St Stephen

Good King Wenceslas looked out/ on the feast of Stephen.” On the feast of Stephen, today, December 26^th. It at first seems strange to suddenly go from Christmas to such a sad story as Stephen’s, the first Christian Martyr. However, it makes sense. We have just celebrated the feast of the Nativity, the birth of Christ. But Jesus' birth doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It's not just a nice tale that we tell and then forget. No, Christmas has an impact and an effect on our lives. From Stephen, we can see what that is.

First, on account of Christ, we are all called to service. Let me read from just before our epistle text. Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.  But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”  And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.... This is how we meet this Stephen, this is the first time he shows up. And what is he? A man of faith, a man alive in Christ, a man who has the Holy Spirit. What clearer sign is there that the events of Christmas have impacted Stephen than this? Christ Jesus comes down and takes on human flesh, works out the plan of salvation, and what do we see? Stephen now filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. The result of Christmas and Christ’s life is that Stephen knows who God is, that Stephen believes in the Salvation won for Him by Christ Jesus, and that the Holy Spirit now dwells in him.

On account of this, Stephen is called into service. Stephen is asked, “for the good of your fellow believers in Christ, please do this. See that everyone is cared for fairly and kindly.” The faith and life that Stephen has is put into action. Faith isn’t just some dead possession, the Christian life is not something that we keep on a bookshelf and have to dust off every now and then, it is a relationship with God that moves us to action. Think of it this way. I’m sure many of the kids here this morning got new toys yesterday, and well, probably quite a few of us adults got new toys as well. So, are these toys just to be kept in the box, oh, look, I have a toy, how nice? No, they are to be played with, they are to be used. That’s the way it is with the Christian faith. We aren’t supposed to just keep it wrapped up, but rather we are to exercise our faith in the service of others. We live.

But sin still wants you dead, and your faith with it. Because of sin, we humans are the masters of the excuse, of dodging and shifting responsibility. When it comes to service of others, all too often our gut instinct is to avoid, to grumble, to wonder why someone else isn’t doing this, isn’t helping out, why am I the one stuck with this. There are times when our faith is an inconvenience to our schedule, and we’d rather just stick it in the closet with that gift our aunt gave us 7 years ago rather than actually use it. This is the temptation we are to avoid and beat down. As Christians we must remember that we are always going to be called into service, called to show love to our neighbor, to reflect back the love that we have received from Christ. This is something that Stephen does, and it is something which we ought to emulate.

Stephen also demonstrates another aspect of the Christian life. On account of Christ Jesus, we are called to confess. In our text today we see Stephen getting in trouble because he speaks plainly and clearly the Word of God. Stephen has been preaching and performing miracles, but the powers that be are upset, and so he is taken before the Jewish rulers and called to account. And what does Stephen do? Does he start playing the great game of cover my hide? Oh, this is all a misunderstanding, there’s no big deal, just let me go. Things are getting a little tense, a little hot in here, I had better stop what I’m doing, drop it, and just roll away? No, that’s not what Stephen does. We skip most of what Luke records for us in Acts, but we get the end of it. Stephen preaches, Stephen rips back and calls a spade and spade, giving them a good double barrel blast of the law. And they kill him. They drag Stephen out, they pick up rocks, and beat him to death.

So, was Stephen foolish? Was he unwise? No. Stephen was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. As Christians, as those who know who God is, who have tasted His Salvation, we are called to proclaim, to speak out the truth of God's word. Now, by this I’m not telling you all to get your sandwhich boards and stand out on the side of the road and start screaming at passer-bys in cars. But when you are questioned, when you are asked, “Who is this Jesus”, when one comes and denies your Lord, your duty is to confess Christ, whatever the consequences.

And that's not easy. Few things are more scary, more terrifying than speaking. Think in your own life apart from religion specifically. How many of you have things that you would like to tell someone but are afraid to? Someone is doing something wrong that hurts them, but. . . you just can’t say it, because you might upset them. Someone could use some advice, you have a recommendation, but what if they take it the wrong way. All too often we don’t speak when we ought to. Instead of showing love and care and service, instead of helping out, we say nothing. We have that fear of someone becoming upset with us, and that fear runs and rules our lives, not the love that we have from Christ.

Fear of speaking comes in even with good things. Who here hasn’t felt their knees turn to jelly when you want to say something sweet and romantic to someone? I’d wager that there are some guys here who have been married quite a while who still ho and hum before they work up the courage to tell their wives that they love them. Why then, should we be surprised when we have to confront fear when speaking the most wonderful words ever, speaking of Christ Jesus our Lord? Being bold in your faith can be hard, it can be frightening. There can and will be negative consequences in this life. If you doubt that, look at the prophets, look at the Apostles, look at Stephen, look at the cross itself. Nonetheless we are called to Confess, to speak boldly about Christ and Him Crucified when the opportunity presents itself.

So how? So far we have talked about many demands, much law. I, a poor miserable sinner, am called to service which I grumble about and do not do, I am called to confess Christ, and man, there are times where I just back down and run away. What now? Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. What now is this. We remember what else we are called to. We are called to be with the Son of Man, called to be with Christ Jesus. Dear friends, the Christ child does not remain idle, Jesus doesn’t just keep a low profile. Rather, He grows and suffers and dies and rises again. Why? So that He would call you to His side, that He would send His Holy Spirit to call you by the Gospel and Enlighten you by His gifts. At any and all times, we are to look to this, to remember this fact. Jesus, God Himself, calls you to be with Him. Emmanuel – God with us! This is what Stephen sees even as he lies dying, as the life is pounded out of him. Christ Jesus His Lord calling to Him, giving more and more forgiveness, bringing more and more Salvation. When Stephen sees Him, Jesus is there ruling at the Right Hand of God, calling His servant Home.

God constantly calls you as well. You are called by His Word to hear again and receive again the forgiveness of our sin. He calls you to the Altar, to His Supper, to receive His Body and Blood for the strengthening of your faith. When you are burdened, when you see your lack, you are called to look at Christ and see His love and Salvation, which is beyond anything else in the world. By His Word God constantly strengthens you and refreshes you when the world batters you down. Here in His house He gives you the gifts you need, preparing you to go out into the world and live the lives of service, the lives of confession that He calls you to. Here Christ Jesus fills you again with faith by forgiveness, by preaching, by His Supper, so that you are kept strong and firm, so that you are picked up whenever you stumble. Here in His House, we are gathered by Christ, just like a mother hen gathers her chicks, and under His protective wings you receive all that you need to grow in faith towards Him and in fervent love towards one another. Here in His house the Christ Child is at work for you, forgiving you and leading you.

And so, dear friends, on this December morn, we see who God is, who this Babe of Bethlehem is. He is the God who calls you to service, the God who calls you to confess him, but more than that, Jesus is the God who constantly calls you to be with Him, to come to Him, and to receive His blessings. And this He shall do, even until you see Him standing at the right hand of the Father yourselves. In the Name of Christ Jesus our Newborn King + Amen

Christmas Day Sermon

 

Christmas Day, 2021 – John 1:1-18

In the Name of Christ Jesus our Newborn King +

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. John here gives one of the simplest and best descriptions of the state of what sin looks like. We often think of sin primarily in terms of doing bad things, being naughty. And we therefore contrast sin with doing nice things. If I just do enough good things, then clearly I've dealt with sin. But that misses the point. Sin isn't just about my actions – defeating sin isn't a matter of “works done by us in righteousness” as St. Paul points out in Titus (a verse you should have all memorized from the Catechism, because if you want your Pastor to talk about righteous works he'll start at memorizing the Catechism). Bad acts, bad thoughts, words, and deeds are all just a side effect of what sin is. At its core, sin is not knowing, not experiencing Christ Jesus.

When Christ Jesus made the world, when the Word Himself summoned forth creation, it was all gift to us. Nothing but gift – and not to slate any of your shopping skills or the cleverness of Santa - better gifts than anything found under the tree this morning. And Adam and Eve knew it as gift, and they knew their relationship with the LORD as gift – they'd walk with Him together in the garden in the cool of the day. But the temptation, the lure Satan put forth was that there was something else to know, something better than the LORD and His gifts. Eat the fruit, have the knowledge of good and evil – don't receive merely what God gives, but take for your own. Ignore the trees God gave you and pull a “gift” off of this one. And sin is unleashed. And nothing is good. Contentment is gone. Fear and anger have come. And then what happens? Adam and Eve hear the sound of the LORD coming, and they hide. Why? Why hide from God, why hide from your Creator? Because they didn't know Him anymore. There was Jesus, in the world, the world that He had made, and Adam and Eve acted as though they didn't know Him. As though they thought that Jesus was going to show up and smite them instead of show love to them. Love that should have been the most obvious thing becomes a love unimaginable.

And Jesus promises to clean up the mess. He could not be with Adam and Eve as He had been before the Fall – they couldn't handle it. Satan had his claws upon them, wickedness enveloped them in anger and excuses, sin had blinded and deafened them. And so He promised right then and there in that garden that He would rescue them – the LORD stares down Satan and promises to come, become Man Himself to rescue His creation and to crush Satan under His feet.

And then we have the rest of the Old Testament. And it is nothing but over and over the Word of God coming to people who have forgotten, who intend not to know Him, and reminding them of the promise over and over. The LORD comes to Abraham – have a covenant, be circumcised and remember the promise. The LORD comes to Moses, rescues Israel who had all but forgotten Him – have the Law, remember the promise. Judges and Kings and prophets, all dealing with sin, with folks not knowing the LORD, and yet there is preaching and prophecy again proclaiming the promise. Know the LORD.

And finally, in the fullness of time, He comes. Jesus is born of Mary. The Word becomes flesh and dwells among us. And even when He comes in the flesh, people still don't know Him – thus the power of sin. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. Think on the Gospels, how often people don't understand who Jesus is, how often He surprises them with His love and compassion. Even the disciples, who should know Him better than anyone are repeatedly caught off guard. Why would He heal even gentiles, why would He cast out their demons, how can He be walking on water and stilling storms, why would He eat with sinners and tax collectors? Over and over – people don't know. Why? Because He is the Word by Whom all things were made, without Whom nothing was made – and there is not one of His creatures that He does not love and care for. But sin, but this stupid desire and determination to not know who God actually is blinds them, blinds us, and Jesus and His love continually catches people off guard.

And of course, it caught the disciples off guard the most when He told them bluntly that He would fulfill the promise – that He would go to the Cross and die to crush the Serpent's head, that He would rise to life on the third day to bring back life for His friends. Peter tries to talk Him out of it – get thee behind Me, Satan. Sin is not knowing who Jesus is. And yet, as He wanders though this world infested and made idiotic by sin, Jesus simply goes on to the Cross and does what He promised to do. And there, the very Body that our LORD took up, that was shown forth and revealed on Christmas – dies. And then, He rises, and life is won again for us, life with God.

But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. Oh, Jesus comes to make us children of God again, to restore us unto what Adam and Eve were before the fall. Because that restoration, being again what Jesus created us to be – it wasn't going to happen by anything we did. It wasn't going to be a matter of inheritance, nor of self control keeping our flesh in check, nor of making a decision to be better folks. Jesus knew none of those would work. Instead He does the work for you – and by His blood and by His life, you receive again a welcome into the family of God. You were claimed by God Himself in Holy Baptism. There at the font Jesus declared that He Himself is your brother, and that all that is His is in fact yours, given to you. That's the right that you have – all that belongs to Jesus now belongs to you. Because that's who Jesus is and always has been – the Giver of gifts. Here's a gift, receive it, delight in it.

And you will. Eternally. Now, you still contend with sin. Satan, the world, and your sinful flesh all conspire to make you forget Jesus, to not know Him. Yet that doesn't stop Jesus – He's not intimidated in the slightest. He came to you in Holy Baptism – of course He will come to you again and again. The Word Incarnate comes in His Word. He dwells among you today as He gives you His Body and Blood under bread and wine. Jesus makes you to know Him in His Word and His gifts of Baptism and the Supper. And even as things rage, even as sin tries to blind you and often enough does – Jesus comes to you again and again. And even when death comes for you and tries to close your eyes off to God forever, Jesus will speak His Word and open your eyes and you will see Him, and you will be raised from the dead and restored unto life, true life, life like back in the garden life. Because Jesus remains a giver – not just on December the 25^th, but always, now and forever. So that being justified by His grace [that is His gift, His free gift] we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is the reality, this is the truth of who you are and who Jesus is for you. And because He keeps His promises you will see it – now though a mirror dimly, but then face to face. The world might already be thinking about tearing down the decorations, wrapping all this Christmasy stuff up by Monday or Tuesday – but no – the real Christmas celebrations have just started. The feast is today, the feast is to come – and you will see it, and you will know your Savior's face, and see His own joy as He gives you grace upon grace for all eternity. Merry Christmas my friends in Christ! In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Newborn King.

Christmas Eve Homily

 

In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Newborn King +

Jesus was not the Messiah that people expected. Almost everyone who comes across Him is surprised, or shocked, or even dismayed. Even with the prophecies, even with the Scripture proclaiming what Jesus would be, He wasn't what people expected. He certainly was a surprise to Joseph and Mary – His coming wasn't what they had planned on or expected. The wise men following the star expect a King of the Jews born in the finest palace – but they must be sent to Bethlehem, and not even to the best house there, but to a stable and a manager. The very same manager where shepherds, of all people, lowly shepherds who were even low on the shepherd totem pole, stuck with 3^rd shift night duty, were the first the see the Savior. We're so familiar with the Christmas story that it seems old hat, but nothing here plays out the way that anyone really expected.

And Jesus' ministry – the same thing. People expected someone to restore an earthly kingdom, and Jesus isn't interested. He in fact runs away when they want to make Him king. They hoped for someone who would drive out the Romans and get rid of earthly injustice. Jesus in fact heals the people who arrest Him, and He meekly faces the grossest miscarriage of justice upon the Cross. People were looking for a Jesus that would belittle their enemies and cast them out; instead Jesus is found at table with them, eating with them. Every expectation, turned upside down – even as John the Baptist, even as Jesus Himself point to Scriptures to show what the Messiah would do.

We shouldn't be surprised that Jesus wasn't what people expected. Jesus, the real Jesus, still isn't what people expect, or want. Even today we'll hear people talk about Jesus as though He's just a wise teacher who will give them a few life tips and then leave them alone. Or Jesus is the ultimate feather in the cap in the case of an argument, where Jesus would agree with our every political idea or social whim – why Jesus would even buy the same brand of canned corn that we do. A Jesus who is a tool, easily used but then left on the shelf ignored when we're not building our schemes.

That's not who Jesus is. This Babe, lying in a manger, is God Almighty. He is the Word of God by which you were made. This Child is your Creator. This Boy is the one Adam and Eve hid from in the Garden, the One that every sinful human being has run from and danced away from since. And still, He comes. Jesus made us, and He is determined to be with us – to be Emmanuel – God with us. And so He comes and is born – True God and True Man. And so He wins us redemption – the Cross is His goal – His own death and resurrection so that even dying we would be raised to new life, forgiven and restored. And even as people turn their faces away, stop up their ears – Jesus comes to you today. His gift of Holy Baptism has made you His stable, your heart His manger. His Word of forgiven takes all He won upon the Cross and applies it to you. And even as the world doesn't know it, He comes to you under bread and wine, giving you His own Body and Blood for the remission of your sin in His Supper. Jesus is not what was expected, but He is the gift that was promised – He is your Redeemer. Merry Christmas my friends in Christ. In the Name of Christ Jesus, our Newborn King +