Sadly, due to the ice storm, Church was canceled today, but I shall, Lord willing, look forward to seeing you Tuesday evening at 7.30 PM for the Festival of the Epiphany of our Lord:
Until then, A Pastor to his People: "Mine Eyes Have Seen Thy Salvation!" the Sermon I Was Ready to Preach at St Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church—UAC by the Rev. Frederick E. Davison, Pastor for the First Sunday after Christmas January 4, 2009 X X X Grace, Mercy, and Peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen. The sermon for the Sunday after Christmas, speaks from the Gospel appointed, the Holy Gospel according to St Luke chapter 2 with particular focus on these words: "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also…" Thus far our text. Please be seated. In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Ghost. [Amen.] Signs. Everywhere the Word takes me these days, the Spirit is taking me to the word, "signs." Every week, every Gospel, every reading, everywhere I turn, the Lord is communicating His saving message in signs. I am forced to acknowledge what all of countless hours of study take me: Christianity is a sign-post religion. And the reason why the contemporary fathers of the Church are taken up with signs is because the ancient Fathers of the Church were occupied with signs. And the Fathers of our Faith were taken up with signs because everywhere they turned, God was dealing with men *through* signs. So it seems now as it has always been, that if men wish to deal with God, they must be able to see and comprehend God's sign-language. Yet it's not like it is something new that began with the Apostles. Fact, God long ago conveyed His gracious will by signs of His presence, signs of His grace. I mean, what greater sign would you need than if you are running away from your enemies in the desert, and you come to an impassable body of water, when all of sudden, your head-shepherd holds forth his staff and the water dries up in front of you and you walk through on dry land. And then, when your enemies sought to follow you through, God in an instant caused those great walls of water to come crashing down on them like a great reservoir had broken forth suddenly upon them—an act of God, a Divine act of War against evil, against sin. And then on the other side, to show that this was not some secret-superhuman weapon, that Same God caused a pillar of fire to stand up in the desert at night, and a great pillar of smoke would stand out by day, so there could be no misundertaniding: God is behind this; God is your refuge. God is your strong Tower, God Himself is your strength. Yet somewhere along the way, you began to take His mercy, His grace for granted. You had had too many blessings, too much goodness, too much grace, you began to feel entitled. God somehow *owed* you His Kindness, His mercy a reward for great Faith. So God sent signs of disapproval. Diseases, Destructions, Deportation, and yes even finally Devastations. And yet through all of these He offered still—to any who would see them—there were ongoing signs of His grace. A "Branch from the Root of Jesse," "A Virgin conceiving and bearing a Son," "wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger," all signs of faith for God's Faith-full, the believing ones in His Grace. His Gospel, always and ever, holding forth hope to those who would dare believe. And so today comes forth another—silly old man no doubt some thought him—going on and on about one born Christ. He told them, God told him, "he would not see death before he saw Him." SO who knows how many days, weeks, months, may be even years. How many babies he may have seen before he saw Him. God only tells us about this One. So the sign for us is not, Simeon's waiting, how great was Simeon's Faith. No the sign for us is the work of the Spirit, how God gave Simeon to see. And what, when he saw the Flesh and Blood Jesus, Simeon saw all that He'd need. In His arms, in the Baby born of Mary—presented today "holy" to God—in the flesh of this newborn baby, God gave Simeon the sight to see God. And how foolish he no doubt looked to those who looked for power, for strength, and for might for their deliverance. Yet Simeon saw in a flesh and blood Baby, God's "Right Hand and His Holy Arm." SO it was, first Mary and Joseph, and then Shepherds, now, Simeon the age-old prophet. Soon again, the wise men, and then all the rest. Who would see God's hand of mercy, would have to see His Flesh and Blood Son. No different in our day either is it. God communicates, let us partake of His Presence, this, the day of our Visitation, by signs of His Body, God's One and Only Son. First stands in Jordan's water. You've always thought of it as Jesus' Baptism—but perhaps it's not that at all. IN fact our faithfull Fathers taught us that there in the Jordan, Jesus baptized water, and from that time forward, "baptism doth save us." A Sign of His Presence, sign of grace. "Where two or three are gathered, there I am in the midst of them." But How? Jesus told His Apostles, [Lk 10.16] "The one who hears you is hearing Me. And the one hearing Me is hearing the One who sent Me," and again, [Rev. 3.20b] "If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." And not Him only, but Jesus says, [Jn. 14.23] "If a man love Me, he will keep My Words: and My Father will love him, and WE will come unto him, and make OUR abode with him." How's that for signs of His Presence, signs of His grace. Of course you remember where Jesus said, [Jn. 20:23] "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them. . ." And again, [Ps. 103.12] "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." And again, [Is. 1.18] ". . . though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." There we go with signs again. Yet today's Gospel is perhaps the most initimate, the most delicate, gentle sign of His Grace, of His Presence in all the Scripture. Held before Him in his old wrinkled hands, the Infant—born Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. God gave this aged prophet to see the Universal, Catholic Church of God who should see in the Flesh and Blood Jesus the salvation of the whole world. But so much more than that, Simeon sees not some generic saviour, but truly as He is, *his* Saviour. And now He can see him as God's Christ—Anointed for a purpose—Christened to die, the Sinless One for the sins of the whole world. And His dying on a tree Body serves as a sign that should be spoken against—yes the hearts of many will be revealed. The hearts of the Fathers are turned—here—to the children. Yet the children would likewise turn to their Fathers. And some would believe. At first, there were Twelve. And their report went out into the whole world. And He prayed for them, "and not them only" but also those who would believe *through* their Word. And those that believed were granted the same place, the same grace as St Simeon. And what they saw, you've seen. What He handled, we've handled. What God gave, we've have received. And "what we received, we have given also unto you." And you here know the Word: "The same night in which He was betrayed. He took bread. And when He had given thanks, He brake it and gave it to His Disciples saying, "Take eat. This is My Body." "After the same manner also He took the Cup when He had supped and when He had given thanks, He gave to them saying, "Drink ye all of it. This Cup is the New Testament in My Blood which is shed [for many] for you for the remission of all your sins." The Same Christ—the same sign. And Simeon—being taught of God what to say—teaches the world from that time until now; we have our response. "Lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy Word for min eyes have seem Thy Salvation which shall be to all people. A Light to lighten the Gentiles and glory of Thy People Israel." Let us depart in peace, indeed, according to His Word, [Amen.] In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Ghost. [Amen.] The peace that passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. [Amen.]" -- the Rev. Frederick E Davison, Pastor St Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church--UAC the Pastor's E Mail: [email protected] the Pastor's Cell: 608-475-0860 Box 230 23357 CR AA Richland Center, WI 53581 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "For the question is not (to borrow words from Cyprian) what someone before us has done but what He who is before all both did before and commanded us to do." Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, vol. II, p. 250. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ___________________________________________________________________________ '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 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. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected] Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected] Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at: Rev. Fr. Eric J. Stefanski <[email protected]>
