1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:1-7

Far more than a quaint story, these verses from Luke, chapter two, describe a historical event that occurred in real-time and in a real place. It was a fulfillment of all those ancient prophecies which promised the Seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent and the one who would redeem His people from their sins (Gen. 3:15; Ps. 130:7-8).

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5).

It happened in the days of the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. Quirinius was the governor of Syria.

Though Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, the Prophet Micah (approximately 700 years before Christ) foretold the birthplace of Messiah to be in Bethlehem: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

And God, in His divine providence, moved Caesar Augustus to take a census at just the right time, making it necessary for Joseph and his espoused wife who lived in Nazareth (some 90 miles to the north) to be in Bethlehem when the days were fulfilled for Mary to bring forth her firstborn son “because he was of the house and lineage of David.” The genealogies of Joseph in Matthew 1 and of Mary in Luke 3 show that both were of the “house and lineage of David.”

While we often have pictures in our head of Jesus being born on that first night after Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, that’s not what the Scriptures say. Verse six, of Luke 2 says: “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.” They could have been there a few days, a few weeks or even a month or more — the Bible doesn’t say. But, “while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.”

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son….” While there in the crowded city of Bethlehem — there were many descendants of David who also had to register in Bethlehem (Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, according to 1 Kings 11:1ff.) — Jesus was born.
Mary “brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger.”

The eternal Son of God, the creator of heaven and earth and all things (cf. John 1:1-5,14), humbled Himself and was born a man of lowly birth. Instead of being born in a king’s palace and clothed in royal garments, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger (a feeding trough).

But God sent His Son into this world not to be exalted here but to live humbly as a man — not to make full use of His divine power and glory but to live humbly like us — that He might take our place under the Law of God and fulfill it for us and that He might bear upon the cross the just punishment for the sins of the entire world.

“Christ Jesus … being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:5-8).

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Heb. 2:14-17).

And much like the night of Jesus’ birth, Jesus is still relegated to the stalls and the mangers of this world. The inn is full and there is no room for the Messiah and Savior of the World. Jesus is crowded out — even crowded out of the celebration of His birth!

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:10-11).

Therefore, if we wish to find Jesus, we are not likely to find Him in the biggest and best churches and cathedrals of this world. The place to look for and find Him is where God’s humble Means of Grace are in use, where the Word of God is preached in its simple truth and purity and people are confronted with their sins and the judgment of God upon them but also comforted with the Gospel of forgiveness through faith in Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross, where people are joined to Christ and become His covenant people through the waters of Baptism and where believers are comforted in Holy Communion through partaking of the body and blood of the Lamb of God who gave Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Indeed, the day could come when we may need to worship in barns and stables to hear of and learn of the true Christ who came into this world to redeem us because there is no room for God’s people or God’s Christ in the inn. It’s happened before. In the days of the Prussian Union (during the early 1800s), those who held to the Lutheran faith gathered in barns to worship and be served with the Means of Grace.

What’s the point in this message for you and for me?

Though the world was not awaiting the coming of Christ Jesus with open arms, and though God’s own people (the visible church in this world) were too busy to welcome Him, God kept His ancient promises to send the Savior. God’s only-begotten Son took on human flesh and blood and was born a true man of the Virgin Mary that he might pay the price for our sins and redeem us. He came humbly, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, that He might fulfill God’s plan and go to the cross as our sacrifice for sin.

And where do we find Him?

Where the Word of God is preached in its truth and purity and where the Sacraments are administered in accord with Christ’s institution. There we will find and learn of the Christ who died for our sins and redeemed us. There we will be comforted with the forgiveness of sins and eternal life He won for us. Amen.

[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

Fourth Sunday in Advent

1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 1:24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 1:25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 1:26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 1:27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 1:28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. John 1:19-28

“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” John 1:23

There are many voices calling to us these days. We hear voices in the marketplaces (often our living rooms and bedrooms) trying to sell us new cars and trucks, stylish clothes, the latest electronic devices, tasty foods, and promising us happiness and joy if we listen to these voices. We hear voices on the political scene offering us better healthcare, an improved economy and even free college education if we will just give to them our votes. We hear voices in our schools and educational institutions extolling achievements of world peace, an end of bullying and violence and prosperity for all if we reject the old and restrictive values of religion and accept the new, modern world views.

But there is still “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.” The voice probably doesn’t have the most Facebook views or the most Twitter impressions. It’s certainly not at the top of Google’s search engine rankings. But the voice continues to call on people everywhere to get ready for that day when Jesus Christ returns to judge the living and the dead and to carry out vengeance upon all who have not obeyed the message of the Gospel (2 Thess. 1:6-10).

This is what God called John the Baptist to do. The Angel Gabriel told Zecharias, when he appeared to him in the temple and announced John’s coming birth: “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:15-17).

And, what did John say of himself? “The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias” (John 1:19-23; cf. Isa. 40:3ff.; Mal. 4:5-6).

John did not exalt himself. He didn’t claim to be the Messiah. He didn’t claim to be Elijah come down from heaven (cf. 2 Kings 2:11; Mal. 4:5-6). He didn’t count himself as that Prophet like unto Moses (cf. Deut. 18:15-19). He counted himself nothing. But he served as God’s voice, calling all to repentance and faith in the Messiah and Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. His work was to speak God’s Word to the people and prepare them not for Christ’s birth — Jesus had already been born some 30 years earlier, about six months after John — John was sent to make people ready for Christ’s second coming by preaching the threats of God’s Law and the comforts of God’s Gospel.

The Gospel of Mark opens with a description of John and his ministry: “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; and preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost” (Mark 1:2-8).

And what is it to preach repentance? Luther, in the Smalcald Articles (one of the Lutheran Confessions found in the Book of Concord), states: “This, then, is what it means to begin true repentance; and here man must hear such a sentence as this: You are all of no account, whether you be manifest sinners or saints [in your own opinion]; you all must become different and do otherwise than you now are and are doing [no matter what sort of people you are], whether you are as great, wise, powerful, and holy as you may. Here no one is [righteous, holy], godly, etc. But to this office the New Testament immediately adds the consolatory promise of grace through the Gospel, which must be believed, as Christ declares, Mark 1:15: Repent and believe the Gospel, i.e., become different and do otherwise, and believe My promise. And John, preceding Him, is called a preacher of repentance, however, for the remission of sins, i.e., John was to accuse all, and convict them of being sinners, that they might know what they were before God, and might acknowledge that they were lost men, and might thus be prepared for the Lord, to receive grace, and to expect and accept from Him the remission of sins. Thus also Christ Himself says, Luke 24:47: Repentance and remission of sins must be preached in My name among all nations” (Part III, Article III. Of Repentance, Par. 3-6).

That is what John the Baptist did. He called upon all — from the lowliest Israelite to the most righteous priest and Pharisee — to repent of their sinful ways and look to the Christ, that Lamb of God who would be offered up a sacrifice for the sins of the world (cf. John 1:29).

And John baptized those who came to him confessing their sins (cf. Matt. 3:1ff.). He baptized with water, but said it was the coming One, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and regenerate them (cf. Tit. 3:4-7). And John warned of God’s coming judgment upon those who merely feigned repentance, who confessed their sins but had no intention to forsake them and bring forth fruits fitting of true repentance.

So, what does John’s ministry have to do with us today? What are we to see and learn from this Word of God?

As I said earlier, many voices are calling to us today, voices promising peace, happiness, joy, etc. But there is still a voice crying in the wilderness, sent by God to prepare people for the coming of the Lord Jesus in judgment. Though John was put to death by Herod — beheaded — for his testimony to the truth, the voice still sounds, though usually not from the most popular places and venues.

That voice still cries out in the pages of Holy Scripture — the God-breathed writings of the apostles and prophets. Through the Scriptures, the Holy Ghost continues to work, convicting and condemning us because of our sins against God’s commandments but then offering and giving to us the promise of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross (2 Tim. 3:14-17; Rom. 3:19-26; 1 John 1:7 — 2:2).

And through the Church, God still calls men — pastors — to be His voice and to preach His Word to the people (cf. Jer. 23:3-4; Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11ff.; Tit. 1:5ff.). He entrusts to them His Word and Sacraments and commands them to be good and faithful stewards (1 Cor. 4:1-5; 2 Tim. 4:1ff.; Jer. 23:28). It is not that the pastors are anything in and of themselves. They are simply to be the voice of God, speaking nothing but the words of God to the people.

It is as Article V of the Augsburg Confession states: “That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake.”

And so, though John the Baptist is long dead, the voice still cries in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” With the words of God’s law, every point of human pride is removed. “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). But through the preaching of the Gospel, that which is low is raised up. God’s voice tells of “the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood…” (Rom. 3:22-25).

Sad to say, not all listen to this voice crying in the wilderness. Too many other voices get in the way, including the voice of our own human reason which does not wish to accept the truthfulness of God’s Word. It is often more appealing to think we need no repentance or that we can please God by our faithfulness in worship or our observance of religious traditions. And when we fail to heed God’s voice, we remain unprepared to meet Him. We are deceived by our own sinfulness and we fail to truly repent and look to Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins.

And Jesus told His disciples not all would hear but added this explanation: “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me” (Luke 10:16).

Let’s not be of those who fail to hear the voice crying in the wilderness. Let’s not let it be drowned out by all the other voices competing for our attention.

Let’s not neglect to heed the message of God’s voice by failing to examine our ways in the light of God’s Word, by failing to humble ourselves before God and confess our sins, and by failing to look to Christ alone in faith for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Let’s listen and heed God’s voice, acknowledge our sins and look to Christ and His cross in faith that we might be found ready on that day when Christ, our Savior, returns. For only through faith in Christ can we sinners receive God’s pardon and forgiveness and be received into the eternal joys of heaven on that day!

God grant that we hear and heed that voice crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord.” Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the KIng James Version of the Bible.]

“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15

With this commandment, the LORD God forbids us to take or desire that which rightfully belongs to another. Thus, we are not to rob, steal or take the property of another by any dishonest means, including fraud, deception, unjust lawsuits, gambling, unrighteous labor or wages, unfair pricing and the like. Instead of seeking dishonest gain, God urges us to work and earn our own property and goods and to share with those in need.

The Bible teaches: “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Eph. 4:28). God also tells us: “You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 19:35-36).

Psalm 37:21 says: “The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives.” Jeremiah 22:13 warns: “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor’s service without wages and gives him nothing for his work….” Expressing these same principles, Leviticus 19:13 says, “You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning.” (Cf. Deut. 24:14-15.)

God warns against taking advantage of the poor and lending for personal gain when He says: “If you lend money to any of my people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest” (Ex. 22:25). God even forbids us to be lazy and dependent upon the charity of others when His Word commands: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10).

What does God require of us when He forbids us to steal? He would have us love our neighbor and do all in our power to help him protect and keep his property and business.

We see this from the principle established by this command: “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again” (Ex. 23:4). While it may not be an ox or a donkey, we are to return to our neighbor any property which he has lost and help him to keep what God has given him. Jesus Himself says: “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:12).

The Scriptures require us to treat our neighbor in the same way we would want to be treated. Thus, instead of taking away our neighbor’s property and business, we should be of service to him in keeping it.

Finally, instead of seeking to obtain the property of others for ourselves, God would have us share what He has given us and help others in their need. The Bible says, “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb. 13:16).

Have we kept this commandment as the LORD God requires? Again, we must admit our shortcomings and sins and repent, turning to the LORD God to deal with us in His grace and mercy for Jesus’ sake and imploring His help and strength to amend our ways and live for Him!

When we look in faith to Jesus, and to His blood shed upon the cross for the sins of all, we find pardon, forgiveness and life everlasting!

Dear Lord Jesus, forgive me for my selfishness and greed. Forgive me for not loving and caring for others in need. Cleanse my heart and renew my mind that I might live for You and seek to keep Your holy commandments. Amen.

[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]