First Lutheran Church of Little Rock

Sermon for 12.05.21 Second Sunday in Advent
Text: Luke 3:1-20
Theme: The glad sound of faith

*In the Name of the Father…Amen.*

*The Gospel lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.*

*Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the Father through our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.*

*Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:*

Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes,

The Savior promised long;

Let ev’ry heart prepare a throne

And ev’ry voice a song.

He comes the pris’ners to release,

In Satan’s bondage held.

The gates of brass before Him burst,

The iron fetters yield.

*Introduction*

*John the Baptist exhorts his hearers to bear fruits worthy of repentance
by caring for the poor and the naked. *

He urges believing tax collectors and soldiers to treat those under their
power with honesty and decency. Such life-changing repentance is
demonstrated beautifully in the stories of two men.

*Consider Zacchaeus, the short, dishonest, rich tax collector who climbed
up in a tree to see Jesus passing by. Surprisingly, Jesus did not pass him
by. He called Zacchaeus by name, visited with him in his home. Zacchaeus,
moved to repentance by Jesus’ mercy and love, cried out, *

“Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if
I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the
amount.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house,
because this man, too, is a son of Abraham (cf Luke 3:8!). For the Son of
Man came to seek and to save the lost” (cf Luke 19:1–10).

*Later in the history of the Church, there is the story of a man named
Martin of Tours. *

Born to a pagan family, Martin later became a Christian and was a soldier
in the Roman army.

One afternoon, approaching the gate of a city, Martin encountered a beggar,
cold and half-naked.

Martin drew his sword and cut his heavy soldier’s cloak in half, wrapping
it around the shivering man.

*These are concrete ways in which Jesus’ mercy shaped the lives of a tax
collector and a Roman soldier.*

What fruits of repentance will Jesus’ mercy bring forth in your life?

*“**Hark the glad sound!**”** we sing during Advent.*

“Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding!

‘Christ is near,’ we hear it say.

‘Cast away the works of darkness, All you children of the day!’ ” (*LSB*
345:1).

*Listen! There is something thrilling to hear! *

But don’t just *sing about* listening to the glad sound;

don’t just *sing about* listening to the thrilling voice.

May we also ourselves *listen * to that glad and thrilling voice!

*What does it sound like? *

Well, the glad and thrilling sound in our text this morning sounds
something like this:

“You brood of vipers!

Produce fruits worthy of repentance!

Share your clothing and your food, don’t cheat others out of money, and be
content with what you get paid.”

*At this point you may be saying to yourself: Pastor Bacic, now, hold on
right there! *

This was supposed to be a glad sound, a thrilling voice.

But when you actually listen to John the Baptist, it just sounds like he’s
preaching at us.

And who likes to be preached at?

We don’t much care for somebody standing up and telling us we’re bad and
wrong and telling us we need to do this or that.

That’s preachy, some might say.

And to the sinful human heart, there’s nothing worse than being preached
at.

Who does that person think he is to tell me what to do?

That’s how our sinful hearts react.

*However, faith,, the faith in Christ which God has granted us in our
hearts:*

when *faith* hears preaching from God’s Word . . .

when faith hears that there’s a better life to be lived than the one I’m
living right now . . .

when faith hears that there’s a new King coming and a new Kingdom to live
in . . .

when faith hears that this King is merciful, that he does not condemn us
for our sins and our weakness, but that he is also the Lamb of God who
bears our sins on the cross . . .

when faith hears that this King comes not only to forgive us but also to
raise us up to newness of life . . .

Faith hears all this as a glad sound . . . as the most thrilling voice.

*Yes, my dear fellow sinners and brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ:*

confess along with me today that God’s ways are better than our ways.

Confess with me today that our lives leave much to be desired before God.

And rejoice with me today at the glad news that Jesus Christ has come into
the world to grant sinners like us mercy and forgiveness, and to lift us up
to living a new and better life!

The good news of a new life may sound a little preachy, it may sound
irritating, to the sinful heart.

*But To Faith, the Voice That Urges Us to New Life in Christ Is a Glad
Sound.*

*Today, let**’**s consider John the Baptist**’**s thrilling call to a new
life in Christ by reflecting on three phrases from our text*

*1. 1 Faith, the Voice That Urges Us to New Life in Christ Is a Glad Sound
. . .Even when it calls us **“**You brood of vipers!**”*

*Phrase 1:* *“**You brood of vipers!**”** (verse 7). *

John the Baptist apparently wasn’t much of a charmer!

There are a lot of polite and acceptable ways to extend a greeting to
someone:

Welcome!”

“How are you today?”

“It’s nice to see you.”

“Thank you for coming.”

“Ladies and gentlemen . . .”

Calling people the offspring of poisonous serpents, on the contrary—not so
courteous!

*1.2 **In Matthew**’**s Gospel, Matthew emphasizes that John was especially
making this accusation against the Pharisees and Sadducees, but here in our
text from Luke, the Scripture shows us that John was also rebuking the
entire crowd of people who came to him with this stinging accusation: **“**You
brood of vipers!**”*

*And so this morning, John the Baptist aims that sharp accusation at each
of us as well: *

*“**You brood of vipers! *

*You children of snakes and of that ancient snake, the devil!**”*

*What on earth would possess this man to greet his guests in such a manner?
*

*And who was he, anyway, to say something like that about them**—**about
us!**—**this wild-looking man in the wilderness?*

* 1.3 **John was the messenger sent by God to prepare the people for the
coming Jesus Christ by leading them to repent of their sins, and through
repentance to find forgiveness for their sins in Jesus. *

*Calling people to repentance is just what John is doing by this
accusation: **“**You brood of vipers!**”*

*There is no path to true repentance that does not run through this
recognition: **“**Brood of vipers truly describes me!**”*

*This isn**’**t just a colorful way of speaking; this isn**’**t an
exaggeration just for effect. *

*Rather, in truth, I was, in my sinfulness, a child of the devil. *

*The sin which still pulses in my heart and veins is serious and vile,
poisonous and deadly. *

*Because of my sinfulness, I deserve no more kindness and clemency from God
than would be shown a venomous viper slithering on the ground. *

*The true repentance to which John the Baptist calls us is a repentance
which looks on our own sin as horrifying and repulsive**—**a repentance
which confesses, **“**I am a poor, miserable sinner.**”*

*Repentance does not look on sins with indifference or amusement, and
certainly not with pride, as if to glory in one**’**s shame. *

*Repentant hearts look upon our sin with dread and willingly agree that we
are indeed a **“**brood of vipers!**”*

* 1.4 **You could say that John**’**s harsh greeting, **“**You brood of
vipers,**”** framed up a narrow gate there by the Jordan River. *

*At that gate, some people, including many Pharisees and teachers of the
law, turned away and refused to believe John**’**s message. *

*But many others entered through that gate; they owned up to the label
**“**brood
of vipers.**”*

*They came to John in repentance to hear the good news of the forgiveness
of their sins and to be baptized.*

*2. 1 Faith, the Voice That Urges Us to New Life in Christ Is a Glad Sound
. . . . Surely as it commands us to **“**Bear fruits in keeping with
repentance.**”*

*Phrase 2: **“**Bear fruits in keeping with repentance**”** (verse 8). *

John warns that true repentance and forgiveness is the only escape from the
severe judgment that is soon to come.

Don’t you dare think that a casual repentance that goes through the motions
without a genuine sorrow and turning away from your sins will save you.

Don’t you dare think that just because you are children of Abraham or
Missouri Synod Lutherans (minus having faith in Christ and trusting in Him
as your Savior) you are secure.

The judgment is coming; the axe is already laid at the foot of the tree.

Only through true repentance and forgiveness will sinners escape *“**from
the wrath to come**”** (verse 7).*

*2.2 **Our own Lutheran Confessions are very clear on this point. *

*They declare that good fruit, good works of every kind in life, should
follow repentance. *

*There can be no true conversion or repentance where resistance of sinning
and good fruits do not follow. *

*True repentance does not permit the indulgence of the body in lusts. *

*True faith is not ungrateful to God. *

*Neither does true faith hate God**’**s commandments. *

*In a word, there is no inner repentance unless it also produces the
outward turning away from sinning. *

*This, the Lutheran Confessions declare, is what John the Baptist means
when he says, **“**Bear fruits worthy of repentance**”** (see Apology to
the Augsburg Confession, XII 131**–**32).*

*2.3 **Yet it is also important to remember, dear friends, that John**’**s
message is described in our text as **“**good news**”** not bad news. *

*Just a few verses after today**’**s Gospel, we read: *

*“**With many other exhortations, [John] preached good news to the people*
*”** (verse 18, emphasis added). *

*And the good news is that whoever does repent of their sins finds
forgiveness as a:*

* free gift of God, *

*a free gift which does not depend on our own good works or good fruits,
but rather depends on the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.*

*3. 1 Faith, the Voice That Urges Us to New Life in Christ Is a Glad Sound
. . . . So that we gladly reply, **“**What shall we do?**”*

*Phrase 3: The eager question of the people: **“**What then shall we do?**”**
(verse 10). *

For those who acknowledged their sins and received the joy and power of God’s
forgiveness, John’s words were not a threat, but rather a thrilling
encouragement and promise: “Now you will bear fruits worthy of repentance!”

Among those coming out to John, there were many who repented and were
baptized for the forgiveness of their sins.

Their hearts, relieved and exuberant, begged John to tell them: now what?

What shall we do now that we are forgiven?

What shall we do now that God has graciously welcomed us into his kingdom?

*3.2 **And John answered them:*

*“**Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever
has food is to do likewise**”** (verse 11). *

*Luke writes that **“**even**”** tax collectors and soldiers were asking
John, **“**What shall we do?**”** (verses 12, 14). *

*Luke seems amazed at this! *

Even tax collectors and soldiers, two occupations particularly known for
dishonesty and harassment,

even they were transformed by the thrilling news of the Messiah.

They gladly asked this prophet of God what they could do to express the
gratitude filling their hearts.

What kinds of things could they do that would be worthy of such great and
free forgiveness?

*3.3 **John**’**s answer to these questions was that the good fruits of
repentance and faith are changes in our daily lives. *

*Show others the same kind of generous and merciful love that God has shown
you.*

*St. Paul often wrote in this way, when he was encouraging the saints in
various cities. To the Colossians, Paul writes that he prays they may:*

“walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit
in every good work” (Colossians 1:10).

*To the Philippians, he writes:*

“Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians
1:27).

*To the Ephesians:*

“I therefore . . . urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to
which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1).

*And to the Thessalonians: *“Walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you
into his own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessa. 2:12).

*Conclusion*

*By faith, we, too, desire to live lives worthy of our great Savior, worthy
of the great salvation which has been proclaimed and given to us. *

Not that our lives, in themselves, *are* worthy of the Lord.

We will never bear enough good fruit in our lives that we can say, “There,
now *that**’**s* the kind of life worthy of the Lord.”

All Christians fall short, and that is why we live always in repentance,
and that is why our confidence and trust must always be in Christ alone.

*This Advent, then, we listen anew to the glad, thrilling message of John
the Baptist: *

“The Savior is near!”

“The kingdom of God is near!”

“Repent, and live out your new life in Christ!”

“Produce fruits worthy of repentance!”

*To some, it sounds preachy. *

*But by faith, we bow in repentance, we behold the mercy of Christ, and we
gladly reply, **“**What shall we do?**”** Amen.*

*Let us pray:*

*He comes the broken heart to bind, *

*The bleeding soul to cure,*

*And with the treasures of His grace *

*To enrich the humble poor. *

*Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, *

*Thy welcome shall proclaim,*

*And heav’n’s eternal arches ring *

*With Thy belovèd name.*

*Text: Public domain*

*2 Corinthians 13:14* * The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of
God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.*

*The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. *

*In the Name of the Father**…**Amen.*

*Sermon for 12.01.21 (Advent Midweek 1) Text: Luke 1:26-38 Theme: The birth
of God: How…and why?*

*In the Name of the Father…Amen.*

*Luke 1:26-38 serves as our sermon text for this evening.*

*Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the Father through our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.*

*Prayer*

*Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:*

*My soul now magnifies the Lord; *

*My spirit leaps for joy in Him.*

*He keeps me in His kind regard, *

*And I am blest for time to come.*

*For He alone who shows such might *

*Has done amazing things to me.*

*His mercy flows; His name like light *

*Remains in time perpetually. *

*Introduction*

*One day, during confirmation class, a student asked the pastor a question
about Jesus when he was young: **“**When Jesus was our age, did he know
that he was God?**”*

*The pastor replied: **“**I don**’**t know the answer to that question.**”*

*There are questions even pastors have trouble answering:*

Why did my loved one have to die from cancer?

Why do the wicked continue to prosper while the righteous suffer?

Where is God when I need Him the most?

*There are a lot of hard questions that hardly anybody**’**s asking these
days, and for some of those questions there are Advent answers. *

*For, after all, isn**’**t that precisely what Advent is all
about?**—**preparing
to celebrate that time **“**When Heaven Met Earth,**”** when God first took
on human flesh in the person of Jesus, and preparing for that ultimate
Advent when that same Christ shall come in the fullness of the Godhead!*

*For this season of Advent, we will consider the hard questions hardly
anyone is asking,** but that have answers in Advent, Christ coming to
earth, heaven meeting earth. *

*And the first hard question that hardly anybody**’**s asking but which we*
*’**ll address is this one tonight:*

*How Can God Take on Human Flesh . . . and Why?*

*1.1 God is infinitely beyond our ability to comprehend.*

*Imagine yourself a missionary in a remote part of New Guinea trying to
share your faith with people who**’**ve never heard of this God of ours. *

*For that matter, imagine yourself talking over the fence with your
neighbor who knows absolutely nothing about the Christian faith. *

*How would you describe God? You know:*

*The* God we trust with our very lives and eternal destinies,

*The* God whom we believe, teach, and confess,

*The* God whom we worship and serve,

*The* God with whom we have daily conversations through prayer.

*1.2 Who is this God?*

*He is Awesome. *

*He is Glorious. *

*He is Eternal. *

*How in the world do you describe something which has no beginning and no
ending? *

*So you try again, and then give up trying, to describe or explain God. *

*The might and majesty of almighty God are infinitely beyond our ability to
comprehend, which is a good thing. *

*I am thankful for the fact that I can**’**t fit my God into some little
box of my own understanding, that there**’**s a whole truckload of stuff I*
*’**d like to know about God but never will this side of eternity. *

*1.3 **While we have lots of words to describe God:*

We can never explain him,

We just marvel that this God is the Creator of all that is—of light out of
darkness, of the seas and stars and mountains and plains, of animals and
plants and birds and fish, of man and woman.

Out of nothing, no less!

All that we see and touch and smell and hear that’s good—God made it, from
scratch. Amazing!

*2.1 Yet by mystery and miracle, God was truly born into human flesh.*

*That**’**s the context of today**’**s hard question that hardly anybody is
asking: *

How can God—this God who is infinitely beyond all description or
explanation or comprehension—how can God take on human flesh . . . and why
would he do it?

*How?*

John, using the same words to begin his Gospel as did Moses, the writer of
Genesis, penned:

*“**In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God**”** . . . and the Word created life and light and the totality of
creation: **“**and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, . . . full of
grace and truth**”** (John 1:1, 14).*

*2.2 **How? You know the story as well as I, and it**’**s just as much
mystery and miracle as all that has just been said.*

*It**’**s the story we just read, the story of a young girl named Mary,
chosen to be the human mother of this holy God, conceived in her by the
Holy Spirit.*

*And in a stable in Bethlehem, quietly and with a faithful man named Joseph
looking on, God did take on human flesh, and his name was Jesus. *

*How is this even possible?*

*Mystery and miracle. Thus, the birth of God!*

* 3.1 He did it because he loves us so much he would never give up on us.*

*The baby**’**s name gives response to why God took on human flesh. *

Jesus is a form of the same name as Joshua, both of which mean “Savior.”

*The first man and woman, made in God**’**s image, fell from holiness but
not from grace.*

*Ditto, the same goes for every created human being since that first free
fall into sin.*

*The world would never be the same as when first created; *

sin is powerful

sin is deadly

sin wreaks havoc upon all people.

*3.2 **The world needed a Savior. *

*But the qualifications were steep: *

the Savior had to be someone who was still holy, that is without sin.

But the Savior also had to be someone who would be able to endure the
consequences of sin—pain and suffering and death—and then snuff out its
power through the new life of resurrection.

*3.3 **Why did God take on human flesh?*

*Because he loves us enough to say: *

“I’ll never give up on them.”

“I’ll never leave them.”

“I, the Father, will send them my only Son, to be born among them and to
live among them and to save them from the curse of their sins.”

*So it was, on that night we call Christmas, **“**When Heaven Met Earth.**”*

*The Lord bless us as we ponder the questions of Advent, questions no one
seems to be asking. Amen. *

*Prayer*

Let us pray:

*His arm is strong; His strength is great.*

*He scatters those of proud intent*

*And casts them down from high estate, *

*Then gives the low His nourishment. *

*He feeds the hungry as His own; *

*The wealthy leave with empty hands.*

*He gives His help to Israel; *

*His gracious promise always stands.*

*Text: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn
License no. 110000247*

*The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.*

*In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.*

*Sermon for 11.28.21 (First Sunday in Advent) Text: Jeremiah 33:14-16
Theme: Those were the days*

*In the Name of the Father…Amen. *

*The Old Testament lesson serves as our sermon text for this morning.*

*Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the Father through our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.*

*Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:*

* Sing praise to the God of Israel! *

* Sing praise for His visitation!*

* Redeeming His people from their sin, *

* Accomplishing their salvation,*

* Upraising a mighty horn within *

* The house of His servant David! Amen.*

*Introduction*

*Some days are more important than others.*

*As you look back over your life, chances are a number of days stand out.*

But not all days are equal.

Some soon fade into the mix.

Others continue to stand out.

Some of you remember vividly the day JFK was shot,

the day the space shuttle *Challenger* exploded.

Most of you remember September 11, 2001.

*Introduction*

*On an individual level, you may remember a particular Christmas or
birthday.*

A special family vacation.

Your wedding day.

The day your favorite team won the biggest game.

Or a day of particular pain, tragedy, or loss that’s forever seared in your
memory.

Some days are more important than others.

*Introduction*

*In our Old Testament Reading for this morning, Jeremiah speaks to the
people of Jerusalem about some supremely important, crucial, stand-out
days. *

“Those days” sound like some pretty great days.

Jeremiah declared that “those days” are coming, but here in this house of
worship, gathered here before this cross, we celebrate that “those days”
have already come.

*Introduction*

*They came with the advent of Jesus Christ. *

Two thousand years ago, God was walking around in our world in human flesh.

Jesus came preaching the good news of God’s kingdom, healing the sick and
driving out demons, suffering and dying for our sins on the cross, rising
on the third day, and ascending to the Father.

*Those* were the days—the days when our Savior, Jesus, walked visibly in
our world and won our salvation.

They are the most important days this world has ever seen.

They are the centerpiece of human history.

*1.1 Most people of Jeremiah’s time, like people in every age, rejected his
prophecy of “those days,” caring only about “these days.”*

*Jeremiah the prophet pointed the people toward “those days.” *

*But the people of Jeremiah’s time, like people in every age, were more
interested in their own days, in the needs of “right now” of their own
lives. *

“These are the days.

These are the days that count . . . to me.

These are my days.

I have a mortgage to pay and health concerns and a difficult boss.

I have to be concerned with working out and getting the kids to music
lessons and remodeling the basement.

I have retirement investments to navigate, political causes to promote,
hobbies to pursue, and favorite sports teams to root for.

I have mouths to feed, grass to mow, cars to fix.

Jeremiah, don’t talk to me about those days.

Talk to me about these days. These are the days I care about.”

*1.2** Most people of Jeremiah’s time, like people in every age, rejected
his prophecy of “those days,” caring only about “these days.”*

*And you know, in light of such concerns, countless Israelites had turned
aside to other sources of help. *

*They neglected the words of God’s prophets; they abandoned the worship of
God.*

*Instead, they turned to false gods and false prophets. *

*They turned to prophets whose messages focused on the here and now. *

*They turned to the gods of the neighboring peoples, gods whose worship
focused on:*

guaranteeing a good crop for this year,

or on protecting them from current dangers,

or on multiplying the number of their herds.

*1.3 **Most people of Jeremiah’s time, like people in every age, rejected
his prophecy of “those days,” caring only about “these days.”*

Century after century this had gone on—the Israelites forsaking their God
to run after false gods and focus on their needs of the moment.

And century after century, God had sent true prophets to his people to warn
them and to turn them back, to call them back to hope in God’s promises for
“those days”—the coming days of the Messiah.

*1.4** Most people of Jeremiah’s time, like people in every age, rejected
his prophecy of “those days,” caring only about “these days.”*

Finally, in Jeremiah’s generation, God’s patience with Jerusalem ended.

The Lord said He had enough of the wickedness His people were involved in
and were actively promoting.

In punishment for their unbelief and idolatry, God announced that he would
bring the Babylonians against Jerusalem.

He told Jeremiah he had made up his mind to destroy the city, and nothing
could change it.

*1.5 **Most people of Jeremiah’s time, like people in every age, rejected
his prophecy of “those days,” caring only about “these days.”*

That was the situation in which our text this morning was spoken.

Jeremiah had announced to the people that a great destruction was coming,
sent by God’s own hand: the unstoppable armies of Babylon.

To the people of Jerusalem in this desperate situation, Jeremiah speaks the
words of our text: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I
will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of
Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to
spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the
land. In those days [in his days] Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will
dwell securely” (verses 14–16).

*1.6 **Most people of Jeremiah’s time, like people in every age, rejected
his prophecy of “those days,” caring only about “these days.”*

What kind of a reaction do you suppose Jeremiah got to these wonderful
words of promise?

Well, most of the people despised him!

“Get out of here, Jeremiah, they said, and take your irrelevant,
someday-down-the-road promises with you!

We don’t need a God who will help us ‘in those days.’

We’re tired of a God who says, ‘The days are coming.’

We need prophets who will speak about peace for this day! Just in case you
haven’t noticed, Jeremiah, there are like a million Babylonians outside
these walls, every one of them armed to the teeth. They’re planning to kill
us or carry us off into slavery, and all your God has to tell us is that
‘the days are coming’ when he will fulfill his promises?

Jeremiah, we don’t care about ‘those days.’

*1.7 **Most people of Jeremiah’s time, like people in every age, rejected
his prophecy of “those days,” caring only about “these days.”*

It wasn’t long before Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, as Jeremiah had
foretold.

That beautiful city of God was torn apart—her great walls toppled—the
temple of God looted and destroyed.

The prince of the city was taken before the Babylonian general, who killed
his sons right before his eyes and then ordered that his eyes be gouged
out.

And he and most of the people were led away in chains to a life of exile in
far-off Babylon.

*2.1 But God would fulfill his promise of “those days”—including another
great day of Jesus.*

But those few among them who still placed their hopes in the promises of
God’s Word through Jeremiah were not to be disappointed.

In spite of present hardship—bitter hardship—they clung to God’s sweet
promises.

In spite of present hardship, and maybe partly because of present hardship,
they set their hearts not on their own day, but on the days which were
coming.

Guess what? We will meet these faithful people one day, and rejoice with
them, when Jesus comes again to reign over us forever!

*2.2 But God would fulfill his promise of “those days”—including another
great day of Jesus.*

*“The days are coming,” *

God promised. And come they did.

Six hundred years later—at God’s own perfect time—God made a new branch
sprout from the line of King David.

His name was Jesus, God’s own Son, and he came to Judah and to Jerusalem to
fulfill every promise God had made to them.

He conquered death and sin and hell.

He restored the relationship between God and his people. He won eternal
victory for God’s people over all their enemies—eternal security for them,
eternal joy, an eternal kingdom.

*2.3 But God would fulfill his promise of “those days”—including another
great day of Jesus. *

“Those days”—Jesus’ days—are God’s source of true help and comfort for his
people—also for us, living in 2021.

The significance and power of Jesus’ earthly life extends far beyond the
day when he ascended to the Father and was hidden by the clouds.

The saving strength and merciful favor of God for you today is rooted and
anchored in “those days”—in the life and work of Jesus Christ, come in the
flesh for you, two thousand years ago.

*2.4 But God would fulfill his promise of “those days”—including another
great day of Jesus. *

*That’s why the Church observes a church year, a liturgical year, year
after year, rehearsing the life of Christ, over and over again. *

From Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, to Lent and Easter, and Ascension and
Pentecost, our Scripture readings and hymns direct our attention to the
saving life and work of Jesus Christ.

The church year directs our attention to “those days,” which God tells us
are the most important days for us.

And so, as we begin another church year today on this First Sunday in
Advent, we fix our eyes, we set our hearts, on “those days.”

*2.5 But God would fulfill his promise of “those days”—including another
great day of Jesus. *

*Those are the days that truly matter most. *

As we hear from the Scriptures about Jesus’ life of love two thousand years
ago, we encounter his revelation of God’s true heart, his profound love,
and the true pattern and meaning of life.

As we eat this bread which is his body and drink this cup which is his
blood, we do so in remembrance of the days of Christ’s saving work; we
proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Because of Jesus’ death two thousand years ago, ALL OF YOUR SIN AND GUILT
is removed today.

At the baptismal font, as our Lord gives us new life in Holy Baptism, he
does so by the power of Christ’s resurrection.

Because of his resurrection two thousand years ago, you have the pledge of
eternal life and glory today.

*Conclusion*

*If you’ve ever cut down a tree, you know it can be a big job. *

You plan it out carefully, you notch and fell the tree (and yell timber!),
you cut off all the branches and section the limbs and the trunk, you stack
the wood or haul it away, and after all the sweat and sawdust, the task is
complete.

Where a tree once stood, all that remains now is the lifeless stump.

But come next spring, you might just find out that the tree you chopped
down is not gone and that the stump is not so lifeless.

For out of sight, under the ground, the sprawling roots of that tree are
still gathering and sending forth life.

New green shoots spring up, and what seemed like a dead stump can become a
living, growing tree once again.

*Conclusion*

*Jeremiah uses this image in our text (Jeremiah 33:15–16) to describe God’s
promise to King David that one of his descendants would reign over the
people of Israel in justice and peace forever. *

God brought severe judgment upon the people in Jeremiah’s day, and God cut
off the line of the Davidic kings; they were left like a stump.

But God’s merciful love and faithfulness to his promises were like the
powerful roots of a tree.

And the new green, living shoot that he caused to sprout forth from that
stump was Jesus Christ, born from the lineage of David to bring new life
for his people (cf Jeremiah 33:17–26).

*Conclusion*

*Some days are more important than others, more outstanding, more special,
more crucial. *

For those who know Jesus, those days, his days, are the most important and
dearest of all.

There is another day that needs to be discussed.

It will be the greatest of all days; Jesus calls it “that day.”

That day is yet coming, our Lord Jesus has promised us, when the heavens
above will be shaken and we will see Jesus coming on the clouds with power
and great glory.

Even as we fix our eyes on those days two thousand years ago, the days of
our Lord Jesus, we also watch for that day, just as our Lord encourages us.

In the flood of your everyday worries and concerns, dear brothers and
sisters in Christ, set your hearts on that day.

And when you do see him coming on the clouds, “straighten up and raise your
heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28)!

*Conclusion*

*Because of his saving work for us at his first coming, when Jesus comes a
second time, he will raise up all the dead, and he will give eternal life
and a place in his eternal kingdom to all who trust in him. *

All of his saints from days long past will rise from the dust on that day,
and we will shine with them like the stars forever and ever.

Jeremiah will be there, and those who trusted Jeremiah’s words. “In those
days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely” (verse 16).

On that day, all our troubles will end.

And God and his Messiah, King Jesus, will reign forever and ever.

At last, they will establish justice and righteousness in the earth.

Our Lord Jesus, our King, will establish justice and righteousness in us
and among us.

That day is coming soon, Jesus promises us.

Stir up your power, O Lord, and come.

Some days are more important than others. Amen.

*Let us pray:*

*O bright, rising Sun, now shine on us *

* In need of illumination;*

* Come scatter the shades of sin and death *

* And shatter their domination.*

* Be guiding our footsteps on the path *

* Of peace, in Your presence dawning! Amen *

*Text: © 1992 Stephen P. Starke, admin. Concordia Publishing House. Used by
permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110000247*

*Prayer*

*2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of
God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.*

*The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. *

*In the Name of the Father…Amen.*

•

*Sermon for Thanksgiving Eve 2021 Text: Deuteronomy 8:1-10 Theme: God’s
Grace at work*

• *In the Name 0f the Father…Amen.*

• *The Old Testament lesson serves as our sermon text for
this evening.*

• *Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the Father
through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.*

• *Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:*

• Praise and thanksgiving,
Father, we offer
For all things living,
Created good:
Harvest of sown fields,
Fruits of the orchard,
Hay from the mown fields,
Blossom and wood.

• Bless, Lord, the labor
We bring to serve You
That with our neighbor
We may be fed.
Sowing or tilling,
We would work with You,
Harvesting, milling
For daily bread.

• Amen

• *Introduction*

• *Starting with our first parents, Adam and Eve, God has
given us a place to live, a place to tend, a place that produces sustenance
for our existence, a place that cares for us while we care for it. *

• In Genesis, “The Lord God took the man and put him in
the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Gen 2:15, Scriptures
quotations are NIV unless noted).

• *Later, God, through a covenant, gave a land—a holy land—to
his people. *

• *To Abraham, he said: *

• “To your descendants I give this land, from the [river] of
Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates” (Gen 15:18).

• *And of course later, after Moses had led the Hebrews out
of their Egyptian bondage and through forty years of wandering in the
desert:*

• “Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the
top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole
land. . . . Then the Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I promised on oath
to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your
descendants’ ” (Deut 34:1, 4).

• * Introduction*

• *The gift of a land to call our own is God’s pattern, right from
the beginning. *

• Today, the day before Thanksgiving Day, exemplifies and
highlights this—especially for us as Christians—but in more ways than that.

• *Thanksgiving Is a Day to Recognize God’s Pattern of Grace Always
at Work among Us.*

• *Of course, we, as Christians living in the United States, thank
our God for this land where we enjoy the ability to worship God as of right
now without persecution.*

• A land that produces much good food.

• A land in which to raise our families and build our homes.

• A land in which to live out the days of our earthly lives.

• *1.1 We see that pattern in God’s grace to provide for the Lutheran
Church through the Reformation and in its coming to America.*

• *But today, in preparation of celebrating Thanksgiving
Day, I want to remind you that we, as Lutheran Christians of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod, should also remember what it is that brought our
Lutheran forebears to America in the mid 1800s.*

• *The Reformation took place in Saxony, Germany, in the
sixteenth century, triggered by events surrounding Martin Luther’s posting
of his Ninety-Five Theses on the castle church door in Wittenberg, October
31, 1517.*

• In fact, many of the events of the Reformation took
place in Saxony, which at the time was essentially a kingdom.

• There was no unified country of Germany as we know it
today.

• Now, what you know as Saxony today, contemporarily, is
the German state of Saxony in the eastern part of the Federal Republic of
Germany.

• But there are also two other states with similar names,
Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony.

• Together, they make up what was the Kingdom of Saxony,
ruled by Prince Frederick the Wise.

• These are the heart of the Luther lands.

• *1.2*

• *Three hundred years after the Reformation, religious persecution
returned to the area, once again directly affecting those Christians who
followed the reformer Martin Luther’s teachings and theology as recorded in
the unaltered Augsburg Confession.*

• But this time, the persecution was different.

• The government was essentially forcing the Evangelical Lutheran
Church and the Reformed Church—what we would know in America as the
Methodists and the Presbyterians, among others—to ignore their differences
and merge into one church.

• Essentially, the Lutherans were being asked to abandon the
Lutheran Confessions, especially as found in the Augsburg Confession, in
order to bring only one state church to the area; indeed, false religion
was again the source of great troubles.

• The direct descendants of the Reformation Church again found
themselves being persecuted by the government for their faith.

• This was going on not only in Saxony but in neighboring Prussia
as well.

• *1.3*

• *Therefore, devout Saxon Lutherans—the descendants of Luther,
Melanchthon, and all those who fearlessly stood down Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V and the pope himself—now some three hundred years later, in the
1830s and 1840s, were again being persecuted. *

• *This time, they packed up, boarded ships, and settled in Perry
County, Missouri, a new world that would allow them to practice their faith
freely.*

• *1.4 *

• *The leader of this exodus was Martin Stephan, a Lutheran pastor
from Dresden who appointed himself as a bishop after arriving in America.
These brave Lutherans, the forebears of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod—our forebears—about 1,100 of them, wanted the freedom to practice
their Christian faith in accordance with Scripture, expressed in the
Lutheran Confessions, the Book of Concord, and so they bravely and
faithfully followed Stephan toward the United States in November 1838.*

• *Four of their ships arrived in New Orleans in January 1839. *

• *Not knowing that another ship had been lost at sea, they spent
some time waiting there. *

• *Finally, most of the remaining 750 immigrants settled in Perry
County, Missouri, and in and around St. Louis.*

• *1.5*

• *Later, on April 26, 1847, twelve pastors from fourteen German
Lutheran congregations met in Chicago, Illinois, and founded the German
Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States. *

• *Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther, better known as C. F. W.
Walther, became the first president of the synod. One hundred years later,
in 1947, the synod changed its name to our present name: The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod. *

• *And today, the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison is the thirteenth
president of the LCMS.*

• *1.6*

• *I take the time on this day before Thanksgiving to give you a
brief history of our own Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod because, while
tomorrow is not specifically a church holiday, without question, tomorrow
is a day that highlights God’s great mercies toward his children throughout
the millennia. *

• *God continues to bless us with his grace—that beautiful, sweet,
unmerited, undeserved goodness he shows toward us, his sinful and
rebellious children. *

• *What he’s done for our church fits his pattern of grace that is
always active among us.*

•
* 2.1 We see that pattern because of God’s grace in giving Jesus to
provide eternal blessings for all.*

• *That pattern of grace is all a result of God’s one great act of
grace. *

• *The gift of God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ, who took your
sin and my sin upon himself and paid for those sins on the cross, is God’s
grace at work. *

• *And that one act of grace, Jesus’ death on the cross:*

• since it removed the sin that would have ever separated us from
all of God’s gifts,

• that this one act satisfied God’s wrath over our sins

• this act has reconciled us to him as dear children—that one act
of grace has made possible every other gift for every person.

• *2.2*

• *The gift of the Garden given to our first parents is God’s grace
at work. *

• *The gift of the Promised Land—promised to Abraham, shown to
Moses before his death, and given to the people who entered into this
Promised Land—is God’s grace at work. *

• *The protection afforded the Wittenberg reformer, Dr. Martin
Luther, as he faced kings and emperors and pope, in order to proclaim
fearlessly the pure, life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ—salvation by grace
through faith, without any work of our own—that is truly God’s grace at
work, in so many ways!*

• *2.3*

• *The exodus of our own forebears:*

• those brave Saxons who had their hand firmly on the
Gospel as recorded in Holy Scripture, who, when challenged, refused to let
go of that Gospel and instead chose to leave their own country behind in
order to practice their God-given faith freely here in America

• this is God’s grace at work!

• * 2.4*

• *Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the fact that you and I
are here today, worshiping the same God of Scripture—this is God’s grace at
work. *

• *For this same God protected our own ancestors, whoever they
might be: *

• original immigrants to the first thirteen colonies or perhaps
refugees just a few decades back from Cambodia or Laos.

• Perhaps slaves taken against their will, either from Africa or
from wherever they called home, literally ripped away and stolen from their
own lands.

• Perhaps immigrants from Mexico or the Philippines or Russia,

• recent immigrants from Africa,

• or perhaps a happy bride coming to this country with her American
soldier husband.

• Whatever the background, whether the trip to America was one of
optimism or one of terror, these are our ancestors, whom God has promised
never to leave or forsake.

• *2.5*

• *We recall the words of the psalmist in Psalm 121: *

• “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help
come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not
let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who
keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the
Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep
your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this
time forth and forevermore” (ESV).

• *Indeed, in our pilgrimage here on earth and our
journey to our heavenly home, our Immanuel God is with us. This is God’s
grace at work!*

• *2.6*

• *And so tomorrow, the day of Thanksgiving, we, many of
whom are either immigrants ourselves or descendants of immigrants, give
thanks to God that he had his hand of protection upon each man, woman, and
child as they came here, as they came here to America, regardless of
situation. *

• *And because of God’s grace at work in protecting them,
you and I are here today, November 24, 2021, worshiping God freely,
according to our conscience.*

• *2.7*

• *God’s grace at work! *

• *Our Immanuel God is with Adam and Eve at the fall in
the Garden*

• *He was with the Israelites during the time of
horrible Egyptian enslavement*

• *He was with those brave reformers in Saxony some five
hundred years ago*

• *He was with those original immigrants from Saxony as
they came to America to worship God freely.*

• *And He is always with us in the person of his Son,
Jesus Christ, true God and true man, true Messiah for the world! *

• *Thanksgiving is a day to remember God’s grace—his
living, active, all-powerful, and all-forgiving grace—and that is why we
gather here today and why we celebrate around the dinner table tomorrow.*

• *We gather to worship God. *

• *We gather to receive grace upon grace as we read God’s
Holy Scripture and hear his Word being preached to us. *

• *We received grace and forgiveness as our sins were
washed from us in those waters of Baptism. We receive grace and forgiveness
of sins as we take comfort in having received Jesus’ body and blood in,
with, and under the elements of the bread and wine this last Sunday.*

• *Conclusion*

• *Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this is God’s pattern! *

• *At a time when we were horribly and irrevocably lost, God saved
us from our fallen nature through his Son, Jesus Christ. *

• *Indeed, we have so very much for which to be thankful today!*

• *Have a blessed Thanksgiving, dear brothers and sisters of First
Lutheran Church. *

• *You are living proof of our God’s grace at work.*

• *In the name of God the Father, who created us, in the name of
God the Son, who by his blood has redeemed us, and in the name of God the
Holy Spirit, who made our bodies to be his own holy temple and gives us
that same faith that bestows God’s grace at work. Amen.*

• *Let us pray:*

3

*Father, providing Food for Your children, By Your wise guiding
Teach us to share One with another, So that, rejoicing With us, all
others May know Your care. Amen. *

*B. 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of
God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.*

*C. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. *

*D. In the Name of the Father…Amen.*