“Good News Is Coming for God’s Glory!”
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord [Amen.]
“Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let ev’ry heart prepare a throne
And ev’ry voice a song.
“Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heav’n’s eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.”
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
349:1 & 3)
Old Testament
Reading........................................................ Isaiah
61:1-4, 8-11 (esp. 1-4)
1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to
bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who
are bound; 2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3to grant to those who mourn
in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint
spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the
Lord, that he may be glorified. 4They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined
cities, the devastations of many generations.
Prologue: As we plunge deeper and deeper into the dark depths of
Advent and, at the same time, come closer and closer to the annual formal
bright-light celebration of our Savior’s birth, we arrive at this peculiar
Third Sunday in Advent. It’s peculiar not only because the third Advent
candle is pink in color instead of blue like the others, but more so because
it’s a Sunday of joyful celebration in the midst of a season that’s largely
about mournful repentance.
You see, Advent’s focus emphasizes penitential preparation for the
annual joyful celebration of our Savior’s incarnate birth … and at the same
time His future return in glory on the last day to judge both the living and
the dead. That is, Advent, as Lent also does, sets aside time in the
liturgical church year to review and rehearse repentance. As you do so,
remember that it’s a spiritual exercise in which you 1. recognize sin as sin
and the fact that you’re sinful and unclean, deserving only God’s temporal
wrath and eternal punishment; 2. grieve your sin knowing that it’s
ultimately rebellion against your heavenly Father, who loves you dearly as
His precious Baptismally-adopted children; 3. honestly confess your sin
without trying to blame someone else or even the devil for it, ignoring or
denying it, or trying to rationalize it away or justify it; 4. gratefully
recall that Jesus took your sin upon Himself, shed His holy blood on Calvary’s
cross where He died the death of the sacrificial Lamb of God that takes away
the sin of the world; and 5. strive by the Holy Spirit’s power alone to
replace sin with God-pleasing and God-praising sanctified thoughts, desires,
words, and deeds.
So, what did Old Testament prophets say about repentance? “Zion
shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by
righteousness.” (Isa 1:27 ESV) and “Repent and turn from all your
transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.” (Ezek 18:30 ESV) What did the
New Testament prophet John the Baptizer say about repentance? “Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (St Matt 3:2-3 ESV) What did Saint Peter
say about repentance? “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may
be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the
Lord … .” (Acts 3:19-20 ESV) What did Martin Luther say about repentance?
In the first of his 95 Theses he declared: “When our Lord and Master Jesus
Christ said ‘Repent,’ He willed that the whole life of believers should be
one of repentance.” And, perhaps of greatest value, what did Jesus Himself
say about repentance? “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (St Mark 1:15 ESV)
In addition to that repentance theme, this Third Sunday in Advent
(also known as “Gaudete,” [it’s a Latin verb that means “Rejoice”] Sunday)
provides a preview of what’s coming in less than two weeks. In fact, Advent’s
Gradual captures that telling us to “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation.” (Zech 9:9 & Ps 118:26, alt. ESV) Saint
Paul also emphasized the celebrative spirit of this Third Sunday in Advent
when in today’s Epistle Reading he told the Thessalonian Christians to
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” adding the reason for such
being the fact that “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you
completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will
surely do it.” (1 Thess 5:16-18, 23-24 ESV)
All of that simply declares that the reason for the upcoming
Christmas season (that’s right, we’re really not yet in the Christmas season
that actually begins Christmas Eve as opposed to what secular society and
our commercialized-driven culture is foisting upon us) is what John the
Baptizer proclaimed in today’s Gospel Reading: “I am the voice of one crying
out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet
Isaiah said. I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not
know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy
to untie.” (St John 1:23, 26-27 ESV) Of course, he was referring to his
cousin, Jesus, whom God sent to rescue us from the devil, the world, and our
sinful flesh; redeem us with His holy precious blood and innocent suffering
and death; and reconcile us to our sin-estranged Creator-God, “who desires
all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim
2:4-5 ESV)
Putting all that together gives us the joyful message that …
“Good News Is Coming for God’s Glory!”
“Warren Christopher, deputy secretary of state in the Carter
Administration, concentrated his best efforts for long, trying months on the
complex, sensitive mission of freeing the American hostages held in Iran.
Shuttling back and forth between Washington and Algiers, he often endured
long stretches without rest and prolonged absences from home. The mission
of gaining freedom for 52 Americans was everything.
“God is calling you to catch the significance and deep meaning of a
mission that means everything for your life and for our life together in
this parish. On this mission our Lord Jesus shuttled from the mansions of
heaven to the poverty of earth. It became a preoccupation with Him because
it was the freedom of hostages that was really at stake—Your [and my]
freedom [from sin, Satan, and death itself].” (Encyclopedia of Sermon
Illustrations. Compiled by David F. Burgess. Copyright © 1988 Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 127.)
Advent serves to remind us that Christ’s mission was to move from
the safe, secure confines of Bethlehem’s manger to Calvary’s coarse,
abrasive cross. He did so for you and me because …
I. God Loves Justice and Hates Sin. (8-9)
8For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully
give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with
them. 9Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their
descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge
them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.
Holy is defined as “sinless and hating sin.” (Luther’s Small
Catechism with Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 1991 Concordia Publishing
House, St. Louis, MO. Page 106.) God’s Holy Word tells us that “I the Lord
your God am holy” (Lev 19:2 ESV) and “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
hosts.” (Is. 6:3 ESV) Saint Peter instructed his readers: “… as he who
called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is
written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-17 ESV) Also,
we know that “Sin is every thought, desire, word, and deed that is contrary
to God’s Law;” that “Original sin is that total corruption of our whole
human nature that we have inherited from Adam through our parents;” and that
“Actual sin is every act against a commandment of God in thoughts, desires,
words, or deeds.” (Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation. Pages
100-101.)
Since God is a just God, that is, absolutely fair and impartial,
He is bound to punish sinners for their iniquities. That means that,
because you are sinful and unclean, you deserve to be forever consigned to
the deep dark dungeon of everlasting separation from Him who created life,
almighty God Himself. However, the good news is that, because of His
merciful and gracious love for all people, …
II. God Rescued You from Your Sin. (10-11)
10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he
has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the
robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a
beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11For
as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown
in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to
sprout up before all the nations.
The commentator John A. Braun wrote the following about this
wonderful news: “[You] may rejoice that God has covered [your] sinful life
with the robe of righteousness. Jesus fashioned this robe from the threads
of his perfect life. Then he wove it on the loom of the cross and colored
it with his own red blood. God freely gives the cloak of his Son’s perfect
life to [you], and it covers every sin, rebellion, and deviation from God’s
standard. This robe of Christ’s righteousness is long and wide enough to
cover every twisted human thought, word, and deed. But this robe comes only
from God. No human can erase a single sin. Left to [yourselves], [you]
walk about as Lady Macbeth did. She killed the king, and her sins haunted
her conscience and heart. Like Shakespeare’s character, [you] vainly
attempt to wipe [your] own sinful hands clean. If [you] are honest, [you]
will conclude as she did: ‘Here’s the smell of the blood still; all the
perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand’ (Macbeth 5.1.52-54).
Only God’s grace in Christ can cover [your] sin. Forgiveness cannot be
achieved by [your] effort, no matter how godly that effort may appear to
other human eyes. [You] are justified, that is, [you] are declared
righteous, feely by grace. By faith [you] put Christ’s spotless robe on
[your] shoulders and make it [your] own. …
“Because this robe covers the deepest stain of [your] sin, it becomes
also a garment of salvation. God sees [you] clothed with the perfection of
his own Son and welcomes [you] into his presence. … [You] rejoice because
God has given such a garment of salvation to [you] and claimed [you] as his
own.” (John A. Braun in People’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah II. Copyright ©
2004 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Pages 335f.)
In conclusion, therefore, on this Third Sunday in Advent be
reminded and reassured that …
“Good News Is Coming for God’s Glory!”
In view of that blissful truth, today’s Introit both leads you in
prayer and serves to comfort and sustain you in times of personal trials,
tribulations, heartaches, and despair: “Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation. Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for
he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back
to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory
may dwell in our land. Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land
will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before him and make his
footsteps a way.” (Ps 85:7-9, 12-13 ESV) Do so knowing that …
I. God Loves Justice and Hates Sin. (8-9)
and at the same time …
II. God Rescued You from Your Sin. (10-11)
In grateful response as we, on this Third Sunday of Advent—Gaudete
Sunday, catch a glimpse of the joyful Christmas celebration that’s rapidly
approaching, keep the words of today’s Collect uppermost in your heart and
on your mind: “Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to
lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live
and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.”
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
_______________________________________________
Sermons mailing list
[email protected]
http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
