Sermon for 19 December 2010, Advent 4A

The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

Matthew 1:18-25

Rejoice! God Is With Us

Fourth Sunday in Advent, 19 December 2010

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

About this time of year, American Christians are used to hearing their pastors decry the secularization of Christmas, and counter that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” “You can’t have Christmas without Christ,” or some other worthwhile slogan. Americans often celebrate Christmas merely as part of their cultural heritage and spare no expense on the tree or the many, many gifts. The “Christmas spirit,” especially from the perspective of many Christmas specials, is nothing more than loving your neighbor, spending time with loved ones, and being generous and kind that one day out of the year. I must admit that the secular aspects of Christmas have bothered me more this year than in years before.

But if you think about it, isn’t that an easy thing to pick on? It is appropriate for me, as your pastor, to warn you against dangers to faith and things that would overshadow the Gospel or distract you from it. But this isn’t a “them” versus “us” thing. We’ve given in to many of the less than Christian aspects of holiday celebrations, haven’t we? Sometimes modern celebrations of Christmas, even in Christian homes, look more like the pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. No, this can’t become a “them” versus “us” thing. We all are sinners. All are sinners in need of God’s grace. All have need of what St. Matthew presents.

This portion of Matthew, chapter one, deserves our attention. It presents the basics of the lead-up to the Christmas story. But not everyone believes or trusts this Word of God. Some who call themselves Christians attack the most basic of Christian teachings from the pulpit. And there are many who fall for this false teaching that is ancient heresy. On Christmas, there are some who deny the Virgin birth, the deity of Christ, and His sinlessness. That’s something important that often gets lost in all of our usual complaints about removing Christ from Christmas.

Jesus is true God. Jesus is true man. Both are true. Both are taught by the readings before us this day, especially the Epistle and Gospel. We also learn that Jesus was born without a human father by a virgin. But, in some “Christian,” even nominally “Lutheran” seminaries in North America, these things are not taught. The basic Christian confession of faith we hold to in the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds are denied or at least called into question.

Bear with me and listen to how some liberal scholars explain away Christianity in print: "The exclusion of a human father in the birth of Jesus has become more problematic to modern Christians than it was in ancient times. Originally the confession of Jesus' birth from the Virgin Mary was a sign of his real humanity, pointing away from the (docetic) denial of his solidarity with the human race.  The fact that Jesus was born of a woman like every other child was proof that he was a real human being.  The point of the story was to work against docetism.  [This ancient and modern heresy claims Jesus didn’t have a real body and therefore didn’t really suffer but only looked like it.] Unfortunately, the symbol of the virgin birth no longer has a clear antidocetic ring for modern ears.  We cannot imagine how the story could concretize the interest of faith in the real humanity of the Savior.  Why should the absence of human paternity make the truth of God’s presence in the incarnation more apparent?  Is God the Father in competition with the role of our human father?  Did not God create fatherhood and look upon it as 'very good'?  Why then should human fatherhood be eliminated in the work of salvation?  If we grasp the original intention of the story to witness to the real humanity of Jesus, we must not allow a shift in the situation from ancient times to the present to play a trick on us, which it would do if we were to use the story apologetically to prove the divinity of Christ or to explain the sinlessness of Jesus.   The story has become increasingly ambiguous because our natural tendency is to take it to mean the opposite of what it originally intended."  -- Braaten/Jenson, Christian Dogmatics, Volume 1, pp.546-547

I had several reactions to that long paragraph the first time I read it. Perhaps you had some similar reactions just now, hearing it for the first time. It gives one a glazed-over, deer-in-the-headlights-look, doesn’t it? Didn’t the vocabulary seem unnecessarily complicated? I guess big words make heresy sound more pious, or at least more scholarly. When something sounds that complicated, I wonder what the author is trying to pull. What is he trying to say without actually saying it straight?

Here’s what these highly respected ELCA scholars are saying in the official textbook of that church body’s eight seminaries: ‘Jesus probably had a human father. The whole “virgin birth” thing was made up so that Jesus would appear more human to ancient Romans. This dogma, made up by whomever told the story to Matthew, also reinforced Church teaching that Jesus was true God and never sinned.’ When you boil it all down, they’re teaching blasphemy.

The point of Matthew one is not just to proclaim that Jesus was human. It also teaches that a virgin birth was fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy! It teaches that Jesus was divine and that He was to come as Savior from sin. Why so much second-guessing and assumptions about what Matthew was trying to get across? Why muddy up such a clear text?

Should a book be called Christian Dogmatics if it calls into question the basic Christian teaching of the virgin birth? I don’t think so. Can a person legitimately be a Christian if he or she denies the creation, virgin birth, and resurrection? Not from a Biblical standpoint.

“But pastor, who would really believe this stuff? I’ve never heard it before!” I’m glad if you haven’t heard it. You probably won’t hear these things in the Missouri Synod today, but it’s this kind of teaching that caused the seminary walkout and split over thirty-five years ago.

Some professors at Christian seminaries teach this because they believe it. Their students often buy into it. What happens when these people get into a congregation’s pulpit? They know enough to be ambiguous about what they believe when they give a sermon. They’re actually taught to teach these new doubts about Christianity to their Confirmation classes, so that the next generation will be fully indoctrinated against the traditional, Biblical, Christian message. And we wonder why so many Christian congregations are changing what they believe on the moral issues of sexuality, war, and abortion, and why they have so little difficulty selling out and having joint worship services with non-Christian faiths.

Enough of the so-called wisdom of men. Those within the church have probably done more to destroy the faith of other Christians than those outside the Church. One author has called this, “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People.” It happens. You’ve probably seen it happen, yourself. A congregation member or a pastor did, said, or failed to do something, and that so offended a fellow Christian, that they went away. We need to put ourselves in their shoes to better understand their hurt. No Christian is perfect, so we must all learn humility and recognize our mistakes and misdeeds, and dare to confess them as sins. Then, perhaps we can be of the right heart and mind to invite people back to Church. If they know we care about them and what happened to them, maybe they’ll accept an invitation to come on Christmas Eve.

We are here each Sunday to hear the Gospel, good news from God about salvation in Jesus Christ. Do you know better than the Lord does? I sure don’t. I’m here to be fed and comforted, just like you. Matthew accomplishes this well.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Joseph and Mary had not yet “come together.” That’s clear from the text. Yet, Mary was pregnant. Joseph knew he wasn’t the father, so that raised some doubts in his mind. He didn’t yet know that the Holy Spirit was involved. Being pregnant out of wedlock in Jewish society was scandalous. One could be stoned to death for such a thing. So Joseph, looking out for Mary, whatever eventually happened to her and her child, didn’t want to put her to shame or subject her to the death penalty, so he decided to divorce her.

Divorce. That’s how strong the marriage contracts were then. Once the families had made their agreements for the engagement, the marriage was as good as done. One had to divorce in order to call it all off. The marriage was finalized only when the groom took the bride home.

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

It’s quite likely that this angel was Gabriel, the same angel who spoke to Mary, but we don’t know for sure from the text. Joseph had more than cold feet. He was going to call off the marriage. The angel gave him the reassurance that he probably never expected, along with a divine explanation for the pregnancy he knew he wasn’t responsible for.

…that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. What does this mean? God was at work here. Our Father who art in heaven would have an only-begotten Son. This child is divine, true God. Not only that, He would be true God in the flesh. That’s the whole meaning of that long church word, incarnation. Please return Wednesday at seven as our young people share the good news of Christ’s birth. The brief sermon then will focus upon Jesus as true man.

Joseph was instructed to name Mary’s son Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. That’s what Jesus means. That’s what the Hebrew name Joshua means—Savior. When we confess that we are poor, miserable sinners, we identify ourselves as part of the people Jesus came to save! You have a Savior from Sin!

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).

Rejoice! God Is With Us! He is with us where there are two or three gathered in His name. He is with us, whom He has baptized into His Triune Name. He is present by His Holy Spirit in the Word as it is proclaimed and read. He is here to forgive your sins in Absolution and feed you with Christ’s very Body and Blood. And He is here to bless you in the benediction given to Moses and Aaron.

Rejoice! God Is With Us! Our congregation is called by Jesus’ name of Immanuel. After over a hundred years in this community, the Lord is still blessing you. He is with you in Word and Sacrament no matter if the community is in a boom or a bust. The Lord has continued to bless you. And you have returned to Him for His use the gifts He has entrusted to you as stewards. Joseph is a good example for us in following the Lord’s will.

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

St. Luke fills in the rest of the Christmas story. Unfortunately, Sts. Mark and John tell us nothing about Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the angels, and Bethlehem that first Christmas. But all of the sacred writers affirm that Jesus Christ is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and is also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, your Lord, who has redeemed you, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won you from all sins, from death, and the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that you may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.
            No doubts. No unbelief. No second-guessing from pious-sounding apostate professors. Matthew is a reliable witness and historian. Jesus is virgin-born, sinless, and divine. Rejoice! God Is With Us! Amen.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Sermon for 15 December 2010, Advent Evening Prayer

The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

Isaiah 35:1-10 (ESV)  

There is Joy in the Lord!

Wednesday of Advent III, 15 December 2010

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Isaiah is often a puzzle to Christians today. Some verses are familiar: Isaiah’s vision of the angels around the throne singing Holy, Holy, Holy, the prophecy that a virgin would conceive and bear one named Immanuel, and the texts about the suffering servant we hear from during Lent and Holy Week.

Much of the rest of Isaiah’s 66 chapters are unfamiliar territory, speaking about judgment and wrath, death and destruction, and prophecies against the enemies of God. They don’t seem relevant. Those texts don’t seem to apply to us.

Isaiah 35 is not one of those gloom and doom passages. It is ten verses of Gospel. Judgment was the theme of the previous chapter, as good fertile land was transformed into a sulfurous burning wasteland. God’s law went forth against the nations. Here in our Old Testament text for this Third Sunday in Advent, Isaiah walks hand in hand with St. John’s Revelation in talking about the glories of the time of Jesus’ ministry, and at the end, the new heaven and new earth.

This isn’t just a text for the peoples of Judah and Israel some 700 years before Christ. It is a text for you today who have faith in Messiah Jesus and await with joy His Second Coming as we prepare to celebrate His first. There is joy in the Lord!

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.

            Wyoming, especially southwest Wyoming, gives us a good idea of wilderness, dry land, and desert. Our rock-laden landscape has a unique beauty of its own, but you have all met people for whom it was a shock. They would have preferred something greener, something with more trees and vegetation, and less snakes and scorpions. A day when that will be the case is coming.

            Following judgment day, God will resurrect the earth as he will each of us. He will again look upon the earth with restored fullness and proclaim “It is very good,” for the chronic infection of sin will be no more. God and His presence are the source of all the blessings we enjoy now and will enjoy in the final heaven. There God and the Lamb will dwell with believers. What joy there is to come for the faithful! There is joy in the Lord!

           

            We have joy even while we wait for Jesus’ Second Advent. Through the Word and Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion, the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. Even weak faith can say, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” And the Lord will answer that prayer.

3Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you."

 We need not wait in anxious hearts for Jesus to return. Yes, He will be the Judge of all on Judgment Day. But for those who believe in Him, He judges them according to what He has done. He is our advocate, defender, and savior. The believer has nothing to fear.

It is the unbeliever, the one who does not have faith in His Words that should have anxiety. For such a one He comes in Judgment. The time is near. Repent and believe the good news. There is still time, but the time is short.

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

When our three-year system of readings was set up in the 1960’s and 70’s, an Old Testament  lesson was chosen to go along with each Gospel lesson. The Epistle, or second reading, is often chosen the same way (except during the green seasons). The connection this week between Isaiah 35 and Matthew 11 is clear.

Matthew 11:2-6 (ESV)  Now when John [the Baptizer] heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples  3and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"  4And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:  5the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.  6And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

            Jesus’ very words and deeds fulfill our text. 5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

In Jesus, the kingdom of heaven, the very reign of heaven, has begun. Not all has yet been restored, That must wait for the consummation, the end of all things. Yet, the kingdom of God has changed the world. It has changed you, and touches your life. The kingdom is but a foretaste of the new heaven and new earth when Jesus will have returned in all glory and power and might. In the meantime, He has revealed Himself in the Scriptures as the way of salvation.

Jesus cares for you body and soul, for your whole person. If He were merely concerned with “saving souls,” there would not have been much point for him to heal the sick, raise the dead, and raise physically from the dead Himself. That is why we still pray for health and restoration in Jesus’ name and according to God’s will. He has promised not only to save your soul, but resurrect and glorify your body on the Last Day.

Do you have a physical ailment? Is there a chronic pain, or disease, or syndrome, or condition? Do dry conditions or severe wind or winter weather wear on you? Isaiah points us in joyful hope to a time when all that is evil, hurtful, or sinful will be gone. On the Last Day Jesus will raise you and all the dead and give eternal life to you and all believers in Christ. There will be a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth will have passed away. There is joy in the Lord!

8And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

            Reading the book of Acts, we see that followers of Jesus were originally called “the Way” (Acts 19:23), perhaps an allusion to this Isaiah text. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

            The unclean shall not pass over it. Not everyone who claims membership in a Christian congregation will be saved. Hypocrites, “unclean” ones, are members of Christian churches. Only God sees the heart. Only God knows for sure who has faith in His Son and who will be saved. There are no false Christians or hypocrites in God’s true Church, which remains hidden, or invisible. Christmas and Easter services are not “booster shots,” able to keep one on the Way of Holiness all the rest of the year. Faith starves if it’s not fed with God’s good Gifts. Eventually, the hunger pangs do go away. A person can fall away from the path. And clouded by unbelief, they don’t see much point in getting back on the path of salvation.

            The Way of Holiness that Isaiah describes is not something that we are to only occasionally follow, when we feel like it, or want to, It is a way of life. Ancient roadsides were far more treacherous than we are used to. One stayed on the path, for to venture off meant a likely encounter with some sort of ravenous beast.  

When a Christian wanders off the way of Holiness, we might well run into a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, Satan. Satan’s ravenous hatred toward God and Christians doesn’t abate. Satan wants to feed during the long weeks between Christmas and Easter and Easter and Christmas. He doesn’t take time off from pursuing you. Why would anyone take time off from pursuing God? God wants you armed and prepared for battle. We dare not neglect the means He has given us to defend and strengthen ourselves, and keep us on the way of Holiness.

           

            Parents sometimes say, “You know. My kids are old enough to choose for themselves if they want to go to church or not.” Perhaps you have encountered this or have said it yourself. If your son or daughter got up in the morning and told you, “Mom, Dad, I don’t think I’ll go to school today. I’ve decided for myself.” Would you let that happen? No! School is important.

Think about this in the context of the Way of Holiness, the way of salvation. Which is really more important? Yes, one’s education impacts an entire life. One’s salvation affects even more than that--one’s entire life, death, and life in the world to come. Church is important because here the benefits of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are given out. Parents are given the responsibility, by God, to train a child in the way he or she should walk.

The redeemed walk in the way of Holiness. The ransomed walk in the way of Holiness. Someone had to pay the redemption price. Someone had to pay the ransom. That someone was Jesus. He paid the price, not with gold or silver, but with His Holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death that you might be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. Because of what He has done, you have righteousness, innocence, blessedness, and walk in the way of holiness.

And there is much reason for joy. There is much reason for singing. Here, you have received of Jesus’ gifts. You have received gladness and joy. Here sorrow and sighing shall flee away. And we, the redeemed and ransomed of the Lord, look forward in joy to Christ’s Second Advent, His coming at the end of time, when He will wipe every tear from our eye, every pain shall cease, and our joy will be joy everlasting. There is joy in the Lord!

8And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

            There is joy in the Lord!  Amen.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon for 12 December 2010, Advent 3A

The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.

Matthew 11:2-15

Are You the One?

Third Sunday in Advent, 12 December 2010

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

John the Baptizer is no longer baptizing. He’s in prison. And you know he won’t ever be released alive. Herod’s stepdaughter will do a little dance. Her mother will ask for John’s head on a platter. Did John know what would happen to him? Perhaps. Maybe that is why he sent his disciples to ask Jesus questions: "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" John was the one who baptized Jesus. John was the one who said about Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Was John having doubts now that he himself was in prison?

Such sad things about John, his doubts and coming death, seem out of place in modern American preparations for Christmas. And at first glance, they seem out of place in Advent, especially the pink candle week that used to be known for its theme of “joy.” The joy John found, the joy you will find, is in Jesus, especially Jesus’ answer to John’s question.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

John heard what Jesus was doing. Chapter 11, verse one, tells us what that was. When Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Teach? Preach? Instruct disciples? This wasn’t what John expected. Remember what John said last week about the One? What was to become of: "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Was John wrong about what He said? No. He was just a little premature in his expectation. As the forerunner of the Messiah, John looked forward to Jesus’ work and Judgment Day. They looked like one event to him. We know they are actually two from our perspective. Jesus would preach, teach, make disciples, be crucified, die, rise, and ascend into heaven, before returning at the end of time to clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Why did John see things this way? He had the perspective of an Old Testament prophet. In fact, John fits in better with Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the rest than he does with the twelve or Matthew, Mark, or Paul. Jesus explains it this way: “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptizer. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. “

You know the rest of the story. You have a perspective on God’s plan that not even Isaiah or John the Baptizer had. You have a New Testament, post-resurrection-of-Jesus view of salvation history. Jesus continues:”From the days of John the Baptizer until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

You have heard. You believe. You confess that Christ has come, Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again.

"Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" This is a question the Jewish people of Jesus’ day also could have asked. Jesus didn’t fit their expectations of what Messiah ought to be. When they came upon Him to make him king after He fed the 5000+ plus, He withdrew to the mountain by Himself. When Jesus gave the “turn the other cheek” sermon, some left. The Zealots were disappointed that he wasn’t ready to lead a rebellion. After all, isn’t that what Barabbas was arrested for? And on the cross, Jesus refused to come down, to save His own skin. No, this wasn’t the kind of Messiah many of Jesus’ own people expected. Why are we so surprised that many, including the leadership, did not recognize Him as the Messiah God intended?

"Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" How many people do you know today who have done just that? Many people have heard about the Biblical Triune God, not liked what they’ve seen, and left to find something more palatable?

Adam and Eve were the first two humans, created by God. Back then, everyone on earth knew that there was one God. What happened? Their kids or grandkids or great-howevermanytimes-grandkids fell away. Then the flood. Then the pattern repeated itself. Worship of the true God was undesirable to some, because they heard something they didn’t want to hear, so they made up their own customized gods.

Before we start pointing the finger at them, how do we create our own false gods? Some today do worship false gods, mere mute idols of metal, wood, or stone. Others worship idols of paper and gold, power and pleasure. We’re uncomfortable with a God who takes us to account for our sins, who makes us confess them, honestly face them, repent of them, and be forgiven of them. We’d much rather have a god who is our buddy, our tolerant friend who condemns nothing, who tells us our sins are not that bad, and in fact, aren’t really sins at all. We’re uncomfortable with a God who calls a spade a spade, sin what it is, sin, who has called us to live the life of the Baptized, and show up so that we may be given what He has promised in His Gospel.

"Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

Jesus’ answer is the best answer, isn’t it? The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. If that’s not a reason for joy, what is? No one else can do all these things. Sure, eye surgons can do wonders, but the blind are still among us. Reconstructive surgery and artificial limbs are modern marvels, but what about paralysis? Many destructive skin diseases have treatment, but some do not. Even melanomas can be malignant. The deaf have many more options today, but sign language interpreters still have plenty of work. Jesus said that we will always have the poor with us. They need the Good News He brings and He is. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the repentant, poor, miserable, sinner, for theirs is the kingdom of God.

All these things are in fulfillment of what Jesus was given to do. Remember this quote from Isaiah when Jesus preaches at the Nazareth Synagogue? "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

I skipped one. Did you notice? Jesus, the One Who was to come, does another amazing thing. The dead are raised. A girl has already been restored to life. Lazarus will be raised. Three times in Matthew Jesus predicts His own death. Three times Jesus predicts His own Resurrection. At the time of His death on the cross, tombs in Jerusalem opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. You, too, will rise.

"Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." This is the hope Jesus sent back to John.

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, " 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'

 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

… if you are willing to accept it, [John] is Elijah who is to come. He dressed like it, preached like it, ate like it, suffered like it. He was a prophet, the Elijah who would prepare the way for Jesus to come that the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

Rejoice, rejoice, believers, Jesus is the One. In Him you have hope. In Him are the best gifts of Christmas. In Him you have no need to fear what comes after death or on the Judgment Day. Rejoice. Jesus is the One. No matter what we wanted before, Jesus rewrites our expectations for what “the One” should be like. He meets needs you didn’t even know you had. He ushers in the kingdom, previews His own Resurrection and those on the Last Day by His miracles of healing, gives you spiritual sight, and healing for your wounds of guilt and sin.

And blessed is the one who is not offended by me. You believe Jesus is the One. You have no need to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" , for Jesus, the One Who was to come, looked for you and found you. He gives you joy and hope. Jesus’ joy and hope given to you, friends, and family, is the whole point of Christmas.

An elderly woman named Stella Thornhope was struggling with her first Christmas alone. Her husband had died just a few months prior through a slow developing cancer. Now, several days before Christmas, she was almost snowed in by a brutal weather system. She felt terribly alone—so much so she decided she was not going to decorate for Christmas. [She needed the hope and joy and answers that John the Baptizer was seeking.]

Late that afternoon the doorbell rang, and there was a delivery boy with a box. He said, "Mrs. Thornhope?" She nodded. He said, "Would you sign here?" She invited him to step inside and closed the door to get away from the cold. She signed the paper and said, "What's in the box?" The young man laughed and opened up the flap, and inside was a little puppy, a golden Labrador Retriever. The delivery boy picked up the squirming pup and explained, "This is for you, Ma'am. He's six weeks old, completely housebroken." The young puppy began to wiggle in happiness at being released from captivity.

"Who sent this?" Mrs. Thornhope asked.

The young man set the animal down and handed her an envelope and said, "It's all explained here in this envelope, Ma'am. The dog was bought last July while its mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift to you." The young man then handed her a book, How to Care for Your Labrador Retriever.

In desperation she again asked, "Who sent me this puppy?"

As the young man turned to leave, he said, "Your husband, Ma'am. Merry Christmas."

She opened up the letter from her husband. He had written it three weeks before he died and left it with the kennel owners to be delivered with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her. The letter was full of love and encouragement and admonishments to be strong. He vowed that he was waiting for the day when she would join him. He had sent her this young animal to keep her company until then.

She wiped away the tears, put the letter down, and then remembering the puppy at her feet, she picked up that golden furry ball and held it to her neck. Then she looked out the window at the lights that outlined the neighbor's house, and she heard from the radio in the kitchen the strains of "Joy to the World, the Lord has Come." Stella’s heart felt a joy and a wonder greater than the grief and loneliness.

"Little fella," she said to the dog, "it's just you and me. But you know what? There's a box down in the basement I'll bet you'd like. It's got a little Christmas tree in it and some decorations and some lights that are going to impress you. And there's a manger scene down there. Let's go get it."   Citation: James Dobson, retold Robert Russell, writer and pastor, Preaching Today #195

Jesus is the only one who can give you true hope. Soon we will sing the song of Christian Christmas joy in Christ: Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let all their songs employ while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. Amen.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.