Malachi 4:1-6/Romans 15:4-13/St Luke 21:25-36
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The Day is surely drawing near. And it shall dawn on everyone on earth, the living and the dead. Just as the sun rises and shines on both the evil and on the good, so shall the Sun of Righteousness arise: with light and warmth and healing for those who fear, love, and trust in Him; but with the fiery heat of vengeance upon the arrogant and all evildoers, all workers of wickedness, leaving them as stubble.
The rising of that Sun for the Day of Judgment is more sure and more certain than the rising of the sun tomorrow or the turning of the seasons. For the heaven and the earth will pass away. But the Word of the Lord will never pass away. All that He has spoken, all that has been written by His prophets and apostles, who were carried along by the Holy Spirit, all of it shall be fulfilled. And those who despise and reject His Word, those who shut their ears and harden their hearts to it, will be consumed by fire and trampled under foot like ash. Nothing will be left for them but the utter darkness and death of eternal damnation.
In order to prepare you for that Day, to prepare you for the Advent of the Christ, He sends to you His preachers of repentance in the spirit and power of Elijah. By their faithful preaching of His Law and His Gospel, they turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Which is to say, His Word restores the most fundamental human relationships by the reconciliation of God in Christ.
Therefore remember the Law of Moses. The threatening and terrifying thunder and lighting. The fire and smoke of Mt Sinai. But remember also the Covenant that the Lord established with His people by His grace in His Word. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. Remember then the first four commandments in particular and how you are to fear, love and trust in the one, true God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - honor His Name and holy His Word sacred. And how you are to honor your father and mother.
You are to live in the faith and worship of the Blessed Holy Trinity alone, allowing nothing else and no one else to come before Him nor even stand beside Him. This is what our Lord Christ means when He cautions, Do not let your hearts be weighed down with dissipation, that is, with all the garbage and refuse of this world, with all that is perishing and fleeting. Rather, living in faith toward the Triune God alone you are to be concerned with love and care for your neighbor.
This preaching of the Law, which calls you to repentance, to fear God and love your neighbor, precedes and accompanies the Sun of Righteousness, the Christ, who rises with healing in His wings for you. But where and how does He rise and shine upon you? It is in the preaching of His Cross.
So then, as you prepare this Advent-tide, pray that this Word of the Lord would spread and be glorified among you, even as St Paul exhorted the Christians in Rome to rejoice over the proclamation of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ among the Gentiles. For the Lord is faithful, dear ones, to do this very thing. Not only that, He will strengthen and protect you until the end by the selfsame Word and preaching.
Therefore, do not despair, and do not even attempt to defend yourself! Rather, speak the wisdom and utterance of Christ by confessing His Word. Confess His Cross by word and deed within your own vocations. And you have a blessed example this day, dear Christians, in St Nicolas of Myra. Wherein the collect for his day Christians are taught to pray, “Grant Your Church [O Lord] the grace to deal in generosity and love with children and all who are poor and distressed.” Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
This all sounds good, right, and relatively “easy enough.” But I tell you the truth: you’ll be tried and tested by tribulation on all sides, within and without; tempted to pride on the one hand, to doubt and despair on the other.
But it is precisely in such tribulation - when you are at your weakest, flailing about and falling apart, not at all are which end is up, nor how on earth you’re going to make it from one day to the next - just there, in that turmoil, in that toil and trouble, you are given the opportunity for testimony, for the confession of the Cross of Christ. Not only in what you do and say, but in what you patiently suffering, in what you pray without ceasing in the confidence of the the Lord’s resurrection.
And you can be sure of this: it gets a whole lot worse, until it gets better. There is the Cross first, and then, by way of the Cross, there is the resurrection from the dead. Thus in and with Christ Jesus your Savior you enter into His glory only through the suffering of His Cross.
So yes, our Lord Jesus is quite right: there is great distress and perplexity and fear and fainting. It is not only in the world around you, in all of creation which groans in agony for the coming One; but it is also in you, in your heart and body and soul, in your life on earth, and in your dying. The old shut-ins are right: it is getting worse. Truth be told, everything is already falling apart and perishing. Creation itself is in turmoil and is dying on account of man’s sin. And in the time you come you may even find yourself betrayed by your nearest and dearest loved ones, hated by all, perhaps even put to death.
You long to see the Son of Man. You heart, which is stirred by His Word, aches within you. But where do you look? And how shall you find Him? Or even know that it’s Him if and when you do?
Many pretenders comes in in His Name and they actually can seem far more authentic and real than Christ Jesus Himself! They can actually look like the church, like a properly glorious Temple of God on earth, adorned with impressive, beautiful stone, whether of architecture or flashy performance.
But do not be misled. Don’t chase after anyone or anything but Christ and Him crucified. He alone is the Cornerstone of the Church, the foundation of God’s City, eternal in the heavens, but established here on earth by His Cross. Leave the city of man, turn your back on Sodom and Gomorrah, and flee to the City of God. Run to the hills, to the Mountain of the Lord of Hosts. Follow the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, on which the Son of Man comes with the power and great glory of His Cross.
Once more, it sounds great, but what does it all mean? Where are you supposed to go? What are you supposed to do? Who and what can you possibly believe? And how shall you endure until the end and stand before the Son of Man? How on earth shall you live?
First of all, understand and take to heart that the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning of the end. His crucifixion is already the resolution and fulfillment of all things. In His voluntary suffering and death He has become the Desolate One. He has suffered the wrath and vengeance of God. And He has redeemed you from sin and death forever. As He is lifted up in death, your Redemption draws near. And as He is now lifted up by the preaching of the Gospel of His cross, so is the Kingdom of God near to you now, in this generation!
Therefore do not flee from the Cross. Rather flee to the Cross. That is where Christ is. That is how He is with you, even now.
Behold that Tree. Its leaves are for your healing. For the clothing of your nakedness and the covering of your shame. Its fruits are for your nourishment and health. Where the leaves and fruits of the Cross are found - that is where preaching and His Sacraments are found - there is the summer and the sunshine of God’s love upon you and for you.
Cling to that Cross of Christ by hearing His Word that shall never pass away. And by eating and drinking the fruits of that Tree, the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus, given to you, according to His Word.
No matter what threatens or befalls you, whether you are surrounded by armies or trampled underfoot, do not be terrified. For the Lord Himself defends you, fights for you, testifies on your behalf, and saves your life. Whatever you may suffer, He has already suffered for you. And whatever sins you may guilty of, He has borne your guilt, atoned for your sins and redeemed you in both body and soul.
Sure, there seems to be no end to the apparent worries of this life - you name it - but none of these worries undo the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nor can any of them separate you from the love of God in Him. But watch yourself, lest you be given over to pride or despair. Be on your guard and keep alert by listening to the Word of Christ and availing yourself of His Gospel. For by and in and through His Word and promises He grants you the strength to escape all perils the faith to stand before the Son of Man in His glory, justified by His blood and redeemed by His victory, to live by His grace, mercy and peace, both now and forever.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The Day is surely drawing near. And it shall dawn on everyone on earth, the living and the dead. Just as the sun rises and shines on both the evil and on the good, so shall the Sun of Righteousness arise: with light and warmth and healing for those who fear, love, and trust in Him; but with the fiery heat of vengeance upon the arrogant and all evildoers, all workers of wickedness, leaving them as stubble.
The rising of that Sun for the Day of Judgment is more sure and more certain than the rising of the sun tomorrow or the turning of the seasons. For the heaven and the earth will pass away. But the Word of the Lord will never pass away. All that He has spoken, all that has been written by His prophets and apostles, who were carried along by the Holy Spirit, all of it shall be fulfilled. And those who despise and reject His Word, those who shut their ears and harden their hearts to it, will be consumed by fire and trampled under foot like ash. Nothing will be left for them but the utter darkness and death of eternal damnation.
In order to prepare you for that Day, to prepare you for the Advent of the Christ, He sends to you His preachers of repentance in the spirit and power of Elijah. By their faithful preaching of His Law and His Gospel, they turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Which is to say, His Word restores the most fundamental human relationships by the reconciliation of God in Christ.
Therefore remember the Law of Moses. The threatening and terrifying thunder and lighting. The fire and smoke of Mt Sinai. But remember also the Covenant that the Lord established with His people by His grace in His Word. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. Remember then the first four commandments in particular and how you are to fear, love and trust in the one, true God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - honor His Name and holy His Word sacred. And how you are to honor your father and mother.
You are to live in the faith and worship of the Blessed Holy Trinity alone, allowing nothing else and no one else to come before Him nor even stand beside Him. This is what our Lord Christ means when He cautions, Do not let your hearts be weighed down with dissipation, that is, with all the garbage and refuse of this world, with all that is perishing and fleeting. Rather, living in faith toward the Triune God alone you are to be concerned with love and care for your neighbor.
This preaching of the Law, which calls you to repentance, to fear God and love your neighbor, precedes and accompanies the Sun of Righteousness, the Christ, who rises with healing in His wings for you. But where and how does He rise and shine upon you? It is in the preaching of His Cross.
So then, as you prepare this Advent-tide, pray that this Word of the Lord would spread and be glorified among you, even as St Paul exhorted the Christians in Rome to rejoice over the proclamation of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ among the Gentiles. For the Lord is faithful, dear ones, to do this very thing. Not only that, He will strengthen and protect you until the end by the selfsame Word and preaching.
Therefore, do not despair, and do not even attempt to defend yourself! Rather, speak the wisdom and utterance of Christ by confessing His Word. Confess His Cross by word and deed within your own vocations. And you have a blessed example this day, dear Christians, in St Nicolas of Myra. Wherein the collect for his day Christians are taught to pray, “Grant Your Church [O Lord] the grace to deal in generosity and love with children and all who are poor and distressed.” Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
This all sounds good, right, and relatively “easy enough.” But I tell you the truth: you’ll be tried and tested by tribulation on all sides, within and without; tempted to pride on the one hand, to doubt and despair on the other.
But it is precisely in such tribulation - when you are at your weakest, flailing about and falling apart, not at all are which end is up, nor how on earth you’re going to make it from one day to the next - just there, in that turmoil, in that toil and trouble, you are given the opportunity for testimony, for the confession of the Cross of Christ. Not only in what you do and say, but in what you patiently suffering, in what you pray without ceasing in the confidence of the the Lord’s resurrection.
And you can be sure of this: it gets a whole lot worse, until it gets better. There is the Cross first, and then, by way of the Cross, there is the resurrection from the dead. Thus in and with Christ Jesus your Savior you enter into His glory only through the suffering of His Cross.
So yes, our Lord Jesus is quite right: there is great distress and perplexity and fear and fainting. It is not only in the world around you, in all of creation which groans in agony for the coming One; but it is also in you, in your heart and body and soul, in your life on earth, and in your dying. The old shut-ins are right: it is getting worse. Truth be told, everything is already falling apart and perishing. Creation itself is in turmoil and is dying on account of man’s sin. And in the time you come you may even find yourself betrayed by your nearest and dearest loved ones, hated by all, perhaps even put to death.
You long to see the Son of Man. You heart, which is stirred by His Word, aches within you. But where do you look? And how shall you find Him? Or even know that it’s Him if and when you do?
Many pretenders comes in in His Name and they actually can seem far more authentic and real than Christ Jesus Himself! They can actually look like the church, like a properly glorious Temple of God on earth, adorned with impressive, beautiful stone, whether of architecture or flashy performance.
But do not be misled. Don’t chase after anyone or anything but Christ and Him crucified. He alone is the Cornerstone of the Church, the foundation of God’s City, eternal in the heavens, but established here on earth by His Cross. Leave the city of man, turn your back on Sodom and Gomorrah, and flee to the City of God. Run to the hills, to the Mountain of the Lord of Hosts. Follow the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, on which the Son of Man comes with the power and great glory of His Cross.
Once more, it sounds great, but what does it all mean? Where are you supposed to go? What are you supposed to do? Who and what can you possibly believe? And how shall you endure until the end and stand before the Son of Man? How on earth shall you live?
First of all, understand and take to heart that the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning of the end. His crucifixion is already the resolution and fulfillment of all things. In His voluntary suffering and death He has become the Desolate One. He has suffered the wrath and vengeance of God. And He has redeemed you from sin and death forever. As He is lifted up in death, your Redemption draws near. And as He is now lifted up by the preaching of the Gospel of His cross, so is the Kingdom of God near to you now, in this generation!
Therefore do not flee from the Cross. Rather flee to the Cross. That is where Christ is. That is how He is with you, even now.
Behold that Tree. Its leaves are for your healing. For the clothing of your nakedness and the covering of your shame. Its fruits are for your nourishment and health. Where the leaves and fruits of the Cross are found - that is where preaching and His Sacraments are found - there is the summer and the sunshine of God’s love upon you and for you.
Cling to that Cross of Christ by hearing His Word that shall never pass away. And by eating and drinking the fruits of that Tree, the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus, given to you, according to His Word.
No matter what threatens or befalls you, whether you are surrounded by armies or trampled underfoot, do not be terrified. For the Lord Himself defends you, fights for you, testifies on your behalf, and saves your life. Whatever you may suffer, He has already suffered for you. And whatever sins you may guilty of, He has borne your guilt, atoned for your sins and redeemed you in both body and soul.
Sure, there seems to be no end to the apparent worries of this life - you name it - but none of these worries undo the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nor can any of them separate you from the love of God in Him. But watch yourself, lest you be given over to pride or despair. Be on your guard and keep alert by listening to the Word of Christ and availing yourself of His Gospel. For by and in and through His Word and promises He grants you the strength to escape all perils the faith to stand before the Son of Man in His glory, justified by His blood and redeemed by His victory, to live by His grace, mercy and peace, both now and forever.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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