February Epistle: To Wear a Crown

     When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.   And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day… The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?… Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”….To Adam he said

“Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. (Genesis 3:6-19).

     February 14th is Valentine’s Day, a day when we celebrate love and friendship.  It’s a wonderful coincidence that, this year, Valentine’s Day falls on Ash Wednesday.   “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” the pastor says as he places a cross in ash on your forehead at the service that evening.  How is Ash Wednesday connected (and in a wonderful way) with Valentine’s Day?  Great question! You’re obviously in rare form!

     Ash Wednesday begins our season of Lent, a time for reflecting on how we have fallen short of God’s expectation that we be holy, as He is holy.  It is a season of repentance, which is often reflected in the Bible by the putting on of ashes.  The Lenten season is a time of preparation for Holy Week-   the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper with the disciples, a week culminating in Christ’s suffering and death on the cross and His triumphant resurrection on Easter morning!  All of this as God’s good plan of redemption for mankind, to undo the curse of the fall, to make atonement for sin going all the way back to Adam and Eve and the first sin in the Garden.  It’s all about love- the love of an almighty and holy God for sinful people.

     Cyril of Jerusalem makes an interesting observation.  Writing near the end of the fourth century, he remarks that in mocking Jesus the soldiers echoed prophecy.  He writes, “When they clothed him in purple, it was in mockery, yet ironically it was a fulfillment of prophecy, for he indeed was a king. Even though they did it in a spirit of derision, still they did it, and his regal dignity was by that symbolically heralded.  So, likewise, though it was with thorns they crowned him, it was still a crown (Sermon on the Paralytic 12).

     I’ve lately been thinking about the crown of thorns the soldiers placed so cruelly on Jesus’ head.  True, it was a ‘crown’, and true, it was to mock him as the king of the Jews.  But I see here another image as well.  In His incarnation, Jesus stepped into our world,   Born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, as Paul says in Galatians 4.   He was born under the law so that He could fulfil it in every sense, be obedient to God’s law as Adam was not, in order to earn the righteousness that He offers to us in the forgiveness of our sins.  He takes our sins into Himself and puts them to death as He suffers and dies in our place.

     But the crown of thorns tells a story all its own.  One of the indications of the curse that befalls creation as a result of Adam’s sin is that the ground will now bring forth thorns and thistles.  The incarnate Son of God, as He lives life as we do, experiences the creation in its fallen state.  He grows tired and weary.  He is hungry and thirsty.  He weeps and laughs and bleeds with the rest of us.  And perhaps the thorns encircling his head are also symbolic of His bearing for us the curse of the fall.

     Paul writes that even the creation is longing for the Last Day.  He says, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:19-21).  Christ’s death and resurrection are the beginning of the restoration of all creation.

     The curse of the fall encircles His brow as he hangs, dying, on the cross.  The cumulative sins of mankind which have resulted (and which will result) from the fall are borne in His body as He hangs on the tree.  By His death and resurrection, the Word of God which was active in creation gives Himself as the atoning sacrifice to undo creation’s curse, to destroy the power of sin and death and the devil.  In His blood and by the power of His resurrection, both we and creation are restored by faith now, and ultimately on the Last Day.

     As we enter this season of Lent, as we confess ourselves fallen sinners and receive the ashen cross on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, let us consider the burden Christ has carried for us, perhaps symbolized by the crown of thorns.  And, let us also rejoice that our Savior is the true King of kings, who died and who is alive, whose victory is our victory!

     God bless you as you contemplate the depth of your sin and the powerful love and mighty deeds of Jesus, your Savior.    

- Pastor

January Epistle: Earthy

The new year comes hard on the heels of our Advent and Christmas celebrations.  As we move into the year ahead, we do so in the warm glow of flickering lights around a manger bed where the Savior of the world lies sleeping.  And as I think about His birth and the events around it, the word “Earthy” comes to mind.  

     Our births today come in a sterile environment.  The temperature in the room is just right and the bed is specially designed for giving birth.  The nurses are attentive to the mother to be, and the doctor is at the ready.  There is likely even a sofa where the father can rest.  

     But the birth of Christ came in an earthy way.  Luke, the physician, interviews people as he writes his Gospel.  Can you imagine him sitting down with Mary and hearing from her point of view how the birth of Jesus took place?  The details are, well, earthy!

     Mary is visited by the angel, Gabriel, who tells her she’ll become pregnant with the Son of God, even though she is a virgin.  This young girl accepts God’s will for her, although it will likely bring her and her family great shame.  Joseph is going to divorce her, until an angel tells him of the divine conception.

     A census was declared by Caesar Augustus, for the purpose of taxing the people.  And everyone has to register in the town from where their ancestors have come.  As inconvenient as this is, interrupting the livelihood of Joseph, he and Mary must make the trip.  Never mind that Mary is pregnant, and that the distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem is around ninety miles, Rome must have an accurate count of the people it rules.

     And so, the pair travels to the little town of Bethlehem.  Our Christmas programs have the couple arriving on the very night that Mary goes into labor, but Luke’s description sounds more like she and Joseph have been there for a period of time: “While they were there, the time came for her to give birth” Luke 2:6.  The likely scenario is that Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem and stayed with relatives in order to register.  The culture was, and still is, one of hospitality, and relatives would have insisted that Mary and Joseph stay with them, especially in her condition.  

     Luke continues, “She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7).  The word that is translated “inn” is ‘kataluma’ and means a “guest lodging”, or “guest room”.  Luke uses the same Greek word only one more time in his Gospel, this time referring to the “guest room” or “upper room” where Jesus ate the Last Supper with his disciples.

     Archaeology has shown that it was common in that day to house animals in the house at night with the family.  The place for the animals might be in a side room, in a portion of the main room, or downstairs, with the family living space being in the upper part of the house.

     It is very unlikely that the little town of Bethlehem would have had a commercial inn, being small and not on a main road to Jerusalem.  And the meaning of the Greek word ‘kataluma’ fits perfectly with the finding of archaeologists.

     It is very likely, then, that Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem from Nazareth and that they stayed with a relative in a possibly crowded house, many other relatives having also returned to Bethlehem to register.  Where, then, could Joseph find privacy for Mary to have the baby when the time finally came?  It was night, and perhaps others were asleep in the crowded guest room.  So. Joseph took her to where the animals were kept, and there Jesus was born, and Mary wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in the most comfortable place she could – in the hay of a feeding trough.

     Now, shepherds from the nearby fields show up.  They are looking for a baby in a manger, and they find him and Mary and Joseph at the house, with the animals.  And they relate to the couple what they had been told, that this child is the Savior, God’s Messiah!  

     Luke says, “And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:17-19).  The shepherds told Mary and Joseph, but who is the “all who heard it”?  Not Mary and Joseph, but others; perhaps the other relatives in the house who had come to see the baby, possibly neighbors who also knew of the birth?

     Earthy.  Real.  God had come down to earth, and the details of the story are down to earth!  Jesus, the Son of David, was not born as royalty in a pristine palace.  He was not even born of nobility, or in the house of a priest.  Rather, he was born a nobody, to be the redemption of everybody.  In the beginning, there was no room for him in the guest room.  In the end, the people would have no room for him, and he would be cast out of Jerusalem. His humble mother gave him life, but a powerful Roman judge would sentence him to death.  A Roman guard and seal would attempt to keep him dead, but three days later he would take up his life again!

     The story of the birth of Jesus is an earthy one, as is the story of his death and resurrection.  The events recorded in the Gospels could not be fabricated.  They are historically accurate descriptions of the life of Jesus Christ, from his humble birth in Bethlehem, to his glorious ascension into heaven to be our great High Priest.

     As Simeon views the baby in the temple when Jesus is forty days old, he says, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” Luke 2:29-32.

     May you rejoice this Epiphany season as you see anew the Christ child revealed, born to bear your sins to the cross, that you might receive forgiveness and life from God.  

A blessed Epiphany to you!

- Pastor

Art Credit: The Adoration of the Shepherds, c.1665/68. Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682). Public Domain.

December Epistle: Peace on Earth

    As we move into the Advent season with its preparation for Christmas Eve and recitations of the angels’ message to the shepherds of “Peace on Earth,” we lament that the nation of Israel is at war.  The people of Israel were attacked on October 7 by Hamas terrorists.  Since then, Israel has responded by pushing into Gaza, to root out Hamas and restore peace and security for Israel.  Even now, eight weeks into the battle, there is the threat that the war may spread if other countries join in the fighting against the nation of Israel.

    War is something that has been part of humanity almost from the very beginning.  Pride, jealousy, covetousness, the desire for power or revenge, fear – all these traits and more contribute to mankind’s history of warring against one another.  

    Of course, our animosity one toward another is indicative of our fall from perfection.  The sin that entered the calm beauty of the Garden has wreaked havoc on the purity of God’s good creation.  Ever since the Fall, man has been at war.  Our flesh does not seek the good of our neighbor, but seeks its own good, regardless of what that might mean for others.  Our fallen flesh is set even against the Creator, against God Himself.

    Satan’s strike against our first parents has devastated the landscape of the human race.  Psalm 53 says, “No one does good, not even one!”  All mankind was under the curse and consequence of sin.  War between us is evidence of the destruction the Fall has brought.

    Enter the angels who appeared to lowly shepherds in the calm of the night on a hillside outside of Bethlehem.  They came with stunning news!  The longed-for baby had been born; the One who would undo what Satan had done, who would restore life to people dead in their trespasses and sins.  This baby would be light in the darkness and would restore peace – peace between people, yes, but peace also between man and his Creator, between sinners and their God.

    The birth of baby Jesus in the stable hay was the beginning of God’s war on sin, on death, and on the devil.  The Son of God had come in the flesh to infiltrate the enemy’s territory, and by this incursion to sweep up every one of our sins into Himself and put them to death on the cross.  

“In Satan’s domain

did the hosts shout and jeer,

For Jesus was slain,

whom the evil ones fear.”

    So goes the Easter hymn “He’s Risen, He’s Risen!”  It certainly appeared that the enemy had won the battle as the Son of God was condemned to be crucified.  But through His sacrificial act, by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, final victory has been achieved.  Our sins cannot condemn us.  God is no longer our enemy.  And Satan’s ability to accuse us has been annihilated!  In short, for all who believe in the Son of God, in His atoning death and resurrection from the dead, peace has come.  Not a temporary cease-fire in hostilities between God and man, but a real, lasting, eternal peace.  And all of this has been accomplished by God, the resulting eternal life being offered to us as a gift by faith.  The battle is the Lord’s.  The victory is the Lord’s.  And it is gifted to us.

“But short was their triumph;

the Savior arose,

And death, hell, and Satan

He vanquished, His foes.

The conquering Lord

lifts His banner on high;

He lives, yes, He lives,

and will nevermore die.”

“Then sing your hosannas

and raise your glad voice;

Proclaim the blest tidings

that all may rejoice.

Laud, honor, and praise

to the Lamb that was slain:

With Father and Spirit

He ever shall reign.”

    And so, we celebrate his advent; we celebrate the quiet, wondrous birth of Jesus, the warrior of God who was sent for our salvation and to bring peace between us and God.

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel Shall come to thee,

O Israel!”

    We celebrate not only His first coming, but we also look forward in faith to His coming again at the end of time, when He will return with all the angels to take His bride, the Church, and present her to the Father.  What a joyous celebration of Christ’s victory that day will be!

    A happy Advent season to you all, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

New Building Update

A lot has happened at the building since the “Great Weed Cleanup” in July.  Here are some highlights:

We had 100 cubic yards of compost delivered to the site

• We rented a bobcat to distribute the compost, till it into the soil, and dig trenches for irrigation

• Many volunteers helped rake the compost, dig dirt out of the trenches, lay pipe, and fill in the trenches

• The remaining wall of the old building received a new coat of stucco

• The roof over the porch is being redone

• Flooring has been laid for the kitchen area, and donated cabinets have been mounted

• The donated pews are in the process of being cut down to size to fit into our sanctuary

Thank you to all who have volunteered their time to work on the grounds! Your work is much appreciated and it is excited to see the landscape taking shape.

November Epistle: Give Thanks to the Lord

   Martin Luther believed that giving thanks is the greatest service that we can give to God.  This he says in his comments on Psalm 118 verse 1: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”  

     Likely, you recognize this verse from our liturgy, from Divine Service III.  After we have received the gift of Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist, and after we have sung the Nunc Dimittis (song of Simeon saying now, Lord, let us depart in peace, for we have seen your salvation, prepared for us in the sight of all people), we speak these words: “Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever”.  Elsewhere, as an offertory, we sing, “What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?  I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116).  What else can we give except our thanks to God for providing all that we need for the good of body and soul?  Paul writes to the Corinthian Christians, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Cor 9:15)

     In the month of November, our nation sets aside a day of thanks, as did the Pilgrims of the Mayflower, who attributed their survival and first good harvest to the benevolent hand of God.  Having arrived late in the fall and just before the onset of a harsh winter, the Pilgrims were ill prepared for what was to come.  Half of their number died before spring.  However, with the help of the Wampanoag Indians, they had a good harvest in the fall.  Our Thanksgiving feast is patterned after their own, as they set aside three days to give thanks for God’s gracious provision.

     Psalm 23 begins, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”  What this verse is describing to us is an existence under the Lordship of Jesus in which all of our needs are met.  “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing.”  

     In the explanation to the Third Article of the Creed from Luther’s Small Catechism, he writes, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”  God certainly provides for all our needs of the body, and for this we are thankful.

     Not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day we have also to thank God for supplying the needs of our soul.  Lost and condemned in our trespasses and sins, God sent His only Son to live a sinless life, to die on the cross bearing all of our iniquity, and to rise victorious over death, hell and the grave on the third day.  Christ atoned for every one of our sins, no matter how great, and removed them from us, giving us in return His own robe of righteousness.

     Now, it’s easy, maybe, to be thankful when the harvest is plentiful, when the family is doing well, when our health is good, and when the future is bright.  But what about when things go south, when our health takes a turn for the worse?  How easy is it to be thankful when prices are up and the 401k we’re drawing on is losing value, or when world events make us wonder if there might be a wider war brewing?  How can we be thankful when the evil around us and the difficulties of life are threatening to overwhelm us?

     Five hundred years ago Martin Luther said famously, “Here I stand, I can do no other.  God help me.  Amen.”  He was referring to his commitment to stand on Scripture alone as his guiding truth.  When life gets difficult, let us remember that we stand on Scripture, too.  When we do so, we stand on God’s promises and we stand on God’s revelation to us of His abiding, steadfast love.  

     Jesus gave up His glory to take on human flesh and walk among us.  He had no place to lay His head, no steady income to rely on, not even a supportive family.  He stood alone on God’s promise to care for Him.  John writes in the opening of his Gospel, “He came to his own, and his own received him not.”  Jesus faced hatred and great antagonism from the Jewish leadership who opposed him.  He waged spiritual battle against Satan himself, as Satan tempted Him and tried to thwart God’s plan for our salvation through His Son.  In spite of all of this, with nothing but crucifixion ahead of Him, Jesus stood on the Word of God, on God’s promise to be with Him and to supply His needs.  And on the very night that He was betrayed and arrested, the night before He was to be crucified, we find Jesus giving thanks over bread and wine as He shares a last meal with His disciples.  Standing on God’s Word is the safest and best place to stand.

     God’s Word says that He is your loving Shepherd who will supply all of your needs.  You can trust Him.  God’s Word says that He will never leave you or forsake you.  You can trust Him in that as well.  Feast or famine, the God who knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), who knew each of your days before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16), this same God holds you in the palm of His hand (John 10:28-29).  And He will never let you go!

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness. 

Psalm 138:1-2

Be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thanksgiving in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:16

- Pastor Vanderhyde

"The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe. Public Domain.

New Building Update

If you’ve driven past the new building anytime in the last months, you’ve noticed that not much has happened.  The parking lot is graded, but not finished.  There are portions of sidewalk near the building that are poured, but, again, not finished.  There’s a bit to be done yet to bring the project to completion.

There has been a long pause in work for a couple of reasons.  First, our general contractor, Lefever, had a retirement in their company.  No, the entire company didn’t shut down and go to the Bahamas to celebrate, but the company’s license to contract work in Denver was held in this person’s name.  As a result of their retirement, the Denver license was never renewed.  Without the license, work on our project came to a halt.

The second issue that has caused a delay has to do with our construction permit.  When the plans were put to the city for inspection and approval, the city somehow overlooked a signoff from their Right of Way department.  It was discovered when an inspector who was inspecting sidewalk work near the building realized that the sidewalk plans were never approved as part of the initial building permit.  Our plans had to be resubmitted to the city to undergo approval again.

The good news is that after months of delay, both of these issues have been resolved.  Our final building permit (with changes) was again approved, and Lefever just recently regained their Denver contracting license.  We are very hopeful that construction will begin again in the near future.

Please continue to pray for our building project.  The delays have not come without increased costs.  Besides increases in pricing due to inflation, etc., the city will require us to replace much more of the street sidewalk than originally budgeted. 

Still, we know God’s promise is to be with us always and to work good in every circumstance for those who love him.  We are thankful that we have been so warmly welcomed by our brothers and sisters at Christ Lutheran Church and have had such a wonderful place to worship these past years.

Psalm 121 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

What comforting and encouraging words from our God!  Where does our help come from?  It comes from the Lord, mightily and full of grace.  In this season of Lent we look to the cross of Christ as God’s love is displayed for all to see.  If He did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32), we can be assured of his powerful love and his perfect care.  And so, we pray that the Lord will bless these final stages of construction, and we look forward to worshiping in our own church building soon.  God be with us! 

Dust to Dust

“Dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”  This statement or a similar one is made over every penitent sinner who comes forward on Ash Wednesday during the rite of the Imposition of Ashes.  This is a common practice in the Christian Church.  It’s a helpful reminder that we are mortal human beings, living in a fallen world and fallen ourselves.  Our end is the grave (unless Jesus returns first), as King Solomon writes over and over again in Ecclesiastes.

Yet, Lent is not a hopeless season.  Our end in this life may be the grave, but for us who believe in Jesus Christ, there is the assurance of eternal life with God in heaven after our death.  Because Christ took our sin upon himself, the grave has been robbed of its victory!

During the season of Lent we focus on Jesus’ suffering and death and the reason for it – our sin.  “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” is a quote from Genesis chapter 3.  Adam and Eve were the crown of God’s creation.  But with their disobedience came separation from God, and the dust of death.

But though our sin separates us from God, it does not separate us from his love.  “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  In his great love for humanity, God sent Jesus to be the obedient Son that Adam, Eve, and each one of us are not.  Not only was Jesus perfect in God’s sight, but he “bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds [we] have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).  Isaiah writes that “he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).  During the season of Lent, we focus on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

Notice, too, how the Isaiah passage ends – past tense, “he bore the sin of many,” and present tense, he “makes intercession for the transgressors.”  Jesus is at work right now, interceding with the Father on our behalf.  In the Old Testament, the high priest would make intercession for the people.  He was the one appointed by God to come into his presence with the blood of the sacrifice, to intercede, to stand between a holy God and a sinful people, to turn God’s wrath away from sinners.  But not without blood.

This is the work that Jesus is doing for you and for me right now.  Our great High Priest is at God’s right hand, having brought into the Holy of Holies his own blood, blood poured out at the cross in payment for our sins.  God’s justice has been satisfied.  God’s wrath has been appeased.  You and I are welcomed back to the Father as dear children.

      Very likely for each of us there will be the grave.  Our bodies will return to dust.  But, thanks be to God and to our Savior, Jesus, there is also resurrection.  Our bodies will be raised immortal and incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:53-54).  And then we will live with God in heaven for eternity, in the glorious kingdom of the Son.

It is good that we examine ourselves, that each year we set aside a special time of penitence, a season of sorrow over our sin.  It is good to be reminded that we are dust, and that to dust we will return.

And it’s good also, in this season, to contemplate the price paid to redeem us from the dust, what it cost to destroy the power of death, to give us forgiveness and life in God’s eternal kingdom, to make us his children, simply by his grace.

God bless your observance of this season of Lent.  May it be for you a time to ponder God’s love and thank him daily for the blessed gift of your Savior.

December Epistle: Hope, Joy, Peace and Love in Christ

It is one of the beautiful traditions of the church that during the season of Advent, we include an Advent wreath in the chancel. This wreath holds five candles, one to be lit each Advent Sunday as we work our way through the season. The final candle, in the middle of the wreath, is a white candle and is lit on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas day. Extra candles in the chancel during the Advent and Christmas seasons help denote that these are seasons of light. The coming of Christ into our world is Light shining in darkness, as John writes in the opening of his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:1-9). And so, we light candles for Advent and Christmas. Over the years, each candle in the wreath has come to have some meaning associated with the coming of the Christ child.

Hope

The first candle is often referred to as the “Hope” candle. The coming of Immanuel in the manger brings hope to a dark and lost world. This child has come to save people from their sins, as the angel told Joseph in Matthew 1:21, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” This candle also reflects the hope that the Church has in the promised second advent of Jesus, when he returns at the end of the age to bring us with him to heaven.

Peace

The second candle is called the Peace candle or the Bethlehem candle, reflecting on the peace promised by Christ’s birth and the faithfulness of those who played a part in the Christmas story —from Joseph and Mary, to Zechariah and Elizabeth, to John the Baptist .preparing the way for the Lord. In lighting this candle, we celebrate the restoration of creation and the wonder of God’s peace, proclaimed by the angels over Bethlehem to the shepherds, as well as the peace with God that all share who trust in the Savior.

Joy

The third Advent candle is referred to as the Joy candle or the Shepherd’s candle. This candle is traditionally pink. The third week of Advent celebrates the joy of Christmas day and, not surprisingly, often focuses on the declaration of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds by the angels. Their words of rejoicing, saying “glory to God in the highest”, stir up our souls to give thanks for the miracle of Christmas. The shepherds, after seeing the baby just as the angels had told them returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. We also note the joy in Mary’s song (the Magnificat) which she sings upon greeting her cousin Elizabeth, saying, ““My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Luke 1:46-49).

Love

The fourth candle lit in Advent is the Love candle. Love is at the very center of the Christmas story—Mary’s love for Jesus, Zechariah and Elizabeth’s love for each other and for John, the love and respect of the Magi and the Shepherds shown to Jesus, and, most importantly, the love that God has for the world – love that would prompt him to send his only begotten Son into the flesh, to live and die and rise to offer salvation to all people.

Christ

The fifth and final candle is the Christ candle. This candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, marking the arrival of the Son of God in the manger. Our season of waiting is ended. With the lighting of the Christ candle, we remember the Light that shines in the darkness; our source of hope, peace, joy and love.

May you experience these gifts that are yours in Christ Jesus, and may your Advent and Christmas seasons be blessed ones as you celebrate his coming both humbly in the manger, and again in great power and glory at the end of time.

- Pastor

November Epistle: The Night Is Flying

Philipp Nicolai is a name you likely do not know.  I did not know it until I wrote this article.  Philipp was a Lutheran Pastor, ordained in Germany in 1583, a few decades after the Reformation.  As a Protestant pastor, he often faced great obstacles and hostility from the Catholic church that persisted in Germany at the time.  

One of his greatest trials, however, would come from outside the church.  In 1596 Nicolai became pastor of St. Catharine’s Church at Unna.  In 1597, bubonic plague began ravaging the countryside.  Two of Nicolai’s sisters died.  Between 1597 and 1598, more than 1,300 inhabitants of Unna were taken by the plague, often as many as 30 in a day.

As Nicolai’s thoughts dwelt on death, which directed him to God in heaven, and then to blessed eternal life, he wrote:

"There seemed to me nothing more sweet, delightful and agreeable, than the contemplation of the noble, sublime doctrine of Eternal Life obtained through the Blood of Christ. This I allowed to dwell in my heart day and night, and searched the Scriptures as to what they revealed on this matter..... Then day by day I wrote out my meditations, found myself …wonderfully well, comforted in heart, joyful in spirit, and truly content; gave to my manuscript the name and title of a Mirror of Joy, and took this so composed [hymn] to leave behind me (if God should call me from this world) as the token of my peaceful, joyful, Christian departure, or (if God should spare me in health) to comfort other sufferers whom He should also visit with the pestilence .... Now has the gracious, holy God most mercifully preserved me amid the dying from the dreadful pestilence, and wonderfully spared me beyond all my thoughts and hopes, so that with the Prophet David I can say to Him "O how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee." Psalm 31:19

The hymn that Nicolai had composed was “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright”.  It begins,

O Morning Star,

how fair and bright!

You shine with God’s own

truth and light,

Aglow with grace and mercy!

The final stanza reflects his joy, comfort and peace at the thought of what God has in store for us in our heavenly home when this vale of tears is past:

What joy to know,

When life is past,

The Lord we love

Is first and last,

The end and the beginning!

He will one day,

Oh, glorious grace,

Transport us to that happy place

Beyond all tears and sinning!

Amen! Amen!

Come, Lord Jesus!

Crown of gladness!

We are yearning

For the day of Your returning!

The first few Sundays of November mark the end of the church year.  In these days, as Nicolai’s hymn says, we look toward the end of the age as we yearn for the day of our Lord’s returning.  Jesus tells us, in straight speech and in parables, to watch for his return.  Be ready, with our lamp flasks filled with the oil of faith (from the parable of the bridegroom), and waiting for the cry from the watchman saying, “He has come!”

During the years of the plague, Nicolai’s parsonage looked out across the church’s graveyard.  He dedicated himself to his work, setting about caring for his congregation through prayer and exhortation to faith in God, that they might look beyond their present plight to the eternal life that was theirs in Jesus Christ.  One of those who died in the plague was Count Wilhelm Ernst, at 15 years of age.  Wilhelm was the son of Countess Margaret of Waldeck.  Nicolai had been the boy’s tutor.  His untimely death spurred Nicolai to write another of our familiar hymns, “Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying”.

"Wake, awake, for night is flying,"

The watchmen on the heights

are crying;

"Awake, Jerusalem, arise!"

Midnight hears the welcome voices

And at the thrilling cry rejoices;

"Oh, where are ye, ye virgins wise?

The Bridegroom comes, awake!

Your lamps with gladness take!

Allelujah!

With bridal care Yourselves prepare

To meet the Bridegroom, who is near."

Both of these hymns point us to God’s promises in Scripture.  This life is passing away, but our eternal future is all brightness and joy.  As we approach the end of the church year, let us prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus, our bridegroom.  Let us repent of our sins and hold fast to the faith, the truth of our salvation in Jesus Christ.  And let us join with the heavenly throng to praise God, even in the midst of sufferings and trials, for the mercy and grace that have been shown to each one of us as we await with anticipation our Lord’s return to take us home.

Now let all the heav'ns adore Thee,

Let saints and angels sing before Thee

With harp and cymbals' clearest tone.

Of one pearl each shining portal,

Where, joining with the choir immortal,

We gather round Thy radiant throne.

No eye has seen the light,

No ear has heard the might

Of Thy glory;

Therefore will we Eternally

Sing hymns of praise and joy to Thee!

Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying

LSB #516 vv. 1, 3

God’s peace be yours,

Pastor

October Epistle: The “I” of the Storm

God’s peace be yours in Christ Jesus our Lord.  As I write this, Hurricane Ian is making landfall in Fort Meyers, Florida.  As it moves slowly along its course with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, it’s battering the west coastal region, wreaking havoc, downing power lines, uprooting trees and creating a very dangerous situation for anyone who dares step outside, or who has not heeded or been able to heed the warnings and the order to evacuate the area.  As the eye of the hurricane makes landfall, our prayers are for all who might be in harm’s way, for all who find themselves in dangerous and frightening situations.  We pray that God would protect them and bring them through safely, and that he would use all circumstances to bring more and more people into his kingdom through faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I contemplated this Epistle article, I couldn’t help but see the devastation and damage that Ian was bringing to Florida as an image of the devastation and damage that sin brought to God’s perfect world, and especially to the human race.  Worship and adoration of God became mistrust and a grasping to be in the place of God.  Innocence became knowledge and even love of sin.  The joy and bond of family became jealousy and murder when Cain killed his brother in the field.  Perfectly made bodies, now sinful, are destined to die.  And, thousands of years later, we continue to experience the same devastation and damage and death.  Sin has wreaked havoc like a hurricane, destroying and uprooting our relationship with our fellow man, and our relationship with God our Creator.

And into that storm of sin steps Jesus.  God’s plan of salvation was for his only Son to endure its devastation in our place.  The coming of Jesus doesn’t immediately calm the swirling bands and do away with sin.  Rather, the coming of Christ creates its own storm.  King Herod seeks to kill Him, even as a baby, and all the boys two years and younger are slain in Bethlehem.  The ruler of this world also does his best to derail Jesus from his mission, tempting him to step outside of God’s will and take a safer path.  During His ministry Jesus says, “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”  The crowds want to make Him into a king who will give them bread and heal their bodily diseases.  His own mother and brothers think he’s off course and come to take him home.  And the leadership of the Jews wants him dead.

The “I” of this storm, the God/man in the center, is the “I Am” of John’s Gospel.   Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6); “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12); “I am the true vine” (John 15:1); “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst (John 6:35); “I am the door of the sheep… If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:7, 9) and “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me… and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14, 15); “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25, 26).

The eye of hurricane Ian is a small area of relative calm.  But Christ has come to bring us perfect peace.  He laid down his life to redeem us.  In Him, we who were dead in our trespasses and sins find forgiveness and life.  He is the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep.  The peace that Jesus brings by his death and resurrection is a peace that passes all human understanding.  It’s a peace that is ours even as we endure the various storms of this life.

Jesus knows the difficulties that each of us might be going through.  He was tempted in every way as we are, Hebrews 4:15 tells us, yet was without sin, so that the writer can say confidently that Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses.  He may not remove the difficulty.  He may not end the suffering.  But He has promised to be with us in the midst of the storm, and to bring us through it.  Knowing that God did not spare His own Son, but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32), we can have supernatural peace, knowing that the God who loved us enough to send Jesus, also holds our present and our future in His mighty hands.

Though Satan should buffet,

though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded

my helpless estate

And hath shed his own blood

for my soul.

It is well with my soul,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

And, Lord, haste the day

when our faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,

The trumpet shall sound

and the Lord shall descend;

Even so it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

When Peace Like a River

LSB #763 vv. 2, 4

God’s peace be yours,

Pastor