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| Norma A. Boeckler |
Mid-Week Advent Service,
December 11, 2019
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Hymn # 81 O Jesus Christ Thy Manger
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 2 on page 123
The Lection - Isaiah 40 KJV
The Sermon Hymn #76 A Great and Mighty Wonder
God's Wonder - The Two Natures of Christ
The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
Hymn #562 Round Me Falls the Night
Isaiah 7:10 Moreover
the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of
the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
12 But Ahaz said, I
will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of
David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God
also? 14 Therefore the Lord
himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.
The Hymn - Two Natures in Christ
"O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is"
by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676
1. O Jesus Christ,
Thy manger is
My paradise at which my soul reclineth.
For there, O Lord,
Doth lie the Word
Made flesh for us; herein Thy grace
forth shineth.
Paul Gerhardt is different from the theologian. This Gerhardt has a t on the end of his name - as in TLH. Our hymnal does a fine job of featuring his great hymns.
Hymns are written to teach doctrine or praise God. Gerhardt does both with moving hymns. He was a tutor for children for many years, so that brought out his gift of teaching with pictures rather than Latin philosophical terms.
The Two Natures of Christ are united in the One Person. Many errors have come from denying this basic Biblical mystery, revealed by the Holy Spirit, such as the Isaiah ch. 7 and ch. 9 passages.
His manger is a Paradise because the Word lies there, the Word in the Flesh, Immanuel, God with us. Our souls rest with Him in that humble but glorious location, forever part of Christian teaching. The Word was made flesh for us, to impart grace to us.
Paul Gerhardt is different from the theologian. This Gerhardt has a t on the end of his name - as in TLH. Our hymnal does a fine job of featuring his great hymns.
Hymns are written to teach doctrine or praise God. Gerhardt does both with moving hymns. He was a tutor for children for many years, so that brought out his gift of teaching with pictures rather than Latin philosophical terms.
The Two Natures of Christ are united in the One Person. Many errors have come from denying this basic Biblical mystery, revealed by the Holy Spirit, such as the Isaiah ch. 7 and ch. 9 passages.
His manger is a Paradise because the Word lies there, the Word in the Flesh, Immanuel, God with us. Our souls rest with Him in that humble but glorious location, forever part of Christian teaching. The Word was made flesh for us, to impart grace to us.
2. He whom the sea
And wind obey
Doth come to serve the sinner in great
meekness.
Thou, God's own Son,
With us art one,
Dost join us and our children in our
weakness.
The divinity of Christ is expressed in the power of the Word in the Flesh to order the sea and the wind. Even though He is Lord of Creation, He comes to dwell with us in meekness. Reflecting the Gospel of John in many places, the Son of God is one with us, and comes to us in weakness, for us and our children.
3. Thy light and grace
Our guilt efface,
Thy heavenly riches all our loss
retrieving.
Immanuel,
Thy birth doth quell
The power of hell and Satan's bold
deceiving.
Jesus is the Light and the source of grace. He did not grow into His divinity, nor was He adopted into that divinity. When He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary, His Two natures were united as One Person. As the Apostle Paul teaches, the faith of Jesus is gracious given to us so that we are justified by faith. His riches remove our poverty through sin. His Virgin Birth defeats the power of Hell and Satan's lies.
4. Thou Christian heart,
Whoe'er thou art,
Be of good cheer and let no sorrow move
thee!
For God's own Child,
In mercy mild,
Joins thee to Him;- how greatly God must
love thee!
This very touching verse draws its power from Gerhardt's life, losing his congregation for refusing to compromise with Calvinism, losing his wife and all his children but one, living from charity without a job or call, and finally having a tough, ungracious congregation. His family was so dear to him, but he did not let those terrible losses (and the injustice against faithful Lutherans) make him think God had abandoned him. Luther calls those experiences times of persecution, when Christians feel abandoned, and yet great spiritual abundance follows, as Gerhardt proved.
This very touching verse draws its power from Gerhardt's life, losing his congregation for refusing to compromise with Calvinism, losing his wife and all his children but one, living from charity without a job or call, and finally having a tough, ungracious congregation. His family was so dear to him, but he did not let those terrible losses (and the injustice against faithful Lutherans) make him think God had abandoned him. Luther calls those experiences times of persecution, when Christians feel abandoned, and yet great spiritual abundance follows, as Gerhardt proved.
5. Remember thou
What glory now
The Lord prepared thee for all earthly
sadness.
The angel host
Can never boast
Of greater glory, greater bliss or gladness.
This is another verse for times of grief, sorrow, and sadness. On the other side of the balance is the glory prepared for us. Not one angel in heaven can boast of greater glory, bliss, or gladness.
6. The world may hold
Her wealth and gold;
But thou, my heart, keep Christ as thy true
Treasure.
To Him hold fast
Until at last
A crown be thine and honor in full
measure.
This is even more true today than after the Reformation. We know of vast sums, billions, held by dishonest charities and politicians, using the needs of others to give them incredible wealth and luxuries. The unbelieving world has all that, but our hearts hold the great treasure - Christ. He is the Treasure that we should hold fast in our hearts and collect a crown in the Celestial City, in heaven.
The Europeans say, and use this decoration - no cross, no crown.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #81
Text: Luke 2: 7
Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1653, cento
Translated by: composite
Titled: O Jesu Christ, dein Kripplein ist
Composer: Johann Crueger, 1653
Tune: O Jesu Christ, dein Kripplein
