57 Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. 76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

In the prophetic words we sometimes call the Benedictus, Zacharias the priest, being filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke of the salvation God was providing in His only-begotten Son and also of the ministry of his own son, John the Baptist.

Jesus, Son of God and descended from David through the Virgin Mary, came into the world as promised since the very beginning. In Jesus, God Himself visited and redeemed His people. Jesus bore upon the cross the punishment for the sins of the whole world and made atonement for God’s people and for all of mankind. He suffered, died and rose again that He might set us free from the curse and condemnation of our sins to live for Him and serve Him evermore!

John the Baptist, the son born to Zecharias in his old age, would be the prophet of the Highest, going before the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah Himself in human flesh, to prepare His ways.

And how was John to prepare the people for the coming of their Lord and God? He was to give them knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. He was to teach them of God’s mercy and forgiveness for the sake of the innocent sufferings and death of God’s Son, the Dayspring from on high who would visit them. In this way, he would give light to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death and guide their feet into the way of peace with the Lord their God.

People today are still sitting in spiritual darkness and the shadow of death. They do not know the LORD God and His mercy in Christ Jesus and are headed for an eternity of suffering and punishment apart from Him and His lovingkindness.

Thus, the ministry of God’s people today, as they prepare for the second coming of the Lord Jesus from heaven, is to give to people around them in the world knowledge of salvation by the remission of sins. The church is to call people to repentance and faith in the Messiah and Savior; for Jesus, God’s own dear Son, came into this world, redeemed all of mankind by suffering and dying on the cross for all sin and rose again on the third day.

Followers of Christ proclaim the law of God that people might see their sinfulness and the error of their ways. They make known the good news of God’s mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus that people might trust in Him alone for eternal salvation. In this way, followers of Jesus continue to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death and guide their feet into the way of peace.

O gracious and merciful God, bring us all to repent of our sinful and erring ways and grant us mercy and forgiveness for the sake of the Son, Jesus Christ, that Dayspring from on High who has come to visit and redeem us. And, dear Lord Jesus, move us to give to others, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins through faith in You and Your innocent sufferings and death in their stead. Amen.

[Scripture quoted from the King James Version of the Bible]

“Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” Matthew 11:2-3

Are you ever troubled by doubts concerning your faith? Have you ever doubted that Jesus really is God the Son in human flesh who has come into this world to save us from sin and everlasting punishment? Or, are you ever troubled by doubts about God’s mercy and forgiveness upon you in Jesus Christ? Do you ask, “Are my sins really forgiven? Will Christ come and receive me into the eternal joys of heaven?”

John the Baptist boldly prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah and Savior by calling upon all to repent of their sinful and self-centered ways and pointing them to Jesus, God’s Son and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Luke 3:1ff.; John 1:29,34).

He was even so bold as to call upon King Herod to repent of his sinful ways, pointing out that he was sinning by having his brother Philip’s wife (Luke 3:19-20; Lev. 18:6,16).

But now, he was watching and hearing of Jesus from a dark prison cell. Jesus had not yet fulfilled those ancient prophecies which spoke of the Messiah judging the wicked and unbelieving world and establishing an everlasting kingdom in which righteousness dwells (cf. Ps. 96:13; 145:13; Dan. 2:44). Though he had been faithful, now he was awaiting his execution and Jesus seemingly was doing nothing about it.

Perhaps this is why John sent two of his disciples to Jesus. Or, perhaps, he was directing his disciples to Jesus for their own sakes. But coming to Jesus with our doubts and fears is a good place to bring them.

“Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” they asked.
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” (Matt. 11:4-6; cf. Isa. 29:18; 35:3ff.; 61:1ff.; 28:16; 8:14f.).

Is Jesus the promised Messiah? Yes, He is the one promised — the Seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14), the Son of David (Luke 1:30-35; Isa. 9:6-7), the Redeemer of mankind (Gal. 4:4-5).

Why do we go on suffering in this world? Why has He not come to judge the living and the dead and to establish His everlasting kingdom?

He “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

And so we see, through the preaching of the Gospel, the spiritually blind seeing their sin and seeing in Christ Jesus their Savior, the spiritually lame walking and living for their God, those with incurable sins cleansed in the blood of Jesus, those who could not hear and understand the Word of God hearing and believing, those dead in their trespasses and sins raised to new life through faith in Christ Jesus (cf. Eph. 2:1ff.).

It is as Luther says in his Small Catechism: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life” (SC, Creed, Art. III).

And, when Jesus comes back on the Last Day, we and all believers will “be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity“ (SC, Creed, Art. II).

O gracious and merciful Savior, grant that we not doubt but take comfort in Your gracious working to establish Your kingdom and make us Your own. Amen.

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

“And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:16-17

All of us who believe in Jesus have received “of His fullness … grace upon grace.”

What the law, which was given through Moses, could not do because of our sinfulness, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, has done for us! He fulfilled the righteous demands of God’s law in our place, and He paid in full the penalty for our sins — and the sins of the whole world — by His innocent sufferings and death on the cross (cf. John 1:29; 1 John 2:1,2).

Jesus proclaimed the truth about our utter sinfulness and the judgment of God we so deserve, and He proclaimed the truth about the only way for us sinners to be saved — through faith in Him and the atoning sacrifice He has accomplished for us on the cross. He is “the way, the truth, and the life” — the only way for us sinners to be restored to fellowship with God the Father (John 14:6).

Through faith in Jesus Christ and His holy life and innocent sufferings and death in our stead, we receive God’s abundant grace and mercy. Our sins, which are like scarlet, are washed away; and we are made “as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

And, when we consider how many times we as believers have fallen into sin and disobedience to the Lord God, and then, by the grace of God, have been moved to confess our sins and be pardoned and forgiven through the shed blood of Christ Jesus (cf. Psalm 32:1-5; 1 John 1:8-9), we have indeed received of God’s Son, Christ Jesus, “grace upon grace.” “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20).

Even those of you who do not yet believe have received of the Lord Jesus “grace upon grace,” for He is patient with you, giving you yet more time to see and acknowledge your sins and repent.

It is as Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise [to come in judgment], as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

God, for the sake of Christ and His cross, is patient with us and endures our sin and disobedience long that we might yet hear His Word, repent of our sins and look to Jesus for pardon, forgiveness and life everlasting. Indeed, this is “grace upon grace”!

In Jesus Christ, God’s grace and truth have come to us sinners. It is by grace that we are moved to repent of our sinful ways and look to Jesus and His cross, and it is by grace for Christ’s sake that we are forgiven of God and are given everlasting life in His kingdom!

“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound — that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see” (John Newton, 1772).

O dearest Jesus, thank you for coming into this world to bear my sins on the tree of the cross and thus to grant me “grace upon grace” that I might be forgiven for all my sins and have a place in your eternal kingdom. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Scripture Readings

Isaiah 7:10-16
10 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; [Is it] a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Luke 1:26-56
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name [was] Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women. 29 And when she saw [him], she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy [is] his name. 50 And his mercy [is] on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from [their] seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of [his] mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Message

Who is Jesus? The announcement of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary leaves no doubt. Jesus is Jehovah God in the flesh! He is the “Son of the Highest” and also the promised Son of David who would rule over God’s people forever and ever.

How can this be? The Holy Spirit caused Mary, a virgin, to conceive; the power of the Highest overshadowed her. It is in this way and for this reason that the Holy Child born to her would be called the Son of God. Jesus is Immanuel [God with us] and Jehovah our Savior, as His name itself tells us.

It is as Isaiah prophesied some seven hundred years before Christ: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14); and, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:6-7).

In the Person of Jesus, and by means of the virgin birth, Jehovah God Himself took on human flesh and blood and became true man and lived among us that He might fulfill the righteous demands of God’s law for us and then bear the full punishment for our sins by going to the cross and suffering and dying in our stead. This Jesus did; and because He is the very Son of God, His innocent sufferings and death are accepted of God the Father as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Jesus’ resurrection is proof (cf. John 1:1,14; Rom. 1:3-4; 4:23-25; 1 John 2:1-2).

God sent His Son that we who stand condemned by God’s holy law might flee to Christ Jesus and place our faith and trust in His perfect life in our stead and in His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for the sins of the world. And when we do, God graciously forgives our sins and accepts us as His own dear children for Jesus’ sake (cf. Gal. 4:4-5; 2:16; 3:26ff.; Eph. 1:3ff.; John 3:16; 5:24).

What a miracle for a virgin to conceive and bear a Son! And, what a miracle of grace for God Himself to become true man and go to the cross to redeem you and me and then send His Holy Spirit to bring us to faith and keep us trusting in the Son through the preaching of the Gospel!

O, gracious Father, we thank You for so loving the world that You sent Your only-begotten Son to be born a true man of the Virgin Mary that He might redeem us from sin and death and grant us life everlasting through faith in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayers: “The Litany” (Page 110 in The Lutheran Hymnal)

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts are overcharged with surfeiting, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come upon you unexpectedly. For as a snare, it shall come on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Therefore, be watchful all the time, praying that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:34-36 (Read Luke 21:5-36)

Jesus tells us in Luke 21 what will happen before His second advent, in clouds of glory, to judge the living and the dead. He speaks of what would happen to Jerusalem and the temple and what would befall His disciples (Luke 21:5ff.; cf. Matt. 24:1ff.; Mark 13:1ff.); and He then speaks about what will take place immediately before He comes.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves. Men’s hearts will fail them for fear and for apprehension of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then they shall see ‘the Son of man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory” (Luke 21:25-27).

He tells us: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near” (v. 28).

And He adds the parable of the fig tree: “Behold the fig-tree and all the trees. When they now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is now near at hand. So likewise, when you see these things come to pass, you know that the kingdom of God is near at hand” (v. 29-31).

Jesus said (v. 32-33): “Truly I say to you, this generation shall not pass away until all is fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away.”

Indeed, these signs were already fulfilled in the first century. There were “wars and commotions,” false Christs and false prophets. Christians were betrayed and persecuted, and Jerusalem was destroyed for its impenitence and unbelief, as Jesus had warned (cf. Luke 19:41-44).

And Jesus also warns us to “take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts are overcharged with surfeiting, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come upon you unexpectedly. For as a snare, it shall come on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Therefore, be watchful all the time, praying that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:34-36).

Instead of being weighed down and overindulging in food, drink, or in the cares and concerns of this life, we are to be watching and praying that we not be caught off guard and, like the rest of the world, be found living in sin and impenitence and not ready at Jesus’ return.

Rather, we are to live in continual repentance, confessing our sins and holding fast in faith to Jesus and His cross for pardon and forgiveness so that we might be found ready to stand before Him when He appears.

The Bible tells us in Acts 3:19-21: “Therefore, repent and be converted so that your sins may be blotted out, and that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus Christ, who before was preached to you, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”

If we are found on that day continuing on in our sinful ways, impenitent and unbelieving, that day will find us unprepared and bring upon us God’s wrath and judgment. We will be condemned to the eternal torments of hell!

God’s Word says that “the Lord Jesus [will be] revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he comes to be glorified in his saints and to be admired by all those who believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. …” (2 Thess. 1:7-10).

But If we are found acknowledging our sins — agreeing with God about our sinfulness — and looking to Jesus and His cross in faith for pardon and forgiveness, we will be ready on that day. Instead of being condemned, we will be pardoned, forgiven and given eternal life for Jesus’ sake (cf. John 5:24).

God’s Word tells us in 1 John, chapters 1 and 2: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you so that you do not sin. And if any man sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 1:8 – 2:2).

Jesus said (in John 3:14-18): “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only-begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him may be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.”

God grant that, on that day, we not be found living in disobedience and sin but in the true and saving faith, acknowledging our sins and failures but trusting in the shed blood of Christ Jesus for pardon, forgiveness, and life everlasting. God grant this to us for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

O gracious and merciful Savior, grant that we continue in daily repentance and faith that we might be found ready on that day when You come to judge the living and the dead. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]