Genesis 46:1-7/1 Peter 4:12-19/St Matthew 2:13-23
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Do not suppose that death has the upper hand; nor that death will have the last word. For out of Egypt God has called His Son; the same Son, Jesus Christ, the consummation and totality of Israel, who has come in the flesh to bear your sins and be your Savior. He has shed His blood, even as you heard on Thursday, the 8th Day of Christmas - He has spilt His first drops of precious blood. But more, He has poured out it all in death for you. And the Father has raised Him from the dead. Therefore death has no power over Him. Neither does it have any power over you who are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection and belong to Him.
Still, it seems as if death is winning. Your homes and lives are devastated by its effects: broken relationships, broken promises. Your own bodies and those of your loved ones are afflicted and worn down. This past year has brought its fair share of grief and sorrow, death and fear. As the ancient hymn sings, “In the very midst of life, snares of death surround us” (LSB 755:1).
The fear of death, under its many guises, enslaves and tyrannizes you, and drives you to sin. At the heart of all covetousness and idolatry, deception and manipulation, laziness and legalism is this fear of death. For death has entered the world on account of sin, and sin increases all the more in the fear of death. It is a vicious cycle, which erupts here and there, within and without.
Sometimes, like King Herod, you get angry, and you fight back and defend yourself with force; as though you were a god, as if you had the power and the authority of life and death.
At other times, like Rachel, you despair of any help or consolation; you weep and moan, refusing to be comforted, as though there were no God, no Savior, and no hope.
Such fear of death, such anger, and such inconsolable grief are all sinful and unclean, because they are contrary to true fear, love, and trust in God.
Repent, then. Repent of your misplaced fear, of your violent temper, of your hopeless despair.
Wait quietly and patiently upon the Lord. And rise up at His Word, even as St Joseph did, and do what He calls you to do. No matter how daunting, difficult, or discouraging the task may be, get up and go in the hope of His grace, mercy, and peace.
This is precisely what you see in Israel taking all his offspring from the land of Canaan into Egypt at the Word of the Lord. This is precisely what you see in St Joseph, Guardian of our Lord, taking the Child and His mother into that land of slavery and bondage. The Son of God sojourns in Egypt and there waits upon the Word of the Lord.
And yet, it appears once more as if death has the upper hand. For Israel and his offspring go down into Egypt and it is not long before they are persecuted, subjugated, and enslaved. It is not long before they are victims at the hands of the godless Egyptians. So too for the little boys in Bethlehem. The little Lord Jesus is rushed away to safety in the middle of the night, but the innocent boys of Bethlehem are slaughtered in His wake. Helpless victims.
On the surface it seems little comfort to know that everything unfolds according to the Scriptures. St Matthew reiterates three times in ten verses that these events took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. But this is trifling consolation.
It is the same for you. I know you are sad. I know you are hurting. In many ways you are a victim. For all sin has consequences. David loses the son by Bathsheba. Stephen is stoned by those he loves. The Bethlehem mothers wail in the night for the atrocities of Herod.
But, as it is written, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rm 8:18). Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.
For in fact, God does respond and deal with evil, with sin and death, with fear and anger and despair. Only, He does very differently than you would do. He is different, too, than Rachel and Herod. He does not react with force or retaliate with the unbridled aggression of a temper tantrum. He has no need to get defensive. He does’t panic and throw up His hands in frustration. He does not give up the fight.
True, the Day is coming when the Lord will avenge His people and punish the wicked and evildoers and unrighteous; even as He drowned Pharaoh and all his army in the Red Sea. Herod died and was judged by the Lord.
But the Lord demonstrates His almighty power over sin, death, the devil, and hell chiefly by showing mercy to sinners, by having compassion on them, and forgiving them all their sins. He is patient and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord does not abandon Israel and his offspring in Egypt; but He Himself went with him down to Egypt and He Himself brought him up again. So too the sons of Bethlehem. The Lord did not neglect or forsake them, but calls them to Himself and rescues them of every evil of both body and soul unto life everlasting.
So it is with you. Because the Lord Jesus does not run away in fear from danger and death, but proceeds in faith to the death of His Cross, He will lay down His life for you at the time appointed by His Father, not according to the evil machinations of the wicked Herod.
He grows up - from infancy, through childhood, unto adulthood - in order to redeem the entirety of human life. He lives in faith and love, from first to last, on His journey to the Cross. He wanders all over, as Israel before Him, before the Lord brings Him to the new and greater exodus of His Cross and Passion. It appears haphazard and random; without purpose. But we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Rm 8:28).
Thus our Lord Jesus lays down His life not at Herod’s whim, but in fulfillment of the God’s will, trusting the Scriptures of the Prophets and the promise of His Father.
He does this in culmination and fulfillment of all of Israel. He does it for the boys in Bethlehem and all the martyrs. He does this for you, for your little ones and your wives. He becomes the Passover Lamb who is slain, in faith His blood marks the doorpost and lintel of your soul; you are ransomed. He is the true Martyr, at whose death His mother weeped with lamentation, yet she and you are comforted in His Cross and Passion, His death and resurrection. For He became the Nazer, the Branch, persecuted and rejected, cut down and discarded, but in whose death you have life.
Behold, He lives! And you are given to follow after Him, out of the Egypt of your sin and death, fear and despair, through the exodus of your Baptism, the drowning of your old man, and on into the Promised Land of His eternal Kingdom. Behold now you are still under the Cross of your wandering. It is not easy, you are still a victim, you are still in suffering and sadness.
But this truth remains: you do not mourn as those who have no hope! Christ has died. He has risen from the dead. He has fulfilled the Scriptures for you. He puts His Name upon you. Entrust yourself to Him while doing good, whether it is in caring for your neighbor in adversity and hardship, or in peace and joy.
And have no fear of death, but come, and receive the Food of Eternal Life, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all your sins, the strengthening of your faith and love, and the calming of your fears.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Do not suppose that death has the upper hand; nor that death will have the last word. For out of Egypt God has called His Son; the same Son, Jesus Christ, the consummation and totality of Israel, who has come in the flesh to bear your sins and be your Savior. He has shed His blood, even as you heard on Thursday, the 8th Day of Christmas - He has spilt His first drops of precious blood. But more, He has poured out it all in death for you. And the Father has raised Him from the dead. Therefore death has no power over Him. Neither does it have any power over you who are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection and belong to Him.
Still, it seems as if death is winning. Your homes and lives are devastated by its effects: broken relationships, broken promises. Your own bodies and those of your loved ones are afflicted and worn down. This past year has brought its fair share of grief and sorrow, death and fear. As the ancient hymn sings, “In the very midst of life, snares of death surround us” (LSB 755:1).
The fear of death, under its many guises, enslaves and tyrannizes you, and drives you to sin. At the heart of all covetousness and idolatry, deception and manipulation, laziness and legalism is this fear of death. For death has entered the world on account of sin, and sin increases all the more in the fear of death. It is a vicious cycle, which erupts here and there, within and without.
Sometimes, like King Herod, you get angry, and you fight back and defend yourself with force; as though you were a god, as if you had the power and the authority of life and death.
At other times, like Rachel, you despair of any help or consolation; you weep and moan, refusing to be comforted, as though there were no God, no Savior, and no hope.
Such fear of death, such anger, and such inconsolable grief are all sinful and unclean, because they are contrary to true fear, love, and trust in God.
Repent, then. Repent of your misplaced fear, of your violent temper, of your hopeless despair.
Wait quietly and patiently upon the Lord. And rise up at His Word, even as St Joseph did, and do what He calls you to do. No matter how daunting, difficult, or discouraging the task may be, get up and go in the hope of His grace, mercy, and peace.
This is precisely what you see in Israel taking all his offspring from the land of Canaan into Egypt at the Word of the Lord. This is precisely what you see in St Joseph, Guardian of our Lord, taking the Child and His mother into that land of slavery and bondage. The Son of God sojourns in Egypt and there waits upon the Word of the Lord.
And yet, it appears once more as if death has the upper hand. For Israel and his offspring go down into Egypt and it is not long before they are persecuted, subjugated, and enslaved. It is not long before they are victims at the hands of the godless Egyptians. So too for the little boys in Bethlehem. The little Lord Jesus is rushed away to safety in the middle of the night, but the innocent boys of Bethlehem are slaughtered in His wake. Helpless victims.
On the surface it seems little comfort to know that everything unfolds according to the Scriptures. St Matthew reiterates three times in ten verses that these events took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. But this is trifling consolation.
It is the same for you. I know you are sad. I know you are hurting. In many ways you are a victim. For all sin has consequences. David loses the son by Bathsheba. Stephen is stoned by those he loves. The Bethlehem mothers wail in the night for the atrocities of Herod.
But, as it is written, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rm 8:18). Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.
For in fact, God does respond and deal with evil, with sin and death, with fear and anger and despair. Only, He does very differently than you would do. He is different, too, than Rachel and Herod. He does not react with force or retaliate with the unbridled aggression of a temper tantrum. He has no need to get defensive. He does’t panic and throw up His hands in frustration. He does not give up the fight.
True, the Day is coming when the Lord will avenge His people and punish the wicked and evildoers and unrighteous; even as He drowned Pharaoh and all his army in the Red Sea. Herod died and was judged by the Lord.
But the Lord demonstrates His almighty power over sin, death, the devil, and hell chiefly by showing mercy to sinners, by having compassion on them, and forgiving them all their sins. He is patient and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord does not abandon Israel and his offspring in Egypt; but He Himself went with him down to Egypt and He Himself brought him up again. So too the sons of Bethlehem. The Lord did not neglect or forsake them, but calls them to Himself and rescues them of every evil of both body and soul unto life everlasting.
So it is with you. Because the Lord Jesus does not run away in fear from danger and death, but proceeds in faith to the death of His Cross, He will lay down His life for you at the time appointed by His Father, not according to the evil machinations of the wicked Herod.
He grows up - from infancy, through childhood, unto adulthood - in order to redeem the entirety of human life. He lives in faith and love, from first to last, on His journey to the Cross. He wanders all over, as Israel before Him, before the Lord brings Him to the new and greater exodus of His Cross and Passion. It appears haphazard and random; without purpose. But we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Rm 8:28).
Thus our Lord Jesus lays down His life not at Herod’s whim, but in fulfillment of the God’s will, trusting the Scriptures of the Prophets and the promise of His Father.
He does this in culmination and fulfillment of all of Israel. He does it for the boys in Bethlehem and all the martyrs. He does this for you, for your little ones and your wives. He becomes the Passover Lamb who is slain, in faith His blood marks the doorpost and lintel of your soul; you are ransomed. He is the true Martyr, at whose death His mother weeped with lamentation, yet she and you are comforted in His Cross and Passion, His death and resurrection. For He became the Nazer, the Branch, persecuted and rejected, cut down and discarded, but in whose death you have life.
Behold, He lives! And you are given to follow after Him, out of the Egypt of your sin and death, fear and despair, through the exodus of your Baptism, the drowning of your old man, and on into the Promised Land of His eternal Kingdom. Behold now you are still under the Cross of your wandering. It is not easy, you are still a victim, you are still in suffering and sadness.
But this truth remains: you do not mourn as those who have no hope! Christ has died. He has risen from the dead. He has fulfilled the Scriptures for you. He puts His Name upon you. Entrust yourself to Him while doing good, whether it is in caring for your neighbor in adversity and hardship, or in peace and joy.
And have no fear of death, but come, and receive the Food of Eternal Life, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all your sins, the strengthening of your faith and love, and the calming of your fears.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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