Sermon - Advent 1 - Matthew 21:1-11

If you just came to church today and heard our Gospel reading, you might think that someone had messed up the scheduled readings for the day. After all, Matthew 21 is the Palm Sunday reading – we usually hear that the week before Easter. Jesus makes his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Holy Week begins, and soon his suffering and death are at hand. The crowds welcome him as the Son of David, but then turn on him and shout, “Crucify!”. 
 
So what are we doing now, at the beginning of Advent, reading about Palm Sunday? Is this like “Christmas in July” only, backwards? What is our lectionary thinking today – beginning the Church Year with Jesus' donkey ride to mount Zion? 
 
Perhaps it's best to recall what Advent means – in a word, it means, “coming”. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming as a little baby in Bethlehem. That's Christmas. He's also coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead. That's his second coming – and that's been a theme for us the past few weeks. Jesus is coming, and he's coming to Jerusalem in our reading today. He's coming to do what he came to do – to suffer and die, and save. 
 
So it makes sense, really, that Advent begins with a very important beginning – the triumphal arrival of Christ to his people, to his city – marks the triumphal arrival of the Church Year anew. And so Advent begins in this way. 
 
One theme of the Palm Sunday account is that it all took place in fulfillment of prophecy. Zechariah proclaims that the king would come humble on the foal of a donkey. And Jesus’ own words to his disciples – telling them where to find his ride – they also are fulfilled. But really, this is the fulfillment of God's longstanding promise of a Messiah – a king from the royal line of David. This is God's own appointed Savior – the Christ – coming to do what God promised he would. 
 
He would suffer and die. That's not what many expected, or even wanted. When Jesus comes, it's not always how we hope or the way we expect. God is full of surprises. But his word is always fulfilled, sooner or later – according to his will. 
 
So what does it mean for us, today, 21st Century Lutherans standing at the turn of another Church Year – with Thanksgiving Day behind us and Christmas around the corner? What does Jesus coming to Jerusalem, or to Bethlehem, or in Glory on the Last Day... what does it have to do with your problems today? 
 
Everything. For your problems come from sin. And Jesus comes to deal with sin. Your struggles and hardships, your sorrows and pains – all result from being a sinner in a sinful world. It's not that God isn't good, it's that we are evil – and evil is all around us. We should first blame ourselves. We have a hand in our troubles – our own sins of thought, word, and deed tell the story. From the garden of Eden to the place where you live – we humans sin, sin daily, and sin much. Sure we try to cover our sins like Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves. But God knows what you do, he's not so easily fooled. So let's not fool ourselves. 
 
An honest look at our own lives would show a mess that needs to be cleaned up. Like when holiday guests are coming and the house is a disaster – you do what you can to pick up, vacuum, make things look nice for company. But imagine someone just dumped a truckload of garbage in your living room and you have only minutes to clean the place. And the guest that's coming isn't just some family or friends – but the king! How will you hope to be ready? How will you be prepared for his coming? 
 
You can't be. But the good news is that he prepares you. He prepares your heart and mind and spirit. He comes to you for that very reason. He comes to make you ready for his coming. He comes, to you, today. 
 
Jesus comes to his people – not only as a baby, as a donkey-riding Son of David, and as a glorious omnipotent king – but he also comes to you today. He comes in his word of forgiveness. For when you hear his word proclaimed and preached – he is present, working his salvation. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  Where two or three are gathered in his name, he promises to be present, and to bless. 

 

He also comes in bread and wine that are his body and blood. Jesus is truly present here, in this place, in this simple meal, in accord with his word of promise. And with that promise, you who receive him receive his forgiveness, and life, and salvation. 

 

As he comes to us sinners, let us repent of our wicked ways, and receive him with thanksgiving, who came and lived and died for us, who comes to us and forgives us, and will come again... 

 

Yes, Jesus came – to Bethlehem, to Jerusalem. 
Yes, Jesus comes – in the Word, in the Sacrament. 
Yes, Jesus will come – in Glory, to fulfill all things. 

 

Yes, he will come again in glory.... Advent reminds us that Jesus will come in glory to bring this fallen world to its conclusion. He will come, all eyes will see him. He will come in the clouds with great glory, with al the angels and the trumpet call of God. He will come to judge the living and the dead. He will come to make all things new. 

 

Scripture tells us precious little about that day, but we know it will be our day of victorious, triumphant joy. The dead in Christ will rise and be gathered to him forever. Those of us that remain alive and in Christ will be changed into glorious bodies like his. The wicked will be sent away to the fires prepared for the Devil and his angels. But we will inherit eternal life, paradise will be restored. and the unending praises of the Lamb who was slain will echo around his throne in a new song that will never get old. Jesus is coming again. And what a great day it will be. 

 

Until then we wait. We fulfill our callings in life. We watch and pray. We live the repentant life of a child of God. And we continue to receive him who came, him who comes, and him who will one day come again. 
 
Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 

 

Sermon - Thanksgiving Eve - 1 Timothy 2:1-4

1 Timothy 2:1-4  

Pray for All People  

2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

---

A blessed Thanksgiving Eve to you and yours.   

This day, or rather tomorrow, is a bit unusual in our calendar, as it is a national holiday, a national day of thanksgiving.  Perhaps that’s why some churches don’t really observe it formally at all.  But for Christians, any day is a good day to pray, to gather, and to hear God’s word. 

A national day of thanksgiving may be a good time to give thanks for blessings, both physical and spiritual.  It may be a time to focus especially on the blessings God gives through our own nation, the United States of America.  And some years we emphasize more and different aspects of all these things. 

The Israelites certainly had both secular and sacred blessings for which to thank God, which we hear about in Deuteronomy.  And in Jesus’ healing of the 10 lepers, there are also physical and spiritual blessings.  But this year I’d like to focus our attention on the reading from 1 Timothy.  We’ll come back to that in a moment. 

Also, note that today our order of service is called, “Prayer and Preaching”.  It’s a part of our hymnal we use for some of our school chapels, but not that frequently otherwise around here.   

While the chief gatherings of Christians happen on Sundays and focus on Word and Sacrament, this less solemn occasion affords us an opportunity to simply hear the word and pray (and sing a little, too, of course). 

Prayer and preaching are two key ideas in our Epistle reading.  The preaching connection comes in at the tail end, where Paul tells young Timothy that God desires all men to come to a knowledge of the truth.  Here, he means “THE truth”, that is saving faith in Christ, the Gospel itself.  That which is, of course, preached by Paul, by Timothy, and by all faithful pastors. 

Likewise it is our desire, both at Messiah, and as individual Christians, that all people are saved and come to a knowledge of and faith in Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  This is another way of setting forth the main mission of the Church, that disciples would be made of all nations, baptized and taught.   

And perhaps a day of national thanksgiving is a good opportunity for us to recall this idea.  That God in Christ cares for the world, not just Christians, but all people.  All nations, including ours.  All people, including us.  Thanks be to God. 

To the extent that our congregation and its members have taken part in that mission, thanks be to God.  Thanks be to God that sinners are called to repentance and that the Gospel of forgiveness in Christ goes forth from this pulpit, this font and altar.  Thanks be to God for the witness to this faith that our family of faith at Messiah gives in our various vocations in the world.  Would that all of them would come to a knowledge of the truth.  And would that we would grow deeper in this knowledge and in this faith.  God grant it, for Jesus’ sake! 

But even more, Paul here is urging young pastor Timothy that he and the Christians in his care are to pray.  He says, “First, then... I urge prayer.”  It’s been said that for Christians prayer is never a last resort, but always a first option.  We begin our days with prayer.  We begin our meals with prayer.  We even begin our church meetings with prayer.  First things first, and calling upon God in faith and asking his blessing is always in order. 

Next, look at these four types of prayer or descriptions of prayer: 

Supplications.  From the same root word for “supplies”.  It is in our daily prayers that we ask of God for what we need.  Jesus taught us the same, that in his prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, we petition for “Daily Bread”  

Our Small Catechism explains:  

Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like. 

That’s a lot to pray for.  But then God loves to give abundant blessings.   

Then there are the “supplies” that we need that fall even beyond “this body and life” And Jesus teaches us to pray for these too, with the words, “forgive us our trespasses...”  Forgiveness, the chief spiritual blessing, is ours in Christ the crucified.  And we have it before we even pray for it.  We have it in abundance.  We have it by his word of promise, and yet we still pray for it, so that we may receive it also with thanksgiving. 

Paul’s second category of prayer is simply, “prayers”.  Generally, we are to pray for all things that accord with God’s will.  Whatever needs may arise, for ourselves and our neighbors, our leaders, our land.  There is no concern too large or small that falls beyond our God.  There is no matter regarding his children for which the Father is unconcerned.  If he even numbers the hairs on your head, he will hear your earnest prayers.  If you are worth more than the grass or many sparrows, he will certainly supply your needs.   

Though, in his wisdom, his answer may not be what you expect, our loving Father always means good for his children.  He won’t give you a serpent when you ask for a fish.  He won’t give you a scorpion when you ask for an egg.  But he will give you according to his good and gracious will. 

Another prayer that may fall into this more general bucket is a prayer of confession.  We can speak to our gracious Father not only of his goodness, but of our sin.  We can boldly confess our tainted thoughts, our twisted words, and our rebellious deeds, because we have no fear.  Christ has taken our punishment, and procured our forgiveness.  Therefore even in our prayers we can, and do, lay bare our sins before the merciful forgiver of all sins.  And he, indeed, forgives. 

And perhaps in this bucket, or in the previous one of supplications, we might put also our prayers for the government.  Paul urges us to pray for our leaders because they need it, and also because through them God blesses us with the ability to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”  Good government punishes evil and rewards good, an agent of God’s wrath and protection.  And so we pray for all those God has placed over us, that they would be a blessing.  

Intercessions.  Here we are reminded not just to pray for ourselves, but for others.  It is a form of loving our neighbor, of fulfilling the law of love. 

Far more than our culture’s sometimes flippant, “thoughts and prayers”, we Christians are a holy nation of royal priests.  And one of the priest’s main tasks and callings is to intercede, to pray for others.  To stand as a go-between and approach God with concerns for our neighbor.  His health.  His spiritual well-being.  His bodily needs.  All things that tend to his welfare, the same as we would pray for our own.   

Here again we are reminded of the one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ.  The great high priest who goes between us and God, goes to God on our behalf, lobbies and appeals for everything that tends to our good, even for our very life, yes, even our eternal life.  Jesus intercedes for us with the Father.  We, too, therefore pray prayers of intercession for our neighbor.  And we pray them in the name of, for the sake of, and through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ himself.  Thanks be to God for the assurance that he hears these prayers through Christ. 

And finally, Paul urges prayers of thanksgiving.  Which brings us full circle on this day.  Yes, of course, we ought to be thankful, in our lives, in our attitudes, in our speech and especially in our prayers.  Not that God needs our thanksgiving or would be put out if you forget to thank him.  Not that his blessings depend upon our giving thanks. 

But to recognize the giver of all good things is a blessing for us.  To pray prayers of thanksgiving, not just on the national day of it, but always, is to direct the credit where it is due, and not to ourselves.  For every good and perfect gift comes down from above.  We, of ourselves deserve nothing, have earned nothing, and are but poor beggars who have been blessed in every way by a gracious and kind Father.  A Father who loved us so much to even send his own Son for our redemption, and who further, with the Son, sends his Spirit for our sanctification.   

It’s a lot to pray for, isn’t it?  But far from a burden, it is our delight to raise supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings to the one who delights to hear them and supply all our needs.  A blessed Thanksgiving day to you and yours, in Jesus Christ our Lord.