Mid-Week Advent Service, 7 PM Central Standard Time.

By Norma Boeckler

Advent, December 18, 2013

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Mid-Week Advent, Wednesday, 7 PM Central

The Hymn # 240  Father Most Holy                   2.56
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody            Psalm   14                           p. 124
The First Lection                   
The Second Lection        
 The Sermon Hymn #108       We Sing              1.94

         Paul Gerhardt Hymn

God’s Sacrament-Like Communication

The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer                         p. 44

The Collect for Peace                                           p. 45

The Benediction                                                   p. 45

The Hymn # 558 All Praise to Thee                   2:9

Third Mid-Week Advent Sermon

Micah 5:2
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans 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."

John 7:42
Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David's descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"

Matthew 2:6

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

People often try to avoid conflict, especially in religion, but it is good to take note of where the resistance is and why people resist certain concepts.

The Old Testament should teach us that God uses concrete terms and memorable objects to communicate with us, to show us His grace in more than one way.

I will call that sacrament-like, for lack of a better term. When God could have simply taught, using the invisible Word, He chose to make the lessons more lasting, with the invisible Word, signs of His grace.

Circumcision was a sign used by God to unite His people, and that served as preparation for the meaning of Holy Baptism. What do all Christians have in common? Baptism. It is rare to find a believer who has not been baptized, and in one case where it happened, the smart-aleck wanted to be ordained without being baptized.

That brings to mind the resistance to the Sacraments, which many Protestants and Lutheran Pietists exhibit at all times. They do not want an altar and font, but a praise band. They do not see the point of those religious objects getting in the way of their entertainment.

But how did God speak to us in ancient times – and still does through the Word today?

We can hardly count the sacrament-like actions of the Exodus. The blood of the lamb on the doorposts, the spotless lamb sacrificed, the pillar of smoke and fire, the bread from heaven (a foreshadowing of Holy Communion) and the water from the rock (like Holy Communion, see John 4 – the Woman at the Well).

God not only gave commandments but wrote them on tablets of stone, which were carried in an ark. The ark continues to fascinate people today and there are at least two known locations for it, both “proven” by their advocates.

God communicates through visual elements because of our frailty. We want to be sure of things through objects we can see, touch, and experience. One of the largest businesses in St. Louis is built on awards. Why give awards? Why not simply say “Attaboy”? People love trophies, awards, prizes, objects, gold and platinum records.

So we recognize the crown as a sign of triumph. It was made of laurel leaves in the Roman Empire, and is made of gold and silver for the English throne. We see crowns all over church decorations, on banners and in stained glass windows.

But a crown is a Stephanos in Greek, so the name Stephan or Steve comes from that word crown. Was it a coincidence that the first man to die for the Christian faith was named Crown and the New Testament often mentions the Crown of Life?

Likewise, there is this little town of Bethlehem. Picture this, as Twilight Zone used to say. The prophet said the great ruler would come from this little town – not Jerusalem the world city.

And this town was known for one thing – being the birthplace of David, the shepherd boy who became the visible symbol of the Messiah. All the promises of the Messiah are linked to the House of David, the Son of David, just as Jesus was called when He entered Jerusalem the last time, riding on a donkey, assuming the role of the King of Israel, true heir of David, the Lord yet David’s Son.

This is where the visual communication of God’s Word is so inspiring – and inspired. David is known as the shepherd, and Jesus is the Good Shepherd. King David wrote, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” and Jesus is that Shepherd.

Jesus is defined as the Good Shepherd especially in John 10 (and Luke 15), but also as the shepherd in other places.

So the materialistic ideas of the Messianic reign were tied to the image of David as the warrior, but God intended to convey the Son of David as the Good Shepherd.

Christians have adored the warrior king at times, going to battle for their cause  -  which caused Zwingli the Swiss Reformer and many other clergy to die on the battlefield.

In contrast, Jesus as the Good Shepherd died on the battlefield for us, and serves as the gentle Shepherd Who calls us, guides us, and comforts us in all distress and anxiety.