Posted on by pastorkevinjud

Arise, shine for your light has come

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Epiphany 2025
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud 
January 5, 2025
Is. 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12

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

Today we celebrate Epiphany one day early.  Epiphany, on January 6, commemorates the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem and marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas.

There are three mysteries in the story of the Magi.  First, what was the star?  What was this star which guided the Magi to Bethlehem?  There are several theories to explain the star of Bethlehem as a natural phenomenon.  Some people say that the star was a comet or meteor, because the text implies movement.  Matthew 2:9 (ESV) 9 … And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.”  But as a meteor or comet, this does not make any sense because this is not how comets and meteors behave.  They move quickly and do not stop over a place on earth.

Perhaps one of the best theories is that of Johann Kepler, a seventeenth-century German astronomer. Kepler was a Lutheran, who once studied to be a pastor.  In his work as an astronomer, Kepler found evidence to promote the ideas of Nicholas Copernicus, who proposed the earth, the moon and other planets revolve around the sun, not the sun, the moon and the planets revolving around the earth. Regarding the star of Bethlehem, Kepler proposed that it was an alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in the year of Jesus’ birth, to form a bright light in the heavens.  According to the symbolism of the ancient Middle East, Jupiter, the greatest of the planets, was the king of the planets.  Saturn was linked with the Jews.  Therefore, the alignment indicated the birth of the promised King of the Jews, that is, the Messiah.

Another alternative is that the star was indeed a miracle of God.  God can use natural phenomena, but He can also suspend natural laws.  What we do know from God’s Holy Scripture is that there was a star that guided the Magi to Jesus. 

The second mystery is the Magi, the Wise Men.  Who were they? What were they?  Only the Gospel according to St. Matthew speaks of the Magi.  Matthew 2:1 (ESV) 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem…”  In Christmas illustrations, there are always three Magi, because there were three gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh, but in the text we do not find a specific number.  The word, “magician”, is from the root of this word, Magi, which came to mean wise man.  The Magi were a caste of priests in Persia and Mesopotamia who were also students of the stars and medicine.  In time they became advisors to the kings of Persia and Mesopotamia, the countries to the east of Israel in the areas known today as Iran and Iraq. 

We find the word for Magi in the second chapter of the book of the prophet Daniel.  After Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the king made him governor of the whole province of Babylon, and prince of the governors over all the wise men; the magi of Babylon.  Because of Daniel and the captivity of the Jews in Babylon, the Magi may have known something of the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, and therefore, traveled to Bethlehem to worship the Christ Child.

The Baby Jesus Himself is the third mystery in the story. The Magi found Him in a house in Bethlehem sometime after His birth.  Contrary to many nativity scenes the Magi almost certainly did not arrive to worship the infant Jesus the same night as the shepherds.  A choir of angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds.  The baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger is the sign for the shepherds, while the star was the sign for the Magi. The trip of the Magi to Bethlehem may have lasted more than a year.

The Magi came first to Jerusalem, where they asked, Matthew 2:2 (ESV) 2 …“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Going to Jerusalem to ask about the new king was not a particularly wise move because there was already a king in Jerusalem; Herod the Great.  Matthew 2:3-8 (ESV) 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”

But, this was, of course, a lie; Herod had no intention to worship the Christ Child.  His plan was to kill Jesus to protect his throne.  The Magi did not return to Herod because they were warned by an angel and this made Herod furious.  Herod knew that Bethlehem was the town where the Child Jesus was born, but he did not know which child…in which house.  Therefore, Herod ordered the slaughter of all the boys in Bethlehem two years of age and younger.  We remember this event each year on December 28, the Day of the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents.

The greatest mystery in this account of the Magi, and the greatest mystery of all is the Child who avoided King Herod’s sword.  He is the Word made flesh that lived among us. As St. John says in his Gospel, John 1:1-3 (ESV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:14 (ESV) 14 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.”

The Word was made flesh, born of the Virgin Mary.  He grew up as the son of Mary and Joseph.  He was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist and began His public ministry; teaching and healing and driving out demons.  He sacrificed Himself on the cross and was resurrected the third day. We are all sinners and cannot justify ourselves before God, but we have the promise of eternal life because of Jesus Christ; the Word made flesh.

How was the eternal Son of God made flesh? We do not understand this mystery.  The greatest mystery is also the most precious gift for us. 

When the Magi found Jesus they offered Him gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.  The value of gold is obvious.  It was a gift fit for a king.  Incense was burned for its fragrance in the presence of a king, also in the temple in the worship of God.  So, the incense was a gift for a king, also for a priest.  We believe in Jesus as King of kings and our great High Priest in heaven, the only Mediator between God and men.  Myrrh was used as oil to anoint kings, prophets and priests, also to prepare dead bodies for burial.  Nicodemus brought 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial after His crucifixion.  Myrrh from the Magi is a glimpse forward to the cross and tomb.

The most precious gift of all is the Child Jesus Himself who brings to you God’s forgiveness and eternal life. Not only just for you, but for all people.

Epiphany means manifestation; the manifestation of God in Christ.  The visit of the Magi was the first manifestation of the Savior to all nations.  The Magi were foreigners; Gentiles; they were not men of Israel.  We see with the Magi that the Savior’s promise is for all nations. 

Jesus came first to the Jews, according to the promise that God made to Abraham and the patriarchs. But after his resurrection, He sent his church to proclaim the gospel to all parts of the world.  St. Paul says in our epistle, Ephesians 3:6-10 (ESV) 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

The manifold wisdom of God in Christ Jesus has been made known to us Gentiles and like all those who have received new life in baptism, we are the church.  As the Church, we bring this wisdom of God in Christ to others. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we talk with our family and neighbors about the great mysteries of Christ and all He has done for us.  This baby in Bethlehem, worshipped by the Magi, hunted by the King, is the Word made flesh.  He is God incarnate who has come to be the sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world.  He is the one who sets you free from your sins.  Jesus is the greatest mystery; the greatest gift of all.  He is God in flesh made manifest to the world; beginning with the mysterious Magi from the East and continuing today, here and throughout this nation and the world.  Amen. 

Posted on by pastorkevinjud

The Lord returns to the Temple

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Christmas 1 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 29, 2024
Exodus 13:1-3a, 11-15, Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:22-40

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

            Herod the Great expanded the temple mount, doubling its size to a magnificent 36 acres above the rest of the city.  The temple atop the mount was refurbished and expanded and is now the visual focus of the whole city of Jerusalem with the pinnacles soaring 150 feet up from the top of the mount.  The temple and its plateau mount are a bustling center of activity bringing in people from all over. 

Jews come to worship and pray and bring sacrifices.  Gentiles can come up onto the mount, but not inside the temple. Jewish women can come inside the women’s courtyard to pray and watch sacrifices in the inner courts through the passageways.  It is a constant bustle of activity with so many people coming and going — bringing sacrifices and offerings. 

There are those who come to the temple to fulfill Jewish laws and rituals and there are those who are at the temple waiting for Israel to be redeemed. 

Anna is a prophetess who stays at the temple.  That day Anna sits off to the side in the women’s courtyard watching all the comings and goings.  Anna is an elderly widow who worships with fasting and prayer day and night at the temple. Her eyes are growing weak but she still watches all that happens.  She is waiting for the redemption of Israel; she is waiting for the Christ to come. It is winter and she pulls a shawl close over head and shoulders against the chill.  As she adjusts her shawl, just then she sees it.

Her eyesight is not so great but she can recognize Simeon easily as he sits across the way keeping an eye on the gate.  Simeon is also a fixture at the temple and is waiting for the Christ to arrive. It is said that the Holy Spirit has revealed to him that he will not die before he has seen the Lord’s Christ. 

Simeon quickly stands up and is suddenly on the move.  Anna struggles to follow him with her eyes as Simeon zig zags deliberately through the crowd towards a destination Anna cannot see.  She gets up and tries to follow, but she loses sight of him in the crowd so she squints and scans the mass of people. Simeon emerges from the throng moving towards the Beautiful Gate on the Eastern side of the Temple.  Simeon approaches a young couple.  The woman is carrying a baby and the man holds a small cage with two birds.  They must be coming for her purification and the baby’s redemption.  With the help of a walking stick Anna continues towards Simeon and the family as fast as her 84-year-old legs will move.  She keeps her eyes on the small group as she walks.  Simeon marvels at the young family and then takes the baby up in his arms and looks heavenward.  He begins to speak and Anna is now close enough to hear, Luke 2:29–32 (ESV) 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” 

Could this really be the one?  Is this little baby in Simeon’s arms really the Lord’s Christ?  Simeon declares his eyes are open to God’s salvation.  Simeon proclaims that this baby has come for Israel, but also to open the eyes of the Gentiles. 

600 years earlier, the prophet Ezekiel had a vision of the glory of the Lord departing from the Temple — no longer confined to the Temple and the Holy of Holies.  Ezekiel also prophesies that the glory of the Lord will return to the temple one day. Simeon and Anna are seeing the fulfillment of that prophesy before their eyes. Others are around, but are unaware of what is happening.  The Glory of the Lord has returned to the Temple as a tiny baby boy. 

The boy’s mother and father marvel at what Simeon is saying.  For them it is one more confirmation of what was told them by angels 10 months before.  Luke 1:31 (ESV) 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.  Luke 1:35 (ESV) 35 … “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” 

Simeon blesses the three of them and then addresses the baby’s mother with a troubling warning.  Luke 2:34–35 (ESV) 34 … “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 

The sword of the Christ’s revelation will go through Israel bringing great opposition and revealing hidden evil.  You would not think that the bringer of salvation would cause such trouble and conflict, but He will.  The darkness rebels against the light.  The Christ has come as a light to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel, but He will face constant opposition and danger.  He will be arrested, tortured and executed on a cross in order to silence Him from bringing the Good News of salvation.  Despite all they will do to him the Christ will rise from the dead and ascend into heaven and send the Holy Spirit upon His followers.  They will continue to spread the Good News of Salvation in Jesus of Nazareth despite opposition and danger and even death. 

This is a dark and troubling warning.  This baby, the Lord’s Christ, will bring trouble.  The shepherds were given a sign of a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.  The second sign is that the child is destined to be spoken against.

The shepherds received the announcement about the Christ from the angels, sought Him out, and then spread the good news of the birth of the King.  Anna receives the message about the Christ from Simeon; she gives thanks and spreads the message of the Song of Simeon to all who are waiting for the redemption of Israel. 

Her pregnancy with Jesus was announced by angels to Mary and Joseph.  Elizabeth and unborn John the Baptist recognize the Good News upon Mary’s visit.  On the night of Jesus’ birth, shepherds receive the announcement from an army of angels, and now 40 days later Mary and Joseph get additional confirmation from Simeon and Anna as to the identity of their child. 

Jesus is the Christ, but life for Jesus will not be an easy life.  He will reveal the evil intent of many who pretend to be religious leaders.  There will be those who want to silence Him; kill Him. 

Life as a follower of Jesus is not the promise of an easy life.  Still today, Jesus brings opposition from a world that pretends to follow God but has evil intents.  As followers of Jesus we continue to learn how to live together in the face of this opposition and evil.  In his letter to the Colossians St. Paul instructs us how to live with one another with all the ongoing temptations and distractions and false teaching. Colossians 3:12–13 (ESV) 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” 

There is such a tremendous temptation to let impatience and anger and pride destroy relationships.  This is dangerous in families and it is especially dangerous in the Church; Christ’s body on earth.  The Church is where the truth of God’s Good News is proclaimed and people are set free from the curse of sin, death and the devil, and the evil one wants it to stop. This gathering together of believers is your source of comfort and support on the difficult journey of life. So… Colossians 3:14–15 (ESV) 14 … above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” 

What a great picture of getting ready each day by putting on, like clothing, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and above all these…love. Christ is born.  Jesus, YHWH saves, has come to be God with us.  So each day, as a baptized child of God, start your day by putting on your Christmas best, your Christian best, to live in the love and light of Christ; to live as the love and light of Christ in a dark world that wants to silence Jesus. 

            And each week, as you receive the body and blood of Jesus…as you hold the body of Christ in your hand like Simeon did at the temple so many years ago…know that as a child of Christ… as the Lord’s servant…you are ready to depart in peace.

Your eyes have been opened to know that Jesus has given you the gift of salvation for the Last Day.  You have peace with God.  And so, like Anna, you thank God and speak of Him to all who are waiting for Jesus to return. Amen. 

Posted on by pastorkevinjud

Why is this granted to me?

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Advent 4 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 22, 2024
Micah 5:2-5a, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-56

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

            When Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, was pregnant with George, who knew about it?  Quite possibly, most of the world.  In March 2013, People Magazine had a picture of the princess on the cover, “Pregnant Princess Diaries, How Kate’s getting ready, cravings, clothes, baby names. All about the royal birth countdown. The princess is pregnant with possibly the future king and most of the world knows about it.

            Mary is pregnant with the King.  The King of the Universe is growing inside the womb of Mary. This news will rock the world. This is not just the king of England. This is the King of everything.  This is the biggest news of all time.  God is incarnate.  God is in flesh.  The Son is coming to be God with us; Immanuel.  This is the most important birth to ever have occurred up until that time and even until today.  This is huge. Who knows about it?  Is this big news in Israel?  Is word spreading throughout the world?  Are there reporters asking Mary about her cravings, clothes and baby names?  Not at all. Who knows about Mary’s miraculous pregnancy?  The people in Nazareth will soon know Mary is pregnant, but not who the baby is; they will not understand the significance.  Mary knows because it was revealed to her by the Angel Gabriel.  Joseph knows because it was revealed to him by an angel in a dream. Mary and Joseph know, and that is it. Two people know who this baby is. 

            After letting the Virgin Mary know that she was going to become pregnant from the Holy Spirit, Gabriel gave Mary some evidence that what he was saying was true.  Gabriel told her that her… Luke 1:36–37 (ESV) 36 … behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”  

            Mary declared to Gabriel…Luke 1:38 (ESV) 38 “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

After the angel leaves, Mary’s head must just be spinning.  She said, “let it be to me according to your word,” but what does it all mean?  What is going to happen now?  Was the angel and his message real or did she have a hallucination.  The angel said Elizabeth is pregnant.  That is impossible.  Elizabeth has never been able to have children and now she is an old woman. But nothing is impossible with God. 

            Mary leaves Nazareth to go to visit Elizabeth in the hill country of Judah.  Luke 1:40 (ESV) 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.”  Coming for a visit, one relative greets another who is visibly pregnant; a very normal occurrence.  On the surface everything is normal…well not really normal.  As you zoom in on this scene you notice Elizabeth’s face is the face of an old woman — wrinkled and sagging from years of toil and life.  Her face is wrinkled, but her belly is swollen, six months pregnant. When Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting, the baby leaps in her womb.  After conceiving John, Elizabeth kept herself hidden for five months and has just now come out of hiding.  She is an elderly woman who is six months pregnant.  What kind of sidewise looks is she getting from others?  She is experiencing a miracle of God and the people are likely trying to explain it away.  Elizabeth is experiencing a miracle of God and so is her relative Mary. 

            We do not know what Mary’s greeting was.  Was it just, “Shalom Elizabeth!” or did Mary explain what was happening.  Had Elizabeth already somehow heard Mary was pregnant with the Son of God, does Mary tell her, or is this revealed to her by the Holy Spirit?  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, unborn John the Baptist recognizes embryonic baby Jesus, the Savior of the world.  In any case, now we know that the number of people who know about Mary being pregnant with the Son of God has doubled.  Luke 1:42 (ESV) 42 and [Elizabeth] exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”  All of these amazing things are going on, but it is all hidden.  If you were watching you would just see two women talking.  The glory of God is hidden. 

            Elizabeth then questions Mary, Luke 1:43 (ESV) 43 … why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  Elizabeth declares that she is not worthy.  Now, Elizabeth has a higher social standing than Mary.  Elizabeth is old and respected, Mary is young and unproven. Elizabeth is married to a priest, Mary is married to a carpenter.  Elizabeth is 6 months pregnant with a miracle baby who will be a prophet of God.  Mary is pregnant with God and Elizabeth knows it.  “Why is this granted to me?”

            Elizabeth has a humble joy.  She rejoices at Jesus’ presence, but she knows she does not deserve it.  She knows she does not deserve to be in the presence of God and yet He is here with her, yet in such a hidden, humble way.  To look at this scene you would only see a young woman and an old, pregnant woman. It is strange that an old woman is pregnant, but you would never know the Messiah is present unless someone tells you, or the Holy Spirit reveals it to you. 

            God comes to Elizabeth in her barren emptiness and causes her to conceive and be pregnant with John the Baptist.  God comes to visit Elizabeth in the form of a divine embryo growing inside of Mary.  God is present — but God is hidden.        It is such a sharp contrast.  God has come to earth in human flesh, but He has come in the most humble way.  And He still comes to humble people in humble places.

            And this is earth shattering.  This turns on its head all of what we are told about the ways of the world.  Jesus comes not for the rich and powerful; the influencers, the movers and shakers of life who think they have it all together. Jesus comes to the downtrodden and desperate.  Adult Jesus gets in big trouble with the religious leaders because He eats with tax collectors and sinners.  Jesus comes for people who need forgiveness.  Jesus comes to those who are not worthy; those who do not deserve His presence.  Jesus comes into the quiet, hidden places of our lives to bring the Good News of forgiveness of sins. 

            Jesus’ ministry was marked by humility.  He was a homeless, travelling teacher.  He walked from town to town with a ragtag entourage of disciples.  He did miracles, but until the raising Lazarus outside Jerusalem, He did the miracles in quiet ways without a big show.  Jesus came in humble power.  He is God with us, but you would not know it by looking.  Jesus does much of his ministry in unexpected places with unexpected people.  In Galilee He works around the edges of the Jewish land.  He goes to foreigners and Samaritans.  He teaches.  He heals. He feeds.  He brings the bread of life and living water in His words. 

You can start to believe that Jesus is only for those who have life altogether, but that is a lie of the evil one.  Jesus is God in flesh, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and Jesus is your humble servant who takes your sin upon Himself. 

            Jesus comes to you on the edges of life.  When you are hurting, Jesus is there.  When you are sick or injured.  When you are in the hospital and the sleepless night drags on. When you are growing ever weaker and death draws near.  When you are lonely…even in a room full of people.  When you are confined to nursing center — trapped by your own body’s inability. When you are in prison.  When you are grieving the death of a loved one.  When you are hurting because of division and discord in your family.  When you are caught between being a child and an adult and you start to wonder, who am I? When you are hurting because you have again committed that same stupid sin that you promised never to do again. When you are anxious and afraid.  Jesus comes to you on the edges of life when you are hurting.  Jesus comes to you to bring words of hope and healing.  He gives you the peace of God which surrounds you even on the edges. He brings you the forgiveness He earned on the cross.  In the valley of the shadow of death, He brings you eternal life. 

            You can start to believe that Jesus is only for those who have life altogether, but that is a lie of the evil one.  Jesus is God in flesh, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and Jesus is your humble servant who takes your sin upon Himself. 

            Jesus comes to you on the edges — hidden in water – in words – in bread and wine.  You cannot see Jesus in these forms, but He is there.  He is hidden and still powerful.  Hidden, but delivering His promises.  Hidden, but still able to forgive all your sins and give to you the incomprehensible peace of God to guard your hearts and minds. 

            At first only two people knew about Jesus, then four, and then more and more.  Now the news has travelled around the world.  Sadly, many refuse to believe the Good News is for them.  Jesus is not the Savior that people expect; He is not the Savior that they are looking for.  They are looking for a Savior to do things their way.  But God’s ways are not our ways.  The Good News of Jesus’ forgiveness is still spreading, and Jesus still comes in humble, hidden ways to hurting, anxious people; that is His way.  Amen. 

Posted on by pastorkevinjud

The Main Ingredient in your Advent Soup

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Advent 1 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 1, 2024
Jeremiah 33:14–16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 19:28-40

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

            Today is December 1.  You are at the starting line of a very busy month.  There are just so many things to get done before the 25th.  If December was a pot of soup it would be overflowing onto the stovetop.  So many ingredients get added to this December advent soup.  So many different things get mixed together that there is a danger of losing the flavor of the main ingredient.

            This is a busy time in the church and in life in general. Retailers try to make big money before December 25th so they try to start the Christmas season earlier and earlier each year to get people to buy more and more.

            Christmas decorations seem to go up sooner each year. Now, just after Halloween, many folks begin the celebration of this season of lights by draping houses and bushes with hundreds…thousands of twinkling lights and yards are full of Christmas inflatables.  Christmas trees are decorated and wreaths are hung.  A Cincinnati Christian music radio station started to play Christmas music on Reformation Day.  There is a tremendous wave of early Christmas cheer that is difficult to resist, but I do wonder if we are a little premature in our celebrations.  Advent is, after all, a season of waiting…of anticipation. 

A lot of this early celebrating is a fairly recent phenomenon.  It was not that long ago that Christmas trees did not go up until Christmas Eve. 

Now, retailers want to make more money so they start earlier and earlier, but I wonder if there is something else behind society’s desire to extend the Christmas season.  I wonder if folks are trying to find meaning and joy in the lights and the decorations and presents and traditions and memories rather than finding joy and meaning in Jesus coming to be Immanuel; God with us.  Is it possible that people have made Christmas celebrations so complex and extravagant that Christ gets obscured and forgotten?  All of the busyness of Christmas preparations can be overwhelming as we skip over the anticipation of Advent and try to celebrate Christmas for the whole month of December.

            For adults, December can seem like the shortest month of the year with all the preparations; cookies to bake, presents to buy, parties to attend, cards to write and on and on.  The joyful anticipation can be tarnished by fatigue and guilt that their Christmas celebration won’t be just perfect.

            For children, December can seem like the longest month as they await Christmas day and the presents.  School days just drag on.  Joyful anticipation of Jesus’ birth can get tainted by a case of the “I wants” and the “Gimmes”. 

            As we add so many ingredients to the mix, this season of Advent becomes a complex soup.  So many things blended together; so many ingredients competing for your attention. This first Sunday in Advent I encourage you…keep Jesus as the main ingredient.

The word, Advent, means the coming or arrival of something awaited and momentous. Advent is a season of anticipation of the arrival of Jesus Christ.  Advent isn’t easy.  We are an impatient people and Advent is a season of waiting.  Advent is a season of waiting and waiting is hard. 

December can be so exhausting that by the time we get to the 25th, we are already tired of Christmas.  This year, let us all set aside some time each day to rediscover the sense of Advent waiting and anticipation of the arrival of Jesus Christ. Let us keep Jesus as the main ingredient in our advent soup with thoughts of Jesus first arrival 2,000 years ago and looking forward to Jesus’ second coming.  If you are able, gather each Wednesday at 6:15 PM for some homemade advent soup before our Evening Prayer service.  Pick up an advent devotional booklet to read as a family each day.  Maybe read the 24 chapters of the Gospel of Luke one per day in the days of Advent. Keep Jesus and His first arrival and His promise to return the focus of your advent.

            During this time of year look forward to the celebration of Jesus, the son of God, breaking in on the world and coming in flesh as a baby born to Mary in Bethlehem.  That baby is God in flesh, God with us; Immanuel.  Look forward to the celebration of the incarnation; God becoming flesh and dwelling among us as the Lamb of God come to take away the sins of the world. 

Also ponder Jesus coming again in glory on the last day; the judgment day. Look forward to the day when he will break through into our world in overwhelming glory and power and destroy evil and restore peace and righteousness. 

Christmas images can seem sweet and heartwarming as you picture baby Jesus asleep on the hay, while Jesus’ return in glory and judgment can be more troubling. Jesus’ return comes with a sense of anxiety and fear.  You struggle with sin, and for sinners, Jesus’ return is unsettling.  “What if I’m not ready?  What if I am caught in the midst of some sin?”  As a poor, miserable sinner, it is hard to look forward to Jesus’ return.  So, the season of Advent is also a penitential season; a time of the year, much like Lent, of self-examination when you sorrow over your sins and look for salvation in Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, born in Bethlehem, the city of David. 

The Christmas story can seem to be all sweet and wonderful, but Jesus’ first arrival as the baby in Bethlehem is actually full of hints of what is to come for Jesus.  Jesus comes as the sacrifice for sin.  The baby swaddled in a stone manger foreshadows a crucified Jesus wrapped in a shroud lying in a stone tomb.  There is a gift of myrrh — a burial spice.  There is Herod the Great trying to kill Jesus.  Herod’s successor, Pilate, accomplishes the task.  Jesus comes to be the once-for-all sacrifice for sins; your sin and mine.  Advent is a time to reflect on our sin and heed John the Baptist’s call to, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Advent indeed is a complex season.  It is a mix of memories and decorations and sadness and generosity and joy and anticipation. As all the elements of the season mix together keep Jesus as the main ingredient. 

            During the reading of the lessons you may have wondered, “we are in Advent, why the Palm Sunday reading?”  This is a traditional reading for the first Sunday in Advent.  The events of Palm Sunday help us consider Jesus’ arrival. The folks in Jerusalem that day look forward to Jesus entering the city. They hear he is coming and they get ready. They gather and wait; they have been waiting a long time for the Messiah and he is almost here.  They can see him coming down the Mount of Olives. The king is coming!

            The people cry out, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in Heaven and glory.”  From the Gospel of Matthew we know they also shouted, “Hosanna in the highest!” 

            The Lord Jesus is right there with them riding on His donkey and they cry out to him, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  The Lord is right there with them.

            You sing the same words.  You will sing them today in the Sanctus.  “Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord!”  And why do you sing these Palm Sunday words?  You sing them because Jesus is right here with you today in sacrament of Holy Communion.  Jesus said, “This is my body, this is my blood.”  He comes to you in these veiled forms to strengthen and preserve you until the time when he comes again.  As you sing out with those lining the streets of Jerusalem you know Jesus is present with you today and you look forward to Jesus coming again in victory.

            That Palm Sunday Jesus rides the donkey colt down the Mount of Olives.  Forty-seven days later he will be back up on the Mount and ascend into heaven with his disciples watching.  After He ascends, angels of the Lord appear and tell the disciples, Acts 1:11 (ESV) 11 … “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

            Jesus will return.  Not like he came the first time as a humble infant wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.  He will return.  Not in humility riding a donkey of peace.  He will return.  Not veiled under bread and wine, water and the Word.  He will return in full glory and he will conquer evil once and for all. 

            So now you wait. You wait for Christmas when you celebrate Jesus’ first coming, and you wait for Jesus to come again to restore all things.  This advent season is a time of waiting.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.  Amen

Posted on by pastorkevinjud

Arise, Shine, Your Light Has Come

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Epiphany (Observed) 2023
January 7, 2023
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12

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

            Are people by nature, good or evil?  Are folks naturally selfless, or selfish?  What about you?

            We would like to believe that if we were left alone to live together everything would be fine.  We would like to believe that people are, by nature, good, and that people would naturally share with each other, help each other, and love each other. 

            This is some of the foundation behind the ideas of communism.  What a wonderful place this world would be if everyone worked together for the common good. Each person contributes according to their ability and everyone shares equally in the fruits of the labor; a worker’s paradise. 

            But there is a flaw in the system.  Communist governments have to maintain brutal control over the people and ruthlessly squash any dissent.  It turns out that collective farms and factories do not produce as much as individually owned farms and factories.  What is the problem?

            Children sometimes fantasize about how great it would be if kids ran everything; families, schools and government.  Everything would all be better if there were no adults around with their stupid rules and discipline.  William Golding wrote a book about this, it’s called “Lord of the Flies.” For those who haven’t read it yet, Golding portrays self-government among British school boys.  It does not go well. 

            We want freedom to just do what we want to do. But is that really a good idea? What would the world look like if you just did what you wanted?  I don’t want to get up and go to school.  I don’t want to brush my teeth.  I am going to drive as fast as I want.  I want money and you have some, so I will take it.  I don’t want to be tied down to one woman.  I don’t want to take care of my kids.  I just want to get drunk and forget about life.  I want… I want…

            What would your life be like if you simply let your desires rule?  You can see what happens because there are plenty of examples all around you.  You see the disastrous consequences.  You see how terrible this is in your own life and in the lives of those around you.  You see the destruction of families.  You see people self-destruct as they ignore all the warnings.  You watch lives fall apart because of selfishness. 

You really, really want to believe that people are, by nature, good, but you know this is not true.  You just confessed that youare… by nature…sinful and unclean.

Your heart is darkened by the sin of selfishness from which flows all other sins and this is not just you, it is a universal problem.  It is a selfish world, and a selfish world is a dark world and this is the world you live in.  This is the world into which Jesus arrives as that baby born in Bethlehem.  Jesus, the Light, comes into a dark, selfish world and this is the Good News for all eternity.  “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”  Jesus is the light of the world.  He comes to bring the Good News of the Reign of Heaven.  He is the light that illuminates the darkness.  He is the glory of the Lord and yet it is a hidden light, a hidden glory.  The baby Jesus is the light of the world and yet veiled in flesh the Godhead see.  Peter, James and John see the glory of God burst through only for a moment on the Mount of Transfiguration, otherwise the Light, hidden as it is in the body of Jesus, needs to be revealed.  Just as the light was hidden in the flesh of baby Jesus, the light is now hidden in the Word of God, hidden in the waters of Baptism, hidden in the bread and wine of Holy Communion.  The light is here with us, but it is hidden for now and needs to be revealed. 

            The light is revealed to the shepherds in the field by one angel and then by an army of angels.  The light is revealed to the Magi from the east by a star guiding them to the child.  The Magi come seeking the one born king of the Jews.  The star reveals the Light of the world to these unlikely people from the east who journey to find and worship the newborn king. 

            But even with the bright star in the sky showing the way to the Light, the inky darkness of selfish sin hovers about.  Herod tries to use the Magi to find the Christ so he can kill the newborn King.  Herod wants to snuff out the Light because he fears that the Light will impinge on his own power.  There is power in darkness and dark power brings increasing evil. 

We look at Herod and see him as a notorious villain for wanting to snuff out the Light; but Herod is not unique.  “The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” People still want to snuff out the light of Christ because they worry that the Light will reduce their own power, their autonomy; their control, their selfish pursuit of doing what they want to do, not caring about others. 

The darkness hates the light and tries to snuff it out by forbidding people to reveal the Light to others.  For 2,000 years and still today, Christians are imprisoned and beaten and executed for being the light of Christ.  In North Korea you can be executed for possessing a Bible and your family will be thrown in prison.  The darkness hates the light. 

The darkness denies that the Light has come into the world.  The darkness pretends that the Light is a tamer, more palatable, less offensive light that plays well with the darkness.  But true light will not mix with darkness. 

            Darkness distracts you so you ignore the Light.  Darkness wants you to not hear about the Light, not read about the Light, not speak about the Light, not pray to the Light, not gather to worship the Light.  Darkness wants you to get so busy with things of this world that you just ignore the Light. The darkness goes after individuals to get them to reject the light because the darkness cannot extinguish the Light of the world.

            As Herod found out, even as his sword dripped with the blood of Bethlehem’s baby boys, the Light cannot be overcome.  The Light has come into the world and the revelation of this Light, the Epiphany of the Light, the understanding of the Light, continues even to this day as news of the light of Christ is proclaimed in this dark world from pulpits and lecterns and dinner tables and bedside talks with children.  The Light is here.  At the temple, Simeon calls Jesus, “A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” 

            Let the Light shine.  This is the mission of the Church.  We proclaim the truth of the Light.  We announce the Good News; Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  We baptize and teach.  We forgive sins and celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  The Church shines forth the Light that shines for all people.  In this Light, sin and guilt disappear, washed away by the love of Christ.  In this Light you live in love and forgiveness.

            The Light comes into the world, is swaddled, and laid in a manger in Bethlehem. The Light escapes Herod’s sword by fleeing to Egypt.  On a dark Friday, thirty three years later, outside the walls of Jerusalem, it looks like the darkness will finally smother the light.  From the cross, the Light, declares, “It is finished,” and the life goes out from His eyes.  Life is gone from the Light and it appears that darkness has won.  The Light has died, but the Light rises from the dead and continues to shine forth forever.  Darkness will never overcome the light. 

            You still live in a dark, selfish world.  People are, by nature, evil.  By nature, you are selfish and dark, but you have been rescued from the darkness. Colossians 1:13 (ESV) 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son…”  You have been born again in water and the Spirit just as you got to witness here this morning with the baptism of our little brother Everett. 

And just like Everett, you have received Christ who is the light of the world.  You are a child of light in Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 60:1 (ESV) 1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.  Amen. 

Posted on by pastorkevinjud

Baby Jesus is Not Safe Jesus

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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 by pastorkevinjud

Jesus Becomes Immanuel — God with Us

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Advent 4 2023
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud 
December 24, 2023
2 Samuel 7:1–11, 16, Romans 16:25–27, Luke 1:26–38

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

            It is December 24th.  It is the morning of the eve of the celebration of the birth of our Lord. Tomorrow morning we will have a communion service to remember Jesus’ birth, the Christ Mass.  This afternoon and evening and tomorrow morning we will be in Bethlehem for the birth of the Savior.  This morning, for the 4th Sunday in Advent, we are going back 9 months and traveling 90 miles north to Nazareth in Galilee.  Today we go to Nazareth to meet Mary for the first time.

Mary is likely a teenage girl up in the hills in the small town of Nazareth with maybe 400 or so inhabitants.  Everyone knows everyone else and nothing gets past the busybodies in town.  When the angel visits, it seems that Mary is alone, maybe at home, maybe outside working, maybe drawing water at the well, we are not sure.  One tradition has it that Mary was at home and that home is now inside the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.  There have been many churches built and destroyed over Mary’s small house from the time of Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century until the construction of the current church in 1954.  The Bible is unique among religious books because you can actually visit the places you learn about in the Bible because these things really happened.

            Mary is a teenager engaged to be married to Joseph.  From all we can tell, she is a nobody from a nowhere little town until God shows Mary favor and sends the Angel Gabriel to bring Mary amazing news.  Gabriel’s name means, “God is my strength.”  He brings news from the throne of heaven … Luke 1:28 (ESV) 28 …“Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 

            Mary is greatly troubled.  What is going on?  What is this heavenly being doing talking to lowly little me and calling me, “O favored one?”  Why is Mary favored?  She has done nothing important.  She is not famous.  She is just a regular young lady from Nazareth.  Why is the Lord favoring the humble estate of Mary?  What does this mean?

            Gabriel continues, Luke 1:30–33 (ESV) 30 …“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 

            Conceive? Bear a son?  Call him Jesus?  The throne of David?  Reign forever?  Mary’s head is swimming with all this information.  What can this all possibly mean?  Mary goes back to the first part of what the angel told her.  “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son.”  Mary is young, but she knows where babies come from and this is impossible.

            Luke 1:34 (ESV) 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 

            Luke 1:35–37 (ESV) 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 

            Genesis 1:1–3 (ESV) 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

            In the beginning the Spirit hovered over the creation. At the conception of Jesus the Spirit hovers over Mary and Word of God brings about new life in Mary’s womb. The Lord speaks through His messenger Gabriel and Jesus takes on human flesh as a tiny new life inside Mary.  The Lord’s Word is powerful; it makes things happen. 

            In a world that is awash with words it can feel like words are not very valuable; not very powerful, but today we see the power of God’s Word. 

            In the beginning God spoke — and the world was created.  Jesus takes on human flesh through the Word of God.  This morning, the Lord’s Words are still powerful as He declares to you that all your sin is forgiven.  His Word is powerful; bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus because Jesus says, this is my body, this is my blood. 

            God’s Word declares you to be His child in the water and Word of Holy Baptism, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The Word of God saves you in the Words of forgiveness, the water and the Word of baptism and the Word with the bread and wine bringing the Body and Blood of Jesus.  God’s Word is powerful.  It makes things happen.

            The angel Gabriel has never come to visit me that I know of, and it seems that I would know if he had.  None of you have said the angel Gabriel has come to you.  But you have encountered many messengers of God bringing to you the Word of God.  Many messengers have told you that you are favored by God and the Lord is with you. 

 In a world that is awash with words it can feel like words are not very valuable; not very powerful, but today we see the power of God’s Word. 

            Because Mary carried the Lord Jesus in her womb and gave birth to the Savior who lived and died and rose from the dead, you now carry Jesus in your heart.  You have the power of the Holy Spirit in your inner being, Ephesians 3:17–19 (ESV) 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

            Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus dwells in your heart.  Jesus died for you and rose from the dead for you.  You are favored by God.  Living in this era after Jesus ascended into heaven and waiting for Jesus to return on the last day, you know more about Jesus and what He has done than Mary herself knew.  Through His Word the Lord has saved you.  You may not have heard from an angel directly, but God speaks to you through His messengers and in the words of the Bible.

            In this life there are a lot of other religious options; lots of various people and ideas to follow.  There seems to be a continuous string of spiritual fads that all promise fulfillment.  There are many options, but you know there is no substitute for Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.  When others are abandoning the truth of God to follow after the lies of the devil, the world and their own sinful flesh, and the Lord looks to see if you are going to follow them, you can say in the words of St. Peter, John 6:68–69 (ESV) 68 …“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”  The Word of God is powerful, it makes things happen.

            Blessed are you, O favored one.  The Lord is with you.  Amen.