christianity – Page 7 – From the Pulpit

Posted on December 25, 2023 by pastorkevinjud

SERMON TEXT BELOW

No Detour Ahead!

Vicar Matthew Kinne

Bible Readings: John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1:1-12; Isaiah 52:7–10

Most of my family is from Wisconsin. Up there we have a saying that there are only two seasons throughout the year. There is winter and then there is road construction season. It is quite frustrating when you are traveling to see friends or family and you come upon that unwanted sign saying, “Road Closed Ahead”. As much as the sign also says, “Follow Detour”, there is an unwanted, unsettling anxiety that builds up in every driver. What if the detour is not marked properly and I miss a turn? What if the detour takes me in the opposite direction of my destination? What if the detour adds over an hour of traveling and I do not get to my family Christmas reunion in time for Mom’s famous banana bread?

Detours can be frustrating, but they can also be necessary. Without planned detours, defects in the road cannot be avoided. Without proper signs, no one would know the dangers that lie ahead. Without proper instruction, no one would know how to turn around and follow the better path. Looking at it this way, detours can have a more promising outcome that outweighs their annoyances.

If a regular road closing seems annoying, imagine what patience it would require in order to travel a detour that takes many generations to get back on the course of God redeeming His people. For all the people in the Old Testament waiting for the Messiah to come, it probably seemed like God took many long and agonizing detours. Adam and Eve never saw the Messiah promised when God cursed the serpent in the garden. Genesis 3:15 (ESV) “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” All their descendants died in the great flood except for Noah and his family. Abraham never saw how many descendants he would have through Isaac, but as we can see in the Old Testament history of the children of Israel, God saves those from the line of Abraham repeatedly all the way down to Mary and Joseph. God saves Israel from the bondage in Egypt, brings them through the Red Sea waters, saves them from the hunger and thirst of living in the wilderness for forty years, and finally brings them to the promised land. God continued to guide His people even though they put their trust in earthly kings. After Babylon takes over Israel and spreads its citizens throughout the ancient world, God continues to send prophets to pave the way of the Lord.

The Old Testament tells of a long and twisted and tiresome road from Eden to the manger in Bethlehem. We hear about how God had to make so many detours because of man’s sin. Yet God made sure every detour led to the Christ child that first Christmas morning. He made sure that His promises were kept and that His plan to save all mankind would come into fruition.

Before Adam and Eve’s fall into sin there was only one straight path from God to His creation. Because sin entered our world, the pride of man made everyone blind to the truth that we need God’s grace to live. Sin cut off that narrow path to the Father, thus condemning everyone to a worthless life without God. Because this disease of imperfection is handed off from parents to children, the history of sin continues to repeat itself. That is, it continues to repeat until God intervenes by sending a baby in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

Since God is love, He has compassion on His creation. God establishes a way in which His children will know Him. He sent messengers, the prophets, to prepare the way of the Messiah. God sent these watchmen in the hopes that His people would hear His voice and follow it. But instead of waiting for Christ’s birth they follow the paths of the world and kill the prophets. If they did not honor the prophets, what will they do to God’s Son?

Today we celebrate Christmas, the incarnation of the Son of God. John 1:14 (ESV) “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This is the end of the detour! The Messiah has come! But the world does not listen to the warnings. They do not heed the signs. The world turns off the straight path to the Lord and seeks the wrong destination. Now it is up to God to reprogram everyone’s GPS to the correct destination. The Holy Spirit shows us the way. And what is that destination? It is the glory of Christ on the cross where He takes away the sin of the world. This cross is where He shines in our darkness so that we can also become Children of the Light.

Since God is love, He has compassion on His creation. God establishes a way in which His children will know Him. He sent messengers, the prophets, to prepare the way of the Messiah.

John the Baptist was the last sign on the detour pointing directly at this destination. He proclaimed the words of Isaiah saying, “prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God”. Since Israel was lost in their sinfulness, John taught repentance and baptism so that the nation of Israel was ready for the Kingdom of God. This kingdom was found in no other place but the body of Jesus Christ. God’s kingdom is not of this world, but it entered our world for our benefit.

The Word of God becomes flesh and dwells among us. He knows our world. He understands our pain, our frustration, and even temptations. But unlike all men born in sin, this Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He receives His flesh through Mary, but He receives His perfection by His divine nature as God. Therefore, He never sins once. He never gives into the detours and temptations of sin. His path is clear!

This Man was sent to start a new path, one that brings the whole world back to its Creator. This path was to fulfill all the words of the prophets in the Old Testament. He lived a perfect life. He healed the sick and the dying. He preached the ways of God in the temple and synagogues. But ultimately, He completed the covenant given to Abraham and fulfilled the promise made to Adam and Eve in the garden by shedding His blood in exchange for their sin and the sin of all their children.

But the path does not end there. He did die, but He did not stay dead. He is God. He was with the Father and the Holy Spirit before creation. Jesus is everlasting. Therefore, death cannot hold its grip on Him. He is the God of the living, and He gives everlasting life to you! He gives you His righteous life in your Baptism. In this Baptism, you are born of the Holy Spirit. This is the same person, the Holy Spirit who put life in Mary’s womb, who gives birth to new life in you in the baptismal font. This way before the Father in heaven, you are covered by Jesus’ righteousness. The sin you received from your parents has no effect on your eternal salvation. Jesus took the effects of death on Himself!

This new path we are walking is the path of the Baptized. Jesus leads us through this desert of a sinful world by His pillar of light. We are children of the light and need to comprehend that there is no detour ahead outside of Christ. Avoid the detour of thinking your good works will save you. Avoid the detour that because God will always forgive you, that you can keep on living in sin. These are deviations from the true path! Christ is the path and establishes where you can find Him. That is, you can find Him where sound teaching of the Word of God is preached and where His body and blood are offered to you for the continuous repentance and forgiveness of the many detours you take away from His light.

Christ is the straight and narrow path to the Father. He gives us eternal life in exchange for our detours from Him. He found us while we were lost. Through centuries of faithfulness and unfaithfulness God showed His frustrations by refining His people in the Old Testament by various trials. He even puts us to the test as a people who fall into the trap of sin, yet He locates us and turns us back in His direction. He shows us His path because He loves us and wants us to be allowed into His family reunion. When He comes back to be the judge, He will separate the evil doers—those who did not follow the straight path—from His children who were led by His light. He will again establish a new path, one that we will travel together for all eternity in the heavenly glory of our Father. We will never again be lost because we will always be with Him. His path is always straight and has no detours. He gives us the light that the world could never give, and we find that light in the newborn child, Jesus Christ. Amen!

Posted on December 25, 2023 by pastorkevinjud

Baby Jesus is Not Safe Jesus

WORSHIP VIDEO LINK

WORSHIP AUDIO LINK

SERMON AUDIO LINK

BULLETIN

SERMON TEXT BELOW

Christmas Eve 2023
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 24, 2023

Sermons online:
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org
Audio:                        pastorjud.podbean.com
itunes:                       bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:   bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

The little town is just bursting at the seams with all the visitors from out of town. Normally families need to plan for a big get together, but this huge family reunion is ordered by Caesar Augustus in Rome. Everyone must go to the place of their ancestry. All the descendants of King David are back in Bethlehem to be registered by the Romans. No one thinks registering is a good idea, but it is not wise to go against the Romans. And it will be nice to have generations of David’s family gathered together for a time.

Over the years, traditions have developed that Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn due to an evil innkeeper. Luke 2:7 (ESV) 7 And [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

The word for “inn” here, however, more likely means “guest room” and that Jesus was born in the family area at a relative’s house in Bethlehem and was laid in a manger where animals were brought in at night for safekeeping.

Imagine you are one of the relatives staying in the same house and witnessing all that is taking place. People keep arriving for the registration. The upper guest room is full and now the lower family area is packed. One couple, your cousin Joseph and his wife Mary, arrived from Nazareth 90 miles north. Mary is very pregnant and about to give birth. There will not be much privacy, but at least there will be plenty of help.

The time comes for Mary to give birth and everything goes as smoothly as giving birth can go. The baby is swaddled in strips of cloth and now a bed must be found. Since the guest room is full, one of the stone mangers is cleaned out and fresh straw is put in and the baby is laid on the straw to sleep. What a joyous event. Mary gives birth to her first born son and Joseph’s whole family is there to celebrate.

That evening, as things are winding down and people are starting to get ready for bed, there is a knock at the door. Who is this? Are we expecting more family? There really isn’t any more room, but something will be figured out. When the door is opened it is not family traveling from out of town, instead local shepherds are standing at the door. How strange. What are these guys doing here?

The shepherd in front says, “We have been all over town searching for the Savior, Christ the Lord. Is there a baby here wrapped up in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger?” An unnerving hush falls over everyone in the house. Whoa…..how did they know that?

The father of the house responds, “Yes, indeed, there is a baby here as you describe, but how could you possibly have known?”

“An angel appeared to us tonight in the field, glowing with the glory of God, scaring us half to death, and the angel said, “Luke 2:10–12 (ESV) 10 … “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” “The angels told us, and it is true. Here He is, the Savior; Christ the Lord.”

Mary and Joseph go over to talk to the shepherds by the door. Just then the baby wakes up and starts to fuss. You go over and pick Him up to comfort Him amidst all the excitement. You hold the baby Jesus in your arms and gently rock Him and try to quiet Him, “shhhh, shhhh, shhhh,” as Mary brings the shepherds over to see the baby.

Christmas is a hugely popular holiday for people from many different backgrounds. It is a fascinating phenomenon because Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation of God. We rejoice at God taking on human flesh and being born in Bethlehem. We celebrate the Son of God becoming Immanuel; God with us.

Non-Christians celebrate Christmas while rejecting Christ. A lot of folks who claim to be Christian but reject the teachings of Christianity, still love Christmas. There are many who get really offended by Jesus’ teachings, but then celebrate His birth.

I wonder if maybe folks think that “Christmas Jesus” is “safe Jesus.” A Jesus you can hold in your arms and shush; a Jesus who is not telling you to love your enemy, not telling you to forgive others, not warning you about lust and anger and greed, not teaching you about sin and forgiveness, not calling you to repent and take up your cross and follow Him, not telling you that He has to die for your sins. Christmas Jesus is just lying there, helpless, seemingly under your control. Baby Jesus seems like a safe Jesus.

For so many, Christmas has been reduced to nothing more than a sentimental holiday all about colored lights and trees and food and family and ugly sweaters and gifts and memories of Christmas’s past. It is a sentimental Christmas with a safe Jesus lying silently in the nativity scene not making anyone uncomfortable.

Now, baby Jesus is small, but he is not safe. His birth is announced by an army of angels and a star appears in the heavens to mark His arrival. From His infancy He brings division and death as the devil tries to kill Him. As C.S. Lewis says of Aslan the Lion, in the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Jesus is not safe, but He is good.

Jesus is not safe. He is the Savior. The little Lamb of God lying in a manger has come to defeat the devil by being the sacrifice for the sin of the world. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) 21 For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

You cannot shush Jesus because He is God and you are not. He is Lord and you are His servant. In the battle against the devil, the world and your own sinful nature, Jesus is in charge and yet He comes to serve you and save you and lay down His life for you. Jesus is the light who takes into Himself the darkness of your sin and pays the price on the cross. Afterwards, His Body is swaddled in cloth and laid on a stone slab. A safe Jesus would have stayed dead, but Jesus is not safe. He rises from the dead on the third day to conquer death forever. And because Jesus rose from the dead, you will rise from the dead. Thank God, Jesus is not safe.

The light of Christ comes into the world in the little town of Bethlehem. The light spreads from the manger in Bethlehem to those in the house and the shepherds and the magi, to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and Galilee and to the surrounding nations and out to the farthest reaches of the world. The light spreads from one person to another to another, generation after generation. The light of Christ has been on the move, spreading person to person for 2,000 years. The saving light of Christ has come to you.

The Advent wreath is all lit up tonight. The four candles for each of the Sundays of Advent and now the center Christ candle also. The Christ candle represents the light of Christ which comes into the world as the baby in Bethlehem. As we near the end of the service tonight I will take light from the Christ candle and share it with everyone here. As you receive the light, remember you are baptized. At your baptism you received Christ who is the light of the world. As we share the light from the Christ candle, picture the light of Jesus bringing light in the darkness throughout the centuries as it spreads all around the world.

Tonight you celebrate Christ’s arrival in Bethlehem. Tonight you rejoice in Jesus coming to be “God with you” to save you from your sins. Tonight you celebrate the birth of the Savior who is not safe, but is good. Merry Christmas! Amen.

Posted on December 10, 2023 by pastorkevinjud

Prepare for the Lord

WORSHIP VIDEO LINK (linked after 10:45 AM Service)

WORSHIP AUDIO LINK

SERMON AUDIO LINK

BULLETIN

SERMON TEXT BELOW

Advent 2 2023
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 10, 2023
Isaiah 40:1-11, 2 Peter 3:8-14, Mark 1:1-8

Before the judge enters his courtroom the bailiff, loudly, announces his arrival, “All rise. The Common Pleas Court of Butler County Ohio is now in session, the honorable Michael Oster Jr. presiding.” And everyone stands until the judge tells them to be seated. To be prepared for the judge is to rise.

In a scene from the Luther movie, the monk Martin Luther is visiting Rome and an announcement is made that Pope Julius II is riding down the street. Everyone kneels in preparation as the Pope rides by dressed in the golden armor of a knight.

In the Navy, if a senior officer is entering a room the first one to notice announces, “Attention on deck,” and everyone stands and salutes.

People need to be prepared when an important person arrives.

In our Gospel reading today John the Baptist is preparing the people for the arrival of the long promised Messiah, the Christ. God is arriving. God is arriving clothed in flesh to do a great work. The Christ’s arrival has been foretold in scripture, and not only His arrival, but but also the arrival of the one to prepare His way.

Mark 1:2–3 (ESV) 2 … “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ”

John the Baptist is God’s messenger preparing the way. For context, it is a dark time for the people of Israel. The 10 northern tribes were taken into exile in 722 BC by the Assyrians, never to return. The Southern Tribes are defeated by the Babylonians in 589 BC and many of them are taken into exile. The Jews begin to return to Judea in 538 BC and the rebuilt temple is finished in 516 BC. Israel is under the control of the Persians who defeated the Babylonians, and then under control of the Greeks who defeat the Persians in 332. The Jews rebel in 164 BC under Judas Maccabeus after the temple is desecrated by the Greeks sacrificing pigs on the altar to Zeus. The Jewish rebellion is successful and they retake Jerusalem. Hanukkah is established when one day of oil lasts eight days in the temple lights. The Roman Empire then rises to power and Pompey the Great conquers Jerusalem in 63 BC. Julius Caesar appoints Antipater to be Proconsul of Judea and manage the financial affairs. Antipater’s son Herod, gets in good with the right Roman authorities and through many political moves the Roman Senate declares Herod to be King of the Jews around 36 BC. Herod the Great rules for 37 years and is known for his colossal building projects including rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Herod is called king, but he answers to Caesar. At the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry the Romans have ruled Israel for 67 years with two of Herod’s sons and a Roman Governor now in charge. When will the Jewish people be free? They have been through so much for so many centuries. The Messiah has been promised, but it has been so long. There have been false Christs. Judas the Galilean starts a revolt against Rome around 6 AD and many think that he is the Messiah, but he is not. Will the Messiah ever come? The last prophet to preach of the coming Messiah is Malachi 400 years earlier. Malachi 4:5 (ESV) 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” When will the Messiah arrive? It has been 400 years of silence from the Lord.

And then out in the desert down by the Jordan River there is a voice crying in the wilderness. The great and awesome day of the Lord is near. John the Baptist is the new Elijah preparing the people. How do the people prepare? John proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. To be ready for Jesus is to admit you are sinner who needs forgiveness and submit to receiving forgiveness in John’s baptism. Mark 1:5 (ESV) 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” The Messiah is coming. And the one who is coming is so mighty that John is not worthy to stoop down and untie His sandals. Even though He does not look like it, John knows Jesus is God in human flesh. John is not worthy to even be near Him.

John is not worthy, but Jesus arrives in the very next verse to be baptized by John. Mark 1:10–11 (ESV) 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus has promised to be here with you today to forgive you your sins. How did we announce His arrival? You rose and I announced, “In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!” These are the words with which you were baptized and remind you that you are a baptized child of God as you begin worship. And then you knelt and acknowledged your status before God – you confessed that you are a sinner who is not worthy to be near to the Lord. And the Lord forgave you all your sins and is coming to you in Holy Communion.

Advent means arrival. During Advent we remember and celebrate Jesus’ threefold arrival. His arrival as the incarnate Son of God as a baby in Bethlehem, His coming each Sunday to you in His Body and Blood in Holy communion and His final coming on judgment day. Each week you prepare by remembering your baptism and confessing your sins and being forgiven. You prepare by rising for the reading of the Holy Gospel in honor of Christ. By preparing for Jesus’ arrival here each week you stay prepared for His third arrival when He comes again on the great and awesome day of the Lord.

It is an ongoing struggle. Your sinful, prideful self does not want to admit to being helpless to sin. You naturally want to believe you are good enough and you can do it yourself. By nature you want a do-it-yourself religion.

At John the Baptist’s time there were some who did not want to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. There are many today who do not want to submit to baptism and confession. It is a difficult thing to admit that you are a sinner. It is tough to confess that you are doing something wrong and you need to stop. To admit you are a sinner is to acknowledge that you are not good enough, that you are in bondage to sin and you cannot free yourself. To admit you are a sinner is to admit helplessness and being helpless is not a good feeling. It means you are vulnerable.

Picture each of your sins as a link in a chain and that chain is wrapped around you and locked with a big padlock. You can do nothing to free yourself from this bondage to sin and guilt. Jesus is the key that unlocks the lock and the chains fall off. You are in bondage to sin and Jesus is your savior so you cry out in despair, “Save me!” And Jesus saves you. To admit helplessness is to know that you cannot do it yourself and to know, if you are going to be saved, you need a savior. It is to admit you are poor in spirit. It is to be brutally honest that you are by nature sinful and unclean.

It is an ongoing struggle. Your sinful, prideful self does not want to admit to being helpless to sin. You naturally want to believe you are good enough and you can do it yourself. By nature you want a do-it-yourself religion.

A wise Lutheran Theologian, Francis Pieper, wrote in the 1950’s, “[there are] but two essentially different religions: The religion of the Law, that is, the endeavor to reconcile God through man’s own works, and the religion of the Gospel, that is, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” There is the religion of “do” and the religion of “done.”

The religion of “do” is your natural religion. It is the one that feels most comfortable. This is what makes the voice of one crying in the wilderness so radical. John calls for the people to repent — to turn away from sin and turn toward Jesus; to turn from a religion of “do” and receive the religion of “done.” Because it is such a natural fit, it is a great temptation for people and churches to give up on the religion of “done” and go back to the other religion of “what must I do?” The religion of “do” is a deception of the devil because you cannot do it.

The children of Israel went through the waters of the Jordan to enter the Promised Land after their exodus from Egypt. John the Baptist is having the people go into the waters of the Jordan to be forgiven and enter the Kingdom of Heaven; the reign and rule of God. In confession and absolution you return to your baptism to remember you are forgiven and are already under the reign of your Lord and Master, Jesus.

The Gospel of Mark is a compact, fast moving account of Jesus’ Gospel Ministry bringing the Good News. The first words are Mark 1:1 (ESV) 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Perhaps more literally, “The beginning of the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Gospel means Good News. What is the Good News? “It is finished.” Jesus has paid the price for your sin. He has unlocked the chains of your sin and guilt and set you free to love God and love your neighbor because He first loved you.

Mark writes in a very straightforward, concise manner. As Jesus begins His ministry after His baptism and temptation, Mark records Jesus summing up Christianity in one sentence. Mark 1:15 (ESV) 15 … “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Amen.