god – Page 6 – From the Pulpit

Posted on May 12, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

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Ascension 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
May 12, 2024
Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:44-53

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Where is heaven? Where is Jesus? The last anyone saw Jesus in the flesh was on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem.

At the end of the Gospel of Luke Jesus gives final instructions. Luke 24:44–49 (ESV) 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

He leads the apostles out to Bethany on the Mount of Olives and tells them, Acts 1:8–9 (ESV) 8 …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”

That is the last time anyone saw Jesus in the flesh. The 11 apostles just stand there staring up into heaven where Jesus had just been, but now is no longer. Jesus has gone into heaven and two angels in white robes tell the apostles, 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 went into heaven and Jesus will return from heaven on the last day. So where is heaven? Where is Jesus?

I believe we can sometimes think about heaven being very far away, almost like God is somewhere far off in outer space or somewhere very far removed from us. Like He is way up high on a mountain looking down at the little houses in the valley, but it all looks like toys or something from that distance. Kind of like God is there… but not really that involved.

So where is heaven? Where is Jesus? In this account from Acts 1 Jesus ascends into the air and disappears into a cloud. Has Jesus abandoned earth? Where is Jesus?

At the incarnation in Nazareth Jesus takes on a physical body and then is born in Bethlehem. Where is Jesus then? He is in Mary’s womb. He is lying in a manger. In His conception and birth, Jesus, God the Son, enters His state of humiliation where He does not fully use His divine powers. In His pre-resurrection body Jesus is located in one place at a time. He is in Bethlehem, or Jerusalem, or Egypt, or Nazareth, or Capernaum. He is in one place at a time and travels in a normal human way between places. When He is raised from the dead He has a transformed body that allows Him to be in heaven– and on earth—and to be omnipresent; present everywhere. We even see glimpses of this before His ascension as He disappears from Emmaus and then is back in Jerusalem and appears inside a locked room.

Forty days after His resurrection, at His ascension, Jesus transitions to being fully omnipresent.

At His ascension Jesus goes from being on the Mount of Olives to being everywhere; to being with believers in Jesus. As a follower of Jesus, you have Jesus in you. As St. Paul describes his status as a Christian, Galatians 2:20 (ESV) 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

Jesus is in heaven, Jesus is in you, Jesus is present where two or three are gathered, Jesus comes to you in baptism, Jesus comes to you in His Body and Blood in Holy Communion for the forgiveness of your sins, and Jesus is omnipresent; He is present everywhere. Jesus’ ascension is not Jesus’ departure but rather Jesus’ heightened presence everywhere–especially in His followers.

On that day atop the Mount of Olives Jesus ascends into heaven and as the angels tell the apostles, Jesus will return one day. The apostles wait for Jesus to return and we are still waiting. When will Jesus return? We do not know. But as we think about Jesus’ return a question that comes to mind is, “What should I be doing when Jesus returns?” Because He could return this afternoon–or He may not return for 10,000 years. What should I be doing? You should be going through your normal day doing the normal things that you have been given to do. Washing dishes, cooking dinner, crunching numbers, calling a client, cleaning your room, doing your homework, relaxing and recharging, sleeping, praying, worshiping in church. What should I not be doing? What would you not want to be doing when Jesus returns? You don’t want to be clicking away on the dark side of the internet feeding your lusts and perversions. You don’t want to be trash talking someone. You don’t want to be treating your parents with hatred and contempt. You don’t want to be passed out dead drunk. You don’t want to be insulting and belittling your wife or husband. You don’t want to be in bed with someone other than your spouse. You don’t want to be caught in open sin when Jesus returns. And so, each day, you battle your sin in your mind–before it becomes words and deeds–and you feel guilt and sadness when you give in to temptation–and you continue to repent of your sin in thought, word and deed. You continue to remember you are baptized; your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus dwells in you and He forgives your sins, and, because of Jesus, you are the light of the world. Jesus is coming back one day and do you want to be ready for His return.

And so Jesus, in love, calls you to repent; to have a change of heart and change your direction from being drawn toward sin and instead, Joel 2:13 (ESV) 13 … Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

But thinking this way about being ready for Jesus’ return can tempt you to think that since Jesus is ascended and is way far away and He probably is not coming back today all that worry about His return can wait for another day and a little sin won’t hurt.

Truly, you want to be ready for His return, but Jesus is not way far away–Jesus is right with you. He is with you now–here as we gather to receive His gifts. So the better question to ask is, “What should I being doing with Jesus today? Because Jesus is right with you when you surf evil on the web. He is there when you talk badly about others. He is there when you disrespect your parents. He is right with you when you’re getting sloppy drunk. He is with you when you are yelling at your spouse. He is with you when you are committing sexual immorality. Jesus is with you always and knows exactly what you are doing. You can try to hide things from others, but there is no hiding your sin from Jesus.

And so Jesus, in love, calls you to repent; to have a change of heart and change your direction from being drawn toward sin and instead, Joel 2:13 (ESV) 13 … Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

As Jesus’ Church we continue to do as Jesus instructed, Luke 24:47 (ESV) 47 …that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” As Jesus’ Church we are in the business of repentance and forgiveness. Over and over and over Jesus here delivers to you His forgiveness, won on the cruel cross at Golgotha. He gives you grace in your baptism, in the words of absolution, in His Body and Blood in Holy Communion. Jesus forgives you abundantly and He calls you to live each day in Him, with Him, for Him, as a light in this dark world. Jesus lives in you, so always remember who you are in Him and live out your identity.

Martin Luther writes about Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of the Father. “I preach that he [Christ] sits on the right hand of God and rules over all creatures, sin, death, life, world, devils, and angels; if you believe this, you already have him in your heart. Therefore your heart is in heaven, not in an apparition or dream, but truly. For where he is, there you are also. So he dwells and sits in your heart, yet he does not fall from the right hand of God. Christians experience and feel this clearly.” [1]

Where is heaven? Heaven is beyond your understanding, but your heart is in heaven. Where is Jesus? He is at the right hand of God. He is in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. He is in you, and He is everywhere. Jesus did not depart at His ascension. He ascended into heaven to be with you, for you, forever. Amen.

[1][“The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ — Against the Fanatics” (1526) in Luther’s Basic Writings, 3rd ed., 227]

Posted on March 30, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

Agnus Dei

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Good Friday 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
March 29, 2024

The Jewish father goes into the sheep pen to select the best year old male lamb. Once he has identified the perfect one he maneuvers to separate that lamb from the flock and pins him against the wall of the pen gets a hold of the frightened 120 pound animal and puts a rope around its neck so he can lead it out of the main pen to a special small pen made just for this lamb. Four days later the father will kill the lamb and collect its blood and paint the blood on the doorposts and lintel of his house. The Lord promised Moses that whoever’s house is marked by the blood of the lamb, that house will be protected when the Lord comes to kill the firstborn in all of Egypt. The Lord will pass over any house marked by the blood of the lamb.

The Jews would continue to kill a lamb, roast it and eat it every year on the 14th day of the first month to remember the Passover.

Over the centuries the blood of countless lambs was shed at the Temple in Jerusalem to atone for the sins of the children of Israel. As we learn in Hebrews 9:22 (ESV) 22 … without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” The blood of those lambs provides a partial cleansing; a temporary pardon. It allows life with God in this age, but not… in the age to come.

John the Baptist sees Jesus coming to the Jordan and declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Today we remember that the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God, comes to Jerusalem for the Passover. He comes to Jerusalem for the festival that remembers how the blood of the lamb protected the children of Israel in Egypt. He comes to offer Himself as the perfect, final sacrifice to take away the sins of the world.

Jesus tries to prepare His disciples for what is going to happen. He tells them three separate times. As we heard in our Gospel reading a couple Sunday’s ago, the last warning and promise on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem is most specific. Mark 10:33–34 (ESV) 33 … “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

The Lamb enters Jerusalem on Sunday. On Thursday the Lamb of God eats the Passover meal with His disciples. There is a lamb on the table and there is the Lamb at the table. The Lamb transforms the once-a-year eating of lamb in remembrance of the Passover into the frequent eating of the Lamb for the forgiveness of sins. The Lamb gives you His body to eat and His blood to drink. Eating and drinking not only in remembrance of His death, but to receive the body and blood of the Lamb in, with and under the bread and wine for forgiveness and eternal life. In baptism and in Holy Communion you are marked by the blood of the Lamb. Ephesians 2:13 (ESV) 13 …now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

After dinner, the Lamb goes to the Garden with His disciples to pray and prepare. At the Garden the ones who will kill the Lamb choose from the flock the perfect Lamb for the sacrifice. They separate the Lamb from the flock, bind Him and lead Him off.

On Friday the bound Lamb is silently led to slaughter. Isaiah 53:7 (ESV) 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

The sinless Lamb is led to the slaughter and sheds His blood to save you from the Lord’s judgement. His blood is poured out and given to you. In your baptism you died with Christ and you were raised with Christ. Your sins are covered by the robe of Jesus’ righteousness made white by the blood of the Lamb. You are protected by the blood of the Lamb. 1 Peter 1:18–19 (ESV) 18 … you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

Lucas Cranach the Elder was a German Renaissance artist in Wittenberg Germany at the time of Martin Luther. Cranach and his Son painted the altarpiece for St. Peter and Paul Church in Weimar Germany. There is a lot going on in this painting of Jesus’ crucifixion. One thing is that the artist paints himself into the altarpiece and depicts blood flowing from Jesus’ side arching down onto the artist’s own head. He wants to show that the blood of Christ is given directly to each Christian without an intermediary priest or saint.

Jesus’ blood flows directly to you and you are marked by the blood of the Lamb. You wear the robe of Christ’s righteousness which covers all your sins. Like the Jewish homes in Egypt, you are marked by the blood of the Lamb so, at the judgement on the Last Day, you will be protected from eternal death. 1 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV) 7 …For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

The sinless Lamb of God shed His blood for you to wash away all your sins. He gives His life in exchange for yours. He dies on the cross as the perfect, final sacrifice. His body is taken away, wrapped for burial and laid in a borrowed tomb. The Lamb has been slain…He shed His blood for you. You are marked by the blood of the Lamb. Amen.

Posted on March 29, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

Father Figure

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The Good Father Figure at the Passover

Vicar Kinne

Maundy Thursday, 3/28/2024

Texts: John 13:1-17, 31-35; Exodus 12:1-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

A father figure, a servant, and sacrifice. We find these three things both in Exodus twelve at the institution of the Passover, and in John thirteen on the night when Jesus was betrayed and washed the disciples’ feet. God’s Holy Word is written by the hands of people who witnessed these momentous events, and we, as the church, listen to them like little children learning from their parents. Through these words we learn to believe in God’s power and strength over death by faith in the crucified and resurrected Lord.

What comes to your mind as the image of a good and faithful father? Is it the man who works hard every day to make sure his family is fed and has a comfortable place to sleep at night? Is it the man who goes out to mow the lawn in the hot summer heat and looks after the house? Does he protect his family in times of danger? Maybe this man spends quality time with his wife and children and is not embarrassed to show them affection and kindness. A good father tends to the needs of his family. If he does not take care of his family, or even try to look after his household, is he worthy of being called “good”?

Surely, in this broken and sinful world we all have seen or may have experienced a bad role model of a father. Yet even if someone knows firsthand what a “bad” father is, they should be comforted by our Father in heaven who is not just good, but is the definition of good for all. He sent His son, Jesus, into our world to tend to our needs and protect us from all evil.

In the instruction from God to the Hebrew people regarding the Passover, each man is to sacrifice a sheep or goat without blemish and eat it on the fourteenth day of the first month with his family. Through this eating and drinking, the family has fellowship with each other and with everyone else who eats the meal in their home. In this celebration, little children are taught by their fathers how God saved the nation of Israel from Pharaoh and his army and escaped death through the Red Sea waters. God set up this Exodus plan to save His children, and then He instructs every father to serve future generations by partaking in this meal and teaching his children the story of God’s salvation from Egypt.

But if a man decided not to celebrate the Passover, what would this mean for his family? The children would miss the annual fellowship of the Passover meal. There would be tension because the father refused to do his God-given duty. The family would never hear the story of God’s saving power and thus be separated from the family of God. And it does not stop there! The children who never learned the stories would not be able to pass them on to the next generation. They would all be outcasts, not only in earthly traditions, but also in heaven. They would perish because of the sinful pride of their mute father who did not teach God’s will to them. This one sinful man we cannot call a “good father” because he potentially cuts off his lineage from the story of salvation. Thus, we should add to the image of a good earthly father that he be inspired by the Holy Spirit and follow God’s instruction to teach his children the Gospel of God’s saving plan through the Savior. His story telling and his participation with the people of God would be serving His family through eternity.

In John 13, Jesus is set up as the good father figure. Jesus is sent to do the will of God among men to save the world from sin, death, and hell. Just as it is the will of God for earthly fathers to tell the story of salvation to their children, Jesus becomes the disciples’ “father” as they celebrate the Passover. In verse 33 Jesus addresses His disciples as, “Little children”. But Jesus did not only teach the story of the Passover. Through His body and blood given on the cross, He fulfilled it. But before He goes willingly to His death, He teaches three new things to His disciples.

First, he washes the disciples’ feet. This action of Jesus removing His outer garments and wrapping a towel around His waist like a servant and getting on His hands and knees makes the disciples uncomfortable. They call this man “Rabbi,” “Teacher,” and “Master”. Surely a man of such status should not expose Himself and act like a slave! But just like the children at the Passover meal who ask the good Lutheran question to their father, “What does this mean?” Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus then turns to them and says, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

Through this teaching, Jesus sets up the model of what it means to be a servant in God’s kingdom. The disciples would not be able to understand it fully until after the crucifixion, but Jesus displayed the rest His humility. He not only undressed down to the clothes of a slave, but while being led to the cross, Jesus stripped Himself willingly of His authority among man and from the good graces of His Father in heaven. At the cross Jesus took on the full wrath of God upon Himself thus protecting His children from utter condemnation. He put himself before all people, and a servant of God’s Word will do the same.

You are called, as Christ’s chosen people, to serve your brother before serving yourself. Is that too hard to understand? Well, given the circumstances of our broken sinful nature, it is. As the prophet Isaiah (59:7-8) says regarding the sinful people of Israel, “Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace.” Follow the words of the Father teaching His children through Proverbs 1:15, “my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths.”

Because you are made of sinful flesh, your feet want to carry your body away from God’s will towards a dark and corrupt path. Jesus knows His disciples suffer from the same thing. They are all about to betray Jesus by denying Him and giving Him up to the crowds who kill Him. They may not nail Him to the cross themselves, but their feet ultimately run away in cowardliness towards evil.

Jesus foresees these things, and when Peter says, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head,” Peter does not yet see that his feet are all that matter to equation because they carry his body to the courtyard later that evening where he denies his teacher three times. Jesus washes their feet because He is the only one worthy of cleaning them from their sin. He is the only father figure that protects them from their own selfish pride. Thus, the father figure becomes the servant to save His children.

At the end of the supper, Jesus teaches a second time. He institutes a new meal; one that binds himself and all members of the church in fellowship. Through the bond of Christ’s death and resurrection in this meal, the disciples are fed the true body and blood of their Lord. Just like the lamb sacrificed for the Passover, Jesus’ body is sacrificed to cover the cost of the whole worlds sin so that God’s righteous wrath will pass over all who put their trust and faith in the blood of the Lamb in the New Covenant. Christ does not teach a symbolism that this bread and wine represent His body and blood. He teaches that He is truly there. Because of this, forgiveness and salvation are delivered into the believers’ body giving true fellowship with the Servant who sacrificed Himself for all.

The third and final thing Jesus teaches His disciples is this, “…love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus is sent to earth to do His Father’s will. The Father wants you to be His own and He wants to have fellowship with you because He loves you as a good Father does. When Jesus teaches His disciples as little children, He hands down the Father’s will to them. And through them, they hand down the teachings of Christ and His love for one another to the next generation all the way to the church today. These teachings handed down throughout history bind us in unity and fellowship by faith and love.

How then do you love one another? Start by look at the example of our father figure. He serves and sacrifices Himself willing to forgive you and save you. We are to be living sacrifices to each other just as a good father sacrifices himself to love and protect his family. And when the Lord permits it to happen, we are to hand down this love to our children. This way, we may find all believers alive in the body of Christ and the world will see Jesus in His glory. At the resurrection we will feast together with our Lord in body and soul. No longer will our feet need washing because we will not run towards evil. Our bodies will not decay, our feet will be made clean in the blood of the Lamb. Our bodies will be perfect, because the Lamb without blemish gave up His perfection for our salvation.

We, children of the Church, are to mirror the actions of our father figure, Jesus Christ, because of His service and His sacrifice to the world. We give our lives to each other because He first laid down His life for us. Amen.

Posted on February 25, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

Would You Rather Die, or Die?

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Lent 2 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
February 25, 2024
Gen. 17:1-7, 15-16, Romans 5:1-11, Mark 8:27-35

As a pastor, one thing I get to do is be with people as they are approaching death. This is never easy time. Death tears apart families and those left behind are broken hearted. For those who have gone through the death of a loved one, I think most would agree, it is one of the most difficult times of life.

Is there anything worse than death?

There is a game the kids sometimes play called “would you rather.” Would you rather cut 40 acres of grass with a push mower, or one acre with a scissors. Would you rather gain 75 pounds or lose your job. Here is one for you today. Would you rather die or die?

For there are two deaths we face; physical death and eternal death. Would you rather face physical death or eternal death? For worse than physical death, much worse, is eternal death. Eternal death is to be forever separated from the light and love of God; to be forever in torment and suffering. It is something you do not like to think about because it is too horrible to picture, worse than anything that you can conjure up in your imagination.

You also don’t like to think about eternal death because you know that you deserve it. God demands perfection and you cannot deliver. The wages of sin is death; eternal death. Eternal death is horrible, and it is what you deserve. This is a terrible problem. It is a grave dilemma.

The good news is that God provides the solution to this dilemma. God demands perfection and God provides the perfection. God the Father sends his only Son to become like you; to take on human flesh and live with you, God with us; Immanuel. As true God, Jesus, the Christ, lives a perfect life and is the sacrifice without blemish. He comes as the sacrifice for sin. He comes to suffer and die and rise again. He comes to take your sin upon himself and carry it to the cross and pay your penalty. He then takes His perfection and gives it to you to make you perfect in Him.

Jesus comes to suffer and die and rise again. This is His mission; His destiny. But when he shares this with his disciples, Peter wants to stop him. Peter rebukes Jesus. Peter, the rough, tough fisherman will not let Jesus suffer or die.

Jesus is on a mission to save you and Peter wants to stop him. Jesus doesn’t put up with that and rebukes Peter, “Get behind me Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

You too are infected by the thinking of men. You don’t want to think that Jesus had to suffer and die. You don’t want to think that all people are sinners and deserve punishment. You want to believe that there is another way to avoid eternal death. You yearn for another way. But there is no other way. You are left with Jesus on the cross. You don’t even want to raise your head to look because it is such a horror. And even more horrible than the scene itself is the knowledge that you are the cause of His suffering. You are the cause of his pain. You look up at the cross and see Jesus’ bloody face and his bloodshot eyes looking down and his eyes meet yours. And you see the look in his eyes. It is not a look of anger, or accusation, or bitterness. It is a look of love. He is up there for you. He is suffering and dying for you. He gives up His breath so that the breath of God, the spirit of God, can fill you. He goes into the grave to sanctify your grave, and rises again to enable you to rise on the last day.

In baptism you are made one with God. You are sealed in His name. The Holy Spirit fills you and your body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit; you become one with God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You become His disciple, a follower of Jesus. He is your Lord, you are His servant.

What a glorious thing to be a servant of Jesus, the Christ. But thinking on Jesus’ life you see that being one with Him will not always be easy. Jesus was whipped, they slapped and punched His face, and they hung him on the cross to die. As His follower these things can await you too. The world hated Jesus, the world still hates Jesus. As His follower, the world will hate you because your life is bound to His life. You are one with Jesus.

After rebuking Peter, Jesus calls the crowd to himself along with his disciples and says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Deny yourself? In a world full of people seeking self-fulfillment and self-enrichment, Jesus tells you to deny yourself. Give up on yourself.

Don’t follow every whim of desire for comfort or happiness. Following Jesus means giving up on yourself and looking to serve others.

Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me.” If they want to kill me they may also want to kill you. Being my follower means being willing to follow. It means offering your back to those who would beat you; offering your face to those who slap you, opening yourself to mocking and spitting.

Now, in this country, we are blessed with freedom and the persecution of Christians is generally minor, but there are Christians all over the world that are imprisoned, beaten and killed for being followers of Jesus. In Iran, on Sept. 18, 2023, Pastor Anooshavan Avedian, who is 61 years old with a wife and two children, was summoned by police to Evin prison to begin a 10-year prison sentence. Pastor Avedian was arrested on Aug. 21, 2020, when approximately 30 security agents raided his home while family and friends gathered to pray and worship. The group met in his home because the government closed their church several years earlier. Government agents confiscated Bibles and mobile phones and now have taken Pastor Avedian and two Christian converts to Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. These things are happening in many countries and as the Western world more and more rejects Jesus, it appears to be getting worse closer to home.

What if it were you in the position to face the choice of physical death or eternal death?

There is a knock at the door; a loud insistent knock. You look at the clock and see it is three in the morning. You pull a pair of pants on over your pajamas and go to see what the problem is. You look out the window and see four police cars out front with lights flashing. They pound on the door again. “Police, open up!” You open the door.

You pray that you have the strength to say, “Yes! I am a follower of Jesus.” Despite the consequences. “Yes!”

Six men rush in and slam you against the wall and frisk you for weapons and then cuff your hands behind your back. Someone spits in your face and you can feel it run down your cheek.

A policeman in plainclothes speaks, “You have been accused of being a follower of Jesus who believes the Bible is the Word of God. No one can be that stupid anymore, but that’s what we hear. Is it true?” You turn to face them. One of them has a taser ready to fire at you. “Is it true?” You know that if you say yes, they will fire the taser and then beat you with batons and take you to jail, and then prison. It has happened to others. Not only will you lose your freedom, you’ll lose your job, your house, all your possessions, you may never see your family again. And the pain… the taser, the beatings, the torture, execution. You’ve heard the stories. You’re very afraid. The man gets right up in your face and you can feel his breath. “Are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Tell me now!” The man with the taser gives you an evil smile. What do you say?

You pray that you have the strength to say, “Yes! I am a follower of Jesus.” Despite the consequences. “Yes!”

The fear is that you will be weak. That you will be like the disciple Peter who denied Jesus three times to avoid trouble. You fear that you will fall away. You fear that you have already denied Jesus, not in a direct confrontation, but in smaller ways. Denying Jesus by your actions — going along with the group when you should flee. Denying Jesus by remaining silent when you should speak or saying something when you should remain silent. The fear is you will be weak.

In your weakness, return to the cross, the source of your forgiveness. Remember who you are, not from your strength, but from the strength of the almighty. You are a baptized child of God. You are a follower of Jesus; one of his disciples. Remember, Matthew 10:28 (ESV) 28 … do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Get on your knees and pray for strength to persevere through trouble and hardship. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. Cling to the cross of Christ. Be faithful unto death and receive the crown of life; eternal life. Eternal life with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, where there will be no more hardship, no more trouble, no more tears, no more sickness and no more death.

As a pastor I get to be with people as they approach physical death, but I also get to be with people at their baptisms when they receive the gift of eternal life. I get to walk with you on your journey as we follow the Lord Jesus together and await His return. If Jesus does not return soon I may get the privilege to sit at your beside as a fellow disciple as you prepare for death comforted by the peace that passes understanding knowing you will receive the crown of life prepared for you by Jesus. Amen.

Posted on February 4, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

Jesus Works Overtime

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Jesus Works Overtime
Vicar Matthew Kinne
2/4/24
Mark 1:29-39; Psalm 13:3-5; Isaiah 40:21-31;1 Corinthians 9:16-27

Last week we learned about Jesus’ first day on the job in His ministry. We heard about how on a Sabbath day in Capernaum, Jesus was found teaching with authority in the synagogue and healing a man with an unclean spirit. By doing this, Jesus showed His divine rule over creation including Satan and his minions. Pastor Jud preached about how every word that comes out of our Lord’s mouth has authority, especially to forgive sins through His church. In our Gospel reading for today, we hear more about the power Jesus has so He can heal many people from illnesses and demonic turmoil. Jesus had to do a little bit more work as Lord of the Sabbath.[1]

After Jesus preaches and sends out the unclean spirit, He leaves the synagogue and enters the house of His first called disciples, Simon and Andrew. Much happens in the next two verses. In verse 30, Simon’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever. But in 31 she is not. What happened that caused this immediate change? The text only says, “[Jesus] came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left,” (Mark 1:31a). All Jesus had to do was touch her, and her body was healed. And not just healed a little bit; completely! The words recorded after she is revived is not, “she rested a while to gain her strength back before serving them.” No, it says that she got up, and “began to serve them.” Her sickness vanished! It was as if she was never sick to begin with.

Unlike the commands that Jesus shouted at the unclean spirits in the previous verses, here Jesus’ commands are effective even when He does not speak. This is because He is the Word Himself, and that Word is the authority over all the earth. Having this authority does not make Jesus a tyrant or an unjust ruler. Instead, it means that He carries the responsibility of everyone. As Lord of the Sabbath, it is His job to provide all daily bread and means of living and heal the sick. By healing Simon’s mother-in-law Jesus displays to His disciples that He is not only capable but willing to completely heal those who need a physician.

In verse 32, Mark gives us the timestamp of Jesus working overtime. He says, “That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons,” (Mark 1:32). In the Jewish calendar, the days begin and end at sundown. So, this time marker shows that the Sabbath day was over. Since it was against temple law for Jews to walk any further than 2000 cubits or a half mile on the day of rest, people waited until nighttime to bring their sick and demon possessed relatives to Jesus so that He could heal them. Jesus continued working after a long first day on the job. He did not rest. He did not complain. He gave help to those in need.

Could you imagine what Simon, Andrew, James, and John were thinking after witnessing everything that their new teacher was doing? They were obviously amazed and excited to be following Jesus because in the next few verses, it says that they stayed with Jesus until morning. After Jesus woke up, and went to a quiet place to pray, His disciples told Him, “Everyone is looking for you,” (Mark 1:37). But instead of going back for an encore and taking in the praise and glory from the people of Capernaum, He tells His disciples that they must all move on to the surrounding cities to preach and to heal the sick.

That must have been a shocking moment for the disciples! What other teacher can do these things? What man do you know that can do as little as touch a person and take away their sickness? What man do you know that can command demons to leave those who are possessed? And even if someone else had the power to do these things, would they heal people freely as Jesus did? The disciples are probably confused as to why Jesus would not go back and advertise Himself and receive the credit. But that is not how Jesus works. Jesus works where faith is, not popularity. Jesus gives Himself freely to everyone out of love and compassion.

These actions of Jesus are not only confusing to His close disciples, but to many people now days. Do you know a doctor that can heal any sickness on the spot? If so, please tell me. I would like to meet him. Do you know anyone capable of being as humble and willing as Jesus is? I can’t. A big concern we have is why is there still sickness? It is a stumbling block to reason why bad things happen. Didn’t God say He would be with us always? Doesn’t He promise strength and health to those who believe in Him?[2] He does, but the answer to the question “why do bad things happen?” is so simple it makes people angry. I think the anger is not only because of the simplicity of the answer, but because bad things are not God’s fault. The answer is sin, and that is our fault.

We cannot save ourselves. We cannot live a life free from sin. We are not capable of being humble and pure of heart. We are stuck in a state of sickness where there is no escape. That is, unless someone who is free from sin, pure and humble, gives us His life freely and willingly. Jesus is the elixir to life. His blood is completely poured out and His body is brutally given on that cross which unlocks the gate of sin and opens for us eternal life. He does not rest until the work of salvation is complete. He goes to the cross without complaining. And He does this willingly for you. You are now free from sin, death, and hell! Your spirit is revived and is willing to serve the Lord, just as Simon’s mother-in-law did.

But we still must live in a world affected by sin. It seems unfair. But just as Jesus moved on to the next city after healing many in Capernaum, we as the Church are instructed to do the same thing. There are many people in this world who still haven’t heard about Christ. There are people who still deny that Jesus comes to us in His means of grace. These people need to hear that they are set free from the bondage of sin through Christ’s death and resurrection. God established His church on earth so that these lost souls can be found and brought into His fold. He leaves us here, until the resurrection, so that there is a time of grace for people to repent and believe that Christ the Crucified works on our behalf, so the illness of sin vanishes from us.

Just like many cannot understand that the simple answer as to why bad things happen in this world is due to sin, they also cannot wrap their head around the simplicity of how God delivers salvation from the cross to us. Pride and sinfulness causes doubt when trying to understand how God provides us His assurance through His sacraments. But Jesus [who is God] tells us that this [the Church] is the place. Jesus established it in this way. Your pastor is under God’s authority to bring you forgiveness. Just as Pastor Jud said last week, it is not the pastor who forgives, but God who uses him as the vessel to deliver forgiveness. These are the teachings Christ gave His disciples and now He gives them to us.

It may seem confusing, but if a man who is healing the sick, has power over demons, preaching with authority, and gives His perfect life so that we may live eternally, then why should we doubt His words that Baptism now saves? Why should we be concerned of drinking a cup that Christ says His perfect blood is in it? We shouldn’t be afraid because God Himself promises to be there. Faith does not come from the words of complicated men, but by the simplicity of God’s word.

When a person has finally received faith and is Baptized by the Holy Spirit in the font, no longer does the soul latch onto sin and the sickness of this world. Instead of being pummeled in fear by Satan’s grasp, they hear their saving physician’s voice, and their soul sings a similar song to our introit today:

“I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” (Psalm 13:3-5)

Jesus has healed you. You are made complete again in the work of His life, death, and resurrection. You have been set free from the everlasting illness of sin. This is a bigger and better gift than being healed of any physical sickness in this sinful world. You are free! Free indeed! Amen.

[1] And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28

[2] “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:7-8

Posted on January 21, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

Don’t Get Distracted by the Fish

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Epiphany 3 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
January 21, 2024
Jonah 3:1-5, 10, 1 Cor. 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20

What do you think of when you hear about the prophet Jonah? What image comes to mind? Is it that great Sunday School story about a man being swallowed alive by a great fish and living to tell about it?

Now our friend the great fish only gets mentioned in three verses in the book of Jonah, but I worry he distracts us from the greater message in this short book. Although, in a way I think we are okay being distracted by the fish because Jonah is a rather disturbing figure.

Jonah is a prophet of God living in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. God comes to Jonah and says, “Get up, go to the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it, because their wickedness has come up before me.” Jonah gets up and Jonah goes, but he does not go toward Nineveh on the Tigris River in what is now northern Iraq. Jonah gets up and goes to the port city of Joppa, modern Tel Aviv, and hops on a westbound ship headed for Tarshish which is probably in modern day Spain, as far away from Israel as he can get on the Mediterranean. Jonah really does not want to go preach to the Ninevites. And it is not because Jonah doesn’t know God; Jonah knows God. Jonah knows God too well. Jonah knows that God is gracious and compassionate. Jonah knows that God is slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. Jonah knows that God wants Nineveh to be saved, but Jonah doesn’t want the Ninevites to be saved. Jonah would prefer they are destroyed because Jonah hates the Ninevites.

Now Jonah is not without reason for hating the Ninevites. He is not just being a bigot who only likes his own kind. Nineveh is an important city in Assyria and the Assyrians are a fearsome people bent on the destruction of Israel. The Ninevites are Israel’s enemy. They are known for being especially brutal in war and remarkably cruel to the prisoners they capture before they execute them.

This account of Jonah is probably recorded between 800 and 750 BC. God will use the Assyrians to overrun Israel in 722 BC and the 10 northern tribes will be taken into exile, never to return as punishment for their ongoing idolatry.

At the time of this account of Jonah, the Assyrians have overrun Damascus and are now threatening the Northern border of Israel so Jonah has good reasons for not wanting to help save the Ninevites.

This is why Jonah is a disturbing character. Jonah is troubling. We want to think, I would never act like Jonah, but we do not really want to look at Jonah too closely because it is a little too much like looking in the mirror. Jonah knows that God is merciful, but he does not want God to show mercy to the Ninevites.

Who are your Ninevites? Who are the people you do not want forgiven? Is it those idiots in the other political party and their media toadies spewing propaganda? Who is it that you do not want forgiven? Is it evil groups and countries and leaders like Hamas, Iran, the Houthis, Kim Jong Un? Is it the cultural influencers who want access to your children in order to push their godless, hedonistic infertility agenda that rejects marriage and babies and families in order to indulge their every perverse desire?

Or maybe your Ninevites are closer to home. Perhaps it is that former friend who betrayed you, hurt you and, you fear, will hurt you again. Or the next door neighbor that you have been feuding with for years? Or your estranged brother or sister? Or your ex-husband or ex-wife? You don’t want to forgive them. You don’t want God to forgive them. You want them to be punished and prevented from hurting you. Perhaps it is the one who abused you. You have every right to hate your abuser, and Jonah has every right to hate the Ninevites and yet God’s grace extends even to them.

Jonah receives instruction from God to go to the Ninevites. Does Jonah get on his knees and pray, “Thy will be done?” No. Jonah thinks, “my will be done,” and he high-tails it out of there figuring if God can’t find me, he can’t make me go. But that plan is flawed. God is, of course, omniscient; all knowing. You can’t run away from God.

God knows exactly where Jonah is going and once Jonah is on the boat headed for Tarshish, God sends a great storm to shake up Jonah and the men sailing with him. After trying unsuccessfully to outrun the storm, Jonah tells the sailors to throw him overboard and the sea grows calm. We see here that Jonah is not against all foreigners. Jonah is willing to die for these Gentile sailors. Jonah is brave, but he is full of hate. Jonah would rather die than have the Ninevites saved.

As Jonah is sinking, a great fish swallows him and he is inside the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah prays a prayer put together from different Psalms and in that prayer he agrees to fulfill the original mission on which God has sent him. Then the fish vomits Jonah up onto the beach.

God gives Jonah a second chance. He tells him, “get up, go to the great city of Nineveh, and preach to it.” So Jonah goes to Nineveh, about 500 miles inland and when he gets there he preaches to them this simple message, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed;” a simple message from a reluctant preacher.

And the reaction is utterly amazing; miraculous. The Ninevites believe Jonah. They immediately repent of their evil ways. They put on rough goat hair sackcloth worn during times of grief and mourning. The king declares a general time of repentance and fasting for both humans and animals. The Word of God is powerful. “Nineveh will be destroyed,” this is a harsh word of law, but it is preceded by a bit of Gospel. “Forty more days.” The destruction is not going to be immediate. There is a chance. God’s law and gospel drive the Ninevites to immediate and deep repentance. God sees their repentance and He turns from His anger and does not destroy Nineveh.

Jonah wants limits on God’s mercy and grace. He wants mercy and grace for some but not for others. Jonah wants his enemies destroyed. We see here how God’s mercy and grace…God’s love… is boundless. God’s mercy and grace is not limited to our understandings and desires. God mercy and grace is truly for all.

We marvel at the Ninevites’ immediate reaction of repentance and obedience. It is truly a miracle of God, like the people responding to John the Baptist’s preaching in the desert, or like the first disciples, Andrew, Peter, James and John answering Jesus’ call and immediately leaving their fishing boats and following Him. We marvel, because our contrition and repentance is so often slow and hesitant. Contrition is sadness and mourning over our sin, and repentance is a change of heart; turning from sin and turning back to God. We can be slow of heart and so we marvel at the Ninevites’ unhesitating obedience to a message from God.

Now, you’d think that Jonah would be happy that he is such an effective preacher with his short sermon. But he is mad. He is really mad. Jonah wanted Nineveh destroyed. He knows he is being used as a mouthpiece of God and he does not like it. After Nineveh repents and is saved, Jonah sits down outside the city and pouts. He tells God, “This is why I ran away in the first place. Why did you save them? I’d just as soon die.”

Jonah wants limits on God’s mercy and grace. He wants mercy and grace for some but not for others. Jonah wants his enemies destroyed. We see here how God’s mercy and grace…God’s love… is boundless. God’s mercy and grace is not limited to our understandings and desires. God mercy and grace is truly for all.

It is hard for your sinful side to understand how God can love someone that you hate. But when you take a genuine look inside of yourself, you have to wonder how God can love you, and yet he does. His love is beyond comprehension. He loves you so much that he turns his anger away from you and your sin, and turns all of that anger onto Christ on the cross. Jesus is your Savior. He paid the full price for your sin and took upon himself the anger of God. His grace is overwhelming and it comes to you in the power of God’s Word just like it came to the Ninevites.

So when you hear about Jonah, do not get distracted by the fish. The fish swallowing Jonah is interesting and it is a picture of Christ emerging from the tomb, but the great fish is only a supporting character in this story. When you think about Jonah think of his reluctance to bring God’s grace and mercy to his enemy and let that convict you of your own unforgiving tendencies. Then think of the Ninevites’ incredible repentance and God’s amazing grace. Remember God’s lavish gift of forgiveness offered even to the worst of sinners. The fish swallowing Jonah is amazing, but even more amazing is the power of God’s word and the miracle of God’s love and forgiveness for you. Amen.

Posted on December 25, 2023 by pastorkevinjud

No Detour Ahead

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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

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

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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.