Thursday, December 27, 2018

Dismissed!


God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My focus is the Nunc Dimittis in Luke: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”[1] Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Christmas offers an opportunity to reflect upon important parts of life – family and faith. On those, I hang today’s sermon. Three Bs – baby, body and beauty. The baby Jesus beheld by Simeon; the body of Christ we receive; and the beauty we behold.
First, the Baby Jesus beheld by Simeon. … Grandparents and parents frame pictures of their grandchildren and children. Similarly, in our Gospel, Luke framed pictures of Baby Jesus. Luke framed Jesus around the faithfulness of his parents who fulfilled the commands of the Torah as they brought him to the temple.[2] As He entered, two Old Testament saints, waiting in the temple for the Messiah to arrive, greeted him.
Joseph and Mary fulfilled the Torah by bringing Jesus to his true home. Being poor or of humble state, they sacrificed two pigeons because they could not afford a lamb; however, no lamb was necessary, because at 40 days, Jesus himself was the lamb brought to the temple.
Although Luke did not indicate Simeon’s age, he portrayed him like the other Old Testament saints in the infancy narrative – Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph. Like them, Simeon, a righteous member of Israel, received and announced the consolation of Israel.
There are two parts to Simeon’s words. He began by intoning a canticle that sounded like the Old Testament, but was filled with New Testament themes announcing the presence of God’s salvation in Jesus. The Holy Spirit inspired his song about the messiah for whom he was waiting.
His canticle echoed Zechariah’s Benedictus, but he directed it at Baby Jesus and not Baby John. His song was a beautiful example of the immediate response to the inauguration of God’s consolation and redemption in the Christ Child. Simeon is now set free to depart in peace according to the Lord’s word for Jesus freed him – as he did others – through his presence in the world.
God opened Simeon’s eyes to the salvation cloaked in the 40-day-old Jesus, still wrapped in infant’s clothing. His opened eyes referred not to physical vision, but an understanding of Jesus’ work. Throughout his gospel, Luke wove the metaphor of closed and opened eyes for the motifs of minds closed or opened to the preaching of a crucified and resurrected Jesus.
Luke used the eyes as the means of illumination, and ended his gospel by telling us that his disciples walked in the light straight into the Book of Acts. Conversely, he ended Acts with Paul reciting Isaiah’s prophecy. “This people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed.”[3]
Simeon’s eyes were opened to salvation, a salvation that is a light of revelation to all nations, but as he blessed the parents, he sounded a somber note when he said to Mary, “This child is why many people in Israel will be condemned and others will be saved. He will be a sign that will expose the thoughts of those who reject him. And a sword will pierce your heart.”[4]
Simeon’s words coupled to the angels’ message to shepherds – “a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger”[5] – are dual signs of humility and poverty. That perfect image of humility and poverty, an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, foreshadowed Jesus’ crucifixion, the ultimate manifestation of humility and poverty. The world rejected Christ because he did not meet human expectations.
Jesus echoed Simeon’s words to the scribes and Pharisees in his final parable. “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.’ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
Jesus’ word passed through Israel like a sword, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that said, “He made my mouth like a sharp sword,”[6]and he compelled people to reveal their secret thoughts.
Every participant in Jesus’ life, including his mother, experienced sharp pain because of his teaching and death. Simeon’s announcement shocked readers who did not expect Jesus to lead people to conflict and upheaval and reveal their hearts.
Because of sin, people were – and are – scandalized and crushed by Jesus’ words and death, but through his death, his Father displayed the ultimate sign of revelation, the Resurrection.
Luke summarized the Law and Gospel in a brief song sung by Simeon. You now know why Simeon sung his canticle. Now, we explore why we sing it. We move from the baby Jesus beheld by Simeon to the Body of Christ we receive.
In our Christian tradition, after we receive the Body of Christ, we sing Simeon’s Canticle. Have you ever wondered why we sing Simeon’s Canticle, also known as the Nunc Dimittis? Nunc Dimittis comes from the Latin of the Vulgate Bible, which reads: “Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum, in pace.” Because Simeon’s canticle implies fulfillment, peace and rest, the church viewed it as appropriate for the ending of the day. Since the 4th century, the church used it in evening worship services – Compline, Vespers and Evensong.[7]
Thomas Jefferson used the canticle in official correspondence. Novelists and poets T. H. White, T. S. Eliot, Joseph Brodsky, Ezra Pound and John LeCarre employed it in their works.[8]
Within the context of our Lutheran liturgy, it appears we take Simeon’s words out of context. After all, what does his experience have to do with ours? How can Holy Communion compare to Simeon's unique honor of holding the infant Jesus in his arms during the child's first visit to the temple?
Of course, we would love to have been in the temple and shared in the experience with Simeon. We would give anything to have been the first – along with the shepherds – to see the infant Jesus, or to be with the Magi as they offered him their gifts. However, as Luther insightfully taught, we do not find Christ in those places.
Through the events of his incarnation, birth, crucifixion and resurrection, our Lord accomplished our salvation; but the benefits of his saving work – forgiveness, life and salvation – are distributed to us through Word and Sacrament, his means of grace. We cannot go back to stand with Simeon, but the good news is that we do not have to. Christ is present here.
So when, following our reception of the Lord's Supper, we sing Simeon's canticle, nothing could be more appropriate. Our eyes saw his salvation, and better yet, we tasted and saw that the Lord is good. So, what could be better than holding the infant Jesus in our arms? How about eating and drinking his body and blood given for the forgiveness of our sins? This truly is heaven on earth, because here we have Jesus and all his benefits.[9]
We have Jesus and all his benefits because we believe and receive. That is the beauty of pure Christianity as expressed in the Lutheran tradition. We believe what we receive – Word and Sacrament. That in itself is pure beauty. Hence, my third point, the beauty we behold.
We define beauty as the combined qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.[10] What pleases us? The literature of Shakespeare or Luther, sculptures of Michelangelo or Rodin, glasswork of Chiluly or the Cathedral of Chartres, music of Beethoven or Chopin, mom’s apple pie or dad’s grilled steak. The list is endless.
Then, there is nature. We are pleased to gaze at stars in the midnight blue or puffy clouds, to smell freshly cut grass or ocean’s breeze, to hear children playing or words of forgiveness, and to taste the fruit of the vine. In the words of Poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.”
As I said earlier, the beauty of Christmas is that it shifts our senses to the important parts of life – family and faith. Unfortunately, for some, Christmas is the fourth quarter of the calendar year – a period to calculate whether retail business can survive another year. For others, it is just another day. My brother, a self-employed handy man, told me on Christmas Day some guy called him to repair his washer. For many, Christmas is just a busy season to shop, bake and party – void of the reason Christians observe Advent, the Incarnation and Epiphany.
For me, Christmas is a marvelous time to meditate on God’s beauty; and an essential function of beauty is to give humanity a healthy shock! Whether beauty appears in talent, nature or an act of love – an infant cradled to its mother’s bosom or a dying man slumped in the arms of a Mother Teresa – it shocks us back to what is important in life and creates an ineffable moment we experience but cannot sometimes name. That is why we recall the Spirit-filled moment of a Simeon. In the moment and presence of true beauty, he responded, as we would love to respond.
The beauty of the first Christmas – the beauty of the first encounter with God incarnate – is enough of a healthy shock for a lifetime, and it leaves the shocked struggling for utterance. God entered our world as a human being, and in our world, God has places where he can hide and reveal himself.[11]
In the beauty of art and nature and human relationships, God hides and reveals himself. In the people God put in your life, God hides and reveals himself. Where love and mercy are withheld, God hides. Where love and mercy are communicated, God appears.
In the Baby Jesus and in the Body of Christ, love and mercy are communicated. In the means of grace, given to you through Word and Sacrament, love and mercy are communicated.
When you communicate love and mercy to the people God put in your life, He is present. In that moment, when relationships are reconciled, like Simeon, you too can cry your own Nunc Dimittis to God for the beauty of His presence has set you free.
And so, I close with a request, and since this may be the last time for a long time that I get to worship with you, I humbly ask you to consider my request. … God gave you this Christmas to realize the blessing of forgiveness that comes to us through his means of grace. The Baby Jesus, the Body of Christ and a beautiful moment reflect God’s love, God’s mercy.
God gave you Christmas so that your eyes may be opened and you may be set free from any sin that binds you. If you have the benefit of family for Christmas, take a moment and embrace each person in your arms, and if there is an opportunity to offer forgiveness, please do. I guarantee you that when you offer another family member love and mercy, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.[12] Amen.


[1] Psalm 122
[2] Arthur A. Just, Luke 1:1-9:50. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (1996), 114ff.
[3] Acts 28:27
[4] Luke 2:34-35 (GOD'S WORD® Translation)
[5] Luke 2:12
[6] Isaiah 49:2
[7] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/422490/Nunc-Dimittis
[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunc_dimittis
[9] http://www.lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=1116#nuncdimittis. See also Fred L. Precht, Lutheran Worship: History and Practice. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (1993).
[10] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beauty
[11] Rohr, 169
[12] Philippians 4:7

Monday, December 24, 2018

Birth Announcements - Christmas Vigil 2018 (Luke 2)


God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. Merry Christmas …  My focus is the Gospel of Luke, Chapter Two. … Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman!
Superman, my favorite superhero. I read Superman comic books, watched the TV series and the movies. Superman was born Kal-El on the alien planet Krypton to Jor-El and Lara. Rocketed to earth, found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, he was renamed Clark Kent. He grew up in Smallville, where he and his adoptive parents discovered his superhuman powers. Fortunately, for us, the Kents taught Clark to use these powers responsibly to help others and fight crime.
We want to know about people’s origins, even fictional ones. We inquire where this person was born, where he went to school, who his parents were, and if he can produce a birth certificate. Aware that people want to know, parents proudly announce to the world the entry of son, daughter, niece, nephew and grandbabies. A few:
We joyfully announce the birth of Lauren Anne June 21st at 5:15 p.m. 7 pounds, 4 ounces.
Our home has grown by two feet! David Jonas Peterson born on November 22nd. Weight: 8 lb. 3 oz. Length: 17 inches.
Look who dropped in! Please share our joy at the arrival of our daughter Meredith Teresa, May 23rd. 6 lb. 11 oz.16 inches.
Who will ever forget this one? The Duchess of Cambridge has been delivered of a son. 22nd July 2013. Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm. The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.
The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight.
The announcement also named the medical staff who delivered the baby; the fact that he is third in the line of succession after His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge; and that a formal notice of the birth will be posted on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.
What does all of this have to do with Luke narrating Caesar’s decree and the events in the life of Joseph and Mary? Well, just as proud parents and princes announce the birth of boys and girls, the angels announce the birth of the Savior in dramatic fashion, trumping any announcement by parents, princes or Caesar. Caesar? Were the ancient Christians comparing Jesus to Caesar? Yes. Archeologists discovered a proclamation in Turkey that dated back nine years before Jesus’ birth. The inscription says that was good for the city to celebrate the evangelium, the “good news,” of the birth of Caesar Augustus, the savior of the world. Augustus was seen as the Son of God, since his father through adoption, Julius Caesar, had been deified. Some of the first instances of the term “good news” is used in relationship to Augustus, almost at the same time as the birth of Jesus.
Luke has angels announce the birth of Jesus as Son of God because He is the true Savior, the Son of God, one greater than the Caesar. With that, we turn to our text by examining first the message of the angels and then the response of the shepherds before discussing how we put our faith into action.
Who are the angels? In verse 9, the angel does not reveal his name, but given that the angel in 1:19 and 1:26 identifies himself as Gabriel, we can assume he is the same.
His message is, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Since fear was a common reaction to angelic appearances, a few words of reassurance and encouragement were given. Then the message - Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke used “today” at least 10 times. “Today” indicates a new era has begun and something urgent is happening at this very moment.
The titles applied to this baby include Savior, Messiah and Lord. He is the expected Messiah, but he is also Lord. Before this, the title Lord is applied only to God. The Jews did not view the Messiah as God. So, to announce that the expected one, the Messiah, is also Lord means that he is God.
The Jews were also expecting the Messiah to be a Savior who would deliver them from sickness and physical hardship. Instead, this announcement reveals the Savior would deliver them from sin and death. Humanity’s true Savior is not Caesar Augustus, but Jesus Christ.
The message continues. “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Some translations read “swaddling clothes.” Mothers swaddled or tightly wrapped infants for various reasons. The significance, however, is not that Mary wrapped Jesus, but the only other time we hear about Jesus wrapped in cloth is when Peter bent down to look into the tomb. “He saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”[1] Luke ties the birth of Jesus to His death and resurrection.
After that, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” We know this as “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” the first words of the Latin Vulgate translation and the root of the Church’s great liturgical hymn.
The words “on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” literally reads “To men (who are the object) of (God’s) benevolence” or “To men of benevolence.” There is debate on the exact meaning of this verse. Some commentators state that it means peace is assumed to all, while others state that peace is “only to those pleasing to God – the objects of his good pleasure.” The problem in determining the exact intention is that there is no comma in Greek and one does not know when to pause. Even if it means that God’s peace is extended to all people, Luke does not imply loose living is legitimate. More than any other New Testament writer, Luke issues the call of repentance.
If we tie the hymn, verse 14 to verse 20, we see, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” “Luke’s main point, which links God’s glory in the highest with peace on earth for the humble[2] – those on whom His favor rests – would have been lost had the passage raised only the matter of Jesus’ identity.” Humbly born, Christ was a Savior for the humble,[3] those with whom God was well pleased.
Now, what about the shepherds? Matthew says Magi were the first to the Christ, but Luke says there were shepherds. The shepherds live in the fields year-round protecting the flock reserved for temple sacrifice against thieves and predatory animals.
Shepherds echo David’s humble origins as a shepherd;[4] and in keeping with Luke’s theme of poverty, the shepherds are lowly people. Shepherds also reflect Luke’s theme of joy in the face of God’s salvation breaking into humanity. God has saved you from your sins. That is reason enough to rejoice! … Are you smiling?
The shepherds could also be a stand-in for biblical Israel, since the Shepherd-Sheep image is a common metaphor to describe Israel’s relationship with God. However, in the first century shepherds were not highly regarded. They were not clean because they were with sheep all the time. So, depending on your point of view, the presence of shepherds is either very interesting or odd. But since Luke is always promoting the odd person out as the privileged one, it stands to reason that we’re supposed to see these shepherds as those privileged outsiders who acknowledge Jesus. That continues throughout the gospel. Tax collectors and prostitutes are favored. The people that you don’t think are worthy to be with Jesus really are.
Lastly, I see the shepherds as model believers. They are evangelists running to tell Joseph and Mary what was revealed to them. They are joyful apostles who just witnessed the Risen Lord’s birth, leaving that place praising and glorifying God. We are model believers, evangelists and apostles – believing, announcing and praising God.
So, there you have it – the message of the angels and the response of the shepherds. It’s like we removed the gift wrapping and opened the box, and saw what Luke gave the world – the most memorable birth announcement of Jesus through angelic choirs, and shepherds rejoiced heartily, glorifying and praising God! … But I would be remiss if I stopped there, wished you a Merry Christmas and dismissed you from this service. As I said, earlier, we would also discuss how we put our faith into action.
Friends, not only with the birth of Jesus did a new era begin. Not only did something urgent happen 2,000 years ago. Today, in the Village of Mokena something urgent is happening at this very moment! A new era has begun.
Where is this happening? When did it begin? It’s happening here – in this church – and in your minds and hearts. You heard the Good News, the story of Jesus’ birth. You know the story of his birth maybe better than you know the story of your own. That’s great news! You know more about his origins than you know about your favorite superhero or superstar. That is wonderful news! You have received his peace. You have been granted salvation.
The shepherds glorified and praised God for all they heard and saw. What we hear and see each Sunday is greater than that – for they knew the Christ child, but we know the Christ man. The Christ child evoked jubilation. The Christ man accomplished salvation. Through his birth, the Christ child offers hope. Through the Paschal Mystery – His suffering, death and resurrection, the Christ man fulfilled that hope.
Through Christ, God accomplished our salvation and gave us Word and Sacrament as the means to remember that each Sunday. For that reason alone, should we not glorify and praise God? Should we not do that each day of our lives? Wouldn’t that be like celebrating Christmas every day? So, how do we put our faith into action and celebrate Christmas every day? The opportunities are endless – from a simple greeting of “God bless you,” to a response to a kind deed done unto you, “Thank you, and God bless you.” You can post inspirational Scripture passages online and refrain from liking politically correct or incorrect posts. Maybe the Holy Spirit is inspiring you to reach across the fence or across the ocean to someone in need of hope.
The most recent issue of Harper’s features vanishing Christians in Iraq and Egypt. It begins by telling the account of a group of neighbors who gather at a monastery founded in the fourth century. They unload baskets of food, and arrange themselves around a long table in a courtyard. A woman spreads out a tablecloth and put down a plate of food. “It’s a way of celebrating that we still exist,” she said. More people arrived—children, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and distant relations—members of one of the oldest Christian communities in the world who had not seen one another for three years.
It’s a way of celebrating that we still exist. Friends, how will we glorify and praise God as our fellow Christians are forced to flee their lands due to Christian persecution or a dismal future? Before the end of the week, the world will turn its eyes from Christmas and focus on 2019, how will we keep the Spirit of Christ alive in our hearts, minds, words and deeds?
I suggest that we thank God for the example of Christians who glorify and praise God simply because they exist amidst persecution and hopelessness, for when we do, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.



[1] Luke 24:12.
[2] Luke 2:14.
[3] Luke 1:46-55.
[4] 1 Samuel 6:1-13.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Growing Tomatoes Can Nourish Your Faith


God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My focus is Luke. … Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”[1] Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Culture. “Culture … allows us to identify and isolate an idea, issue or group with seriousness. … It's an efficient word: we talk about the 'culture' of a group rather than saying 'the typical habits, attitudes, and behaviors' of that group. … This newer sense of the word is catching people's attention and driving the volume of lookups.”[2]
That was what Merriam-Webster said about culture, a recent Word of the Year. The newer understanding of culture drives research. Through research, we learn the definition of words, our family history or how to change headlights in a Buick LeSabre.[3] Researching our Gospel, we learn what Luke said about Jesus and Mary, and what the passage might mean to us.
First, what Luke said about Jesus had to do with culture. People in our culture are satisfied letting producers of shows on the History or Biography channels to present their research of Jesus. As a result, our secular culture accepts Jesus’ human nature, but questions his divine nature.
Conversely, people of Luke’s culture, Roman citizens who deified Caesars into gods, had an easier time accepting Jesus’ divinity than they did his humanity.[4] This is why Luke narrated the human origins and birth of Jesus Christ.
During the first centuries, the church defended itself against heresies that denied Jesus’ true humanity (Gnostic Docetism, Nestorianism and Monophysitism). Nearly a millennium later, Martin Luther succinctly explained that Christ became man in order to redeem us from sin and death. The devil came close to us, but he did not come so close as to assume our nature.[5]
Luther confessed the Second Person of the Trinity was conceived by the Holy Spirit without means of a man, and was born of the pure, holy Virgin Mary as of a real, natural mother.[6]
In addition to combating heresies, Luke illustrated how the birth of Christ fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. Mary received God’s promise of a child, which was similar to, but greater than, previous promises to women of God. These included Hagar and Manoah’s wife[7], but most pertinent was God’s announcement through Isaiah of the sign given to Israel consisting of a virgin who would conceive. This showed the promised birth was not a private matter for the parents, but one of national concern.
In Jesus, God came to Israel, was favorable toward her, claimed her as his very own, and was wedded to his people. Jesus and the New Testament authors often employed marriage imagery to imply the church is Christ’s bride.
The parallels between God’s promises to His people and His promise to Mary suggest that we can see her as representing the new Israel, the virgin bride of Christ, the church. In other words, without putting Mary on the same level as Christ, Luke showed that Christians have her as an example to consider.[8] The unmerited grace poured forth into Mary is available to all.
The new era of salvation came through the baby conceived by the gracious action of God upon Mary, who found favor with God, not due to any superiority over other women or any merit in God’s estimation, but simply because of God’s grace.
Mary’s response was unlike Zechariah’s skepticism. Her pondering led to a simple, honest question, which Gabriel met with an explanation, a promise and reassurance. As the Holy Spirit came upon her, she conceived Jesus as holy, the Son of God. This was the moment of the Incarnation of our Lord.
Luther compared the conception of Jesus through the Word spoken to Mary with the real presence of Christ’s body in the Lord’s Supper, effected through the Words of Institution. In other words, as the first catechumen – members of the early church who heard the Word – she believed as we believe.
Luke used the infancy narratives to instruct Christians on the virgin birth, on the Son of God, and on the work of the Holy Spirit. We confess those teachings in the Nicene Creed.
The infancy narratives also give us a glimpse into how the early church incorporated new members. As its first member, Mary received her catechesis from Gabriel. The Holy Spirit came upon her, and she received the flesh of Christ. As the first catechumen, she set the pattern for the apostles and all who followed her. We hear the Word, the Holy Spirit comes upon us, and we receive Christ’s Body and Blood. Like Mary, each of us is a servant of the Lord, humbly submitting to the will of God and his miraculous presence in and among us. That is what Luke said about Jesus and Mary. What might the passage mean to us?
First, we must be careful to notice that none of Mary’s qualities is offered as the reason God chose her; that reason is tucked away in the purposes of God.[9] Luther taught that although we recognize Mary as Mother of God, we should not make too much of her, but ponder “in the heart what it means to be the Mother of God. … Her sole worthiness to become the Mother of God lay in her being fit and appointed for it, so that it might be pure grace and not a reward.”[10]
It is hers to ponder in her heart, but ours to ponder as well. As church and individuals, what does it mean to hear the Word? To have the Holy Spirit comes upon us? To receive Christ’s Body and Blood? To be a servant of the Lord? To humbly submit to God’s will and his miraculous presence in and among us?
I asked several people what this passage means to them. My friend, Wendell, a lifelong Lutheran who teaches Old Testament Sunday School, responded with these words.
“I view Mary as an excellent example of a faithful servant. At her tender age, having undoubtedly endured horrible ridicule for a pregnancy out of wedlock, she was able to say the magnificat. Truly a great example of humility, faith and servanthood. She is truly a great Christian.
Also, what a great story of how something that appears awful at the time (an unwed pregnancy), ended up being a great blessing and miracle. We should all look for the blessings in our “curses” like she did.
She also teaches me that God’s methods may very often be seen as ‘unorthodox’, but we must have the faith to believe that he knows what he is doing.”
Our culture is not prone to agree with Wendell, but we must have the faith to believe that God knows what He is doing. Even when we do not know what God’s plan is for us, we must have faith. And we must ponder things in our hearts.
I close with a story of my own mother. She would have turned 90 this month. … Let me tell you how my mother taught me how to be a Christian – a humble servant of the Lord – by showing me how to grow tomatoes. I realize how God’s grace worked through her after many moments of pondering these things in my heart.
Every spring our family planted more than 100 tomato plants, which sufficiently fed our family of five. When the weather broke, we tilled the garden for tomatoes and many other vegetables.
We dug holes, and planted, fertilized and watered our plants. Through the summer, we weeded and watered; checked for bugs and blight and discarded rotten tomatoes.
We harvested tomatoes for salad, sauce and juice. We buried the discarded skin and seeds, which produced a later crop. Since we were 4-H members, we entered our prize tomatoes in exhibits at local fairs.
Growing tomatoes taught me three practical necessities about Christianity: nourish, reserve and share. Parents, pastors, teachers, elders and all members need to nourish, reserve and share their faith.
First, nourish. By exercising our faith – by attending worship, reading God’s Word, taking Communion, seeking forgiveness and attending Sunday school – we nourish ourselves.
Second, reserve. 32 years of ministry taught me there are times when we cannot nourish ourselves adequately. There will be times when troubles and temptations attack us. … We need a reserve. There will be times when caring for sick children or frail parents exhaust us. There will be times when completing projects, cramming for exams or meeting deadlines consume us. There will be times when we do not have the luxury to bathe ourselves in God’s Word or enjoy the feast of His banquet. We can only birdbath and eat on the run. During difficult times, we need that reserved Mason jar of tomatoes in the pantry. That is why my mother taught us how to can tomatoes. That is why she taught us to memorize Scripture passages and prayers because she knew we would someday need a reserve – of spiritual food that God provides to nourish our bodies and our souls.
Third, share. When God blessed us with plentiful tomatoes, we shared them with others. We shared tomatoes with friends, neighbors, pastors and the less fortunate. Mom taught me to practice charity by sharing God’s abundant blessing with others. How do we share God’s abundant blessings with others?
By teaching me how to grow tomatoes, mom taught me how to be a Christian, a servant of the Lord. She taught me to nourish, reserve and share. I am sure your mother taught you the same. As we close out another Season of Advent, ponder in your heart what it might mean for Mary to be the Mother of God, and honor your own mother by sharing the Gospel with others. Share with others how God blessed you today and ask them the same. When you listen to their blessed answer, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.[11],[12]


[1] Psalm 122
[2] http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/2014-word-of-the-year.htm
[3] http://cwynar.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-change-low-beam-bulb-in-2005.html
[4] Rev. Albert B. Collver, Ph.D., Sermon “St. Mary, Mother of Our Lord, 15 August 2011 Galatians 4:4 – 7.” International Center Chapel, Saint Louis. “One of the most scandalous things the Christians confessed about Jesus is that he is truly human, with real human flesh and blood. The Ancient people did not have too hard of a time imagining that Jesus was some kind of a god, but they had a very difficult time imagining that this Jesus was truly a man. In the ancient world some people said that Jesus was born through Mary, as light passes through glass untouched. You see, there was a concern about tarnishing “divine” things with physical matter such as human flesh.” See http://wmltblog.org/2011/08/st-mary-mother-of-our-lord/
[5] What Luther Says, 153.
[6] What Luther Says, 1376
[7] Genesis 16:11; Judges 13
[8] Arthur A. Just, Luke 1:1-9:50. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (1996), pp. 65ff. Much of my material for this sermon comes from Just’s commentary.
[9] Fred Craddock, Luke. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press (2009), 28.
[10] What Luther Says, 1256.
[11] Philippians 4:7