Posted on by pastorkevinjud

Pentecost Graduation

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Pentecost Day 2024
The Milestone of Life
Vicar Kinne
Texts: John 15:26-27 & 16:4b-15; Acts 2: 1-21; Ezekiel 37:1-14

The stadium is packed with people. The band plays Pomp and Circumstance for the last time. The valedictorian gives his speech. The principal, whether liked or not by the students, shakes each graduate’s hand and gives them a blank booklet intended for a piece of paper that will be sent in the mail in a few weeks. The class stands up together for the last time, and many thrilled students toss their caps up in the air hoping to find them again among in the sea of other thrown hats. Then everyone breaks off for pictures with grandmas and grandpas, and then to parties for a little bit. This is a scene many of us have witnessed which honors students for achievement in their studies and involvement in the community. 

For some of us, it might bring back memories of the “good ole days”. Yet for some of us this memory is no more than a week old. Either way, times like these are meant to be celebratory for yet one more milestone in life is achieved. 

However, memories of these milestones never come with all cords fully tied. Some loose ends are never mended while new things begin. “What am I gonna do now?” “Should I be taking a year off?” “Do I go to college, or do I just work?” “Do I live with my parents, or do I move out?” Looking into the unknown future can be scary! This is because life does not always show you what the next milestone is. Uncertainty can cause a spike in one’s anxiety. But we should always remember that God looks over His children. He takes care of every single one of us. And even though we may not understand the tests and trials God puts us through in a given moment, faith clings to Him, and He will give us the strength to make it through the next milestone in life.

A recent study says around 40% of college students report they have attended a church service of some kind within their first month of school. They may be going for different reasons. A student could just be a regular church goer and continue the path they were instructed in from childhood. Maybe some students see leaving their parents’ home for the first time as an opportunity to explore other options. After all, going to see what church is “all about” would be educational for their young adult experience. Regardless of the reason, it is also said that somewhere between 50-80% of these students who attend a service in their first month of college also fall away from going to church all together. This means less than 20% of our college students today are walking through their college life with a Christian spiritual guide.

It does not matter what the plans are for their future—going to college, getting a job, getting married, buying a house, having children, traveling the world, maybe having all of these things at one time—parents sending a child out into the world is scary! After all, Christian parents live in the wisdom that the ways of this sinful world can lead a young person down the path of evil and ultimately death. There are incredible and beautiful things God puts in His creation for all of us to enjoy, and we want our children to see and experience those things, but at what cost? Will they get to their destination safely? Will they stay on the straight and narrow path along the way? These questions are uncertain. But there is always one certainty that brings us comfort and that is the message of Christ’s Gospel. 

There is only one person in the history of mankind who never strayed away from the path of righteousness, that is Jesus Christ. This may sound like a cliché Sunday school answer, but the truth of this Gospel needs to be the most precious thing to a person. It needs to be valued above one’s educational degree, one’s marriage, one’s job, and even one’s children. The things of this world always change, but the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord is the only milestone that is certain and matters!

Today, we commemorate a celebratory moment in the church year, Pentecost. In the Hebrew calendar this feast is celebrated 50 days after Passover. During the time of Jesus’ ministry and the early church, Jews and God-fearing people would come to Jerusalem for this festival to give thanks to God for the Torah; the word of God handed to Moses on Mount Sinai. But for the Christian, it is 50 days after one of the greatest milestones in history… the resurrection of our Lord. On this day we celebrate a type of graduation, one that would change the history of the whole world. 

As the disciples gather in a house on Pentecost, Jesus, from His ascended throne sends the Holy Spirit like a rushing wind among them. This “helper”, as Jesus called Him in John’s Gospel, gives the disciples a special ability. This ability given to them is far more valuable than a piece of paper with a signature saying, “This Disciple of Jesus has been given full honors and is suited to preach on behalf of the Church”. No, this “diploma” from Holy Spirit is practical and instrumental in fulfilling Jesus’ command of going out to make disciples of all nations and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are given the ability to speak in any language so that all who are in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost can hear that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was put to death as a sacrifice for the world, He was raised from dead, and ascended on high.  

Can you list the works of Christ on your transcript?  Did you earn this credit?  Of course not.  Jesus’ work, alone, saves you. You did nothing to earn your salvation.  Like the worst participant in a group project, you earn the credit of the best in the group; the one who did all the work for you. It is a comfort to know that Jesus’ dying on the cross and His conquering over death still gives you an A+ before our Father in heaven.

 When you feel like you are not worthy of Christ’s forgiveness, take a look at whom our Lord chooses to give the Holy Spirit to on Pentecost. These disciples betrayed Him. They ran away and disowned their Master before He was crucified. They hid in locked rooms fearing that they may be put to death by the Jews. Even after Jesus presents Himself to them multiple times after the resurrection, they are still scared. 

These men do not seem fit to graduate from their seminary experience! But they are witnesses of Christ’s ministry. They saw Him raise people from the dead. They saw Him heal the lame, the deaf, mute, blind, and even cast out demons. They saw storms being stilled by His word alone. Because they are witnesses of these things, they are also the chosen candidates to receive the Holy Spirit and be sent to the four corners of the ancient world to spread the Good News of what they witnessed before men. So, knowing the disciples are forgiven and receive life and salvation even after denying Christ to His face, you can be confident that your Savior saves you.

When the disciples receive the Holy Spirit, it is as if a veil is taken away from their face. They understand the mission their Master has for them in the world. Before Pentecost, they sat behind closed doors waiting in anxiety, thinking their lives were coming to an end. But now the Holy Spirit is directing them. They are not ashamed of the Gospel. In fact, they are so confident in preaching Christ crucified, that over 3000 people at that day believe in Jesus and are baptized. Everywhere the disciples went, the Word of God is preached, and new believers are brought into the family of God. 

That day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, with the bestowal of the Holy Spirit in wind and flame, is a type of graduation. But like graduation from school, it did not ensure a trouble free life.  Just because you have a diploma, just because you graduate with high honors, does not mean that there will be no trouble. You may apply for your dream job and be denied. You may ask your high school sweetheart to marry you and she says, “I don’t”. You may pursue a course of study at the university and flunk required classes.  You may try moving out of your parents’ house just to be turned away after submitting a renter’s application. 

Just because the disciples are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, it does not mean that everything goes according to their plan. It does not mean that everything is smooth sailing after Pentecost. In fact, the life of the disciples becomes busier and harder. Yes, the Lord provides for them in the ministry, but many reject Jesus and His followers bringing the Good News.  And because of this the disciples were persecuted, as Jesus said they would in Matthew chapter 5, “10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Some of these disciples are innocently imprisoned. Some escape death on multiple accounts. Others are stoned to death. Peter is crucified upside down! Being given the Holy Spirit and sent to be witnesses for Jesus makes their lives difficult. Most people reject Jesus and His followers and turn away from His church. For the apostles, receiving the Holy Spirit brings hardship and trouble in this life. But by the Holy Spirit these men know that comfort in this life is not the most important thing. 

Through your parents you inherit sin and death. It is this sin and death our Lord overcomes by His cross and resurrection. At your baptism He gives the diploma of everlasting life through the water and the Word where you receive His Holy Spirit and His righteousness. His name is autographed on your forehead and upon your heart marking you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. 

Graduations are big milestones in life, but the ultimate milestone is eternal life. This is coming for you as a gift from the Lord. Just like the disciples, death may come to you before our Lord returns but the life He gives to you and everyone in the church is ultimately bigger and better than this sinful life we are in now.

So, toss your hats everyone! You have the Holy Spirit living in you. You are a temple for the Breath of God. Celebrate and share the good news with others in the world! Be graduates of the church not ashamed of the diploma you have been given. Give thanks for God’s continual gift of His love in His Word and Sacraments. Rejoice because our Lord gives you His gown of righteousness! Amen.

Posted on by pastorkevinjud

Unlikely Cornelius

 

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Easter 6 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
May 5, 2024
Acts 10:34-48, 1 John 5:1-8, John 15:9-17

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

            After Jesus’ resurrection, and before His ascension into heaven, He gave this command from a hilltop in Galilee, Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV) 18 … “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

During this season after Easter instead of Old Testament readings we get readings from the book of the Acts of the Apostles.  In Acts 1, 40 days after His resurrection, just before His ascension from the Mount of Olives, Jesus tells the apostles, Acts 1:8 (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.” 

            Ten days later they receive the power when the Spirit comes with the sound of a rushing wind and the apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit and able to speak in the languages of all the Jews from around the Mediterranean who had come to Jerusalem for the Jewish Pentecost festival. Peter preaches to the assembled people, and after, Acts 2:37–39 (ESV) 37 … when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Acts 2:41 (ESV) 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”  These unlikely people bring the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection back to their home countries.

            Peter continues to preach the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension at the temple and throughout the city of Jerusalem.  Many people are hearing the Good News and the Jewish authorities are upset and arrest the apostles and put them in prison, but God opens the doors and frees them.  God enables the Word to spread.  The fledgling Church becomes more organized and appoints deacons to help with the day to day distribution of food so the apostles can devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.

            One of these deacons, named Stephen, is brought before the Jewish council and Stephen preaches to them about Jesus and how He fulfills scripture.  Stephen tells them that they always resist the Holy Spirit and kill the prophets and now they have betrayed and murdered the righteous one.  The crowd grows so angry they seize Stephen, cast him out of the city and stone him to death.  During the stoning, a man named Saul watches the garments of those throwing the deadly rocks at Stephen.  The stoning of Stephen causes many followers of Jesus to flee Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria.  The Jewish leaders try to silence the followers of Jesus, but instead of snuffing out the Way it just spreads to a larger area as believers bring the Good News of Jesus with them.

            While Saul makes it his work to attack followers of Jesus and have them put in prison, the apostle Philip goes to Samaria and proclaims to them the Christ.  As the Samaritans receive the Word of God Peter and John go to Samaria to lay hands on the new believers and they receive the Holy Spirit.  Philip then makes his way to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza and teaches and baptizes the Ethiopian court official who brings the Good News of Jesus back to the palace in Ethiopia and to the whole nation.  The apostles are indeed witnesses to Jesus in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

            Saul is then miraculously converted from being an enemy of Jesus to a being a faithful follower as Jesus appears to him on the road to Damascus.  Saul, later known as Paul, becomes the greatest missionary to the nations, making disciples wherever He went around the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea.  Jesus uses His unlikely people to spread the news of His resurrection.

            And then, in Acts 10 we meet Cornelius.  This is a Bible character that I must have read about many times over the years, but He did not stick with me.  The only Cornelius I recall is Yukon Cornelius from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  But as we were studying the Book of Acts in my Sunday School class I found this account of Cornelius to be fascinating. Cornelius is a centurion in the Roman Army in the Italian Cohort.  A centurion is an officer in charge of 100 soldiers.  Cornelius is a Roman, from Italy, serving in Caesarea where the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, has a palace on the shore of the Mediterranean. 

            With Cornelius we see again how God works to spread the Gospel using unlikely people.   Cornelius believes in God.  He gives generously and prays continually, but he does not know the truth about Jesus.  An angel of God appears to Cornelius and instructs him to send men to Joppa which is about 40 miles south.  It is now called Jaffa and is on the south end of modern day Tel Aviv.  Cornelius is to send for Simon who is called Peter. Simon Peter is staying with Simon the tanner, in a house by the sea.  Cornelius obeys the angel and sends two servants and a soldier to go get Peter. 

            Peter is in Joppa on the tanner’s roof praying when he has a vision from God of a sheet being let down filled with all kinds of animals.  A voice from heaven says, “Rise Peter, kill and eat.”  Acts 10:14–16 (ESV) 14 But Peter [says], “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.”

            What God has made clean, do not call common.  This applies to food, thus undoing Old Testament food laws, but Peter will soon see that it also applies to people.  While Peter is pondering all this there comes a knock at the door; a Roman soldier and two others looking for Peter.  The people in the tanner’s house must be afraid that a Roman soldier looking for Peter cannot be good, but the Spirit tells Peter to go with the men. 

            After a two day journey Peter arrives at Cornelius’ house, Acts 10:28–29 (ESV) 28 And [Peter] [says] to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

            Cornelius explains that the angel instructed him to send for Peter.  Acts 10:33 (ESV) 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”  This is not Cornelius and Peter acting on their own with their own plans, this is God is directing the action. 

            And that brings us to today’s lesson from Acts.  Peter is bringing the Gospel to a Roman Officer from Italy at the Roman Governor’s Judean seaside palace.  Peter teaches how God shows no partiality, and about Jesus’ ministry and His death and resurrection and how Peter is one of the eyewitnesses of the resurrection, and then Peter says, Acts 10:43 (ESV) 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 

            While Peter is still speaking the Holy Spirit fills those who hear the word and they begin to extoll God in various languages.  Peter declares, Acts 10:47–48 (ESV) 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.” This is a Gentile Pentecost as the people are filled with the Holy Spirit and are baptized.  

            God works to bring the Gospel to Cornelius and his people in Caesarea, and then back to Italy when they return home.  He brought the news of Jesus’ resurrection to the Ethiopian palace and now to the Judean seaside palace.  We see God here making disciples of all nations using unlikely people. The apostles are truly Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.  The Good News has traveled to the end of the earth, even here… to Hamilton, Ohio, where still today we bask in the truth that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins is for both Jews and Gentiles.  This Good News began in Jerusalem and has now spread to your unlikely ears and heart.  

Rejoice that Jesus forgives your sins, for,  Acts 10:34–35 (ESV) 34 …God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” 

            And so, with God’s direction and help, unlikely as we are, we continue what the apostles started; making disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching.  And we continue to share the eyewitness testimony that Jesus rose from the dead to conquer death forever. The same proclamation Peter gave in Jerusalem still echoes here today, Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!  Amen. 

Posted on by pastorkevinjud

Baptism: Clean or Messy?

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Baptism: Clean or Messy?
Vicar Matthew Kinne
Texts: Mark 1:4-11; Romans 6:1-11

Back in November I witnessed the baptism of eight students from our day school. It was moving to see these young people drawn to the font by faith. But I will say, it was also very messy. As each student leaned over the font, Pastor Jud would scoop out water and drench their heads while proclaiming that these children are baptized in the triune name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While some of the water fell back into the font, a healthy portion of the water rolled off the side and onto the stone floor. By the time all eight baptisms were completed, most of the water was no longer in the font. The scene showed that something messy happened here.

When we think about baptism, we usually think of something elegant and clean. The color white is often used to show the righteousness and purity God offers to the baptized. Sins are washed away and the name of Christ is put on. A burning candle is lit to show the world that the light of Christ is now in this believer. The new life of the baptized is started. It all seems clean on our end. But what about to God? Is baptism clean or messy from His point of view?

Let’s begin with the man who baptizes Jesus. In our Gospel reading, we hear John proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Nothing seems clean about his ministry. For starters, he preaches in the wilderness. According to the custom of the Jews the only sacred and holy place to preach was in the temple in Jerusalem or in local synagogues. John is in the wilderness where wild animals roam and where everything unclean resides. He wears camel hair, and he eats locusts and wild honey. Not only does the man look messy, but he is also baptizing in the muddy waters of the Jordan River. Nothing about what John is doing seems sanitary, yet despite the lack of cleanliness, people believe John’s teachings. Our text says in verse five, “And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going to him and being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.”(Mark 1:5).

Somehow the preaching of John lures so many people into the water. Something about John was different that makes people confident God is working through him to forgive sins. Yet his ministry confuses the temple officials. 

Later in Mark, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, which is the beginning of His passion walk to the cross.  At the temple Jesus is tested by the scribes and priest. They asked Jesus, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” (Mark 11:28-31) After much discussion, and fear of being hated by the Jews, they answer Jesus saying, “We do not know,” (Mark 11:33). 

The temple officials are blind to what John’s baptism is teaching. They think that this immersion in the Jordan is nothing more than a scam to ruin their business. They are scared that John is taking away their customers and putting their temple up for foreclosure. They would essentially be out of a job.

 These blind priests and scribes do not realize that this man, John, is the last of the Old Testament prophets. The clothes John wears are the same clothes worn by the men before him who proclaimed God’s word to all nations about the coming Messiah. The food John eats, though a seemingly odd diet, is food provided by God in the wilderness. This is similar to how God provided meat for Elijah at the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan River nearly 900 years earlier (1 Kings 17). 

Not only is John’s lifestyle similar, but his message is also the same. Jonah proclaimed to the city of Nineveh, “‘Yet forty days, and Ninevah shall be overthrown!’ And then the people believed in God and repented of their evil ways” (Jonah 3).  When Jeremiah was commanded by the Lord to prophecy to King Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, he said, “Thus says the LORD: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth,’” (Jeremiah 26:4-6). Just like Elijah, Jeremiah, and Jonah and all the other prophets, John’s message is, “Repent, for the Messiah comes!”  And like many prophets before him John suffers imprisonment and death.        

Yet even though the prophets, including John, suffer many afflictions and sometimes even death for preaching God’s truth, none of what they suffer compares to the pain and hardships Christ would suffer through His baptism. Before Jesus is baptized, He is already clean. He is God. He doesn’t carry any sin with him into the water. The message of John, “Repent and be baptized” seems obsolete as there is nothing to wash away. But if we remember what the will of God is throughout the Old Testament it makes a lot of sense. 

God had to send His Son to earth so that there would be a sacrifice large enough to atone for all the sins of the world. When the heavens open at Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit comes down and the voice of the Father thunders from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased!” This voice from the Father is not just a “hey son, I’m proud of you” like some dads may say after their son’s team wins a basketball game. This word pleased points out that this body of Jesus, that was just washed in the Jordan, came out of the water ready to take on the wrath of the Father and be a sacrifice for all. God provides this sacrifice to save His creation from the bondage of death. In baptism Jesus puts on your sin, my sin, the disciples’ sin, the prophets’ sin, the sin of all people, and He takes it to the cross. This baptism makes Jesus’ life and death messy and miserable.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus gets His hands dirty. After He is baptized, He goes out to be tempted by Satan in the wilderness while never sinning once. His first disciples come from low social classes. His first miracle in Mark is healing a man with an unclean spirit. He heals many others with diseases, eats dinner with criminals, gets called out by the temple staff for being a hypocrite, and is arrested. He is then beaten, spat on, mocked, and killed. Yet, while all this is happening to Him, He knows that He suffers these things for all men. He dies even for the ones who are putting Him to death. There is nothing clean about what Jesus has to do by taking on the Father’s will. 

            His baptism, that ends with His death, is the only way He could make you clean. The will of the Father is completed when you are washed clean in the blood of Jesus at your baptism.  In baptism you are united with Christ in His death, yet the work of the Son is not done if Christ stays dead. St. Paul writes, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:5). If we only hear that Christ died there would be no hope for life eternal. He went through all this messiness of death on a cross to make atonement for the sins the world and then rises out of the depths of death three days later to life. This is the work that pleases the Father. This is the work that fixes the gap between us and God. 

            When the baptized pray, “Thy Kingdom Come” and we eat of that body and drink of that blood in His Supper, we get a glimpse of the unity of heaven and earth. We look forward to the day of the resurrection of the dead when we will forever be in His presence, and we will never again be lost to the messiness of this world. Jesus did the dirty work for you, so that you could be washed whiter than snow. He completed the work of the Prophets, took on all sin, and freely gives you His living water of everlasting life. He has chosen you, saved you and set you free! You are clean in the blood of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Posted on by pastorkevinjud

Prepare for the Lord

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

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

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

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

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

            People need to be prepared when an important person arrives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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