First Lesson: Isaiah 43: 1-7
Responsive Reading: Psalm 29
Second Lesson: Acts 8: 14-17
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

Picture a Sunday morning at a church such as this one[1]. A gentleman shows up late to the service. The gentleman was unkempt, he looked like he could barely afford two matching shoes, the guy mumbled in his greetings and the gentleman smelled of cologne not that appealing but way too strong.  The ushers seat this gentleman in the back of the church, and when the service ended the other congregants tended to downplay the man’s presence. He would never revisit the church!

That same Sunday, a different first-time visitor showed up[2].  This gentleman’s grooming was immaculate; he wore a fancy dark suit, he beamed a mega-watt smile and was instantly charming to everyone who made his acquaintance.  His presence was the talk of the congregation: who was that man a doctor, a lawyer, a bank president?

Immediately after the service, the congregation president began visiting with the man[3].  He invited him to Sunday dinner at his house.  He had been the most exciting visitor to come to Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church in years.  The man, his family, and the visitor gather around the table.  The food begins to be passed around.  The first thing handed to the visitor was the potatoes; he opens up his coat and starts loading mashed potatoes into his suit pocket.  The family is dumbfounded that such a well-dressed, a well-spoken individual could have such goofy manners.  They then watched as he stuffed carrots and finally the meat inside his coat while his plate remained empty.  Finally, the congregation president spoke up: “What exactly are you doing?” The visitor remained well-spoken as he declared: “Judging from how you treated the other visitor this morning, I see you invited my fancy suit to lunch, so I’m going to feed it, instead[4]”
Keep this story in mind and let me tell you about an event within Jesus’ ministry. Today’s Gospel lesson tells the tale of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus to begin his earthly ministry[5].

Now Jesus baptism is one of the more commonly misunderstood events within the scriptures. 

Why was Jesus baptized?  Now John the Baptist was even confused why Jesus gets baptized. Jesus answers this question: “It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness[6].”

So what exactly does this mean? Here’s an important thing about Jesus baptism, he got baptized at the age of 30.  Now many churches claim that we shouldn’t baptize babies, because Jesus wasn’t baptized as a baby. 

Now the one story that we have from Jesus’ childhood takes place at the age of twelve when Jesus visits the Jerusalem Temple and proceeds to amaze the greatest religious scholars of his day with his knowledge of the depths and the ways of God[7]. Luke’s Gospel which tells both stories tells us nothing about Jesus’ life from this day until his Baptism by John the Baptist eighteen years later.  So it seems unlikely that Jesus being baptized was merely meant to be a public confession of his faith, when he had already amazed the greatest religious scholars of his day years before being baptized with both his faith and knowledge.

So Jesus gets baptized at thirty for a different reason? The Book of Numbers has God instructing Moses and Aaron to take a census of all the Priests of the land[8]. What were the qualities to be a Priest? Numbers 4:3 “Be between thirty and fifty years old when you begin your work (ministry) in the Tent of the Meeting,” hence why Luke’s Gospel is so specific- Luke 3:23: Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. 

So why was Jesus baptized?  The ritual ceremony to be ordained as a priest in multiple places (Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8[9]) describes washing with water and anointing with oil as a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s blessing.  So this background begins to explain why Jesus was baptized “to fulfill all righteousness” at thirty years of age to serve as a formal entrance to the priesthood so that he may begin his earthly ministry.

So why was this so important that Jesus becomes a properly, licensed priest this is where Jesus baptism begins to connect with our own.

Consider the role of the Priest within the Old Testament. The Priest’s job was to make a sacrifice on account of an individual’s sins on their behalf. 

The Book of Hebrews declares: “For this reason, he had to be made like them,[a] fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.[10]”

What does this all mean, let me tell you a story. Earlier this summer, I was coaching Basketball down in Superior.  We were playing Northwestern High School from over in Maple, WI. One of the rules of the UW- Superior Summer League is each school needed to provide someone to keep a score book.

We had no fans at their game, so I was going to have to ask one of the players to do it, which I didn’t want to do because that meant he couldn’t play in the game.  Even if I didn’t need a kid to play, I didn’t want to give a Silver Bay player a permanent seat on the bench when he invested the time to come down to Superior.

Finally, a solution emerges, a couple of kids from Northwestern offer to keep the book in our place.  I enthusiastically agree with this solution.  These kids were fourteen/fifteen years old.  Like a lot of fourteen/fifteen-year-olds, they tried to see how much “cussing” they could do while keeping score as a way to try to look and sound cool.    Like a lot of fourteen/fifteen-year-old boys, their attention span would come and go throughout the game.  I would need to correct Silver Bay’s score on more than one occasion.
Fifty seconds were left in the game; the score was wrong once again. We were down like five points, pretty good considering we were playing a much bigger school. Finally one of the officials had it! He comes over starts yelling at the Northwestern bookkeepers and myself for allowing it.  Like a lot of kids, the young men who had been cussing up a storm the whole game turned “quiet” when confronted by an angry adult. I knew that I had to stand up for these foul-mouthed young men against the quick-tempered referee.  My greatest claim to fame as a Basketball coaches will forever be my only argument ever with a referee involving standing up for kids for the other team! The scorekeeper’s jaws were dropped as they witnessed this! I told the referee to blame me not these kids for any problems he had with the score book.  Get mad at me instead!  I was thanked by every member of the other team as soon the game concluded.    

So why was Jesus baptized? Baptism in John the Baptist’s day was to admit wrong for any sin in one’s life. Jesus lived a life without sin.  Jesus was baptized to claim our trouble as his own.  He was baptized for every foul-mouthed young man, and every poorly kempt gentleman smelling of obnoxious cologne.  Christ’s Baptism points out the words that would be spoken by the Apostle Paul a generation later: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus[11]. “ Christ makes us a part of his church through his baptism.  Christ’s baptism shows us that the Grace of God ultimately shall know no limits as Christ became the High Priest to assume the sin of the world unto the Cross. 

What did Christ do for you at his Baptism? Let me close with one final story[12].  The date was June 5, 1944. General Dwight David Eisenhower was about to make the call to land on the beaches of Normandy with over one million troops to try to crush Hitler’s power over Europe[13].

The night before the attack, Eisenhower spent with the men of the “Screaming Eagles” of the 101st Airborne[14]. Eisenhower walked around from soldier to soldier speaking words of hope as tears streamed down his face knowing what the next day would bring. Eisenhower eventually leaves the soldiers to pen a letter to President Roosevelt in the case of a defeat. His letter read as follows:
“Our landings...have failed...the troops, the Air, and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches itself to the attempt, it was mine alone[15]!”

Christ made a similar vow undergoing his Baptism to begin his earthly ministry.  Eisenhower was about to confront Hitler. Jesus was about to confront sin, death, and the power of the Devil.  Jesus claimed responsibility for our folly and failure as his own. Christ was setting the stage for his eventual triumph over all the evil forces threatening to devour the world forever, reminding us that Jesus sees us as much more than a fancy suit.  Remember all this the next time you “Pass the Potatoes.” Amen


[1] Based on Tim Zingale’s sermon “God Alive And Well.” Sermon Central. 2.Jan. 2007. Web. Jan.4.2019. 
[2] Zingale, Tim. “God Alive And Well.” Sermon Central.
[3] Zinglale, Tim. “God Alive And Well.” Sermon Central.
[4] Zinglale, Tim. “God Alive And Well.” Sermon Central.
[5] Luke 3:15-17,21-22.
[6] Matthew 3:15.
[7] Luke 2:41-52.
[8] Slick, Matthew. “Why was Jesus baptized?” CARM Ministries (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry). 6. Mar.2012. Web. Jan.4.2019.
[9] Exodus 29:1,4,7. Leviticus 8:6.12.
[10] Hebrews 2:17. 
[11] Galatians 3:28.
[12] Seitz, Gregory Rev. Dr.. “"Jesus' Baptism: Solidarity with Sinners to Save Them!". Lutheran Hour.  8.Jan.2012. Web. Jan.4.2019. 
[13] “Normandy landings.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 30.Dec.2018. Web. Jan.4.2019. 
[14] Seitz, Gregory Rev. Dr.. “"Jesus' Baptism: Solidarity with Sinners to Save Them!". Lutheran Hour.
[15] Seitz, Gregory Rev. Dr.. “"Jesus' Baptism: Solidarity with Sinners to Save Them!" Lutheran Hour. 

First Lesson: Isaiah 60: 1-6
Responsive Reading: Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14
Second Lesson: Ephesians 3: 1-12
​Gospel Lesson: Matthew 2: 1-12

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Let me begin by asking everyone here a hypothetical question.  “Would you rather have the right directions to the wrong destination or the wrong directions to the right destination?”
Would you rather have the perfect map or the perfect GPS take you to the middle of a traffic jam to a place you discover you don’t need to be or would you rather end up in the right place by what seems to be good luck?

Now let me continue with a story, on Christmas Eve when my family gathered we sat down to play a game of Trivial Pursuit.

Now I was in for a challenge. My Mom’s traveled and volunteered throughout the world, read more books than everybody else I know, she worked for many years as a librarian and possess a Master’s in Education.
My sister is a lawyer; she’ll occasionally recommend books for me.  The reading is so tedious that stuff she has described to me as “easy reads”, I seemingly need to take breaks every ten minutes from mental exhaustion.

My Dad is thirty years older; when we go to museums, they need to kick him out upon closing because he reads absolutely everything upon the wall. 

I was giving away vast amounts of knowledge and life experience in most of the categories: geography, history, arts, and literature. 

Despite being an underdog heading into the game, I did manage to pull the upset!  Now I don’t say this to brag, because in the majority of the categories in which I was asked, I had no idea of the answer.  But how I won was through the process of elimination in true/false, multiple choices, and what would be considered slightly “educated” albeit “lucky” guesses. 

But as the Carlson Family Trivial Pursuit game reminds us; the thing is it sometimes nothing more than pure “luck” that can be the source of one’s greatest blessings in life.

Today’s Gospel lesson tells us another similar story[1].  Today we hear a story about individuals who end up in the presence of Our Lord by nothing more than pure chance.  Men, who every one first hearing the story in Jesus’ day would ask: “What exactly are they doing there[2]?”

Today’s Gospel lesson concerns the visit of the “wise men,” “kings” or “Magi” to visit young Jesus. 

Now despite singing “We Three Kings” earlier, there is no evidence that these men were kings within our scripture lesson. The speculation about these men being “kings” only arose within later Church tradition.
As for being wise men, this is also debatable.  The visitors’ most prominent act involves going to the current King in Herod asking him where they could find his replacement.

They could not have made a less wise move.  You see Herod had already killed multiple sons and a wife just at the mere suspicion that they were thinking of replacing Herod as King[3].   Now the visitors were confirming Herod’s paranoia.  Herod gets so jealous after the wise men’s visit about this “birth” of the “new king,” he proceeds to have all baby boys born in Bethlehem less than two years old killed.  So considering all this “wise men” is the worst name for Jesus’ unexpected visitors.

The third name for these gentlemen is “Magi.” Now, who exactly are “Magi?” Magi appear in two old stories within the New Testament.  In Acts 8, Simon the Magi also known as the Simon the Sorcerer is stated as one who is opposing Jesus’ earliest followers[4]. In Acts 13, Elymas the Magi who is opposing Paul and Barnabas preaching about Jesus on Cyprus[5]. 

Now the word “Magi” comes from the same root word as “Magician’.  Within Jesus’ day “Magi” tended to work with things like witchcraft, fortune telling, and especially “astrology[6].” Magi were often referred to as “wise-men” because they would study these things as a way to understand spiritual truth.    These were the types of things that no good “religious” person of Jesus’ day that gathered every Sabbath within the Temple would involve themselves.

Now from where did the Magi come? All we can say for sure is they came from someplace east of Jerusalem such as Arabia or Persia.  In all probability, they were not “Jewish” like everyone else attending the Birth of Jesus as they proclaimed their wishes to see “The King of the Jews.” 

But the Magi did know enough about both the scriptures and astronomy to realize the Star of Bethlehem as giving witness to the Messiah’s birth. 

So how do the Magi come upon this scene?  Let me throw out a theory, six hundred years before the Birth of Jesus.  The Babylonians conquered the Jewish homeland. The Jewish people were then thrown out of their homes and forced to live as servants within Babylon. During this time though, one man with great faith rose to prominence in Babylon.   The man was Daniel.  Daniel’s faith was so great that he survived one night within the Lion’s Den[7]. 

Why do I mention this- Let me read Daniel 2:48:
“Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men (or Magi) of Babylon.”

Daniel’s presence within Babylon would perhaps explain why these Magi would possibly care so much about the birth of a baby in a foreign land, hundreds of miles away, hundreds of years later.

So the Magi follow a star end up in Jerusalem, in the presence of King Herod.  They figured the big city in the presence of Government and religious big shots was the place where the “King of the Jews” would be born.  No one not even the religious authorities in the Chief Priests and the Scribes knew of Jesus’ birth until the Magi’s visit.
 
The Chief Priests were able to remind the Magi of the prophet Micah’s promise that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  Only for as soon as the Magi left Jerusalem, the star leading to their destination reappeared bringing them to the very house where Christ was staying. 

 Now here’s the remarkable thing about the Magi when they appear at Christ’s door-step, they see a humble home, seemingly not one belonging to the type of King they traveled hundreds of miles to worship in a foreign land[8]. 

None of this ultimately mattered in the end to the Magi. They were instead overjoyed! They instinctively understood the promise of the long-awaited messiah!   They bowed down to worship him! They presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh[9].  The visit of the Magi ultimately pointed the way to the purpose of the Messiah who had been born.  He was born to save those from far outside the nation of Israel and far from outside the religious structure of his day. 

The Magi might have seemed unlikely to end up as central figures in the story of Jesus birth, but they remind us that even being wrong about directions to the right destination can work out in the end.  The Christ child can bless the most winding and broken of roads. 

To further illustrate the story of the Magi, let me close with one final story as told by Tim Zingale.

Elroy.T. Higgenboom was a seeming nobody from Indianapolis, Indiana[10].   Elroy was in many ways like Sid Hartman describing every one of fame and influence as “his, close, personal friend.” Elroy though seemed to be nothing more than the guy in the coffee shop continually shooting his mouth off and telling all his stories.  No one has ever seen Elroy with any of his supposed famous friends.

Well one day, Elroy’s friend who I’ll call Leonard got tired of hearing all of Elroy’s stories.  He said, “Hey Elroy, if you know so many famous people why don’t you call the mayor of Indianapolis and invite him to lunch.” Leonard even handed Elroy the Mayor’s phone-number[11].  Everyone who heard this conversation thought Elroy was about to look like a fool.  Only for Elroy to tell Leonard to “go ahead.”  Leonard dials the number, the Mayor’s secretary answers, and she relays Elroy’s lunch offer to the Mayor, only for Leonard’s jaw to drop as he hears that “The Mayor would love to catch up and have lunch with Elroy.”

Leonard gets mad at this point, figuring it all to be a fluke.  He invites Elroy to Washington D.C. where a parade was taking place. The star of the parade was President John F. Kennedy.  President Kennedy sees Elroy and shouts out “Hey Elroy how’s everything in Indianapolis[12].” Leonard was so mad that he could barely speak at this point!

Leonard though was determined to expose Elroy once and for all.  So he decides to take Elroy to the Vatican to see his supposed close, personal friend the Pope.  Leonard accidentally loses Elroy in the crowd.  Only to look a short time later at the balcony where the Pope was standing to shaking hands with good friend Elroy T Higgenboom of Indianapolis, Indiana[13]. 

How did Elroy? T. Higgenboom know any of these people?  The answer doesn’t matter in the end.  How did I manage to win at Trivial Pursuit without knowing any of the answers?  Having the right guesses as to the answers can be more valuable than how you got them.  How do the Magi figure into the story of Christ’s birth? No one expected them to be there. No one expected the King of the Jews to be “born” for non-Jews such as them, yet here we are continually in the presence of the Christ child.  That’s what matters as we begin this Epiphany season. I would indeed rather have the wrong directions if it ultimately led me to the right destination of our Savior.
 Amen
 
 
 


[1] Matthew 2:1-12
[2] Stier, Leon. “The Wise (?) Men (part one of two).” Email Meditations. 27.Dec.2014. Web. Dec.29.2018.
[3] Stier, Leon. “The Wise (?) Men (part one of two).” Email Meditations.
[4] Acts 8:9-25
[5] Acts 13:8-12.
[6] Stier, Leon. “The Wise (?) Men (part one of two).” Email Meditations.
[7] Habben, Daniel. “Follow In The Wisemen's Footsteps.” Sermon Central. 9.Jan.2007. Web. Dec.30.2018. 
[8] Habben, Daniel. “Follow In The Wisemen's Footsteps.” Sermon Central.
[9] Matthew 2:11.
[10] Zingale, Tim. “Who Did Jesus Come For.” Sermon Central. 11.Jan.2002. Web. Dec.29.2018. 
[11] Zingale, Tim. “Who Did Jesus Come For.” Sermon Central.
[12] Zingale, Tim. “Who Did Jesus Come For.” Sermon Central.
[13] Zingale, Tim. “Who Did Jesus Come For.” Sermon Central.

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
The night on which we gather is most known for two things. The first is the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. The second is a man known as Santa Claus bringing joy throughout the world. These two statements might seem to be unrelated from each other.  It was the man who came to be known as Santa Claus, who in a unique bit of history helped define the true meaning of Christ’s birth.
 
The story starts about 270 years after the birth of Christ in a small village in what was then Greece[1].  A young man named Nicholas was born to some very wealthy parents. Nicholas grew up as a devout Christian, which helped sustain him as he lost his parents at a very young age.   So, Nicholas received a significant inheritance that he became renowned far and wide for his giving of gifts to the sick, needy, and especially his love of children.   
 
Once upon a time: Nicholas came across a family that was down on its luck[2]. The Father had been unable to work for months.  The family was hungry and forced to beg on the streets. This saddened Nicolas, so he went to the Marketplace and bought a large sack of food, then in the middle of the night, laid the sack on the door, knocked, and vanished anonymously into the darkness.
 
The most well-known story of Nicholas’ generosity includes the day’s traditions where fathers would pay dowries for their daughters to marry a good husband[3].  Well, one father had three daughters and little money. The daughters without the dowry seemed likely to end up in slavery.  Only for on three different mysterious occasions, bags of gold were tossed into the home’s open windows landing in stockings left by the fireplace.  Nicholas’ secret act was discovered and fame spread.
 
Nicholas’ legend led to children throughout the land, hanging similar stockings awaiting a gift from Nicholas the gift-giver.
 
Well Nicholas above all else dedicated his life to serving God.  Nicolas became the Bishop of Myra as a young man.  When Nicholas was a Bishop, the common wardrobe was the wearing of red robes[4]. 

Well during Nicholas’ life something remarkable happened within the Christian Church.  The same Roman Empire which had forced Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem, the same Roman Empire who appointed Herod the Great that tried to kill the Christ Child.  This Roman Empire during Nicholas’ life saw their Emperor convert to Christianity and the empire along with it.  A short time later, a big meeting took place in Nicea to determine what exactly the Christian Church believed about the Birth of Jesus Christ[5]. 
 
One side argued that on that night in Bethlehem, a child was born, no different than every other child born before him merely possessing the presence of God in his life.  
 
The man who came to be known as Saint Nicholas would argue instead that the child born in Bethlehem was God crashing down from the heavens in human flesh.  The child born doesn’t merely point the way to God’s salvation, but is God’s salvation himself.  Nicholas got so worked up during this debate he ended up slapping his opponents and spending the night in jail. 
 
Saint Nicholas perhaps more than any human being that ever lived understood that there is no such thing as a “Christ”-less Christmas[6], anything that minimizes Jesus in the salvation story misses the true meaning of the season.
 
So how did Saint Nicholas become Santa Claus? Saint Nicholas remained popular like few saints in the years after his death. December 6th the day of his death came to be celebrated through the sharing of candies, small gifts, nuts, and apples being placed around the house as a way to remember Saint Nicholas the gift-giver[7].
 
Martin Luther suggested changing the day of gift-giving from December 6th to December 24th/25th to draw attention to Christ being the true-gift giver to the children of the land[8].  The popularity of Saint Nicholas lived on even as German immigrants moved to this country.
 
In 1823, a very popular poem by a seminary professor was written of which you may have heard titled “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” also known as “The Night Before Christmas[9].” 
 
The Saint Nicholas in this poem was: dressed in red fur, rosy cheeks, a white beard, a round belly, and a bundle of toys upon his back[10].  Other popular poems around this time describe a Saint Nicholas like figure arriving from the North upon flying reindeer[11].
 
The legend of Saint Nicholas helped spread Christmas observance in this country making Christmas carols popular and bringing more children to the newly found Sunday School movement to participate in pageants[12].
 
Eventually Harper’s Weekly which was a very popular magazine in the wake of the Civil War would publish drawings of Saint Nicholas but change the pronunciation to the Dutch translation of Saint Nicholas “Sinterklass[13].”    

Saint Nicholas though did not merely bring gifts on Christmas but saved Christmas’ true meaning.  Saint Nicholas began his life no different than the Shepherds, Joseph, and Mary who star in our Christmas story. Saint Nicholas was an outcast on account of his faith from the world’s most powerful empire. Nicholas was a Bishop in days when Bishops were routinely imprisoned by this same empire[14]. 
 
The most powerful message of the Christmas story is one that would come to define Saint Nicholas’ life: Caeser Augustus might appear to be in control of the story and of the future[15]. Poor shepherds in a field might seem to be nothing more than undereducated, social outcasts.  Mary might be nothing more than a scared, young child giving birth to a baby boy in an a strange/ unfamiliar way.
 
Someday, this child soon to be born will triumph over all the forces of this world. The following is the Good News which the Angels proclaim! God was Born in a Manger; God was born Immanuel “For He Will Save the People from their Sins[16].”  Saint Nicholas spent a night in Jail because he was so convinced of this.  Christians ever since have come to believe it,  On this day: “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.[17]”.  

In 1934, the famous Christmas classic Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town [18]was written.  The theme of the song is that the reason we celebrate the Christmas season is Santa Claus’ presence if and only if we’ve been good enough to make his list. Saint Nicholas saw a much different meaning for the season.   Jesus Christ was born for us, regardless of how good we’ve been.  It is this Christ Child who on this night delivers the greatest of all gifts in the hope of his salvation that is to come. Amen
 


[1] “Saint Nicholas.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 11.Dec.2018. Web. Dec.12.2018. 
[2] Stier, Leon. “Santa’s First Job.” Email Meditations. 28.Nov.2016. Web. Dec.12.2018. 
[3]
[4] Vander Zee, Leonard. “Santa Claus Saves Christmas.” South Bend Christian Reformed Church. South Bend, IN. 25.Dec.2005. Web. Dec.12.2018.  Taken from Saint Nicholas Center. 
[5] Vander Zee, Leonard. “Santa Claus Saves Christmas.” South Bend Christian Reformed Church.
[6] Veith, Gene Edward. “Slappy holiday: Why not take the Santa Claus tradition a little further?” World Magazine. 24.Dec.2005. Web. Dec.12.2018. 
[7] Saint Nicholas Center. “Saint Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus.” Web. Dec.12.2018.
[8] Swartz, David. “A Very Not-So-Merry Christmas: How Protestantism Nearly Killed St. Nick.” Saint Nicholas Center. Web. Dec.12.2018. 
[9] Saint Nicholas Center. “Saint Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus.”
[10] “A Visit from Saint Nicholas.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 12.Dec.2018. Web. Dec.12.2018.
[11] The most prevelant of these being the 1821 work by William Gilley The Children’s Friend which described Sancte Claus. Gilley was a close friend of Clement Clarke Moore. 
[12] Saint Nicholas Center. “Saint Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus.”
[13] Saint Nicholas Center. “Saint Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus.” The cartoonist involved was Thomas Nast.
[14] Vander Zee, Leonard. “Santa Claus Saves Christmas.” South Bend Christian Reformed Church.
[15] Saraas, Niveen. “Commentary on Luke 2:[1-7] 8-20.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 24.Dec.2018. Web. Dec.12.2018.
[16] Matthew 1:21,23.
[17] John 1:14
[18] “Santa Claus is Comin to Town.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 11.Dec.2018. Web. Dec.12.2018. 

First Lesson: Micah 5: 2-5a
Responsive Reading: Psalm 80: 1-7
Second Lesson: Hebrews 10: 5-10
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 1: 39-45, (46-55)

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Let me begin by telling you the story of a gentleman named Phillips Brooks.  Brooks was born in 1835 in Boston.  He was the great-grandson of Samuel Phillips Jr. one of the great pioneers in American education[1].  Brooks eventually enrolls in Harvard. Upon graduation, he got a job in Boston teaching Latin.  Brooks was quickly fired and this event drove him into a trigger of despair. Brooks believed himself to be a failure!  Brooks proclaimed “I do not know what will become of me and I do not care much. I wish I were fifteen years old again[2]. “
Brooks with an uncertain future enrolls in Seminary.  Brooks graduates and becomes a Pastor in Philadelphia. In 1865, Brooks took a trip to the holy land.  On Christmas Eve, Brooks makes a horse trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.   While in Bethlehem, he saw the fields where the angel visited the Shepherds tending to their flocks on the night of Christ’s birth[3].  Brooks then proceeded to attend midnight services which lasted from 10 PM to 3 AM at the Church of the Nativity thought to be the cave where Jesus was born.  The service deeply moved Brooks.  The memories of his time in Bethlehem never left him.
Three years later, Brooks was back serving his church outside Philadelphia. His church was planning their annual Sunday school Christmas program[4].  Brooks and his organist Lewis Redner were lacking a song to tie it all together.  Brooks sat down in one setting to write a reflection of his previous trip to Bethlehem.  Redner, the Organist on a Saturday night before rehearsal unable to think of a tune for Brooks’ carol, went to bed only to seemingly be woken up in the middle of the night by what seemed to be an angel of the Lord delivering the perfect treble before Sunday’s church services.  The lyrics which seemed to destined for the dustbin of history after the Sunday School program were soon printed by a local bookstore, and eventually picked up for a hymnal for Sunday school children[5].  Brooks’ Christmas Carol is known as “O Little Town of Bethlehem[6].”
The hymn’s tale in many ways mirrors the story of our lesson from Micah 5[7].  Micah’s lesson was written at a time when the Assyrian army threatened to devour all of Northern Israel along with its ten small tribes.  A town as small as Bethlehem would not even be able to muster any sort of army for resistance[8].  The Assyrians would be seeming to claim the land as their own.  What the Hymn reminds us of is Phillip Brooks seemed destined for failure, the people of Bethlehem seemed destined for conquest in the eyes of men, but in God’s eyes, there was a big plan in place having to do with the Messiah eventually being born within this smallest of towns[9]. 
The Book of Micah tells the story of dark days in Israel’s history.  Among the injustices taking place where the rich had schemed to take away land from the poor, widows have been evicted from their homes, and wicked rulers endorse the worship of not the God of Israel, but foreign gods.  Israel was in dark days both socially and spiritually to say nothing about the threat posed by their great enemies in these days the Assyrians[10]. 
In these dark days, The Book of Micah gives a word of great hope:
 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah.
    though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times[11].”
Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? Bethlehem was the city of David who was Israel’s greatest king[12].  David seemed to be an unlikely choice to be a great king. He was Jesse’s youngest and seemingly weakest son, in a society where older sons would claim double portions of inheritance.   It was David who not only slayed the giant Goliath but would bring eventual peace and prosperity to the land of Israel like no other time in its history.  So now in Bethlehem, not mighty Jerusalem several miles down the road another child would be born in a lowly and unassuming manager to usher in a Kingdom that would go beyond all the kingdoms of the world that came before it.    
In the Gospel of Matthew, the wise men appear before King Herod to inform him of the birth of the Messiah within these smallest of villages[13].   Micah gave the great word of hope to people that yearned for spiritual peace when it seemed unattainable[14]. 
Author Barbara Brown Taylor tells the following story[15]. Once upon a time a small congregation such as this one was having their Christmas Eve service. The congregation was in need of a reader. Finally, a woman signs up to read when no one seemingly would.  The thing was this woman was having a hard time like the people within Micah’s day of her own.  She was in the midst of chemotherapy to treat the most aggressive of cancers.  Her body was weak and she was required to bring an oxygen tank with her to the lecturn.  She began then to read the great word of Gospel hope of what was to come, no different than Micah, as her oxygen tank is humming along with the reading loud enough for everyone to hear[16].  The story reminds us that it is in the harshest ravages of this world that our Lord truly comes with a word of promise for the new creation that soon is to be born in Bethlehem.
To illustrate this further, let me close with one final story[17].  Once upon a time, there was a town in Europe with a beautiful cathedral known far and wide for having a beautiful stained glass window behind its altar.  On one winter day, a great windstorm came to the land shattering the window into thousands of pieces.  The window is cleaned up, placed in a giant box, and brought down to the church basement.  Everyone within this cathedral expected that this window would forever remain memorabilia of the church’s glory days. 
Sometime later though a stranger got word of the cathedral’s broken stained glass window[18].  He asked if he could have the fragments.  The request was strange, and the church’s custodians told him to take the seemingly worthless box.  The custodians figured they would never hear from this peculiar gentleman ever again.  The church thought at this point, good riddance with the broken glass.  Well about two years later, the custodians were invited to a craft show in a nearby village featuring the works of a famed artisian.  The most beautiful piece at the craft show was a stained glass window; only this window was made for the broken glass off the cathedral window[19].  The custodians had never seen such a beautiful sight before their eyes within their entire lives. 
A child born in a manager in Bethlehem! Probably didn’t look like much at first sight no different than the broken glass out of which little good could come.  No great hosts were awaiting this child’s birth.  He was born in the presence of a teenage bride and the first century’s equivalent of long-haul truck drivers in Shepherds.  With the exception of King Herod, the rest of the world failed to take notice[20].  Jesus’ lives some thirty years on Earth with followers coming and going like any other ordinary life.  Jesus dies virtually alone on Calvary[21], just as the women with the oxygen tank appeared to be without hope on Christmas Eve. On the third day, the words written by Phillips Brooks for his Sunday school program show brings us all to Bethlehem. How we are the purpose of God’s plan revealed on that night some 2000 years ago.  I close with words from the third verse of Brooks’ hymn which we will soon sing:
“How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in.”
For it is this child soon to be born in Bethlehem who will be our peace.”  Who will not only remove warfare from the Earth but remind us to whom we truly do belong. 
Amen
 
 


[1] “Phillips Brooks.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 10.Sept.2018. Web. Nov.27.2018. 

[2] Phillips Brooks.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[3] Hawn, C. Michael. “History of Hymns: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” . Discipleship Ministries. United Methodist Church. Web. Nov.27.2018. 
[4] Matthews, Diana Leagh. “Behind the Christmas Carol: O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Diana Leagh Matthews. 15.Dec.2018. Web. Nov.27.2018. 
[5] Matthews, Diana Leagh. “Behind the Christmas Carol: O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Diana Leagh Matthews.
[6] LBW #41
[7] Micah 5:2-5a.
[8] McFadden, Dave. “O Little Town Of Bethlehem.” Sermon Central. 5. Dec.2006. Web. Nov.27.2018. 
[9] McFadden, Dave. “O Little Town Of Bethlehem.” Sermon Central.
[10] Quirvik, Melinda. “Commentary on Micah 5:2-5a.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 23. Dec.2012. Web. Nov.27.2018. 
[11] Micah 5:2
[12] Donovan, Richard Niell.  “Biblical Commentary:Micah 5:2-5a.” Sermon Writer. 2009, 2010. Web. Nov.27.2018.
[13] Matthew 2:6.
[14] Stewart, Anne. “Commentary on Micah 5:2-5a.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 20.Dec.2015. Web. Nov.27.2018. 
[15] Hoezee, Scott. “Micah 5:2-5a.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI. 14.Dec.2015. Web. Nov.27.2018. 
[16] Hoezee, Scott. “Micah 5:2-5a.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[17] McFadden, Dave. “O Little Town Of Bethlehem.” Sermon Central.
[18] McFadden, Dave. “O Little Town Of Bethlehem.” Sermon Central.
[19]McFadden, Dave. “O Little Town Of Bethlehem.” Sermon Central.
[20] Stier, Leon. “Where is Bethlehem?” Email Mediatations. 24. Dec.2015. Web. Nov.27.2018. 
[21] Stier, Leon. “Where is Bethlehem?” Email Mediatations.

First Lesson: Malachi 3: 1-4
Responsive Reading: Luke 1: 68-79
Second Lesson: Philippians 1: 3-11
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 3: 1-6

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
In one of the most well-known stories of Christmas author Charles Dickens tells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge[1]. Ebenezer’s story seemingly starts on Christmas Eve.  Ebenezer was the owner of a loan house. Ebenezer hated Christmas!  Christmas brought out the worst of Ebenezer’s penny-pinching and miserable ways[2]. Ebenezer considered Christmas to be a “humbug[3]” which meant a bunch of nonsense or a total waste of time. 

Ebenezer employed one man Bob Cratchit. Cratchit was a good man, a family man with a sickly child named Tiny Tim. Ebenezer knew Cratchit needed the job and took advantage of Cratchit’s desperation in every way he could think of: low pay, long hours, and would complain whenever Cratchit dared thinking about putting his loved ones first such as taking Christmas day off.

 The defining scene of Ebenezer’s nature occurs when a man approaches Ebenezer as one of the wealthiest men around asking for a donation on behalf of the poor. Ebenezer sneers at the man that “the poor are better off dead.” Ebenezer seemed to be an old man set in his ways with no hope of any redemption.

Only on the night of Christmas Eve, an unexpected visitor comes into Ebenezer’s life in his former long-dead business partner Jacob Marley who lived his life with the same miserly ways as Ebenezer[4].  Marley had been consigned to chains upon his death as punishment for his rotten ways on Earth.  Marley warns Ebenezer that he one final chance at salvation from unexpected visitors hoping to save Ebenezer before it’s too late. What ends up happening with Ebenezer? We’ll get back to his story in just a little bit.

Today’s First Lesson comes to us from the Book of Malachi[5].  Malachi is most-known for two things:  one, Being the final book of the Old Testament,   two, Malachi was written a little more than 400 years before the births of John the Baptist and Jesus.

Last week, I talked about the Life of Prophet Jeremiah who was a first-hand witness to the Fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 B.C.  The Jewish people would be exiled from their homeland for 50 long years. They were forced to live in Babylon where men like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would resist Babylonian rulers who sought to get them to denounce their faith in Lion’s Dens and fiery furnaces. In 538 B.C, The Persians conquered the Babylonians allowing the people of Jerusalem to return home finally.  They began to rebuild from the previous destruction: both the walls of the city and eventually the Temple to serve as the center of their worship life. If Jeremiah’s life had been the low point in Israel’s history, one-hundred fifty-some years later Malachi’s life was things slowly getting better after Israel’s worst days, but still not all that good.  If Jeremiah described a nation under destruction, Malachi describes a nation under malaise[6]. 

What were the main issues in Malachi?  The first main issue has to do with clergy preaching what was popular rather than what people needed to here. The second issue had to do with the people of Israel doing their best Ebenezer Scrooge impersonations in trying to see above all else how cheap they could be[7]. 

You see the Old Testament demanded that people bring forth their finest animals as sacrifices for their sin.  What people would bring instead was three-legged lambs, blind calves, and cows that had all sorts of nasty/foot and mouth diseases.  Ebenezer would have been proud. 

What they were doing in Malachi would have been the equivalent of promising to deliver steak, but instead offering table scraps instead. 

So God sends Malachi as a messenger to the people no different than the message that Jacob Marley have Ebenezer.  God’s final chance at redemption for your people’s salvation is soon coming among us! As evidence of this, God will send a sign a new “Elijah” to ready the way.  This messenger will bring a purification of a “refiner’s fire[8].

Back to the story of Ebenezer.    Ebenezer’s unexpected visitors took the form of three ghosts.  The ghosts of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present, and the ghost of Christmas future.  These ghosts like the new “Elijah” of whom Malachi spoke confronted Ebenezer with the realities of the depths of his sin. 

The ghost of Christmas past reminds Ebenezer of his lost chance for love as a young man[9].  Ebenezer blew his chance at love because just like Adam and Eve within the Garden of Eden, he could see the fruit of wealth, but could not understand this fruit’s potential consequences. Ebenezer’s world would never be the same again after being permanently banished from this woman’s life, no differently than Adam and Eve’s sin had banished them from paradise.

The second ghost then appears showing Ebenezer Christmas in the present.  Bob Cratchit is gathered around his family including Tiny Tim with his cane[10].  Ebenezer can’t believe that Tiny Tim could have nothing, yet he possessed a love towards no one others that knew no limits[11]. The ghost then reminded Ebenezer of his previous words how “poor” children like Tiny Tim are better off dead.  The scene reminds you of the crowd shouting at Jesus during Holy Week “Crucify Him, Crucify Him[12].” The love of Jesus towards these same people would soon know no limits even unto the grave itself.

The third ghost that appears before Ebenezer is the ghost of Christmas future.  The scene is one year in the future[13]. Tiny Tim has died because his father couldn’t afford his health care on the tiny salary paid to him by Ebenezer. The spirit then takes Ebenezer to watch a terrifying scene relating to the death of a “wretched “ man.  A man who with no intervention is destined for hell.  Ebenezer hears his business associates laughing about how no only liked this “man” and will only go to his funeral for a “free” lunch.  Upon the man’s death, all the earthly possessions that he spent his whole life accumulating are stolen.  The ghost then takes Ebenezer to the unidentified man’s tomb only to see it read: “Ebenezer Scrooge.”

Ebenezer’s life would change on that night’.  The messenger that Malachi promised the people of Israel would be slower in arriving.  A gap of about 400 years takes place between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament[14].  The gap points to the clear distinction between God’s old way of doing things within the nation of Israel has to do with obedience to the Ten Commandments and animal sacrifices versus God’s new way of doing things in Christ Jesus. 

We’re sixteen days from Christmas, this often can seem like not enough time, yet the people of Israel waited for four hundred years for the Advent of God’s chosen one upon the Earth.  Malachi preached a message of great urgency no different than the spirits preached to Ebenezer only to be met with silence. 

The second to the last verse of the Old Testament: Malachi 4:5 speaks of the “new” Elijah who was to come:
During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight[15]."

Four hundred years of waiting until John the Baptist would come to prepare the way for the Lord, the Messiah, the Christ, John the Baptist’s message would mirror Malachi’s in many ways.

 Let me read the final words of the Old Testament: “He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction[16]."

These words highlight the harshest of sin’s curses. These realities could not be escaped by either Ebenezer or ourselves. John the Baptist came to prepare a “new” way of the grace of God to bring us life in the Messiah that was to come[17]. 

On Christmas morning, Ebenezer would awaken.  Just like when Jesus awakened on Easter Sunday, everything would soon change.  Ebenezer rushed to his windows, shouted out “What day is this?” “Is it Christmas?[18]” Ebenezer’s humbugs had changed to shouts of “Hallejuah.” Ebenezer rushed to find the buy and bring the biggest turkey in town to the Cratchits and Tiny Tim[19]. 

Ebnezer’s story is a remarkable one! Here’s where Ebenezer’s story mirrors our own.  There is no Christmas without the silent night before.  There is no long-awaited Messiah without a nation trying to piece itself back together (both physically and spiritually) after generations in exile, there is no Easter without Good Friday[20]. 

To bring this message, God would send two messengers to prepare us.  The first messenger would be named Malachi. The second messenger would be named John the Baptist.  These messengers would prepare the way for the Savior that was to come.  Pretty soon, all sorts of people just like Ebenezer will be shouting for joy as they awaken on Christmas morning!
 
 

[1] “Ebenezer Scrooge.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 19.Nov.2018. Web. Nov.20.2018. 
[2] Markquardt, Ed. “Cleanse me from my sin, deep within... Refiner's Fire.” Sermons from Seattle. Web. Nov.20.2018. 
[3] “Humbug.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 23. Sept.2018. Web. Nov.20.2018. 
[4] Ebenezer Scrooge.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[5] Malachi 3:1-4. 
[6] Hoezee, Scott. “Malachi 3:1-4.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids. 30.Nov.2015. Web. Nov.20.2018. 
[7] Hoezee, Scott. “Malachi 3:1-4.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[8] Malachi 3:3. 
[9] Markquardt, Ed. “Cleanse me from my sin, deep within... Refiner's Fire.” Sermons from Seattle.
[10] Markquardt, Ed. “Cleanse me from my sin, deep within... Refiner's Fire.” Sermons from Seattle.
[11] Ebenezer Scrooge.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[12] Luke 23:21.
[13] Ebenezer Scrooge.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[14] Meyer, Timm. “Our Lord Sends His Messenger.” Sermon Central. 16.Jan.2009. Web. Nov.20.2018. 
[15] Luke 3:2-4. 
[16] Malachi 4:6.
[17] Hoezee, Scott. “Malachi 3:1-4.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[18] Markquardt, Ed. “Cleanse me from my sin, deep within... Refiner's Fire.” Sermons from Seattle.
[19] Markquardt, Ed. “Cleanse me from my sin, deep within... Refiner's Fire.” Sermons from Seattle.
[20] Markquardt, Ed. “Cleanse me from my sin, deep within... Refiner's Fire.” Sermons from Seattle.

First Lesson: Jeremiah 33: 14-16
Responsive Reading: Psalm 25: 1-10
Second Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13
Gospel Lesson: Luke 21: 25-36

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”-Jeremiah 33:14-16.

Once I got done with Seminary, I worked as a substitute teacher. I had the whole gamut of teaching experiences: elementary, middle school, and high school.  Minnesota also has what are called Alternative Learning Centers or (ALC’s) which seek to educate students who are at risk in dropping out of traditional educational models.  So I spent days substitute teaching at ALC’s where behavior wasn’t always up to conventional standards.  My most vivid memory was one day when an 18-year-old boy came into the classroom got on top of the table and started running back and forth.  You were encouraged not to lose our cool as to not provoke a further outburst.

I remember one day having an unusually long day at an ALC.  Kids were frequently talking back, not paying attention, and there might have been a near fight or two.  It was one of the rare days of substitute teaching where I seemingly would check the clock every two minutes even when there were hours left in the school day.
If I wanted a role model to respond to a situation such as this, I should look to a gentleman named David Bunton who taught at a similar school in Australia[1].  Mr. Bunton was a quiet man who had countless rough days teaching in a school such as this one.  Mr. Bunton though had one thing that he would do when students would frustrate him.  He would sit at his desk and quietly pray for his students.

Something remarkable ended happening with Mr. Bunton’s students. Dozens of his students became believers even as Mr. Bunton was unable to share a word about his faith due to rules within his school.  Many of them even entered the ministry as either pastors or missionaries.   A quiet man sitting in prayer brought about a great harvest in the lives of some of Australia’s roughest students[2]. 

Mr. Bunton understood the meaning of our lesson from the Book of Jeremiah which proclaims “the days are coming.” when salvation will come to God’s people despite living in days with seemingly no hope.

Now despite how long of days Mr. Bunton had teaching in difficult schools, such things are nothing compared to the worst years of human history.

 A few weeks back, I was reading a news article that asked an interesting question: “What was the worst year to be alive in the history of the world?”

There would have been some strong contenders in 1349 when Black Death killed half the population of Europe[3].  1918 would be another strong contender with flu estimated to have killed between 50-100 million young adults worldwide.

But perhaps the worst year to be alive in all of human history was 536 A.D[4].  What happened in 536 A.D. is a volcano erupted in Iceland causing mysterious fog covered Europe, the Middle East, and Asia so that the sun would be unable to let forth its normal light for the next eighteen months.  It was like continually living under the moon.  This event was thought to begin the Dark Ages.

 Among the other effects of the 536 volcano: the lack of sunlight caused a great worldwide famine, temperature drops brought snow to China in the middle of the summer, and  Europe’s economy would soon ground to a halt[5].  Within a few years, the Bubonic Plague would strike wiping out half of the population of parts of the Roman Empire to speed up its collapse[6].

Now in thinking of the worst year in all of human history, let me ask another question: “What was the worst year in Old Testament or the nation of Israel?”

The answer would be 587 B.C. the year when King Solomon’s temple would be destroyed and the nation would fall under the captivity of the Babylonian army under its wicked King Nebuchadnezzar II.  Jeremiah the prophet whose name is on our lesson for Today proclaiming the days are coming when God’s promises of salvation become true was a firsthand witness to Jerusalem’s fall in these days.

To understand Jeremiah, you need to know that he seemed to be an unlikely person to give a word of hope such as the days are coming.  Jeremiah’s ministry within the nation of Israel lasted nearly 40 years.  Jeremiah was nicknamed over these years “The Weeping Prophet.” Jeremiah over all these years had been continuously proclaiming that Israel would soon fall to a foreign power because the nation chooses to worship foreign Gods.

Israel was such a mess during Jeremiah’s lifetime that people sacrificed their children to these foreign gods of death and destruction[7].  The officials of Israel cared for Jeremiah’s message so little they imprisoned him. Jeremiah eventually gets thrown down into a cistern, hoping that Jeremiah would starve himself to death drowning in the mud[8].Jeremiah’s life was marked by very little reason to have great religious hope.  Here was Jeremiah right after giving forty years of pessimism, continually warning of pending doom doing a 180-degree term by giving people a word of great hope the days are coming[9].

Jeremiah had Israel live out its darkest of ages. Jeremiah kept calling out like the school teacher Mr. Bunton in prayer that God bring eventual salvation to his land and his people. Jeremiah knew that the people of God were way too fickle, to bring this salvation themselves failing to follow the Ten Commandments again and again.   So God would need to bring forth a new promise a promise of God’s ultimate grace[10].

580 years after Jeremiah saw Jerusalem fall and God’s people sent into exile[11].  Jeremiah’s promise that the days are surely coming came true.  This promise serves as a reminder that even in the worst death and destruction that God’s presence shall never leave this earth.

Mere miles away from Jerusalem in the town of Bethlehem, a woman gave birth to a descendant of King David of whose kingdom would have no end.  The birth of the Christ Child serves as a reminder to all God’s people that the Messiah is surely coming soon. A day will soon be here when righteousness fills the land and peace fills the land, even in those days like Jeremiah witnessed where nothing but carnage filled the Earth.
What does all this mean to us as we begin on this day our Advent season as we eagerly anticipate the birth of our Savior.  What does this mean when like in Jeremiah’s life, things aren’t looking so good within our own life.

Let me close with one final story:  A man’s daughter once upon a time called up a local church asking for the pastor to see her dying father[12].  The pastor was new to the church and had never met the man before.  He walks into the room where he the man lying on his bed propped up by pillows and an empty chair beside his bed.

The pastor walks in introduces himself and asks if the chair is for him.  The man responded “Oh year, would you mind closing the door[13]?”

The pastor was confused, but he followed the man’s request.  The man pipes up[14]: “I’ve never told anyone this, not even my family.  But I never really understood how to pray.”

So I kinda gave up on it, well one day I was having a conversation with my best friend who told me: “Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus[15].”  Here’s what you should do, place an empty chair in front of you, and see Jesus sitting in that chair.  Remember Jesus promised, “I’ll be with you always[16].” Then you converse with him no different than you and I are doing.

So I started talking to the chair for a few hours each day, don’t want my daughter to know, so she doesn’t put me in some sort of “funny-farm.”

The Pastor is moved by the guy’s faith in the greatest of personal adversity as he prepared to meet his maker.  The Pastor and Joe pray together and the Pastor goes back to church.

A few days later, the daughter calls to say that her dad died earlier that day.
Pastor asks: “Did he die in peace[17]?”

The daughter replies: “Yes, he told one of his corny jokes, kissed me on the check, and then I left for the store.” I came back an hour later, only to see the strangest thing.  Dad right before he died, leaned out over the bed, and rested his head on the empty chair that sat beside it[18]. “The days are coming, indeed!

The Biblical prophet Jeremiah understood Advent. He understood the nature of waiting!He understood this isn’t always the easiest thing to do when a room full of misbehaving students surround you, yet in the case of Mr. Bruton God’s plan for our salvation is much grander than what we can see in any individual moment. For whereas the Earth might seem so dark that you can’t see any sunlight on this day, Our God’s presence remains.  We need not look further than the nearest empty chair to remember this! Amen

[1] Atwood, Brian. “Unclaimed Blessings.” Sermon Central. 6. Feb.2003. Web. Nov.15.2018.  The following comes from a story in Leadership magazine submitted by Brian Ronnefeldt of West Perth, Australia. 
[2] Atwood, Brian. “Unclaimed Blessings.” Sermon Central.
[3] Gibbons, Ann.” Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive’”  Science. 15. Nov.2018. Web. Nov.19.2018. 
[4] Gibbons, Ann.” Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive’”  Science.
[5] Gibbons, Ann.” Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive’”  Science.
[6] Gibbons, Ann.” Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive’”  Science.
[7] “Jeremiah.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 16. Nov.2018. Web. Nov.19.2018.
[8] Jeremiah 38:1-13. 
[9] Hyde, Randy. “The Days Are Surely Coming.” Sermon Writer. 2006. Web. Nov.18.2018. 
[10] Sylvester, Emily. “Jeremiah 33:14-16.” Sermon Writer. 2012. Web. Nov.18.2018. 
[11] Giese, Ted. “The Righteous Branch.” Mount Olive Lutheran Church. Regina, Saskatchewan. 29.Nov.2015. Web. Nov.15.2018. 
[12] Higgins, Scott. “An Empty Chair.” Stories for Preaching. Web. Nov.15.2018.
[13] Higgins, Scott. “An Empty Chair.” Stories for Preaching.
[14] Higgins, Scott. “An Empty Chair.” Stories for Preaching.
[15] Higgins, Scott. “An Empty Chair.” Stories for Preaching.
[16] Matthew 28:20. 
[17] Higgins, Scott. “An Empty Chair.” Stories for Preaching.
[18] Higgins, Scott. “An Empty Chair.” Stories for Preaching.

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 23: 1-7
Responsive Reading: Psalm 132: 1-12, (13-18)
Second Lesson: Revelation 1: 4-8
​Gospel Lesson: John 18: 33-37

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
When I was growing up my friends and me for our major social outings would go to the movies.  Most of the time, we would go to Forest Lake which had a theater about fifteen miles away from home.  When trying to find movies that we wanted to see, we would often find the silliest comedy that our parents would let us see.  Well, shortly after I started high school, I was going to the movies with my friends.  The movie was I believe Billy Madison which told the story of a spoiled thirty-year-old rich kid, who had to redo Kindergarten to High School in two weeks to inherit his father’s business empire. 

Well on that day, walking into the theater, sitting in the row right behind us, with his wife and daughter was the Governor of Minnesota Arne Carlson.  He had a residence in Forest Lake.  Here’s what was so interesting about this.  No one flocked to him, once the lights went out he was no different than any other theatergoer.  The most powerful man in Minnesota had become a mere mortal before my very eyes.

Today’s Gospel lesson tells a similar story.  Pontius Pilate was the Roman Governor of Judea. Pilate served under the most powerful ruler in the world.   Pilate had been given the authority to be the most powerful official in the part of the world where Jesus would soon breath his last breaths.  Our lesson tells the following tale[1].
Now Jesus was being brought to Pontius Pilate’s presence with an accusation of claiming to be “King of the Jews.” As soon as Pontius Pilate saw Jesus appear before him, he probably grew annoyed at Jesus’ presence.  Pilate’s first image of Jesus is hands behind his back, a busted lip[2], and a puffed-up check from where he had just been whacked by an official of the high priest[3]. 

Jesus looked like a guy who had just badly lost a fight, not any serious threat to Pontius Pilate.  All this explains why Pontius Pilate was probably so confused by this whole ordeal as Jesus was not surrounded by soldiers, he looked like he lived in poverty, and his followers seemed to be about as serious a threat to the Roman Empire as a junior high football team would be to the New England Patriots[4]. 

Pontius Pilate would have been extremely busy during Passover week when our lesson takes place; he was probably confused why anyone would care enough to want to put such a seemingly looking pathetic figure to death with his blessing. 

When the religious authorities accused Jesus of claiming to be a “King.” Pontius Pilate knew the most powerful man in the world; he thought he understood how a King should look.   How a King should behave.  He knew that Jesus wasn’t it. 

In the year 1643, King Louis XIV was coronated upon the French throne[5].  King Louis was four years old at the time, being placed in charge of one of the world’s most powerful nations.  King Louis was the epitome of selfish within his rule.  King Louis XIV was nicknamed the “sun-king” for thinking the whole world revolved around him[6]. 

Among the excesses of King Louis’s rule were that he would invite French aristocrats to visit his palace, where they would be asked to engage in competitions to determine who would get the honor to watch King Louis wake up, eat, and prepare for bed.[7] 

King Louis’ greatest claim to fame was desiring to get away from the commoners in Paris.  King Louis ordered the construction of an elaborate palace at Versailles.  The palace was so elaborate that it would have cost upwards of two billion dollars to construct in modern currency[8]. The palace would employ 200 servants to meet King Louis’ needs.  The inside of the palace contained 700 rooms, 60 staircases, 5000 pieces of furniture and 1200 fireplaces[9].  The walls were decorated with 6000 paintings.  Versailles had 30,000 acres of garden with over 400 sculptures, plus 1,400 fountains[10]. 

Perhaps Versailles most dramatic feature is an 8,000 square foot hall of mirrors surrounded by works of art highlighting the achievements of King Louis XIV’s life. Louis’ goal was to make this room the center of Palace social life.  

King Louis’ XIV’ last act as King was to engage in a thirteen-year war with Spain, so that his grandson may become Spain’s king.  Between Versailles and this war, France racked up severe debt[11].  Public opinion turned against the Crown.  King Louis helped chart a course where within a century, the excess of the French monarchy would create one of world history’s most violent revolutions marked by the use of the guillotine against France’s royalty.    

King Louis XIV represents the great excesses of history.  A reminder that however powerful a Kingdom may appear at any given moment it is merely temporary.   

The following great contrast over what it truly means to be “The King” is on display in the visit between Pontius Pilate and Jesus.

Pilate uses his power for his ends as Governor[12].  Pilate thinks nothing of destroying people who might possess the tiniest of threats to his reign like this beaten, bloodied man.  Jesus uses his power for the sake of others; he even washes their feet. Jesus is willing to give his life even for the sake of others.
Pontius Pilate’s reign will give people terror in the midst of calm days.  Jesus’ reign will give people calm in the midst of their terrors[13].

Pilate’s soldiers use violence to conquer others.  Jesus encourages his followers to put away their sword and to look on the horizon to the day when Christ unites all people: rich, poor, strong, weak, Jew, Gentile as inheritors of his gift of salvation[14]. 

Pontius Pilate’s authority is granted by Caeser Tiberius and is subject to the whims of a mortal man. Jesus’ power comes from the one who grants eternal authority[15].  

So Jesus is indeed a King, his kingdom is the only one that Pontius Pilate cannot ultimately put to death. 
 
Jesus and Pontius Pilate these men would suffer two very different fates upon the end of their lives. According to tradition, upon a new emperor in Caligula coming to Rome, Pontius Pilate was removed as Governor, and he would take his own life a short time later[16]. 

How did Jesus’ story end? A small group of his followers started as a group called the “Way”; they came to be called Christians for believing that Jesus had triumphed over the previously insurmountable object of his own grave[17].  This group started after being rejected by their own people and saw their leader put to death in mocking tones by Pontius Pilate and others as “King of the Jews.” Within a few hundred years, the Christians would overwhelm the very empire that Pontius Pilate serves. Today, Christians proclaim the living faith of our Gospel in every corner of the globe, whereas Pontius Pilate’s Roman Empire is merely pages within our history books. 

Our lesson reminds us of the true nature of Christ’s Kingdom.  The type of King that Jesus was going to be was one that could reverse any situation of power and prestige like this for all eternity. Jesus as King was not about securing his power.  Jesus’ kingdom was about the depths to which he would go for every single inhabit of his Kingdom that believed in its power. 

How will Jesus’ kingdom ultimately look?  Let me close with one final story.

King Christian X of Denmark assumed the Danish throne in 1912[18].  What type of King that he would be would not be revealed for nearly thirty years with the Advent of the Second World War.  In 1940, Adolf Hitler’s Germany would quickly overwhelm Danish forces.  Denmark is a flat, open country leaving little geographic advantage for the sake of defense.  The Germans would occupy Denmark for the next five years[19]. 

King Christian X though unlike other European rulers, did not go into hiding.  King Christian even made it a point to ride his horse daily without any guard,  as a visible sign of resistance to the Nazi occupation[20]. 

Eventually, the order came that all Jews within Denmark were to identify themselves by wearing yellow armbands marked by the Star of David[21].  King Christian was a Lutheran.  King Christian also believed that if one Danish person would be forced to wear such a marker then all Danes would.  King Christian would be the first to put the armband on his arms.  He let be known that he expected all Danes to do the same.  So within Copenhagen, nearly every Dane which is a majority Lutheran nation wore the yellow armbands showing the Star of David[22].  Ninety percent of Denmark’s Jews survived the Second World War thanks to King Christian’s actions including arranging transport to neutral Sweden[23].

 The Jews of Denmark came to see what type of King they had in the presence of the most powerful man in the world.  They had a King who would even stare down death to ultimately save his people.

The whole point of the showdown between Jesus and Pontius Pilate is to show what type of King that Christ would be.   A King who just like Governor Carlson when the movie theater lights went out didn’t stand out from his subjects in any way.  Only when the lights came on back Easter Sunday, Our King would indeed stand out from all subjects who came before him bringing forth the power of Resurrection.  Jesus was the type of king who like King Christian cared for his subjects so much; he soon would journey to his death before bringing forgiveness and salvation to all the nations of the Earth.  The following is the story of Christ the King.  Amen
 


[1] John 18:33-37. 
[2] John 18:22.
[3] Hoezee, Scott. “John 18:33-37.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI. 16.Nov.2015. Web. Nov.3.2018. 
[4] Hoezee, Scott. “John 18:33-37.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[5] History Channel. “King Louis XIV.” Web.Nov.3.2018.
[6] Zingale, Tim. “The Real King.” Sermon Central. 18.Nov.2003. Web. Nov.3.2018. 
[7] History Channel. “King Louis XIV.”
[8] James. “Palace of Versailles.” Primary Facts. 2.July.2018. Web. Nov.3.2018. 
[9] James. “Palace of Versailles.” Primary Facts.
[10] James. “Palace of Versailles.” Primary Facts.
[11] History Channel. “King Louis XIV.”
[12] Clark-Soles, Jaime. “Commentary on John 18:33-37.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul.  25.Nov.2012. Web. Nov.3.2018. 
[13] Clark-Soles, Jaime. “Commentary on John 18:33-37.” Working Preacher.
[14] Clark-Soles, Jaime. “Commentary on John 18:33-37.” Working Preacher.
[15] Clark-Soles, Jaime. “Commentary on John 18:33-37.” Working Preacher.
[16] “Pontius Pilate.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 19. Oct.2018. Web. Nov.3.2018. 
[17] Stanley, Andy. Irrestible:Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World.  Zondervan. 2018. Pg.19. 
[18] “Christian X of Denmark.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 3.Nov.2018. Web. Nov.3.2018.
[19] Christian X of Denmark.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation
[20] Christian X of Denmark.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation
[21] Anders, Mickey. “Royalty Stoops.” Sermon Writer. 2001. Web. Nov.3.2018. 
[22] Anders, Mickey. “Royalty Stoops.” Sermon Writer
[23] Christian X of Denmark.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation

First Lesson: 1 Samuel 1: 4-20
Responsive Reading: 1 Samuel 2: 1-10
Second Lesson: Hebrews 10: 11-14, (15-18), 19-25
​Gospel Lesson: Mark 13: 1-8

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“I Thessalonians 5:16-18  —  Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

The Year was 1973. The place was Florida[1].  An old man, slightly bent over, struggling with every step, seemingly not long for this world, walks along an old, nearly abandoned pier alongside the Atlantic carrying a large bucket of shrimp.  The man was named Eddie Rickenbacker.

Rickenbacker was a remarkable American; he was America’s greatest fighter pilot during World War I with twenty-six aerial victories and was awarded the Medal of Honor in recognition[2].  Rickenbacker used his fame between the wars to eventually purchase the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with his greatest personal success coming as one of the pioneers in American aviation as the owner of Eastern Airlines. 

Despite Rickenbacker’s great personal success, he joined the World War II in an advisory capacity under Secretary of War Henry Stimson.   In 1942, Rickenbacker was tasked with the mission of personally delivering a message from President Roosevelt to General Douglas MacArthur in New Guinea aboard a B-17 Bomber[3].  While flying over the South Pacific, the plane veered off-course, due to a technical mishap.  Nearly running out of gas, the crew was forced to land in the middle of the Pacific.  Rickenbacker and nine other men were forced into life rafts[4].  Their food supply ran out in three days with no hope of rescue.  Five days later the situation was growing increasingly desperate when the Bomber’s captain led an impromptu church service of prayer and thanksgiving[5].  A short time after, Captain Rickenbacker felt something land on his head, what landed on his head was a ‘sea-gull”.  The men for the first time in nearly a week had hope.  The gull managed to fly hundreds of miles from land somehow to serve as not only a meal but also bait for further meals.  Rickenbacker and his men lived twenty-three days on this raft before their eventual rescue thanks to this one-sea gull. 

Eddie Rickenbacker never forgot what happened to him.  So every Friday evening until his death, one of Florida’s wealthiest men traveled to an isolated pier to give a feast to birds out of his own Thanksgiving for what had been given in days past[6].  Eddie Rickenbacker had experienced God providing manna from heaven while wandering in the greatest wilderness of his life and for this blessing, he would be forever thankful. 

I want to tell you Today a similar story of sorts that comes from our scriptures[7].  It’s about a woman who lived years of her life in a different type of wilderness only to find eventual Thanksgiving.
Hannah is married to a man named Elkanah.  Elkanah (el-kan-a) was a good man.  He came from a prominent family and was a man of many means.  Elkanah loved Hannah very much.  Hannah had been unable to bear any children for Elkanah.  Elkanah didn’t care though as he had many children from another wife[8]. 

Hannah though was forced to confront a cultural reality that something seemingly had to be wrong with her because God had shut her womb.

Now Hannah’s issues were going to be magnified during the upcoming days, as her family was going to be journeying to Shiloh to perform their annual religious sacrifice where they gave thanks for all of God’s blessings during the prior year.  Like Thanksgiving this week, this was the equivalent of a major Holiday in Pre-Temple Israel.  While others would be celebrating, Hannah would see the presence of many children and be reminded of what exactly she didn’t have.  While this was supposed to be a time of great joy, Hannah was forced to confront her greatest pain. 

 Hannah saw her future as frightening because, in her society, it was the sons that took care of their mothers upon the deaths of their husbands as they were unable to inherit property[9].  Hannah lived in a world that would mock and scorn a woman who was unable to have children[10].  All these things would be made especially clear to Hannah in the upcoming holiday week.  Elkanah could have been the most fabulous husband in the world, but Hannah could not escape the realities of her barrenness[11].

So what does Hannah do in the midst of the Holiday celebration? She storms off in sadness.  Hannah was hurting and goes to the only place that she can think of was her people’s sanctuary[12]. The text describes Hannah as “deeply distressed” and “weeping bitterly” upon entering the sanctuary[13].  Now leaving a Holiday celebration to go pray was going to be noticed.   The priest Eli did notice Hannah; only he thought her to be “drunk[14].” He tells her “Put away your wine[15].”

Hannah then begins to explain her situation to Eli.  Hannah describes her great “anxiety” and “pain” over being unable to bear children[16].  

Hannah in the midst of all this was able to see something about the nature of God’s thanksgiving.  Despite her great pain, Hannah’s life was filled with many good things.  It would be God’s will whether she eventually conceived a child, but God had not indeed forgotten about her[17].  Hannah’s life had indeed been blessed with a devout husband, much Earthly blessing, and a God who was the source of her salvation.

Eli in the midst of Hannah’s grief gives her a blessing.  Hannah travels home the next morning with Elkanah[18].  Hannah soon indeed becomes pregnant. She names her child Samuel meaning “She (I) asked the Lord for him[19].” Samuel would grow into Eli the Priest’s assistant.  Samuel would eventually rally the whole nation of Israel against the mighty Philistines. Samuel would eventually anoint Israel’s first king in Saul and greatest king in David.  It was through David’s house that God would point the way to an even greater promise of a blessing than the one given by Eli to Hannah. Eventually, a King would come to the land of Israel would who establish a throne upon the Earth forever[20].  This king would be a descendant of David’s who they would call Jesus and his kingdom would be greater than all the other Kingdoms of the world put together.  The whole story is a remarkable tale of Hannah’s Thanksgiving in the most trying of times helping to bring about the salvation of her people. 

 Hannah is noteworthy because she saw God working within her life when the whole world was seemingly telling her something else.  Hannah’s story reminds us of something this week as we celebrate our own Thanksgiving holiday. How it is often through the unlikely and unexpected that we receive our greatest blessings. 

Squanto was born into the Patuxet (Pa- Tox-Et) tribe in 1585 in modern day New-England[21].  In 1608, Squanto was captured by English traders and sold into Spanish slavery.  Squanto gets purchased by a Spanish monk. The monk proceeds to teach Squanto the Christian faith.  Squanto eventually makes his way to England where he ends up in the care of a man named John Slaney who teaches him the English language.  Squanto expressed his desire to return home[22].  Squanto eventually gets onboard a ship bound for America, only to discover upon his return that an illness had wiped out nearly his entire village.  Squanto much like Hannah probably couldn’t make sense of God’s plan or purposes at this point in his life[23].

One year later, though the land formally occupied by Squanto’s tribe gets settled by a group of English settlers aboard the Mayflower naming the area Plymouth Rock.  The first winter for settlers in the New World was tough losing over half their traveling party to disease and death[24].  The colony probably though would not survived if not for Squanto greeting the pilgrims in their native English.  Squanto then proceeded to teach the Englishmen how to plant corn in the soil[25].  The following fall, during the Harvest in thanks for God’s abundance, the settlers and ninety native friends gathered for a three-day feast of birds to give thanks for God’s abundance.   This holiday would come to be known as Thanksgiving[26]. 

Squanto would contract disease and die a short time later.  Plymouth Governor William Bradford would describe Squanto as a “special instrument sent of God for [our] good.” Squanto upon his death would give all his possessions to the Pilgrims as a “remembrances of his love[27].”

Squanto’s story and the First Thanksgiving is one of the true nature of God’s blessing.  Squanto like Joseph[28] was an instrument that God used for the greatest of good[29] even as his circumstances like Hannah’s seemed to be nothing but the harshest of curses. 

As we celebrate Thanksgiving later this week, it’s really easy to see all the things that God hasn’t given us. Hannah could undoubtedly see all these things as she struggled with being childless.  Hannah could also see God’s tremendous blessing in relationship, possession, and most of all her salvation.  As we celebrate Thanksgiving later this week, consider like the settlers at Plymouth Rock or Eddie Rickenbacker all the blessings both unusual and usual that God has given brought into our lives.  See the blessings that God gives us on this day: bread, wine, and the forgiveness of our sins.  See God’s continual promises of our eventual redemption given in the midst of our greatest despairs.  So if you eat turkey later this week, don’t forget about seagulls also. Amen


[1] Aurandt, Paul. “"The Old Man and the Gulls" quoted in Heaven Bound Living, Knofel Stanton, Standard, 1989, p. 79-80. The analogy was originally given by Paul Harvey in 1977. The following illustration was found in Sermon Illustrations.com under Thanksgiving. 
[2] “Eddie Rickenbacker.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 23.Oct.2018. Web. Nov.1.2018. 
[3] Eddie Rickenbacker.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[4] Eddie Rickenbacker.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[5] Aurandt, Paul. “"The Old Man and the Gulls" quoted in Heaven Bound Living, Knofel Stanton, Standard, 1989, p. 79-80.
[6] Aurandt, Paul. “"The Old Man and the Gulls" quoted in Heaven Bound Living, Knofel Stanton, Standard, 1989, p. 79-80.
[7] 1 Samuel 1: 4:20, 1 Samuel 2:1-10. 
[8] 1 Samuel 1:5
[9] Suomala, Karla. “Commentary on 1 Samuel 1:4-20.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 18.Nov.2012. Web. Nov.1.2018. 
[10] 1 Samuel 1:6
[11] 1 Samuel 1:8
[12] Butler, Amy. “Filled with Good Things.” Sermon Writer. 2006. Web. Nov.1.2018. 
[13] 1 Samuel 1:10
[14] 1 Samuel 1:13
[15] 1 Samuel 1:14
[16] 1Samuel 1:16
[17] 1 Samuel 1:18-19
[18] 1 Samuel 1:19
[19] 1 Samuel 1:20
[20] Schifferdecker, Kathryn. M. Commentary on 1 Samuel 1:4-20.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 18.Nov.2018. Web. Nov.1.2018. 
[21] Stier, Leon. “Squanto and the Pilgrims.” Email Mediatations. 21.Nov.2016. Web. Nov.1.2018. Taken from Charles Colson at breakpoint.org
[22] Stier, Leon. “Squanto and the Pilgrims.” Email Mediatations.
[23] Stier, Leon. “Squanto and the Pilgrims.” Email Mediatations.
[24] Stier, Leon. “Pilgrim Thanksgiving.” Email Mediatations. 28.Nov.2013. Web. Nov.1.2018. 
[25] Stier, Leon. “Squanto and the Pilgrims.” Email Mediatations.
[26] Stier, Leon. “Pilgrim Thanksgiving.” Email Mediatations
[27] Stier, Leon. “Squanto and the Pilgrims.” Email Mediatations.
[28] Genesis 50:20. 
[29] Stier, Leon. “Squanto and the Pilgrims.” Email Mediatations.

First Lesson: Ruth 3: 1-5; 4: 13-17
Responsive Reading: Psalm 127
Second Lesson: Hebrews 9: 24-28
​Gospel Lesson: Mark 12: 38-44

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“I look forward to Tax Day every year because it shows that I have something to give.” –Sychar member Bob Eckstrom

Let me begin by telling a story about Grandma.  I was in high school; I had let Grandma know that I thought I might be called to go into the ministry. Grandma wanted to give me encouragement in this venture, so on a Thursday night during the school year, Grandma calls me up.  Grandma told me that she needed to drop off her “tithe.”

Grandma was never a real regular Church attender when I was growing up, as she tended to enjoy making phone calls to California during middle of the night, so getting to a 9 or 10:30 service at Trinity Lutheran could be a challenge.  While most people would wait until Sunday morning to try to handle their offering for Grandma patience has never really been a strength. So Grandma told me that she was picking me up at 8:30 and we were driving out to the preacher’s house to give him her offering.  My parents must not have been around to veto such an idea.  So Grandma and I driveway past the church to the other end of town, Grandma rings the doorbell (I would be surprised if she thought of calling), the preacher and his wife come to the door wearing pajamas.   Grandma proceeds to try starting a casual conversation; Pastor Tom lets her know he needs to go to “bed,” Grandma hands her “tithe” to him and drives me home with her lesson on the nature of ministry. 

Now Today’s Gospel lesson tells the tale of a woman who like my Grandma had her own noteworthy approach to giving[1].

The scene for Today’s lesson is Holy Week. Passover week would cause Religious pilgrims from all over to travel to Jerusalem where they would give their yearly offering.  Jesus and his Disciples are sitting within the Temple as it’s packed with people watching the whole scene unfold.  You had rich and poor alike gathering to deliver their offering at the same time. 

A couple of years ago, I went to an event on non-profit fundraising for North Shore Area Partners down in Duluth. I got paired up with a partner; my partner was the head of a large foundation down in Duluth.  We were comparing fundraising within our organizations; I described how we make due with a lot of small gifts $5, $10, $20, 50, 100, gifts larger than this would be noteworthy.  The woman describes to me how for her job, she would occasionally host small informal coffee parties of maybe 6-8 people for fundraising.  When I asked how much money these brought in? She proceeded to tell me $75,000 for a typical gathering.  My jaw was on the floor.  She had all sorts of connections within Duluth’s medical industry that could give like that without a second thought.  There were plenty of people like this within Jesus’ day.  The type of people when they walked into the Temple, everyone knew that large amounts of money we're going to be placed in the offering boxes.   Among the rich, they would try to out dress and out display each other.  Giving one’s offering for many was the social event of the year at the Temple. 

Now standing in one of the lines on this day was a lady that probably didn’t stand out in any way[2].  She certainly wouldn’t have stood out in such a busy and noisy crowd.  She is described as a widow.  Just like the wealthy temple goers, she approaches the offering boxes where she dropped in two small copper coins called “mites[3],” almost like dropping pennies into piles of gold and silver.  Jesus though noticed this woman right away.  Jesus might have been the only one in the room to notice this woman.

Jesus proceeds to point out: “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on[4].”

Jesus noticed that this woman was making her next meal more difficult, yet she believed that she was giving to a cause with even more significant meaning. 

It was this woman that Jesus wanted to point out to his Disciples as a real model of generosity.  

Jesus wanted to remind the Disciples that there was much more going on in this story than all they could see on this day.

Later in Mark’s Gospel, a woman with a bad reputation approaches Jesus, she washed his feet with her tears and cheap perfume[5].  Everyone around objected that Jesus didn’t shoe her from his presence.  What they were saying is “Don’t you know of her sin?”  whereas when Jesus looked at this woman he didn’t see her sin, he saw in her forgiveness and new life[6]. 

It was people like this questionable woman and widow who truly understood the impact of believing that the love of God was without boundaries[7]. 

Once upon a time, there was an IRS Agent[8].  The guy was checking out tax returns when one gentleman’s caught his eye.  The guy claimed an income of under $10,000, yet he claimed to be giving over $1200 to his church.  The agent decided that he was going to investigate.  The agent shows up unannounced at the gentleman’s home the next day.  He was struck by how the gentleman like nearly every person who he encountered wasn’t nervous to be questioned by an IRS agent. 

The agent asked for a giving receipt from the church.  The gentleman calmly goes upstairs to retrieve it.   The agent reviews the receipts for ten seconds realizes this guy is on the level.  The agent apologizes for the bother[9]. 

As the agent is leaving, the gentleman proceeds to invite him to his church.  The agent is struck by the request, “Thanks, but I belong to a church myself[10].”

The gentleman is embarrassed as he declares “Excuse me, that possibility never occurred to me[11].”

The agent couldn’t shake the gentleman’s words, why didn’t he think that he attended a church.  The agent was well-off as we think of it, he went to church nearly every Sunday, yet he would never dream of giving like this gentleman that had so little.

The gentleman just like the widow had unbelievable trust that whatever his circumstances that the Lord would ultimately provide.  One man saw as an act of financial recklessness, the other man saw as an act of faith.  The difference towards life was noticeable. 

The whole point of our lesson seems to be how exactly, we think about being rich and poor is generally wrong.  Let me close with one final story:

Once upon a time, there was a father that wished to give his son a “life lesson” on wealth[12].   The father had done quite well for himself, and the boy was never in need of anything growing up.  The father wished to teach the boy what it was like to be poor, so they traveled to a farm in a foreign country where they spent a few days.  They spent the night at the farm of what they considered to be a low-income family.

So father and son return from the trip, when Dad asks if he enjoyed the trip.  Son replies “It was great[13].”
            Father asked: “Did you see how poor people can be?”
            Son answers: “Oh yeah.”
            Father asks: “What did you learn?” Hoping his life lesson to be effective.
The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four.  We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end.  We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night.  Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon[14].”

“We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight.  We have servants who serve us, but they serve others[15].”

“We buy our food, but they grow theirs.  We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them.” “It showed me just how poor we are[16].”

The Father’s jaw had dropped to the ground at such an answer.  The little boy was just like Jesus within the Temple; he understood something about the real difference between poverty and abundance regardless of what every other onlooker might see. 

My Grandma was a widow as a relatively young woman.  She was never one to stay in a job for very long.  She never had much to give when living on her own! She would never be the first target of any church’s stewardship campaign.  When Grandma did give, she was undoubtedly way more dramatic than the widow within our lesson.  Grandma though taught me something value about the nature of generosity.
The greatest givers are not always though with the most to give.  She gave not out of fear, force, or to get praise from others; she gave because she believed that God had not abandoned her through all quirks. Amen

 
             
[1] Mark 12:38-44. 
[2] Markquardt, Ed. “Hannah and 2%, the Widow’s Mite.” Sermons from Seattle. Web. Oct.25.2018. 
[3] “Lesson of the widow’s mite.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 16.Feb. 2018. Web. Oct.25.2018. 
[4] Mark 12:43-44. 
[5] Mark 14:3-9
[6] Stier, Leon. “Seeing Others as Jesus Sees Them (part one).” Email Mediatations. 2.June.2015. Web. Oct.25.2018. 
[7] Stier, Leon. “Seeing Others as Jesus Sees Them (part one).” Email Mediatations.
[8] Zingale, Tim. “Sacrifical Lifestyle.” Sermon Central. 3.Nov.2003. Web. Oct.25.2018. 
[9] Zingale, Tim. “Sacrifical Lifestyle.” Sermon Central.
[10] Zingale, Tim. “Sacrifical Lifestyle.” Sermon Central.
[11] Zingale, Tim. “Sacrifical Lifestyle.” Sermon Central.
[12] Stier, Leon. “What is Rich? What is Poor?” Email Mediatations. 22. Aug.2018. Web. Oct.25.2018.  Taken from a Facebook page by Dan Dan Asmussen. 
[13] Stier, Leon. “What is Rich? What is Poor?” Email Mediatations.
[14] Stier, Leon. “What is Rich? What is Poor?” Email Mediatations.
[15] Stier, Leon. “What is Rich? What is Poor?” Email Mediatations.
[16] Stier, Leon. “What is Rich? What is Poor?” Email Mediatations.

First Lesson: Isaiah 25: 6-9
Responsive Reading: Psalm 24
Second Lesson: Revelation 21: 1-6
​Gospel Lesson: John 11: 32-44

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Later this afternoon, I will go home to watch my beloved Minnesota Vikings play.  The game is guaranteed to have plenty of commercials.  A lot of the commercials will be dealing with Tuesday’s upcoming election.  Many of these commercials will be dealing with the election of a new congressman from our area between Pete Stauber and Joe Radinovich .  The majority of ads will be negative trying to portray serious scandals within both candidates’ respective pasts.  It will be reported that Mr. Stauber used his Saint Louis County email for partisan political purposes.  Mr. Radinovich’s repeated traffic violations and possession of drug paraphernalia upon graduating high school will also come upon our T.V. screens[1].  After these commercials air, voters will be asked to go to the polls on Tuesday to determine which candidates past sins are more disqualifying.  As I hear this debate take place, I wonder if an even bigger debate is taking place regarding human nature itself.

Huey Long was elected Governor of Louisiana in 1928.  Long was remarkable for a southern politician at the time as he avoided using race as a tool to try to win votes[2].  Long was an early proponent of old age pensions such as Social Security.  Long was so charismatic and such a gifted orator that he was the first American politician to become a radio star.  Long was quite popular as Governor for denouncing the wealthy elites and banks holding the commoner down.  Long’s popularity was such in Louisiana that[3] his brother got elected Governor; his wife got elected Senator, his son served in the Senate for forty years.  Multiple cousins got elected to Congress.  After serving as Governor, Huey got elected to the United States Senate.  Mr. Long was thought to be a possible candidate for the Presidency in 1936, as arguably, the second most popular and well-known politician in the country after Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Long’s political career ended prematurely upon being assassinated in 1935.

So how is Huey Long viewed eighty-some plus years after his death?  Depends on to whom you talk?  The Louisiana House of Representatives tried to impeach Long for taking bribes, carrying concealed weapons, and rumors were widespread that he hired thugs to kill political enemies[4].   These charges say nothing about Long’s open womanizing and frequent vulgar behavior.  They report that if Long had gotten elected President that America would have descended into a cult of personality dictatorship.  To many of his constituents, he remains a hero decades after his death for serving as a voice for the voiceless. 

So how should we as Christian people interpret Huey Long, Pete Stauber, and Joe Radinovich as we go into the week ahead?

Today we gather for All Saints Sunday, we remember and honor those that have left Sychar’s Communion of the Saints within the past year.  Now when we hear the word “Saint” a certain image inevitability pops up into our mind[5]: Saint Peter, Saint John (Men who risked their life preaching and spreading the Gospel within the Early Church), Saint Patrick, Saint Olaf (Men who brought the Christian faith to previous unbelieving nations), Saint Mary (The Mother of Jesus).  Saints are thought of as Super-Heroes of the Christian faith.  Even Huey Long’s greatest supporter would admit that he doesn’t fit in with such a crowd as this.

Here’s the thing about the term: Saint as we often think about it fits none of us perfectly, even the greatest superheroes of the Christian faith.  The reality of Sainthood is that a “Saint” regardless of how colorful their past has been being one not without sin, but rather one who has been granted forgiveness.  Sainthood is an individual Christian’s belief that the Cross of Christ changed everything for them.

Today’s Gospel lesson comes to us from the story of Lazarus[6].  Lazarus grew ill.  Jesus wasn’t around.  Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha confront Jesus about this.  Jesus weeps!  Jesus goes to visit Lazarus’ tomb.  Jesus calls “Lazarus, come out.”  Jaws drop as Mary and Martha witness a reunion with their loved one on the other side of his grave.  What made Lazarus worthy of such an honor?  The scriptures give no evidence other than a belief that the Jesus whom he knew would not abandon even at his own grave. 

So as we gather on this day at Sychar, we remember those whose loss we have mourned in the past year, those who tombs that Jesus declares will not be permanently occupied!

On this day, we remember the Saints of Sychar who have left our presence within the past year:

Wayne Johnson[7]: Wayne was instrumental in the founding of this congregation in 1953 when it began meeting at the “Green Door.”  Wayne would help approach Reserve President William Kelley to choose a lot for this church on the corner of Edison and Banks where we meet today.  Wayne’s legacy though goes beyond his role in Sychar’s founding.  Wayne served his country in World War II in China within General Claire Lee Chennault’s famed Flying Tigers-14th Air Force.  Wayne’s love of flying eventually saw the Silver Bay Airport bear his name.  Wayne upon leaving the service then moved into the legal profession.  Wayne would spend the next fifty plus years serving as city attorney within both Silver Bay and Beaver Bay, the longest tenure within this nation’s history.  When Wayne died, the Duluth News Tribune described him as a “North Shore” legend influenced by his role in the famous trial of this town’s history Reserve Mining vs. the United States.  

Gordy Marquardt: I remember my visits with Gordy in the last few years at home, then Chris Jensen in Duluth and finally the Veterans Home in Silver Bay.  We bonded over our shared passions of the Minnesota Twins and to a greater degree the Minnesota Vikings.  I’ll remember Gordy for his gracious and tremendous appreciation of every visit that I made to him.  I’ll remember Gordy in these days for continual joy that he would have at his wife of 33 years, Julie’s presence.  Gordy worked as a welder.  His passion was being outdoors.  Gordy was not a man of many words; Gordy was a hard worker that sought to be decent to others.  I’ve had residents of the Marks Apartments point out to me on more than one occasion how Gordy was the most devoted caretaker the building there ever had. 

Evelyn Buetow: We remember Evelyn for her love of canoeing as she met her late husband Harry at YMCA Camp Widjiwagan near Ely.  They began lifelong canoe trips to BWCAW and Quetico Park.  We will also remember Evelyn’s love of music.  She sang in the Sychar choir and with the Singing Moms.  She worked for a time as Sychar’s organist, taught piano lessons, and played handbells. Evelyn loved attending the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra.  MPR was her constant companion in her final days. 

Ida Koehler: When I was planning Ida’s funeral with her daughters what they remarked and it was something that stood out from my own time with Ida both at her house on Edison and at Carefree Living was her sense of contentedness. Regardless of her circumstances, Ida wouldn’t complain. Ida certainly had her share of tough days being widowed as a young woman.  Ida didn’t complain even, nor did she speak ill of those around her.  Ida will be remembered for being accepting of others and her graciousness. Even when living down at Carefree Living, one could never remove the smile from Ida’s face. The only conflict when she moved into Carefree Living is that the lunch hour dared to interfere with her viewing of the Young and the Restless.

Kathryn Samuel: Kathryn grew up in Harrisburg, PA.  As a young woman she worked in the Pennsylvania state legislature.  Afterwards taking a job at the Harrisburg Airport where she would met Arthur Samuel.  A short time later, Art and Kathryn moved to Silver Bay when Art took a job for Reserve Mining.  They were among the first seventy-five families to settle into this community.  Art’s career would eventually see him become the plant’s manager of Research and Development.  Kathryn at first really struggled with the move according to her daughter Marcia, she cried for nearly two years privately out of her own loneliness. Kathryn though eventually adjusted to life up here.  Art and her were active in this congregation with Art serving on the Building Committee.  Kathryn studied to be an instructor for the Bethel Bible Series.  Kathryn stood out for her sense of fashion; she described it as an “LL Bean” habit.  Kathryn’s memory loss would in the last few years of her life see her move away to Michigan to be closer to her daughter Marcia who did special music when we remembered her this summer. Kathryn’s legacy remains strong in this community as her son David moved back here to become quite active in building up the Mariner Alumni Association.

Al Thorngren: Al’s life could not be separated from the North Shore from where he spent all of it.  Al grew up here as his father Frank worked as a commercial fisherman.  Al would begin his working life doing sounding down at the Harbor.  Al’s career would transition as a Taconite processing plant would be built in the town that came to be known as “Silver Bay.” Al participated in the plant’s construction.  Al would spend his working career like so many others of his town’s fellow residents working shifts for Reserve Mining until his retirement.   Upon Reserve closing, as a way of trying to keep the town’s economy afloat a Veterans Home was built in Silver Bay.  Al would become not only a frequent visitor for his wife Margaret and best friend Warren but also a resident.  Al above all loved the North Shore for not only its water but its woods, where Al managed to get “stuck” but would never get “lost.” 

Bob Hanson: Bob was a man of deep faith. Bob sang in our church choir.  Bob served on the building committee of this church for the sanctuary that we currently sit in. Bob served as a Luther League advisor where he did the seemingly thankless task of traveling with groups of teens across the country. Bob served as this congregation’s president nearly fifty years ago. Bob in his advancing age hoped that he would be able to move back to Silver Bay and become a resident down at the Veterans Home.  Bob looked forward to reuniting with friends from this community, yet our Gospel lesson declares even greater reunions await for those who believe. 

Gwen Ronhovde: Gwen was adored by those closest to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, foster children, her neighbors (Ward the Barber and Vicki Danielson), and her friends especially those within the Knit and Sit group.  They will forever remember Gwen for living to serve as a caregiver to others.  Within the Lutheran tradition, we do not believe that there are any higher callings to serve than one’s family. 

Gary Olson:  Gary was a great lover of the Guitar and music in general. As we remember Gary on this day, I read what was wrote about him by his mother Esther: “Gary was a wonderful son! It was always so good when he came home to see me!” Esther loved cooking for Gary because it brought him joy! They would call each other daily both always worried about each other.  Gary worried about a 99-year-old mother living alone and Esther worrying about Gary through his various ailments.  Esther’s life will never be the same after Gary’s passing. In Gary’s passing, I saw first-hand what a wonderful calling that friendship is within this world.  From Gavin Leblanc’s constant checking in on Esther to Lorraine Nelson and Betty Josephson’s friendship.  The following serves as a reminder to be grateful for the unexpected Saints that make up our community. 

Shirley Moschet: We remember Shirley as a “matriarch” within our congregation. Shirley was active within SLCW for many years.   We’ll forever remember her gift of music on display within the Sychar choir.  Shirley lived for her family.  When her cancer began advancing, I remember her declaring her wish to be able to attend her Granddaughter Jamie’s wedding.  She was able to make it.  Then when her husband of sixty-seven years, Frank began approaching his 100th Birthday, Shirley perversed and made it.  Shirley was even able to see her beloved Minnesota Twins advance to the playoffs one final time before she died.  Her faith played a huge part of her existence.  She would occasionally get on me for when my Scroll articles would get off task of proclaiming it.  Shirley believed the great truth that we celebrate Today that we have hope even in the presence of death, because we have a Savior who conquered sin and the grave, so one day we may inherit not only Sainthood but the gift of Eternal Life. 

What does this all mean for our week ahead?

Tuesday you will be invited to go “vote” for a host of candidates.  None of the candidates will be without sin in their life; none of them will permanently remove sin from our nation. Thankfully, we have a savior whose promises are more certain that any politician we may know.  This savior promises that the tears our eyes have shed in the last year will soon be permanently removed from our eyes forever just like at the grave of Lazarus.  All this doesn’t mean that ordinary men and women can’t serve as Saints in the world around them as mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, grandpas, grandmas, neighbors, friends, and even politicians.   Remember the Cross assures that the world will soon be filled with all sorts of unlikely Saints.  Amen  


[1] Koff, Stephen. “Fact check: Joe Radinovich, running from the law?” Duluth News Tribune. 18.Sept.2018. Web. Oct.22.2018. 
[2] “Huey Long.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 21.Oct.2018. Web. Oct.22.2018. 
[3] “Long Family”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 13.Oct.2018. Web. Oct.22.2018. 
[4] Latson, Jennifer. “The Strange Career of Assassinated Louisiana Politician Huey Long.” Time Magazine. 8. Sept.2015. Web. Oct.22.2018.
[5] Stier, Leon. “Believing in the Communion of Saints (a)” Email Meditations. 20.Sept.2015. Web. Oct.22.2018. 
[6] John 11:32-44. 
[7] The following comes from Wayne’s self-written obituary and the Sychar Remembers 60th Anniversary book edited by Joan Claire Graham in 2013.