The Gracious Invite

The Second Sunday In Advent

Matthew 3:1-12

In the name of Jesus.
The person who introduces the Kingdom of God in our Gospel text this morning is an incogrous spokesman. Instead of a polished speaker with a university degree in communications, he is a recluse, a hermit, really, who lives in the Judean desert and subsists on the food available in that inhospitable, barren wilderness, what some of us may consider bizarre, gross and unthinkably inedible.
His name is John the Baptizer, and he dresses strangely, disturbingly reminiscent of another sharp tongued prophet in the Old Testament: “What kind of man was he,” King Ahab asked his messengers, “who came to meet you and told you these things?” They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And the king said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” (2 Kings 1:7-8) He has few manners that ingratiate him to those who come near him. Rather, his message is blunt and uncompromising. But it is simple enough: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Simple enough, that is, for those who would listen. John’s message would sound confusing at first, but then St. Matthew tells us the reason for his message:
this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Preparea the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”

Many come forward and confessed their sins and were baptized by John. But not all. Somewhere in the fringe of the crowd there were the righteous ones, the ones who could not, would not believe that they needed to repent, much less be told by this shabby, smelly prophet of sorts what they ought to do, what God, he says, tells them to do. These were the Pharisees and the Sadducees, Israel’s religious leaders, responsible for the spiritual well being of God’s nation. But John knew who they were, and John knew their hearts, as well. And so he calls them “you brood of vipers!” And John proceeds to tell them what they most hate:
“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

What is John saying? Is he telling the fig tree to bear fruit? No. The tree will bear fruit whether we command it to bear fruit or not. John is saying that the Pharisees and Sadducees aren’t bearing fruit worthy of repentance NOT BECAUSE THEY AREN’T TRYING HARD ENOUGH, BUT BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT, simply because they would not repent. They would not accept the good and gracious invitation of the coming King, made through his herald, John.
And we smile and softly say, “stupid fools. See where that hard-headedness gets you.” And we would be right, of course, because we are stupid fools and hard-headed. We are, to say the least, recalcitrant people, and we defy God’s authority at every turn. We refuse to believe that we are guilty of the most grievous sin: unbelief. Unbelief in a good and gracious and forgiving God. That is why we are so unforgiving towards those who have sinned against us, or have made mistakes. That is why we think we are better than the fellow sitting in the pew beside us. Like the Pharisees and the Sadducees, we insistently think that we are Abraham’s children. That we are, by some human standard, better than others. But appealing to an authority like Abraham is useless when the King who will come to judge you is the King of all creation, yes, Abraham’s king, even! And so, like the Pharisees and Sadducees before us, we are undone, for we are as sinful as they were. We are as guilty as they were, and we deserve the same punishment for their hard-headedness for we too are hard-headed. We, too, are sinful.
And once more, we hear the prophet’s words: REPENT! FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND! But you must not take this as a stern command, but as an urgent appeal, a gentle and gracious invitation. You must hear this as Good News, and not Law. Why? Because the King has graciously acceeded to come to us poor, miserable sinners instead of us groveling at his feet, begging him for mercy in abject humiliation. The King has graciously turned his countenance upon us, and from the cross, we see not a frown of judgment, but a smile of forgiveness and grace. See, your King comes to you, lifted high upon a cross! The forgiveness he so graciously bestows upon the good for nothing thief he graciously bestows upon you also, for by the cross he is King! No merit or goodness will he accept from you, for he has decreed, by his death, that it is he who will do the giving. The King will give. The King will forgive. And this he does purely out of his livingkindness and grace.
And he gives us so much more than we can ever expect or repay! See! From the cross he gives you life, eternal life, by his death. He pronounces upon you his Word of forgiveness. His body broken, his blood shed he also gives to you, and you recieve grace and goodness and life! Your sins are forgiven – by the King who loved you and gave himself for you.
Beloved, through his herald John, the King graciously invites us to repent, not because we can, but because he will forgive. And he will forgive, because by the cross he is the King! This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

Left Behind (Forgiven!)

First Sunday In Advent

Matthew 24:36-44


Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
The season of Advent is always a time of anticipation, a time of preparation. Christmas is just around the corner and plans have to be made. Friends and relatives will be visiting, there will be Christmas parties left and right. There will be a lot of eating and drinking even as Christmas approaches. Oh, so many activities, not only in church, but also at home. Indeed, a lot of cooking and other preparations to be done. Well, at least we know what we are preparing for and when we’re supposed to be ready, huh.
Our text this morning, however, doesn’t quite have that happy, expectant tone. On the contrary, our text sounds gloomy, a harbinger of doom. What is all this talk anyway of not knowing when something or other will happen: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
But we are preparing for Jesus’ coming, aren’t we? Well, we’re preparing for something, but I doubt we’re preparing for the coming of the Lord. We are probably preparing to remember the birth of a cute little baby in a manger, all cozy and curled up in his little wooden cradle with some cute lambs, a cow or two, some people kneeling by his cradle; we’re probably getting ready to crank out the old familiar hymns: Away In A Manger, Silent Night, etc. And the malls are already blaring out Christmas music, which lagely goes unheard because people are busy doing their Christmas shopping and can’t be bothered right now. We are indeed preparing for something, but it isn’t for the coming of the Lord, the Son of Man, because the Son of Man himself says: No one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son. Could this be? Could we be very busy preparing for the wrong thing? Verse 38 seems to say so, for the Lord says that people will be busy doing everyday things: eating, drinking, marrying, giving away their children in marriage. But, you might say, there’s nothing wrong with these things. These are good things. And I agree. But the minute we make these things the focus of our lives, then they become bad things. The people in Noah’s day were taken unawares by the flood precisely because their focus were on these things. Exactly the things we focus on these days. And we simply describe these days as “the holiday rush.” What about church? Well, give a little, go once in a while; listen, but not too closely, especially when the pastor says we are bad. Well, why not give a listen to that preacher who says you can be a better you? Wouldn’t it be better to listen to Oprah? They have a way with words that make you feel good. Surely, their Christmas message is better.
And what about that verse that says one will be taken and one will be left? Brrr! Left behind! Who wants to be left behind? I bet that pastor who keeps talking that gloom and doom talk will be left behind. Wasn’t there a pastor who was left behind in those Left Behind novels? I bet he’d be one of them. Let’s not go to Grace Lutheran. Let’s go to that mega church in Lakewood. I bet that guy Osteen’s a better preacher. Dresses better, too, from what we’ve seen on TV.
Beloved, if this is what you’re thinking, listen: Osteen, Oprah, those Left Behind books? They’re right. They will be taken. Like the people who drowned in Noah’s time were taken – TAKEN BY THE FLOOD: “they were unaware until the flood came and took them all away.” Oh, beloved, the Greek is so clear, for the Greek word that Matthew uses means “take away”! And so it will also be for those who prepare for the wrong things, those people who do not prepare for the coming of the Son of Man. They, you, will be taken away unawares, which is to say, you will perish. Because you have failed to prepare for the Son of Man’s coming. Because you are sinful. The Lord himself tells us that even he doesn’t know when his return will be, so it’s futile to calculate the time of his coming, because no one knows, no one can know the time of his return – except the Father alone. And on the day of his return, be sure of this: he will not come to save. He will come to judge. Those who failed to prepare for his coming will be taken away – taken away from him and to everlasting fire. And those who have prepared, who have put their trust in his Word and Sacraments? Why, they will be left behind – with their Lord, who came to be with them!
Even now, even as you squirm uncomfortably in your seats, you know you have not prepared. You know that everything you have done, every preparation you have made were all exercises in futility. Nothing you could do could ever prepare you for the coming of the Son of Man, and like the people in Noah’s day, you will be taken by the flood of the wrath of the Son of Man.
And so, dearly beloved, run! Hide! Get away from the wrath of the Judge! Hide behind his cross, for just as the ark of Noah was a refuge for Noah and his family, so the cross of Christ is a refuge for you. Nothing can harm you if the cross is your refuge. No flood will take you, no accusation can harm you, because you have taken refuge in the cross of Christ, the cross upon which he died – for you! His death on the cross, his body broken and his blood shed on the cross are the things which will prepare you for his coming. Trust that his death has purchased you, redeemed you from sin, death and the devil. In his cross you will find safety from the wrath to come when the Son of Man comes like a thief in the night. True, the coming of the Son of Man will be unexpected, and everyone will be caught unawares, but one thing remains sure and will ever remain sure: we are safe in the refuge of the cross of Christ, who died to save us from that awful day of his coming. We may not be able to stand before the judge, but the Son of Man, the Eschaton himself will stand for us who have put their trust in his Word and his Sacraments.
His Word, which pronounces you clean from all sins; his Sacraments, which give you forgiveness and life. These things, Word and Sacrament, assure you that you will not be taken when that unexpected time comes. His Word and Sacraments will make sure that you will be left behind – to be with our Lord when he comes again in glory.
Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
And you are ready, and you will be left behind, because you have put your trust in his Word and Sacraments, because you have put your trust in Christ, who loved you, and gave himself for you. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

Martin Luther's Definition of Faith:

An excerpt from
"An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans,"
Luther's German Bible of 1522
by Martin Luther, 1483-1546
Translated by Rev. Robert E. Smith
from DR. MARTIN LUTHER'S VERMISCHTE DEUTSCHE SCHRIFTEN.
Johann K. Irmischer, ed. Vol. 63
(Erlangen: Heyder and Zimmer, 1854), pp.124-125. [EA 63:124-125]
August 1994

Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream
is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by
good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they
speak and hear much about faith. ``Faith is not enough,'' they
say, ``You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.''
They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working,
creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, ``I
believe.'' That is what they think true faith is. But, because
this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything
from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this
`faith,' either.

Instead, faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives
new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us
completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits,
our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with
it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this
faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't
stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone
asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without
ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an
unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good
works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are.
Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many
words.

Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of
God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.
Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy,
joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The
Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you
freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve
everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who
has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to
separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from
fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard
against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough
to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools.
Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without
faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.

Daughter's Smile

(for Kate)

I watch you, sweet daughter,
Sleeping, blissfully at peace,
Oblivious, like a cat napping,
To the world that surrounds you,
When suddenly, your eyelids
Flutter open, light, like butterfly wings
And you are awake.
And in that moment
Bound by eternity,
Unbordered by time,
Your eyes find me
And you smile.
I marvel at your smile,
So wondrously vivid,
Splendid, like lightning.
It is a beatific smile:
A smile ordained by heaven.

Father Ad Daughter

"I'm gonna watch you shine, gonna watch you grow,
I'll paint the signs so you'll always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father loves his daughter as much as I love you."
- Paul Simon, Father and Daughter

The Second Sunday After Epiphany

John 2:1-11

The Real Miracle At Cana


Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
I am sure no one among us here would want to experience what the newly weds at Cana experienced. It was a happy occasion, to be sure. The whole town was probably invited. Some of those invited were Mary, the mother of our Lord, the Lord Jesus and his desciples. The bride, or possibly, the groom, was a relative of theirs.
Like all marriages, the bride’s parents made sure that they were marrying off their daughter not only to the right man who had a job. They probably also wanted to make sure that the young bridegroom had a house wherein to shelter his bride, and that he had enough money to spend on a descent wedding reception, for to be lacking in food and drink is a very grave social sin in Jewish society. But that is exactly what happened at this particular marriage feast. But I don’t think anyone was remiss in the wedding preparations. The thing just happened. Most probably, thieves got hold of the wine that was ordered and made off with it.
But you will probably say, “Well, what’s to be done about it. Why don’t we just grin and bear it?” Not so simple. In Jewish society, to run out of wine is not only poor planning on the host’s part, it also implies a host’s lack of respect for his visitors. To the Jews, especially, wine was a gift from the Almighty and signified happiness and abundance. And Jews rarely drank water to chase down a meal. They preferred wine. Water, as we see in our text, was mainly used for washing, purification.
And what appears to be, to us, a simple problem, the lack of wine, was threatening not only the happy outcome of a wedding reception, it was also threatening the reputation of a young married couple about to start a new life.
And, looking at Mary, we see the picture of concern, trying to help the hapless couple out of a bad situation. But the problem was bigger, I think, than even Mary could handle. It wasn’t just a matter of a jug or two of wine short. And the wedding reception was probably held in the evening, after work, to ensure that all the invited guests could come. At any rate, buying wine seemed to be out of the question at the time. And so, Mary ran to her Son and simply told him the problem: “They have no wine.” Was Mary hoping that Jesus would perform a miracle so that a couple would not be put to shame? Possibly. But think for a moment: is this sort of problem worth a miracle from the King of kings, the Son of the Almighty?
And that seemed to be the thinking of the Son also, for he answered his mother: “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” And this answer seems to put Mary in her place, and so, she turns to the servants and tells them: “Do whatever he tells you.” And by this she meant that if Jesus were to tell the people to go home, because there was no more wine, then that is probably what would happen.
But Jesus doesn’t send the guests home. Instead, the Lord himself creates a solution to the big problem of the newly weds: out of six huge jars of water used not for drinking but for washing, the Lord creates wine. Not just wine, but lots of it – 115 liters, St. John says. And not just wine, if we go by the word of the governor of the feast, but good wine, delicious wine. Wine made by the Lord of heaven and earth, probably the same kind of wine they drank in heaven.
Interstingly, John does not call this event a miracle, but a sign. St. John tells us that “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee.” If what happened at Cana was a sign, then it points to a truth. And so, the bridegroom at Cana is but a sign of the TRUE BRIDEGROOM, Christ, and the bride at Cana is a sign of the true Bridegroom’s bride: the Church. The wedding at Cana is but a sign of the true wedding of the true Bridegroom and his Bride, Christ and the Church.
MALADY
But now, how then are we to understand the lack of wine at Cana? I would venture that the physical lack of wine is also a sign pointing to our spiritual lack. Like the wedding at Cana, no matter how hard or fervent we prepare, all our best efforts still come up short.
And isn’t it true that so many people today strive so mightily to reach heaven? Just look at the recently concluded feast day of the Black Nazarene at Quiapo. Not only thousands, but millions of Filipino Roman Catholics came to this feast, trying with all their might to get close, possibly touch the statue of the Black Nazarene. Millions of Filipino religious struggled to lay hold, even for an instant, the rope pulling the statue of the Black Nazarene. And for what? A devotee of the Black Nazarene told me last night that he hoped some of his sins would be wiped away by his efforts. Millions braved the crush of millions of people, the heat of the day, going barefoot, fervently hoping some of their sins would be forgiven by their efforts. But try as they might, all their efforts still amount to nithing. They may have been fervent in their preparations and prayers, a lot of them probably were decent people, but all this still means nothing. None of their efforts mean a ting.
And we are no better. Oh, we may not be ardent devotees of graven images, true, and we may abhor praying to the saints, even to Mary. We may not believe in indulgences or the mortification of the flesh. But so often, we also do not acknowledge and put our trust in God’s promises, in his Word. I am pretty certain that for many of us, the last time we held a bible and read from it was last Sunday. When was the last time we said to ourselves, “I am baptized”? Isn’t that the reason we put the baptismal font at the doors of our church? To remind us of our baptism, that we were saved by water and by God’s Word? When was the last time we rejoiced in our reception of the Lord’s true bod and blood at the Sacrament of the Altar?
Oh yes. To be sure, we have failed, like the couple at Cana. Like them we have failed in our preparations to receive the True Bridegroom. And whatever we do, the Lord will always tell us: “What have I to do with you?” All of our efforts are worthless. Our prayers, devotions, good works are all worthless. Because we are sinful.
GOSPEL
And yet, all is not lost, for the true Bridegroom takes pity on us poor sinners. The Lord comes to us and he says: “Give me the waters of your preparations, the waters of your efforts and good works, for these will not suffice. I will turn that into something else. I will turn that into wine, good, delicious wine to make you drunk with the happiness of heaven. My happiness. Ny heaven.” The true Bridegroom comes to our sinful world and takes the water of our rituals and empty preparations ang transforms it into the wine of gladness, the gladness of heaven. He went to Calvary and spilled, for us, the best wine of all: his precious, innocent blood, and he died for us, so that we who are dead in sin might have life from heaven, eternal life.
And from the true Bridegroom we recieve such priceless gifts: grace, forgiveness and life, through his life, given for the life of the world.
His Word brings happiness and hope for us. His Word gives us what we so desperately need: forgiveness. His Sacraments give us what we need: eternal life. It is indeed a miracle that the Lord would come down to earth to be like us so that, by his deat, we may become like him: holy, pure, and fellow heirs with him of his riches in heaven.
In the last verse of our text, St. John tells us that “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” And this is true even for us today. Through his Word, through his Sacraments, the Lord has manifested his glory. And through his Word and through his Sacraments, the Lord fills our empty cups with the wine of heaven, the wine of gladness, the true wine of the true Bridegroom which gives us grace, forgiveness and life. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

excerpts from Anne Rice's CHRIST THE LORD: THE ROAD TO CANA

“James stood regarding me with cold contempt, ready at any moment to erupt. My brothers were now grouped about, behind him. . .
I looked unwaveringly at James.
‘I am weary of you, my brother,’ I said. ‘In my heart, I’m weary.’
He narrowed his eyes. He was astonished.
My mother came back. She held a chest which was heavy for her to hold, and Mara and Esther assisted her as she brought it forward and set it down on the floor in front of us.
Decades it had been hidden away, this chest, ever since our return from Egypt. James had seen this chest. James knew what it was, but my own brothers never set eyes on it. . .It was a Persian chest, plated in gold and exquisitely decorated with curling vines and pomegranates. Even the handles of the chest were gold. . .
‘It’s never enough for you, is it, James!’ I said. My voice was low. I struggled against my anger. ‘Not the angels filling up the night skies over Bethlehem, not tghe shepherds who came through the stable door to tell my mother and father of the angels’ song, no, not enough for you. And not the magi themselves, the richly clad men from Persia who descended on the narrow streets of Bethlehem with their caravan, brought there by a star that lighted the very Heavens. Not enough for you! Not enough for you that you yourself saw these men put this chest at the foot of my cradle. No, not enough, never enough, no sign ever. Not the words of our blessed cousin Elizabeth, mother of John bar Zachariah, before she died – when she told us all the words spoken by her husband as he named his son, John. No, not enough. Not even the words of the prophets.’
I stopped. He was frightened. He backed away and my brothers shifted uneasily away from me.
I stepped forward and James stepped back again.
‘Well, you are my older brother,’ I said. ‘and you are the head of this family, and I owe you obedience, and I owe you patience. . .’”