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| By Norma Boeckler |
Advent, December 18,
2013
Pastor Gregory L.
Jackson
Mid-Week Advent,
Wednesday, 7 PM Central
The Hymn # 240 Father Most Holy 2.56
The Order of Vespers p. 41
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
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?"
"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.
