These three Advent midweek sermons are adapted from “Savior of the Nations.” Yet, the sermons are adapted, sometimes using different texts on which the sermons are based.
Advent 1, Midweek: John 1:1-3, 14 Intro Not all invitations are glorious! Not all invitations are what they seem. Left to our own sinful ways, we would throw away an invitation we consider beneath us. For the tempting lies of the devil have had their way with us. The devil’s lies have beguiled us. We believe that we are something when we are not! Main Body As the fallen children of Adam, we wish to be like God. We seek fame and fortune. We want the praise of others. We covet pomp, power, prestige, and possessions. We believe ourselves to be above others. No, not all invitations are what they seem. In sinful ignorance, we gladly accept the devil’s invitation. We too-willingly join him in his make-believe kingdom: a kingdom built on shallow promises and selfish lies, a kingdom of the flesh catering to all our baser wants. We may be too intellectual, too smart, to voice such beliefs. We may be too sophisticated to admit that such base emotions rule us. Yet, even if we shed our self-made lies and delusions, they are there. We seek after fame and fortune. We want the praise of others. We covet pomp, power, prestige, and possessions. We believe ourselves to be better than others. God’s answer to this is what it has always been. Flee from the evil of yourself. Turn toward the good of God. Confess the sins that you hidden even from yourself and the delusions of your heart. Confess who you are. Deep, or not so deep, inside you, wickedness and depravity lurk. Envy, strife, and deceit have all-too easily made their home within you. Insolence, boastfulness, and arrogance are slithering beneath the surface of your prim and proper self (Romans 1:29-30). Flee from the evil of yourself. Turn toward the good of God. For the devil never delivers his lies as promised. Flee from the evil of yourself. Turn toward the good of God. For the devil will leave you to hang in the wind--the destroying winds of death and the flaming winds of hell. Yet, there is another voice. Through the voice of the Gospel, you can hear and heed the Messiah’s invitation--His invitation to be part of His rule and reign. Of course, not all invitations are glorious! Not all invitations are what they seem. Remember the hymn we just sang. “Savior of the nations, come, Virgin’s Son, make here Your home! Marvel now, O heaven and earth, that the Lord chose such a birth.” (LSB 332:1) When there was nothing, there was God the Holy Trinity. The pre-incarnate Son was there, “begotten of His Father before all worlds.” He is “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made” (Nicene Creed). Out of pure darkness, when there was yet nothing, the invitation came from the Father to His Son. It was an invitation to join the Father in creating the “visible and invisible.” It was an invitation to be the Word, the Word in which all creation was made and without whom nothing was made (John 1:3). Of course, not all invitations are glorious! Not all invitations are what they seem. In that loving and gracious speaking, in such creating, God the Holy Trinity was vulnerable. The creation could turn against its creator. For the Holy Trinity’s self-giving love never forces itself on His creation. He does not manipulate for self-satisfaction. When perfect creation fell into the abyss of darkness and night, the all-creating Word did not stand idly by. He became one with us. He became human among that which He had once made and spoken of as “good.” The perfect Word of creation, Jesus the Christ, became the Word made flesh. Jesus fully embraced the Father’s invitation to come down among His sinful children to speak words of light and life to the entire world. In humility and truest love, the Son left His throne in heaven and joined Himself to the Virgin Mary’s womb. Taking up flesh through the Holy Spirit’s speaking, the one-and-only Son of God began to stir within the Virgin mother that He might fully be what He had once created. The invitation to become one of us is the greatest miracle of God. It isn’t only that only that He created. No, the miracle is that He would create Himself to be like us in every way, yet without sin, so He could give us His righteousness! This Word made flesh spoke the words of life, healing disease, raising the dead, forgiving sin, and granting eternal life. He does that all with His Word. And, unlike the devil’s word, His Word does what it says. His Word restores and makes whole that which was once sick and separated from God. “From the manger newborn light shines in glory through the night. Darkness there no more resides; in this light faith now abides” (LSB 332:7). Advent is one of the more contemplative of the Church seasons. Advent is an invitation. Not all invitations are glorious! Not all invitations are what they seem. The invitation to take part in Christ’s rule and reign is an invitation to follow in His suffering and death. The Advent invitation is a call to take up our cross and follow Him. The Advent invitation, at the same time, calls us to confess Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. We are to speak forth the One who is the Word to the ends of the earth. We are to sow the seed that has been given us, to work while it is still light. Faith is the truest theme of Advent. Faith given by our heavenly Father, through the Word, trusts the Word to deliver all that it promises. Such faith is the substance of things hoped for and the certainty that what we cannot see exists (Hebrews 11:1). Conclusion Soon, another invitation will come from the Father to the Son to come to earth again. But this invitation will be different. Jesus will come--not in new flesh--but in His crucified flesh now glorified. And on that glorious day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10). Then we will hear the invitation: “Come, you who have been blessed by my Father! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). The Word made flesh will be in our hearts and on our lips for all eternity. Amen. -------------- Advent 2, Midweek: Luke 1:30-35 Intro This was no ordinary word. Of course, words from God never are. Such an extraordinary Word was spoken through the Angel Gabriel into the Virgin’s ear. He said, “Fear no more, Mary. For you have found favor with God. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name Him, ‘Jesus’” (Luke 1:30-31). Main Body This was no ordinary word. For the power of God’s Word does what it says. The Word in creation brought the world into being. But now the spoken Word through the Angel Gabriel brings the Word, the Word Jesus, into being in the womb of Mary. It is as we sang, “Not by human flesh and blood, by the Spirit of our God, was the Word of God made flesh--woman’s offspring, pure and fresh (LSB 332:2). Indeed, not by human flesh and blood. Yet Jesus, the eternal Word, is flesh and blood. The One who will do the extraordinary looks to be ordinary. All the while, He veils His divinity under human flesh. Indeed, the divine and human being of Jesus is a deep mystery--a mystery at the heart of our faith. At the center of it, we find the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, the mother of the Son of God. She gives birth to the One who is begotten of His Father before all worlds. The One to whom she gave birth is God of God, Light of Light, and true God of true God. But now, Jesus is also fully human. For us and our salvation, He “came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary.” As He is of one divine nature with God the Father from all eternity, so He is now of the same human nature as me and you. Jesus took on human flesh and was born of this woman, this daughter of Adam and Eve. The advent of our Lord and the season of Advent hinges on this truth. If you remove Mary of Nazareth, you no longer have the life-giving Gospel. We know God could have done it some other way. He’s God. He can do that. He could have chosen some other young virgin from the house and lineage of David to become pregnant and bear His one-and-only Son in the flesh. However, nothing about our salvation is a “might have been.” There is only that which the Lord has said and done. Now, we must remember that Mary deserved none of this divine favor. She, like me, like you, was, by nature, sinful and unclean. She, like me, like you, had sinned against God in thought, word, and deed. She, like me, like you, had sinned against God by what she had done and by what she had left undone. Like me, like you, Mary had received the mercy of God. It is especially in that way, as someone who received God’s mercy and grace in Christ Jesus, that Mary teaches us so beautifully the meaning of faith. Mary did nothing to earn such favor with God. She did nothing to deserve it. Yet, the Lord was with her, as He is with you, here in His Church, in His Gospel. He favors her with His grace. Although with Mary, such favor and blessing was uniquely given. Yet, the Lord also favors you and blesses you within your own vocations and stations in life. Through the Angel Gabriel, the Lord spoke His Word to Mary. He gave to her His own dear Son. Yet, the Lord does not stop there. He also speaks His Word to you. And through that Word, He gives to you the same Son who born of the Virgin Mary. Oh, the power and mystery of God’s Word! That holy and all-powerful Word was in the beginning with God. Through that Word, all creation came into being. That Word, which became flesh and came to live among us, is full of grace and truth! Even more, that Word of Life is Spirit and Truth. That Word speaks, “Let there be,” and then “it is so,” and “it is very good!” Oh, the power and mystery of God’s Word! This flesh-and-blood Jesus has won your salvation. His sinless flesh becomes sin for you. His spotless flesh, without blemish, was raised up on the fallen wood of the cross for you. The One who spoke creation into existence cried out to the Father. The One who is Life and Light was brought low in the darkness of death. Hell and the devil did their worst to Him. The coldness of death could not hold His immortal flesh. He died to kill death. He rose to bring life and immortality to light. He lives that we might have life in Him. “By Your mighty pow’r make whole all our ills of flesh and soul” (LSB 332:6). Conclusion God speaks to you, O sinner, and He declares that He is with you. God has favored you with His gracious Word of forgiveness. God has blessed you with His Holy Spirit. In Holy Baptism, God has given you His holy name! He has anointed you with His Holy Spirit. That’s the same Holy Spirit who overshadowed the Virgin Mary and conceived the Son of God in her womb. That’s the same Holy Spirit who spoke through the Angel Gabriel. So you are also a child of the Father in heaven. The Word proclaims your sins forgiven. The Word invites: “Take, eat; this is My body. Take, drink; this is My blood.” The Word of Life makes it so. The Word of God does what is says. This is the Word spoken to you. It is no less certain than the Word that was spoken to Mary. This is the Word creates faith within you and keeps in you in the one, true faith. Amen. -------------- Advent 3, Midweek: John 18:33-37 Intro Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation. The word Advent means “coming,” not “it’s already here.” So, this is a time when we prepare ourselves to celebrate the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. Yet, we in the Church--even within ourselves--have to contend against the secular Christmas, which has looked like Christmas since Halloween. So a certain restraint is in order, a certain discipline--the discipline of waiting. Christmas will come; now is Advent. Main Body Now, we consider the coming miracle of the incarnation, Jesus Christ, being born from the Virgin’s womb. This is the same Jesus who was born of His Father in eternity before all worlds. Now, He is the Word made flesh, the Word that speaks all life into being. Yet, Advent is not only the season when we ponder the infant Jesus, but also the man Jesus, the king Jesus. Advent reminds us who this Jesus of Nazareth is. Advent reminds us why Jesus came here to live, to work, and to die. Jesus was the child formed in the throne room of the Virgin’s womb. Yet, this infant Jesus grew up and died in our frail flesh as His crowning glory to be our king. We know that earthly kingdoms do not last. They rise and fall. They flourish and decay. Empires waste away and fade into oblivion. Nations come and go. The kingdoms of this world, whether powerful or weak, do not stand forever. Most of the Israelites in Jesus’ day wanted a messiah who was strong and mighty, who would conquer their earthly foes. They wanted someone who would rise to the peak of political power. They wanted someone who would shower them with the wealth and riches of a powerful kingdom. They wanted an impressive, earthly king. This they did not see in Jesus. What king is born in a musty stable to hard, working-class parents? What king asks hated tax collectors and lowly fishermen to be His companions? What Israelite king shows compassion on a Samaritan and forgives her sin? What king kneels down next to adulterous woman and challenges the righteous to recognize their own sin? Oh, what a different king Jesus is! Jesus wasn’t--and isn’t--the king the world wanted. In an age of quick fixes, fads, and forms of false escape, many run from the real solutions to their real problems. In today’s politically correct world, sin, death, and the devil are now hostile words we should not speak. Such words are considered malicious and no longer fit for us to use. So why do we need Jesus when we think we can fix ourselves? But what is the truth? The truth is that we can’t even fix our problems. Left on our own, using fixes, fad, and escapes, we will still surely die. But thanks to be to God that He sent His Son! For only Jesus was the king the dying world needed. He was the king the world had to have! No other way existed to save this fallen world, except through Christ the King! Jesus was the king who cared and loved enough to leave His heavenly throne to wear the robe of our human flesh. He was the king who would give His life for us, the walking dead. He was the king who healed diseases and cast out demons. He was the king whom the world needed like no other. Jesus was most kingly when others violently and viciously attacked Him. Jesus was most kingly at those times when the world would see Him at His weakest. Jesus was kingly when He carried His cross. Jesus was kingly when He forgave the thief on the cross and promised to be with him in paradise. Jesus was kingly when He cried out to His Father in anguish and gave up His Spirit. This world sees the last days of Jesus as anything but regal and kingly. He spent His last days doing what He had to do to save a dying world. The king had to do the unthinkable. The king had to die. That’s why Jesus, our Advent King, did not come in pomp, power, and prestige. He came, instead, to show His deep and fathomless love. He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for the many. Because of the king who Jesus is, we should not find His kingdom surprising. His kingdom is not of this world. King Jesus delights in bringing His holy gifts to His people, not in exacting tribute. Today, King Jesus still comes and still delights in bringing His holy gifts to His people. This is Jesus’ Advent, His coming, His coming in Word and Sacrament, in His means of grace. King Jesus came into your life in the lowly word and water of holy baptism. There, He planted His Kingdom in your heart. There, He marked you as His own. There, He gave Himself to you as the Lord of your life. There, God “has rescued [you] from the power of darkness and has brought [you] under the reign of the Son … through whom [you] have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14). In Holy Absolution, King Jesus comes into your life in the lowly words of forgiveness, which your pastor speaks following Christ’s command (John 20:23). Christ’s forgiving words still contend against sin, death, and Satan. Those words give what they say--Christ’s own forgiveness. With your sin’s forgiven, death has lost its sting. Now, not even Satan and his minions can harm you. In His Holy Supper, King Jesus comes to you in the bread that is His Body and the wine that is His blood. In His Supper, He reaches out to you, giving you His own righteousness. That’s what His Body and Blood are--His righteousness given to cover your sin! Conclusion The world got King Jesus wrong--and still does! But to Christ’s own, we know that through Christ the King’s suffering and death, and through His holy Sacraments, He continues to come to us--even now--as our King. Such are the bounties, the gifts that King Jesus comes to bequeath on you--even now. Robed in such riches, you will have a seat at Christ’s Table when He comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead. To Him, we give all glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and even into the ages of ages! Amen. -- Rich Futrell, Pastor Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Kimberling City, MO Where we receive and confess the faith of the Church (in and with the Augsburg Confession): The faith once delivered to the saints, the faith of Christ Jesus, His Word of the Gospel, His full forgiveness of sins, His flesh and blood given and poured out for us, and His gracious gift of life for body, soul, and spirit. ___________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author (as long as no charge is made for the work and it is not made part of a compilation), as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. 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