Name of Jesus

 

Name of Jesus – January 1^st and 2^nd, 2022 – Luke 2:21

In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Newborn King +

And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And that's the whole Gospel lesson set down for New Year's Day, the 8^th day of Christmas, one week after Christmas as we might say. It seems an awfully short Gospel lesson, but actually it is one of the most profound texts we get. Not to be too blunt about it, but it's the first time that our Lord and Savior sheds His blood to redeem us. We will speak of Jesus' Passion come Good Friday, and rightly so, but what we ought to remember is that Jesus' suffering starts off right away. A week's gone by, so we can move past the ideas of the beauties and joys of childbirth; a week in with the kid waking you up all hours of the night and plenty of diapers means some of the romantic notions have worn off. And so here we see the reality of what Jesus' birth entails. The same normal, typical, mundane hardships of life that we get. When our God becomes man, He doesn't skip the strange, hard, awkward parts. This Child is an infant, helpless – yet He is God Almighty.

And this Child is born to a human family, a Jewish one, born under the Law, and so He is bound to all the Jewish rites and customs. Including that of Circumcision. Circumcision was the promise that Jesus, the LORD Himself had given Abraham, the promise and reminder that Jesus Himself would be born of Abraham's descendants. And so the instruction, so as to not forget this, was the males are to be circumcised. Moses lays down that this will happen on the 8^th day. And only then, under the Law, would a boy child get a name. And so there is God Incarnate, and His blood is shed, just like so many other boys before Him and after Him – all pointing to the fact that one day God Himself would come and would shed His own blood for the sins of the people. Every other little boy – only a few drops were required; but the Messiah would give all. And the son of Mary is circumcised, and He is given His name – Jesus – the LORD Saves. Because that's what the LORD is there doing, saving. Even as a child.

This does teach us and show us what the point of all the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were. Jesus had the Jewish people do some strange things, things that just didn't fit in with the rest of the culture in the area. Their worship, their sacrifices, their customs – they all kept Israel different, distinct. Holy, one could say – set aside for a purpose – that purpose being that they would be the people to produce the Messiah – so everyone look here, watch here, wait here. Listen to how Paul explains it in Galatians. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. Now this is one of the most wondrous verses, and we blow by it because it sounds so familiar. Faith and Jesus Christ are one and the same thing here. Before faith came, but then Christ came, so now faith has come and you are in Christ Jesus. Faith is always faith in Jesus. And thus Paul explains the entirety of the Old Testament here. Before the Messiah came, before our hope, our Savior, our faith, the One we believe and trust in came – Before Jesus the Law with its customs and regulations imprisoned everyone, kept them in check. Jews here, gentiles there. Nary the twain shall meet – and why? Because the Messiah is coming. The promised One, the One we look to in faith is coming.

And now Christ has come. Faith is here. And faith is here to justify you – the goal is that you would be justified by Jesus Christ. And so there He is, born, come in the flesh – and He is going to do all that we sinful folks couldn't. We sin and fall short of the glory of God – Jesus does not, for He is God Himself. We have fallen into sin and are alienated from God; Jesus is without sin and is in fact True God and True Man at the same time. We are bound to death; Jesus will come and rip apart death from the inside. This is the promise that was told over and over again in the olden days – and to keep our focus from wandering, to keep us from forgetting, the Law was given, the Torah was written by Moses to keep everyone waiting right where they should be. But now Jesus is here – the LORD saves – I know that my Redeemer lives – Immanuel, God is with us to rescue us. And indeed, everything humanity had lost due to sin will be restored. Adam and Eve were lost – now in Christ Jesus Adam and Eve, and all their children, whether they be Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, whatever distinction there might be in the world – in Christ Jesus, in this faith, they are restored. You are restored, Baptized into Jesus, a part of Him, you identity shaped and conformed by Him. If I ask any of you who you are, there are many answers you could give – your family, your job, where you live, what you do. The most important thing is this – you are baptized into Christ Jesus and thus you are a child of God. Everything else is just gift that flows from God.

We don't understand how radical this is. The world talks about “love” - but the love of the world really seems to be utility. If you are useful to me, I'll love you. If you make me feel good feelings, I'll call that love. If you agree with me politically, then you and I are on team love (but everyone else is dangerous, dirty, wicked). If you conform to the current trends and cultural customs, have the right clothes, the right hairstyle – then you'll be “loved” - at least until you buck a trend. None of that's love. That's all just hate – hate whoever is different, hate whoever doesn't toe the line. And the kicker – the world's goal is really to get you to hate yourself. To look at yourself and just despise yourself, because you don't “fit in”. To hate your life, your family, your community, your school, your country, your job – to want it all to be something else. To hate even your own body, the way you look, the way you move – even to hate the fact that you are male or female. To be told that you are a blight on the planet and literally ruining it. Think of all the discontent and angst and disdain that gets showered upon you by the world.

Jesus says no to all of that. None of that defines you, and it certainly doesn't define you negatively. First and foremost – you are a child of God. You are created by God, and you are redeemed by God. While the world might treat you like junk, you are valued by God. Jesus says your life, your life that the world tells you to grouse about, your life is of more value that His. See, He laid down His life for your. You are worth more to Jesus than His own life. How dare the world say you are of little value. And all the things about you that the world tells you to hate, to fuss about and complain – they are actually gifts to enjoy, quirks to delight in – each of us fearfully and wondrously made by God. Brought forth by God simply because He delights in you – actually delights in you. The fact that you exist makes God smile.

I mean that literally. Moses tells Aaron to bless the people this way – The Lord bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.... Did you hear it. When Jesus sees you, His face lights up with joy. That's the image – when Jesus sees you there's joy – we even say that someone's face lights up – that's the point. And it goes on – the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Your countenance is the old fashioned, fancy word for this – for your mouth and nose area. The part of you that smiles or frowns – that's your countenance. If you are sad, if you start frowning – your countenance falls. But Jesus, the LORD who has saved you, doesn't frown from He sees you – nope, He lifts up His countenance – any frown is turned upside down as with joy and love Jesus gives you peace, shalom, welcome back into His presence and His family, now and forever.

Jesus – the LORD saves. That's what Jesus came to do. Because He delights in you, His Creation, and He will do whatever it takes to rescue you from sin and death and the power of the Devil. He will pay whatever cost, suffer whatever humiliations are required – because you are worth it to Him. And He'll not put up with anyone telling you otherwise. Oh, there's so much anger, so much sin, so much disdain of God and His gifts that swirl around out there – that swirl around in here (in our own hearts) – but there was no way in the world that Jesus would leave you to that, abandon you to that. So He comes, and He redeems you with His own precious blood, and He claims you by water and the word, and He gives Himself to you in His Supper, and He speaks His Word to you to keep you in the faith, to keep you in Him – all so that you will receive His blessings with the joy that ought to be yours, that is your birthright as a child and creature of God.

Everything you see Jesus do in the Scriptures, He is doing it simply so that for all eternity He will be able to see you and smile, and have there be joy and peace. And Jesus sees that this will happen without fail. Merry Christmas, my friends in Christ Jesus! Amen. In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Newborn King +

St Stephen

 

St. Stephen's Day – Acts 6 and 7

In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Newborn King +

Good King Wenceslas looked out/ on the feast of Stephen.” On the feast of Stephen, today, December 26^th. It at first seems strange to suddenly go from Christmas to such a sad story as Stephen’s, the first Christian Martyr. However, it makes sense. We have just celebrated the feast of the Nativity, the birth of Christ. But Jesus' birth doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It's not just a nice tale that we tell and then forget. No, Christmas has an impact and an effect on our lives. From Stephen, we can see what that is.

First, on account of Christ, we are all called to service. Let me read from just before our epistle text. Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.  But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”  And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.... This is how we meet this Stephen, this is the first time he shows up. And what is he? A man of faith, a man alive in Christ, a man who has the Holy Spirit. What clearer sign is there that the events of Christmas have impacted Stephen than this? Christ Jesus comes down and takes on human flesh, works out the plan of salvation, and what do we see? Stephen now filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. The result of Christmas and Christ’s life is that Stephen knows who God is, that Stephen believes in the Salvation won for Him by Christ Jesus, and that the Holy Spirit now dwells in him.

On account of this, Stephen is called into service. Stephen is asked, “for the good of your fellow believers in Christ, please do this. See that everyone is cared for fairly and kindly.” The faith and life that Stephen has is put into action. Faith isn’t just some dead possession, the Christian life is not something that we keep on a bookshelf and have to dust off every now and then, it is a relationship with God that moves us to action. Think of it this way. I’m sure many of the kids here this morning got new toys yesterday, and well, probably quite a few of us adults got new toys as well. So, are these toys just to be kept in the box, oh, look, I have a toy, how nice? No, they are to be played with, they are to be used. That’s the way it is with the Christian faith. We aren’t supposed to just keep it wrapped up, but rather we are to exercise our faith in the service of others. We live.

But sin still wants you dead, and your faith with it. Because of sin, we humans are the masters of the excuse, of dodging and shifting responsibility. When it comes to service of others, all too often our gut instinct is to avoid, to grumble, to wonder why someone else isn’t doing this, isn’t helping out, why am I the one stuck with this. There are times when our faith is an inconvenience to our schedule, and we’d rather just stick it in the closet with that gift our aunt gave us 7 years ago rather than actually use it. This is the temptation we are to avoid and beat down. As Christians we must remember that we are always going to be called into service, called to show love to our neighbor, to reflect back the love that we have received from Christ. This is something that Stephen does, and it is something which we ought to emulate.

Stephen also demonstrates another aspect of the Christian life. On account of Christ Jesus, we are called to confess. In our text today we see Stephen getting in trouble because he speaks plainly and clearly the Word of God. Stephen has been preaching and performing miracles, but the powers that be are upset, and so he is taken before the Jewish rulers and called to account. And what does Stephen do? Does he start playing the great game of cover my hide? Oh, this is all a misunderstanding, there’s no big deal, just let me go. Things are getting a little tense, a little hot in here, I had better stop what I’m doing, drop it, and just roll away? No, that’s not what Stephen does. We skip most of what Luke records for us in Acts, but we get the end of it. Stephen preaches, Stephen rips back and calls a spade and spade, giving them a good double barrel blast of the law. And they kill him. They drag Stephen out, they pick up rocks, and beat him to death.

So, was Stephen foolish? Was he unwise? No. Stephen was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. As Christians, as those who know who God is, who have tasted His Salvation, we are called to proclaim, to speak out the truth of God's word. Now, by this I’m not telling you all to get your sandwhich boards and stand out on the side of the road and start screaming at passer-bys in cars. But when you are questioned, when you are asked, “Who is this Jesus”, when one comes and denies your Lord, your duty is to confess Christ, whatever the consequences.

And that's not easy. Few things are more scary, more terrifying than speaking. Think in your own life apart from religion specifically. How many of you have things that you would like to tell someone but are afraid to? Someone is doing something wrong that hurts them, but. . . you just can’t say it, because you might upset them. Someone could use some advice, you have a recommendation, but what if they take it the wrong way. All too often we don’t speak when we ought to. Instead of showing love and care and service, instead of helping out, we say nothing. We have that fear of someone becoming upset with us, and that fear runs and rules our lives, not the love that we have from Christ.

Fear of speaking comes in even with good things. Who here hasn’t felt their knees turn to jelly when you want to say something sweet and romantic to someone? I’d wager that there are some guys here who have been married quite a while who still ho and hum before they work up the courage to tell their wives that they love them. Why then, should we be surprised when we have to confront fear when speaking the most wonderful words ever, speaking of Christ Jesus our Lord? Being bold in your faith can be hard, it can be frightening. There can and will be negative consequences in this life. If you doubt that, look at the prophets, look at the Apostles, look at Stephen, look at the cross itself. Nonetheless we are called to Confess, to speak boldly about Christ and Him Crucified when the opportunity presents itself.

So how? So far we have talked about many demands, much law. I, a poor miserable sinner, am called to service which I grumble about and do not do, I am called to confess Christ, and man, there are times where I just back down and run away. What now? Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. What now is this. We remember what else we are called to. We are called to be with the Son of Man, called to be with Christ Jesus. Dear friends, the Christ child does not remain idle, Jesus doesn’t just keep a low profile. Rather, He grows and suffers and dies and rises again. Why? So that He would call you to His side, that He would send His Holy Spirit to call you by the Gospel and Enlighten you by His gifts. At any and all times, we are to look to this, to remember this fact. Jesus, God Himself, calls you to be with Him. Emmanuel – God with us! This is what Stephen sees even as he lies dying, as the life is pounded out of him. Christ Jesus His Lord calling to Him, giving more and more forgiveness, bringing more and more Salvation. When Stephen sees Him, Jesus is there ruling at the Right Hand of God, calling His servant Home.

God constantly calls you as well. You are called by His Word to hear again and receive again the forgiveness of our sin. He calls you to the Altar, to His Supper, to receive His Body and Blood for the strengthening of your faith. When you are burdened, when you see your lack, you are called to look at Christ and see His love and Salvation, which is beyond anything else in the world. By His Word God constantly strengthens you and refreshes you when the world batters you down. Here in His house He gives you the gifts you need, preparing you to go out into the world and live the lives of service, the lives of confession that He calls you to. Here Christ Jesus fills you again with faith by forgiveness, by preaching, by His Supper, so that you are kept strong and firm, so that you are picked up whenever you stumble. Here in His House, we are gathered by Christ, just like a mother hen gathers her chicks, and under His protective wings you receive all that you need to grow in faith towards Him and in fervent love towards one another. Here in His house the Christ Child is at work for you, forgiving you and leading you.

And so, dear friends, on this December morn, we see who God is, who this Babe of Bethlehem is. He is the God who calls you to service, the God who calls you to confess him, but more than that, Jesus is the God who constantly calls you to be with Him, to come to Him, and to receive His blessings. And this He shall do, even until you see Him standing at the right hand of the Father yourselves. In the Name of Christ Jesus our Newborn King + Amen