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+ + + In Nomine Jesu + + +
Please join me in prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. (Amen.)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Amen.)
The “pink”, or “rose”, colored candle on the Advent wreath, banner, bulletin-covers, and paraments (if we had them) tell you that there is something different about today from the other “blue” Sundays of Advent. Today, the Third Sunday in Advent traditionally is called Gaudete, the first word of the historic Introit for the day, which Latin word in English means “Rejoice”. That emphasis was introduced as our Entrance Hymn sang of a “glad sound” connected to the various wonderful things that the Savior does (Lutheran Service Book 349), though that hymn is said to be based on passages other than today’s Old Testament Reading (Isaiah 35:1-10), which seems to be referenced in today’s Gospel Reading. That Old Testament Reading says that the desert will rejoice with joy and singing, that the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, and that everlasting joy will be upon the heads of the ransomed of the Lord, who will obtain gladness and joy. For all the joy‑inducing words and deeds of the Christ, John the Baptizer in today’s Gospel Reading is not reported as rejoicing but rather as asking through his disciples whether Jesus was the Coming One or if they should look for another. Jesus’s answer to John pointed to what Jesus was saying and doing, and Jesus told John—and tells us—that blessed is the one not offended by Jesus. That much is clear, despite all the other things in today’s Gospel Reading that we may have some difficulty understanding. So, considering primarily today’s Gospel Reading, with the help of the Holy Spirit, this morning we direct our thoughts to the theme, “Blessed are the ones not offended by Jesus”.
To be sure, the Divinely‑inspired St. Matthew’s Gospel account does not explicitly say either what John’s motive was for asking the questions that He asked or why Jesus responded with the reference to the specific Isaiah passage that He chose, instead of one of the other similar passages from Isaiah that (Isaiah 42:7; 61:1), like today’s Psalm (Psalm 146:1-10; antiphon: v.5), tell of the Messiah’s setting the prisoners free, which might have had special relevance to John. Of course, John likely knew the Psalm and the other Isaiah passages, even without Jesus’s mentioning them. We do not know how long John had been in prison at this point, but we are told elsewhere that previously Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had been saying that it was not lawful for Herod to have her, and we are told that ultimately Herodias prompted her daughter to ask Herod for John’s head on a platter, and that Herod gave it to her (for example, Matthew 14:1‑12). Nevertheless, the contrast is striking between John’s knowing by Divine revelation Who Jesus was at the time of Jesus’s baptism earlier in St. Matthew’s account (Matthew 3:13-17; confer and compare John 1:29-34) and John’s at least asking whether Jesus was the Coming One while John was waiting in prison in today’s Gospel Reading.
We also are waiting. We may be waiting for such things as our annual congregational Christmas party after this Divine Service; we may be waiting for a Christmas break from school or a Christmas vacation from work; we may be waiting for God to heal a loved one or ourselves; and we may be waiting for the Lord’s return or our own deaths, whichever comes first. There is waiting that is relatively limited, waiting that goes on longer, and waiting that only seems as if it will never end; there are many forms and various kinds of waiting, some are easier than others (Biermann, CPR 36:1, p.19). We may not be waiting in prison, but, while we wait, we have other stressors, such as coping with the situations in the world and our country, being concerned about Pilgrim’s facilities and future, getting our families ready for Christmas, and making our family or personal finances work. We might wrongly expect what we consider to be our “faithfulness” somehow to “earn” various blessings here and now. As John the Baptizer’s waiting led him, so our waiting can lead us to question what we otherwise have believed and known to be true. For example, we might ask, does my suffering really have a good purpose? Does God really love and forgive me? Is God really all‑powerful? Does God even exist at all? Even though God does not give offense, as we might think of it, Jesus and the way that He works can be an occasion for us to take offense at Him, to stumble (confer ASV, NEB), to fall into sin, and even to fall from faith. Our discouragement and doubt can be a snare for us, as atheists cannot reconcile a loving and all-powerful God with the existence of suffering in the world. As God prophesied elsewhere through Isaiah, the Lord is both a rock of stumbling, a trap and a snare, to those who reject the Holy Spirit by not repenting and believing in the Lord, and the Lord also is a sanctuary to those whom the Holy Spirit leads to repent and believe in Him (Isaiah 8:14-15).
As we heard in today’s Gospel Reading, with the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior, the poor have preached to them the good news. Those humbled by God’s law, who so are contrite and brokenhearted, have preached to them the Gospel of the free forgiveness of sins for Jesus’s sake (Pieper, I:79). The Son of God in human flesh, Jesus is the long-awaited Savior, Who today’s Old Testament Reading said would say and do all those joy‑inducing things when He came and saved. And, so Jesus did say and do and does say and do. Jesus’s Divine nature worked and works through Jesus’s human nature to say and do those things (Pieper II:244). Out of God’s love for even this fallen world, Jesus died on the cross for us, in our place, the death that we deserved. And, Jesus not only raised up others who were dead but also raised up Himself. Christ crucified is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but, for us who are called from among them, Christ crucified is the power of God unto salvation (1 Corinthians 1:23-24; confer Romans 1:16). God forgives and so saves us by grace for Jesus’s sake through faith. We are called, saved, and strengthened in our faith by the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word and Sacraments.
In today’s Gospel Reading, John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, and then Jesus tells John’s disciples to tell John what they heard Jesus say and saw Jesus do. There may have been little to no difference between the initial and subsequent reports to John, and, like John, we need to hear God’s same Word again and again, not just ourselves remembering what it says but our hearing God’s Word from outside of ourselves. So, our pastors read and preach God’s Word to groups such as this group, and they apply God’s Gospel to individuals with water in Holy Baptism, with touch in Holy Absolution, and with the bread and wine of the Holy Supper that are the Body of Christ given for us and the Blood of Christ shed for us and so give us the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Jesus’s teaching about eating His flesh and drinking His blood was a stumbling block for some of those who at one time were following Him: they took offense at it, turned back, and no longer walked with Him; but, with Jesus’s closest disciples, we know that there is no place else for us to go, for, as we sang in the Alleluia and Verse, Jesus has the words of eternal life (John 6:52-71; LSB 156).
We can know that such things are true but still have questions about them. In some sense there can be what we might call “benefits” to our “doubts” (compare sermons.com). Like the man whose son was seized by a spirit that made the boy mute, we, who are at the same time both justified and still sinful, both confess our belief and pray for the Lord to help our unbelief (Mark 9:14-29). And, the Lord hears and answers our prayers, confirming and strengthening our faith through His Word and Sacraments (Augsburg Confession XIII:1). As in today’s Old Testament Reading, the tongue of the mute sing for joy! We seek, receive, and believe what answers there are for us. As God draws us closer to Him, we are better off for the struggle. We become more‑sure that God does exist, that He is all‑powerful, that He does love and forgive us, and that our suffering really has a good purpose. As St. James exhorts in today’s Epistle Reading, we are patient both in our suffering and waiting for the final coming of the Lord (James 5:7-11). As St. Paul exhorts us notably from prison, we can and do rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4), even in our sufferings (Romans 5:3).
The “pink”, or “rose”, colored candle, banner, and bulletin-covers remind us, to paraphrase today’s Collect of the Day, that the Lord lightens the darkness of our hearts by His gracious visitation. Though on account of our sinful nature and actual sin we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, God by His Holy Spirit leads us to repent and believe and thereby He forgives us for His Son’s sake. Truly, “Blessed are the ones not offended by Jesus”.
Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Amen.)
+ + + Soli Deo Gloria + + +