When the Lord Comes Near: He Lifts Up the Humbled

By this time of the holiday season, people are often weighed down. They feel guilty about presents that are not perfect, or parties that did not go as planned, or year-end projects that did not get completed. To top it all off, now is when it dawns on people how little attention they have given to the spiritual preparation Advent invites. If that is how we feel, perhaps the frenzy of December has actually done us a favor. We have been stretched to our limits. We have been made aware of our shortcomings. We have been humbled. Perfect! For being made aware of our weaknesses does not disqualify us from God's care. It does the opposite. It is what prepares us for the work he does best. He is a God who lifts up the humbled.

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When the Lord Comes Near: He Humbles His Enemies

Last week we saw that the Lord sends messengers to call us to repentance. This week we learn that those who refuse to heed that call to humble themselves will be humbled anyway. The Lord who once came near in flesh and now comes near in Word and sacrament will one day come near with consuming fire and judgment. The Lord will humble his enemies. This truth does two important things. First, it adds urgency to God's Advent call to repentance. Second, it gives us comfort when we, as God's people, experience opposition from the world. Those who oppress and harm God's people will face justice.

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When the Lord Comes Near: He Humbles His People

People tend to feel a lot of pressure this time of year. We want our houses to look good for out-of-town guests. We want to impress people with the thoughtfulness of our gifts. What a welcome relief, therefore, to hear what is required to meet the Lord: only repentance. You see, Jesus is not someone we need to impress with our good works. Indeed, repentance is the opposite of work. Repentance is the humble admission of our sin combined with the joyful trust that everything needed to bring us close to God has already been done by him.

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When the Lord Comes Near: He Humbles Himself

What would it be like to meet God? We know he is almighty and holy. He loathes sin. No wonder that when God appears to his Old Testament people, their first response is typically terror. But when Jesus Christ came into our world, he hid his glory and power. He humbled himself so that sinners would be drawn to him rather than driven away in fear.

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Unbreakable Christmas: Comfort!

A year like this proves that just about everything in life is fragile. Like a delicate Christmas ornament, our lives can shatter at a moment’s notice. Thankfully, God provides us with Christmas gifts that are unbreakable. In his Son, he gives us peace, joy, and hope that nothing can destroy. Today we see how the Christ child gives us an unbreakable comfort through life’s pain and disappointments. It is found only in a baby born to a peasant couple. Most missed it then, and most miss it today. But a few saw it—and they sang and rejoiced that God had sent salvation to his people and had made it known to them. By God’s grace, you and I see it too!

God has sent us salvation and revealed himself to us in the Christmas gospel; in revealing himself he gives himself and all that he is and has for us and for our salvation—not only a reason to rejoice, but an unbreakable comfort for life’s pain and disappointments.

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Unbreakable Christmas: Keep Your Word!

A year like this proves that just about everything in life is fragile. Like a delicate Christmas ornament, our lives can shatter at a moment’s notice. Thankfully, God gives us the perfect wish list for a year like this. He shows us what to ask for in order to have a Christmas that is truly unbreakable.

This week we are reminded that God always keeps his promises. Though it often takes a long time (from our perspective) and even when his promises don’t make sense to us, God always delivers. Therefore, while we are often tempted to ask God for what we want him to do, we can always confidently ask him to do what he has promised to do: Keep your Word!

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Unbreakable Christmas: Shine on Us!

A year like this proves that just about everything in life is fragile. Like a delicate Christmas ornament, our lives can shatter at a moment’s notice. Thankfully, God gives us the perfect wish list for a year like this. He shows us what to ask for in order to have a Christmas that is truly unbreakable. This week we see how God’s Word teaches us to realize the true condition of our world and our hearts. Just as our eyes adjust when it is dark, it is easy to get so used to the spiritual darkness of our world and of our own hearts that we forget about it. Thankfully, God’s Word doesn’t just show us we are in darkness. It points us to Jesus, our true and only light. As a result, we pray this Christmas: Shine on us!

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Unbreakable Christmas: Come to Us!

A year like this proves that just about everything in life is fragile. Like a delicate Christmas ornament, our lives can shatter at a moment’s notice. Thankfully, God gives us the perfect wish list for a year like this. He shows us what to ask for in order to have a Christmas that is truly unbreakable.

The Savior is coming! Get ready! It was the job of John the Baptist to prepare God’s people for the Savior’s arrival. As we prepare to celebrate that coming, the message hasn’t changed for you and me. The Savior is coming! Get ready! Are you ready? Today we hear hos God’s simple but powerful message proclaimed by his messengers to prepare us for our Savior’s coming—so we can confidently pray: Come to us!

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Unbreakable Christmas: Save Us!

A year like this proves that just about everything in life is fragile. Like a delicate Christmas ornament, our lives can shatter at a moment’s notice. Thankfully, God gives us the perfect wish list for a year like this. He shows us what to ask for in order to have a Christmas that is truly unbreakable.

This week we start a new church year with a prayer that is appropriate for every season and every year of life: Save us! Jesus’ presence in our lives can bring all kinds of benefits and blessings. Ultimately, however, we need him to be our one solution to our greatest need. We need to him to rescue us from sin and death. And so we join our voices with the crowds on Palm Sunday: Hosanna! Save us!

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Arrival - A Sign!

Christmas is a time of anticipation. Looking forward to getting together with family, excellent meals, giving and receiving gifts. It was also a time of anticipation leading up to the birth of Christ. The coming of Jesus was prophesied for centuries until the moment that God finally sent Jesus to walk the earth. Now, we wait in anticipation of his glorious return. This week, we see again how God chooses to deal with us - He is patient. He is persistent. He has a plan. He promises and he fulfills. He does that which only God can do, using his power for our good!     

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A Message That Changes Everything

We are inundated by messages on a daily basis: e-mails, texts, tweets, phone calls, face-to-face conversations. Many of these messages are unimportant or irrelevant, and we forget them almost immediately. Other messages require more time and attention. “Will you marry me?” “There’s been an accident.” “We’re pregnant.” “God called him home.” In the minutes and hours after hearing such a message, we can’t think of anything else. But as transforming as these messages are, they have a somewhat small circle of influence. It would be a stretch to say that these messages change the world. Today, listen to the messages the children proclaim as if you are hearing them for the first time. Listen across the continents and the centuries to messages that are as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago. Listen for the power of God at work in the lives of his created beings. Listen to messages that transformed the world—messages that changed everything.

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Arrival - It's New!

Christmas is a time of anticipation. Looking forward to getting together with family, excellent meals, giving and receiving gifts. It was also a time of anticipation leading up to the birth of Christ. The coming of Jesus was prophesied for centuries until the moment that God finally sent Jesus to walk the earth. Now, we wait in anticipation of his glorious return. This week we hear about how our Advent King comes to renew. Because of his work here on earth, we can look forward to a new kingdom, where sin and its effects are gone; where peace and righteousness rule.

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