human reason—“Am I decent person? I think so. I’m ready for Christ to return!” No, but an evaluation made according to God’s commandments revealed in His Word, and that’s assuming that you know His Word, that you know the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible and what God commands. “Do I love the Lord my God with all my heart? Do I love my neighbor as I love myself? Do I truly believe in Christ Jesus for forgiveness? Do I trust in Him to care for me as He has promised? Am I eager to hear and learn His Word? Am I concerned with putting love into practice? Am I letting concerns for this life push God out of my heart? Am I ready to suffer all things, even death, rather than deny or be unfaithful to my Lord and my God? Am I ready for Jesus to come right now?” These are important questions to ask, because, as Paul wrote in today’s Epistle, the night is almost over. The day is almost here. And we want to be found, we must be found living as children of the day and not as children of darkness. So let the purple remind you to be asking and answering those questions for yourself.

And let the purple also remind you that Christ is a King. Purple, in the Bible, is a royal color or, at least, a color that someone important would wear. Of course, during His earthly life, Jesus only wore it once, when the soldiers dressed Him in a purple robe to mock Him as a false King, just five days after the Palm Sunday ride into Jerusalem that you heard about in today’s Gospel.

And that is the great contrast between Christ’s first coming and His second coming. The first coming was as a humble King—one who didn’t come to bring judgment upon sinners, but who came to bring salvation to sinners; one who put up with mankind’s wickedness, to give people time to repent; one who allowed Himself to be mocked, ridiculed, spit upon, struck, bruised, pierced, and killed so that by His suffering and death He might make atonement for the sins of mankind. The second coming of Christ will be as a glorious King, who will bring judgment upon sinners, who will no longer put up with mankind’s wickedness, and who will bring those whom He saved here by faith into the perfect salvation of heaven.

Even though the people of Jerusalem didn’t understand all that as Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, they did recognize Him as their King. They did celebrate His coming, waving their palms and singing their Hosannas and their Psalms, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Those who wanted Him for a Savior from sin got what they wanted, while those who weren’t interested in that kind of Advent, who were unwilling to wait for Christ’s second Advent, didn’t miss out on a little thing. They missed out on the chance to be reconciled with God, to have Him as a Father, to have Christ as a Savior, to escape from death and hell and to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The same is true for people today. If you want Jesus for a Savior from sin, who allows you to stand before God forgiven and accepted, you have it! If you want Him for some other reason, if you celebrate Christmas for some other reason, if you’re in church for some other reason, then you will miss out on all the benefits Christ came to bring at His first Advent, and all the benefits He will come to bring at His second.

And there will be many! Those who trust in Christ for what He did at His first Advent have much to look forward to when He comes again. Then the King will not be meek or humble or lowly when He comes riding into His Church, which is the New Jerusalem. No, then He will come with power and great glory. No one will mock or oppress Him or His people ever again. No one will be allowed to cause suffering for Him or His people ever again. Then the King will come with power and great glory—glory that He will share with His saints. Then the King will finally bring justice to the world by ridding the world of all evil and of all evildoers and by recreating everything, with no devil, no sin, no troubles, no sorrow, no pain, no death.

Until then, we live in the age of Christ’s first Advent, which means that the Church on earth resembles Jesus as He was in His state of humiliation. Meek. Humble. Lowly. Subject to pain and suffering. Subject to death. But because of what Jesus accomplished at His first Advent, we also have the forgiveness of sins and peace with God and His promise to be with us and to strengthen us all the way up until Christ’s second Advent. And that’s no small thing. It’s what enables you to suffer here with patience, because you know that you who resemble Jesus in His humility will also resemble Him in His glory, on the day when He comes.

That day is not here, but, as we already noted, it’s almost here. The night is almost over; the day is almost here. So how shall we prepare to meet the Bridegroom? Paul tells us that, too. By taking off the deeds of darkness and by putting on the weapons of light. By clothing ourselves with Christ Himself. By behaving as children of heaven and not children of hell. One day we will rule over all things with Christ. For now, we serve everyone in love. In lowliness. In humility. Just as Christ came the first time in meekness and humility, with love for a world that hated Him for the sake of the few who, by His Spirit, would embrace Him.

Embrace Him now in your hearts. Embrace Him with repentance, with faith, and with zeal to imitate Him in His goodness, in His love, and in His humility. Embrace Christ in His humility, and embrace His Church in her humility, too. It’s all right to be small. It’s all right to be despised. It’s all right to be insignificant in the eyes of the world. Such must be the life of those who would truly imitate Christ Jesus in this world. But be prepared to meet the Lord at His second Advent, not to face another age of humility and suffering, but to enter an endless age of glory and of joy, with songs of Hosanna and a with a Psalm that is like a sigh of relief, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.

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Each Day in the Word, Sunday, November 27th

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Tom and Karen Klumb

Revelations 1:4-8

4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The Book of Revelation is a very deep book of God’s Holy Scripture, with many things to unpack when it comes to trying to understand it. The text assigned for today doesn’t fall short of containing such depth either. From St. John’s perspective, everything is seen from the heavenly view—and thus, Revelation is embedded with symbolic divine language.

Seven is a signifier of completeness or perfection, suggesting that the Book of Revelation was not just written for the seven congregations in Asia Minor, but rather, the book was written to the universal Church—including other small communities of faith that were in and around Asia Minor. While the language of Revelation does not resonate with today’s postmodern language, the letter was written to all believing Christians, and its ultimate message is “Be prepared!”

This falls perfectly in line within the threefold theme of Advent. Namely, Christ’s first coming (adventing) when taking on man’s flesh; Christ’s continued coming (adventing) through His Word and Sacraments; and His final coming (adventing) when He comes in glory. So, indeed, “Be prepared!” for Christ’s final advent on the Last Day! There really are no better words to prepare than those of God’s Holy Scripture: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

When working through His Word and Sacraments to keep the faith (that He created within you) fed and focused upon Jesus’ merits for you—prepared you are, indeed! Thanks be to God!

Let us pray: Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

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Each Day in the Word, Saturday, November 26th

Posted on November 26, 2022 by Tom and Karen Klumb

1 John 4:1-8

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

“We are of God” (v. 6). What brief yet beautiful statement of our identity in Christ Jesus! How do we know we are of God? Jesus tells the unbelieving Jews in John 8:47, “He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” Hearing God’s words spoken through His Son is what makes one “of God.” Hearing includes believing as Jesus says in John 5:24, “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life.” Being “of God” we hear the apostles’ teaching as well, since it was given to them by Christ. “He who knows God hears us,” John writes. Reading God’s Word given to us in Holy Scripture, hearing preaching that faithfully explains God’s Word, and meditating on God’s Word which we read and here is how the Holy Spirit creates faith in our hearts and makes us “of God.”

Those who are not “of God” are of the devil. They listen to the spirit of error which speaks through false prophets and antichrists. Being of the devil they listen to his word, though he dresses it up in scriptural sounding language as a wolf would don a sheepskin in order to deceive the flock. But being “of God” through faith in Christ, the children of God overcome the spirit of error. The children of God hear God’s Word and test every spirit—every teacher, book, article, video, sermon, and the like—according to the pure and clear words of Jesus and His apostles written in Holy Scripture. They overcome falsehoods and antichrists because the One who is in them—Christ—is greater than he who is in the world.

Those who are “of God” also love one another in the way God defines love (1 Cor. 13). Being “of God” by hearing and believing God’s love for them in Christ Jesus, they love their neighbors. Those who are born of God hear His Word, believe it, and in that faith see their neighbor through eyes of true Christian love.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, grant that we always hear Your word with believing hearts and grant that we, meditating on Your great love for us in Christ Jesus, may grow in love for one another. Amen.

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Each Day in the Word, Friday, November 25th

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Tom and Karen Klumb

1 John 3:19-24

9 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

“And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.” By what do we know we are of the truth? Verse 18 tells us. “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” Our love for others serves as a consolation and assurance to ourselves that we are of the truth, much in the same way our willingness to forgive those who sin against us is an external sign that God has forgiven us. We forgive others because God has graciously forgiven us. So it is with our love. We love others because God first loved us by sending His only-begotten Son in flesh to bear our sins and be our savior.

The love the apostle encourages is not just in word and tongue, but in deed and truth. St. Paul describes this love in 1 Corinthians13. Love love suffers long and is kind, does not envy, does not parade itself, isn’t puffed up, doesn’t behave rudely, doesn’t seek its own, isn’t provoked, thinks no evil, and rejoices in the truth.

But who loves like this all the time? Who doesn’t fall short of such love? Who loves all their neighbors as they love themselves at all times? The Christian’s love for others, like their love for God, is still incomplete in this life. We don’t always love as we should. When we do love our neighbor, how often is there more we could do for them to help them? If we honestly evaluate our love, we see it is—at best—incomplete.

So John writes, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” God forgives our lack of love and gives us new hearts that love others. He reminds us that our incomplete love for others is pleasing in His sight because it is done by faith in His Son. He gives us His Holy Spirit so that we might love others as we love ourselves. That love benefits them and serves as an external sign that we have received God’s love in the gospel.

Let us pray: Increase our faith, O Lord, so that as we grow in our appreciation for Your love for us we may grow in true love for those around us. Amen.

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Each Day in the Word, Thursday, November 24th

Posted on November 24, 2022 by Tom and Karen Klumb

John 3:1-12

3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

All who believe in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins are children of God. All believers look forward to the day Christ our elder brother is revealed—the day of His glorious appearing to judge the living the dead. For as much as Scripture doesn’t tell us about everlasting life, we know “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” On that day we will be made like Christ. The image of God which Adam and Eve lost for mankind—the true knowledge of God, righteousness, and holiness—will be entirely renewed. Looking forward to this completed restoration, the children of God purify themselves with the power the Holy Spirit gives.

The children of God purify themselves by abiding in Christ. Abiding in Christ by faith, they do not sin. This does not mean that the children of God never sin. It means they do not willfully sin. The children of God know and believe the gospel that Christ “was manifest to take away our sins.” Since Christ came to take away sins, those who have been born of God through Holy Baptism and faith practice righteousness each day even as Christ is righteous. If we choose to sin we willfully reject the rebirth God has worked in us and align ourselves with the devil who chose to sin from the beginning.

Children of God still have the sinful flesh with its wicked passions and evil desires, but they put these to death each by living in the gospel. They know that God forgives their sins for Jesus’ sake. They know they are righteous in God’s sight, covered with Jesus’ perfect righteousness. They also believe that the purpose the Son of God was manifested was “that He might destroy the works of the devil” in them. Jesus destroys the devil’s work in us, not by the coercion of the law, but by the gospel which reminds us each day that we are children of God, sins forgiven, and temples of of the Holy Spirit. As children of God we purify ourselves, resist temptation, and practice righteousness by loving one another.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, as You have made us Your children in Holy Baptism, grant that we may practice righteousness today in the joy of Your gospel. Amen.

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