Devotions for the Advent Season December 2013

UNTO YOU

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 25

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. If I have a few minutes in the evening, I often enjoy browsing through the daily newspaper. Every now and then I glance at the public notices. Part of that section includes the birth announcements. The hospitals report who was born and when. A person can find out how big the baby was and who the parents are. But as joyful and momentous as the birth of a child is to a couple, I actually don't find myself spending a lot of time looking at those announcements in the paper. After all, it wasn't my baby that was born. How different it was the day my wife and I brought our daughter home from the hospital! That day I ran out and bought extra copies of the paper. That day the birth announcements really meant something to me because I could look there and see my own child, and I was thrilled with the gift God had given to us. All of a sudden those few lines of print on page 7D were very special to me-because the baby was mine. If the angels had come to the shepherds on Christmas Eve and said simply, "A baby is born in Bethlehem," do you think the shepherds would have left their sheep and gone into town? I think not. What would they have cared? They might have thought about the joy of the new parents for a moment, but if it wasn't their baby, how easily they might have forgotten. These devotions were selected from the online collection found at www.xrl.us/edevotions To receive daily devotionals like these free by e-mail, sign up at www.redeemerclc.org/devotional.html

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Two little words made all the difference to them that night-- "Unto you." With those words the angels announced to the shepherds not only that a baby had been born, but that this child belonged to them! Now they couldn't wait to see their own flesh and blood, their own relative, their own son! Those two words make all the difference for you too. Now you can see clearly that God has done this great thing for you. He has given you a Baby. Jesus is your child. He was sent into the world for you and because of you; sent to save you from your sins. "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Hear the birth announcement-- and go see your new Baby Brother! 27

LET'S GO TO BETHLEHEM –!WITH THE SHEPHERDS

TUESDAY DECEMBER 24

Luke 2:15-18 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. It surely wasn't the first time they had gone to Bethlehem. No doubt these men, though most familiar with the fields, knew their way around the city of David. Just because they spent most of their time with the sheep doesn't mean they didn't also spend time with fellow human beings. But their purpose in coming to town was far from ordinary that first Christmas Eve. They hadn't planned to make the trip. They weren't looking for feed for the sheep. They were following up on a Word of God. So, it was really God who sent them to town. It wasn't that they doubted the word of the angels. Rather, they were certain that the event had come to pass, just as they had been told. To find the child they had only to follow the signs. They did, and they found Him of whom the angels sang. But they didn't just head back out to the fields after they saw the Child Jesus. They made a point of telling others in Bethlehem (and beyond?) all the things they had been told about him. Their message wasn't merely about the angels, but about Him of whom the angels sang! And those who heard were amazed. If the Shepherds, equipped with the simple Word, could be so bold, then so can we! There is more to be told than that He was born. He lived, and died and rose again to reconcile us to God! People today won't always be amazed; not everyone will be overcome by the Gospel of Christ. But that's not why we speak, is it? We direct people to Bethlehem, to Calvary and to Christ because He rules and reigns from the throne of our hearts. Let's go to Bethlehem and then tell others all about His birth -- and what happened afterward. 26

ADVENT WELCOME

SUNDAY DECEMBER 1

Psalm 121:1-2a I will lift up my eyes to the hills--From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord . . . Welcome to the season of Advent. This pre-Christmas season of the liturgical Church year gives God's children the opportunity to reflect upon our Savior's coming. As the Psalmist declares "My help comes from the Lord." The coming of help in the form of God's grace and mercy is what the whole of Scripture and our Christian faith is all about. The word advent simply means "coming" and so these four weeks of Advent are spent rejoicing in the various ways in which our Savior comes. The Church has historically spent the Advent season considering our Savior's coming in at least three ways: 1) In Old Testament times our Savior came by way of the promises that the holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. These prophecies and promises reminded those who listened that one day the “SAVIOR WOULD COME” as God would keep the promise made in the Garden of Eden to send the Seed of the woman to crush the head of Satan. 2) Trusting that our Father is faithful and keeps His promises, we Christians spend a bit of extra time during the Advent season reflecting on a lowly manger in Bethlehem as we consider those shepherds who were the first to be told that “THE SAVIOR HAS COME!” 3) Although our Savior has ascended into heaven where He now sits in authority at the right hand of God, He yet encourages us to await His return as “THE SAVIOR NOW COMES” to rule in our hearts through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. These three aspects of our Savior's "advent" form the themes of the pre-Christmas season and also provide an edifying outline for many Christmas Eve children's services. During this first week of the Advent season we will spend time rejoicing in the hope, comfort, and joy of these three themes as we patiently wait for the celebration of our Savior’s birth. The devotions for this first week of the Advent season will be portions of various children's Christmas services. Just as Christmas Eve points to Jesus, so also the entire Advent season is meant to keep our eyes and hearts fixed on Jesus. 3

CLEANING HEART

MONDAY DECEMBER 2

Isaiah 40:3-4 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain." What do you do when someone is coming over to your house to visit? At our house, a special visitor on the way means my wife gets out the vacuum cleaner and puts a dust-rag in my hand. We don't want our guests to see all our cobwebs and dirty laundry, so everything gets cleaned from top to bottom. We want to make things nice for those who come to see us. There is a special traveler on the way to your place this Advent season. It is Jesus Christ. He comes from far away-- from the heavenly realms. He comes not only to your house, but especially to your heart. How will you prepare for the arrival of this greatest of all guests? By washing the windows? By sweeping the floor? How about by sweeping your heart! Go into the dark recesses and sweep away envy, malice, bitterness, strife, and any other sin you might find there. Make the rough edges smooth. Make the rugged places into a plain. Let's get things ready for the arrival of our heavenly King. We want to make things nice for Him who comes to see us. What can we do with the trash we find while cleaning heart? Why, take it to the dump, of course! Take it to the dump at Calvary where on Him is laid the iniquity of us all. Yes, indeed-- the Savior who comes is the very One who prepares us for His coming through repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Prepare the way before Him; Prepare for Him the best. Cast out whate'er offendeth This great, this heav'nly Guest. Make straight, make plain, the way: The lowly valleys raising, The heights of pride abasing, His path all even lay (TLH 75:2). 4

LET'S GO TO BETHLEHEM – WITH MARY AND JOSEPH

MONDAY DECEMBER 23

Luke 2:1-5 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. If it happened today people would ask, "What possessed Joseph to travel such a distance with a pregnant wife?" So why did Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem? The simple answer that Scripture provides is this: they obeyed the decree of Caesar Augustus. They traveled to Bethlehem to register their holdings for the purpose of taxation. But, the answer isn't just that simple, is it? To keep His word, the Almighty also directed history. The LORD promised through the Prophet Micah that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. He indicated this specifically, saying (Micah 5:2): "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." God keeps His promises. He confirmed His faithfulness in time past by keeping his promises and will surely keep all his promises that concern our futures. Moreover, consider that when Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem they knew that the child who would be born was no ordinary child. The child that Mary carried in her body was also the one whom the heavens cannot contain. He was coming to save mankind from much more than death and taxes. He came to save from sin and its every consequence. "'And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.'" So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'" Did Mary and Joseph call these words to mind as they entered Bethlehem? We will, as we in spirit, enter Bethlehem again this Christmas season.

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LET'S GO TO BETHLEHEM–WITH DAVID

SUNDAY DECEMBER 22

1 Samuel 16:10-12 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here." So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!" I've seen the signs outside more than one city, so it does happen. A person born and raised in a town leaves and becomes famous. If they become famous enough, the city eventually puts up a sign at the edge of town: "Home of . . ." David grew up in Bethlehem. He walked the same roads Jacob and Rachel traveled. He likely watched his father's sheep in some of the same fields where Ruth gleaned Boaz' grain. If we could go back and walk the streets of Bethlehem with David, we would be traveling with a celebrity. David wasn't just given the keys to the city, the city itself came to bear his name. If signs had been posted on the outskirts, they would have read: Bethlehem, the City of David. Bethlehem was known for its agriculture, for its flocks and herds. It was not a place you would think to look for the next King of Israel. Yet, God sent Samuel to Bethlehem, to the home of Jesse, because He had chosen one of his sons to be king over his people. Humanly speaking, David was an unlikely choice to be king. But David was God's choice -- and God made him a great king.

JESUS IS THE COMING ONE

TUESDAY DECEMBER 3

Matthew 11:3 "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" "THE COMING ONE" was one of the Old Testament names for the Messiah, the promised Savior. This is still a wonderfully appropriate name for our Lord because He came as promised, He comes through Word and Sacrament, and He will come again in glory. Jesus came to restore lost sinners to God's family, to give us life for death --- eternal life in the new creation. He who came to "seek and to save the lost" looks forward to coming again and saying, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' In the earliest days of the Christian Church the focus was fixed on Christ's Return to such an extent that they did not make a point of celebrating His birth. But we don't need to stop celebrating Christmas in order to look forward to Christ's Return. In fact, as we look toward Judgment Day, our great comfort is that HE WHO COMES is the same ONE Who came in Bethlehem, Who took our flesh and bore our sorrows, Who came to live and die in our place, Who forgives our sins and gives us His righteousness. This is the the heart of our hope. Therefore, we do not confess "from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead" with fear and trembling. We know the “Coming One” is the One who first came for us, born to save us from our sins. And He shall come again.

God has also chosen us. We are called by the Holy Spirit to be His children by faith. And as God's children, we are also chosen to be His witnesses to the world. Do we think of ourselves as unlikely or unfit choices? God has chosen us of his grace, not because of what we "bring to the table." He will also equip us for our task by His Word. He will make of us fit witnesses, even as He made David, a shepherd boy, into Israel's greatest king. Bethlehem was once called "the city of David," but one far greater than David was born there. We rejoice to call Him our King. God grant that the sign at the entrance of our hearts always reads: "Home of Christ the King!" 24

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REPENT!

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4

Luke 3:4-6 "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." Still the voice of God's prophet John rings out: REPENT! Through this Word God still prepares people to welcome His Son as Savior and King, to honor Him today with our worship, to serve Him tomorrow in our treatment of others, to lift up our heads in glad anticipation at His return in glory. You see, God knows none of these things can happen unless we deal with the selfishness and pridefulness, the love of sin and the excuses that go with it -- the strong inclination to value our own opinion even above God's will. All these obstacles to the welcome of Christ into heart and life must be brought low . . . leveled off by that kind of honest and regret-filled sorrow which is the mark of Spirit-worked repentance. And those deep ravines of despair and doubt? They also are obstacles to Christ's rule in us. To say "God cannot use me"; to say "It's too good to be true"; in despondency to think God's promises don't apply to you -- these valleys of sorrow the Spirit fills by turning our hearts away from doubt and despair to the security and certainty of God's own promises. Well then, if repentance is God's work, then there is no reason to urge you to repent, right? Don't tell John the Baptist! If only a heart surgeon can help you, you don't sit at home and say, "nothing for me to do". You go to him, talk to him frankly and openly, listen to him, and do what he says. It's no different with spiritual heart problems. Go to the only One who can change your heart. Go to the Lord. Honestly tell Him your sorry condition. Listen to His Word to you, and depend on it. Don't shy away from the truth that convicts, like the pain that precedes healing, it is necessary. When we see how unfit we are, what poor beggars we are before God; when we see how we have nothing to offer the Lord, the Spirit has done His initial work -- enabling us to see clearly that it is with empty hands we hold fast to Christ our Lord, depending on His living and dying to set us right with God, relying on no one and nothing else. 6

LET'S GO TO BETHLEHEM –WITH RUTH SATURDAY DECEMBER 21 Ruth 4:13, 17 Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son . . . And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. She wasn't born and raised in Bethlehem, but she came to call it home. Ruth was a gentile from Moab. She came to be married to one of Naomi's sons when they moved to Moab to escape a famine. Even though she was encouraged to stay in her homeland and remarry, Ruth showed herself a woman of integrity and love. She determined to stay and support her mother-in-law. When Ruth came to Bethlehem, she was a stranger in a strange land. If we visited Bethlehem today, we would probably feel like she did when she arrived. She didn't fit in. She was different. God blessed Ruth with faith to trust in Him and His promises of a Savior -- and with a god-fearing husband, Boaz. God also blessed her with a son, Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. This may seem, at first glance, little more than an ordinary event in a mildly interesting history. But this is more than that. This is the ongoing story of God keeping his promise of a Savior. Notice that the Savior's family tree includes a gentile, a non-Jew like us. Do you ever feel like you don't belong? I mean, when you hear the promises that God made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah, do you think, "Well, I'm not of this ethnic background, how do these promises, made to the Jews, apply to me? I'm not Jewish!" While some of the Jews of Jesus' day thought that the Christ would come only for them, the truth had been revealed centuries before. The account of Ruth, a gentile, reminds us of this fact. Many of us are German or Norwegian or Scottish or English. Still the promises that God made to and through His Old Testament people concerned us all. The announcement of the Savior's birth was not meant just for a few, but for us all. We are children of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26) with all rights and privileges. Didn't God's messenger say so? "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing God has done for us. 23

"PREPARE MY HEART, LORD JESUS"

FRIDAY DECEMBER 20

Luke 3:4-6 Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. When kings of old came to out of the way villages and towns the people welcomed their ruler with more than a ceremony, they didn't just roll out a new carpet, they made a new road . . . a road "fit for a king". In such terms Isaiah couches his description of John's call to prepare for the king. But the people knew as well as John did that what needed to be filled, straightened, leveled and made smooth was not some roadway into Jerusalem. For the place from which God rules His people, His throne, is not some royal city or earthly palace, but the human heart. Now, people can and do welcome earthly leaders with grudging hearts, outward honor, and formal loyalty. But with God such a reception is no reception at all, but rather rejection. True reception of Christ in our Christmas worship and at His Second Coming is through heart reception now -- that is, turning our hearts over to Him. He alone LORD and King, we His faithful subjects. But there is no human being who is by nature able to do this. Even we in whom God has worked faith in Christ, continually struggle for an undivided allegiance to our Lord. Sin ever afflicts us, fracturing our loyalty and eroding our commitment to the service of our Savior. God must prepare the human heart if the Savior is to be received and honored in faith and life. This is true if we are talking about the initial change the Spirit works when through the gospel Word He converts the unbelieving sinner turning that person from his sin to his Savior. This is just as true when we who already believe are led by the Spirit through the Word to repent of the sins that too easily beset and entrap us and with sincere sorrow and humble faith turn to our Savior for forgiveness and strength to walk upright and free. 22

PEACE IN OUR FAMILIES

THURSDAY DECEMBER 5

Matthew 1:20-21 An angel of the Lord appeared to him (Joseph) in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." The Christmas season can be a difficult time for those with family problems. Some try to avoid the pain by avoiding the observance of the holidays. But the solution is not to ignore the season but rather to turn to God's word for the true meaning of Christmas. For when we do, we find that even the coming of the Christ made for family problems that first Christmas - problems resolved by a word from God. The world's view of Christmas often emphasizes family above all else. Good, but not enough. Families often have problems, trouble, strife ... matters that can't be solved by simply saying, "We are family," anymore than Joseph's turmoil and pain could be erased by simply saying he and Mary had pledged themselves to each other. No, Joseph's solution came from God's Word to him in particular -the word about Jesus. So also for us in our families. Peace is to be found in the word about Christ -- in who He is, God's own Son, and in what He has done in winning for us pardon and peace with God. In Christ's forgiveness we have peace with God - and the means to make peace with each other. Oh, the joy beyond expressing, When by faith we grasp this blessing. When God made clear to Joseph the meaning of what He was doing in connection with Jesus, then Joseph was able to act in a way that gave him and Mary a future together. Let us take hold of the truth of what God has done in Christ our Savior and apply that forgiveness in our families that we may have a real future together. 7

TOGETHERNESS

FRIDAY DECEMBER 6

ENGINEERED BY THE LORD

THURSDAY DECEMBER 19

Romans 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.

Leviticus 19:9 When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.

How does the world so often get ready for Christmas? By promoting a spirit of "togetherness." According to many, the very heart of Christmas is supposed to be family gatherings and precious moments with loved ones. We are all supposed to put our differences aside for a few hours on the 25th of December the way the World War I soldiers did in the trenches of France. "Christmas is coming, so let's just all get along," they say.

When you look at a skyscraper, a massive bridge, or some other amazing feat of engineering and design, it is not difficult to understand that a good deal of planning must have been involved before stones and steel were moved into their final positions.

But if your feelings of "togetherness" are only tied to a day on the calendar, what happens when that day is gone? What happens to those who lay aside their differences on the 25th? Do they take them up again on the 26th? Let me tell you about the true unity that you have. It begins at the manger in Bethlehem. Remember in these last days the joyful union you share with your fellow believers which is based on the Christmas gospel. While the world runs after Santa Claus and a few scrawny reindeer, you all share a greater, more solid hope. As you get ready for Christmas, you look for a Christ-child who will take away all sin on the cross. You look for One who will lavish forgiveness upon you and take you to be with Himself forever in heaven. Yes, you may have differences among one another from time to time, but the great Savior's gifts which you all share are able to overcome any petty disputes and bring "togetherness" to every day. May your unity in the faith with others be a joy to your heart and in your life.

Likewise, when we consider the salvation of our souls culminating in the empty tomb on Easter Sunday, we know that such an incredible thing was engineered long in advance. Before the Lord Jesus could keep God's holy law in our place He had to become one of us. Before He could suffer and die carrying the sins of the world, He had to be born a human being of virgin mother. So many years ago God was putting all the pieces into place. This was His "Advent season" so to speak. Surely the divine engineer knew when He first gave the Levitical harvest law to Moses and the Israelites that one day a woman named Ruth would make use of it. Boaz, a God-fearing farmer, had followed the word of the LORD and left the edges of his field uncut and the gleanings of his harvest for the poor and the foreigner. Ruth was both. As she gathered grain to take home to her mother-in-law, Boaz noticed her. He loved her and he married her. Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed; who had a son named Jesse; who had a son named David -- and David became king. Then hundreds of years later it was Joseph, of the house and lineage of David, who went to Bethlehem to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife being great with Child.

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THAT OLD TIME RELIGION

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 18

Romans 1:1-3a Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-- the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son ... There is a familiar gospel song that goes like this: "Give me that old time religion, it's good enough for me." I suppose those who sing this song long for a day when the word of the Lord is simply heard and believed. It was faithful Abraham who once "believed the Lord and it was counted to him as righteousness." If God's religion was good enough for Abraham, isn't it good enough for us? Today, many see the word of the Lord as irrelevant or out of date. They see the religion of the Almighty as simply not in sync with our society as it stands now. They say, "What do we have here, anyway? A king born in a stable? A Savior who brings peace to the heart but not to the earth? Forgiveness of sins? That's old time stuff. Now we need to feed the poor, find shelters for the homeless, share and care. That's the religion that will work today." Yes, the religion of repentance and forgiveness preached by John the Baptist in the wilderness is "old time religion," but that doesn't make it out of date or unimportant. Our gospel is the "gospel of God-- the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son." It is relevant today especially because it is old. It has stood the test of time like no other "gospel" the world over. Adam and Eve trusted the promise that a Messiah would come and save them from their sins. Abraham likewise, and Isaac, and Jacob, and so on down the line. The prophets of God echoed the same words over and over again. All signs pointed to Jesus, who would give His life as a ransom for many. The faithful-- in all different times and places-relied on Him. Jesus saved them, and He will save us too.

THE ROCK OF OUR SAFETY

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7

Psalm 95:1 Oh come, Let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock Of our Salvation! Our society year by year has become increasingly safety conscious. When I learned to ride a bike had I worn a helmet, pads and flak jacket I would have been greatly embarrassed to be seen by anyone. Today a parent who allows a child not to wear such things may be considered an unloving parent. Just this past week I saw a report that it is considered unsafe for young children to play dodge ball, and that the throwing of a ball or an object at a child is unsafe. There goes the T-ball leagues, the peewee football leagues, maybe even the peewee hockey programs. Safety is the concern and our society is going to great lengths to see to it that every danger to life and limb is removed and all are at least physically safe. This same society and many parents and individuals who clamor for child safe items and improvements in safety devices for all, fails to look for and provide for the safety of souls. Thanks be to our Lord God who has provided for us such safety; the Rock of our safety, or as most translations state it,The Rock of our salvation. The Lord has given to us the only safe haven we have from sin, death, temptation, and the power of the devil, the world and of our flesh in the solid Rock of our Lord Jesus upon which we build our house called life. He has removed our guilt forever. "There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). It is solid, for Jesus lives eternally to save.

The good news of Christ born in Bethlehem to bear our sins in His own body on the cross so we can gain heaven is an old gospel. It is as old as eternity itself. Thus it shall last until the end of time. And it's good enough for us! 20

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THE KING OF GLORY WAITS

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8

Psalm 24:9-10 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty -- he is the King of glory. In 1642 Georg Weissel based his Advent hymn "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" on Psalm 24:7-10. While the event which originally occasioned the Psalm was the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (1 Samuel 5:6ff), Weissel well understood that the same LORD of Hosts came into our world of sinners in Bethlehem. Furthermore, he recognized that true Advent preparation is all about readying the heart for Jesus' entrance and rule there. The Psalm dramatically pictures the LORD drawing near to the entrance of a fortified city, to a portal closed by both gates and doors. The gates of the main entrance to an ancient city were the iron latticework (portcullis) that was slotted in the walls and let down on either side of the huge wooden doors. Because of sin we humans all too often close our hearts to Christ our King. Advent urges us to deal with this terrible tendency. What bars the way of Christ coming into your heart and taking His rightful place of rule there? What unconfessed sin? What selfish habit? What false concern? Remember how your King came to you through His Bethlehem birth -- came so He might destroy the power of those sins which would keep Him from entering your heart and ruling there. Yes, it's the Lord Almighty, the King of Glory Himself who waits at the door to your heart and who enables you to open it wide to Him. Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates, Behold the King of glory waits; The King of kings is drawing near, The Savior of the world is here; Life and salvation He doth bring, Wherefore rejoice and gladly sing. (The Lutheran Hymnal, 73:1) 10

REAL HELP FOR OUR REAL WORLD

TUESDAY DECEMBER 17

Luke 2:1-2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. The birth of the Son of God into our sinful world is not a myth but an historical event. Luke makes that plain with his references to the Roman emperor Augustus and the governor of Syria. Further, what could be more "real world" than the purpose of the emperor's great registration, namely the collection of taxes. Why is the real, historical nature of the birth of Christ so important? We live in a real world. Our deep and enduring problems are not going to be helped by make-believe -- not even by the most beautiful of sentimental stories. Truth be told, that expression "the real world" is usually used with reference to sin, to the fact that people often can't be trusted, that too often they are selfish, grasping and cruel -- that for too many the so-called "bottom line" is the great decider. But enough of the "real world" around us, what about the one all too close at hand? Look at your own life just this past week. What you've said. What you've done. Your own thought-world. Our real world is not a pretty one. But into this world Jesus was born. That's the message of the manger scene in each of our homes during this season. Real problems need a real solution. Our sin-filled world needed the intervention of One who could really help. And the only possible Savior was the very Creator whose world human sin has left such a tragic mess. Only God could deal with a reality so ugly, so big, so deep, so beyond human coping. And this could not be done from a distance. Thus the Son of God became the Son of Man as well. The reality of the incarnation is the first step in the reality of our redemption. And just as there is no birth without blood-shed, even so there could be no new life for humans dead in sin without the shedding of blood -- the blood of Him who became one with our blood when He was born of Mary of Nazareth. 19

THE STRAIGHT ROAD TO BETHLEHEM

MONDAY DECEMBER 16

John 1:19,20,23 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ ... I am the voice of one calling in the desert, Make straight the way for the Lord." Are you ready for Christmas? And I don't mean done with your shopping. Are you prepared within? Is your heart ready for Christmas? Are you ready to kneel in spirit before the Cradle of the Christ-child? Are you ready to offer Him your heart through a sincere and honest confession of your sins; a humble yet confident reliance on His mercy? So that we might come to Christmas truly well-prepared, the Holy Spirit has thrown up a detour on our road to Bethlehem. He directs us first to travel northeast out of Jerusalem, down the rocky road that leads to the Jordan. You know who awaits down in this hot river valley -- a desert preacher whose words strike the heart with more than a little heat. John, the son of Zacharias, is a striking figure in animal skins and a camel's hair cloak. You can sense that your reputation and pedigree cut no slack with him. With blazing eyes in deep-set sockets, bronzed and boney finger pointing, he greets us too with an urgent call to repent. The Sanhedrin has sent out an official delegation to interview John. And the Pharisees too, whom many see as the real spiritual leaders in Israel." Are You the Coming One, the promised Christ?" John's answer rings out, "I am not ... I am the voice of one calling in the desert, `Make straight the way for the Lord.'" The testimony of John went back to Jerusalem with the Sadducees and the Pharisees. They quoted him quoting Isaiah. And so the Word worked in human hearts (e.g. Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea). And still the Word works -- calling for repentance and faith. Still the Word destroys all false notions about Jesus and His life's work, and still that Word testifies that He is the One anointed and appointed of God -the promised Savior from sin's fearsome power and terrible consequences. All of which prepares us to go on to Bethlehem on the "straight road" John pointed to with such earnestness. Now we can arrive at the manger ready to celebrate the Savior's birth rightly. 18

LET US GO ON

MONDAY DECEMBER 9

Psalm 95:1 Oh come, Let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock Of our Salvation! Getting up in the morning can be a difficult thing to do, especially this time of year when the weather begins to turn cold, the snow begins fly and there are many things to do. Climbing out of that nice warm bed may not be the difficult part of the morning; it may well be when the mind begins to spin again the problems of the day or the week. We may not want to face those things which life has thrown our way. We get up anyway and set about the daily tasks of life. Such feelings of not desiring to go on are not reserved just for the mornings. They may strike at any moment during the day. An unexpected bill, an unlooked for problem at work, a pop quiz at school, a moment in the day once shared by a loved one who has passed on may easily move us to pull the shades, turn out the lights and crawl into a corner to hide from the thoughts and feelings. "Let us go on" comes the encouragement from our gracious Lord. Go on not with gloomy, dismal thoughts, but with a shout for joy to the Lord. For we are to remember that, "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). The Lord our gracious Father is He who sends. He it is who guides and controls all things, daily forgiving our many sins, leading us not to an end of misery but of eternal joy and peace. Let us then who believe in Jesus go on.

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THE COMING OF OUR SAVIOR TUESDAY DECEMBER 10 THROUGH HIS WORD AND SACRAMENTS (Excerpts from a Children's Christmas Eve Service) Narration: Imagine the joy of the shepherds, arriving breathlessly at the stable, just seconds away from seeing, face to face, their newborn King, their Savior. Some two thousand years, two continents, and an ocean separate us from sharing that night with the shepherds. And yet our Savior continues to come through this wonderful retelling of the Gospel story. The words of the Apostle Paul remind us again that our Savior comes to us through His Word. Child's Recitation: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17) Narration: Just as those shepherds did that night, we worship and adore our King by taking every opportunity to rejoice and praise Him with fellow Christians as we gather in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each Sunday morning. For the Apostle Paul also encourages us when he writes: Child's Recitation: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16). Narration: And finally, like those early disciples and apostles it is our life's ambition to share His saving message wherever and whenever and however the Lord gives the opportunity so that salvation may come to others through the Gospel message. It is our privilege to carry out the commission that our Savior gave to His Church before He ascended to His heavenly Throne. Our Savior now comes to others and us through His Word and Sacraments. Child's Recitation: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). Narration: Having spent this first week of the Advent season reviewing the familiar themes of Christmas Eve we begin this time of preparation with our hearts properly focused on Jesus! May the Lord bless our celebration of His birth! 12

FRAGILE: HANDLE WITH COMFORT

SUNDAY DECEMBER 15

Isaiah 40:1-2 "Comfort, yes, comfort my people!" Says your God. "Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the lord's hand double for all her sins." In school I once read a play by Tennessee Williams called THE GLASS MENAGERIE. As I recall, the play was about an extremely introverted young woman who collected little glass animal figures. Her favorite was a tiny unicorn. In the story with her was also her brother and mother. These two characters had problems of their own. None of the characters, in fact, were very well adjusted. At the end of the play the glass unicorn was somehow broken. I'm no great analyzer of Broadway plays, but he meaning of this play seemed rather obvious. That, when it comes right down to it, people are like fragile, glass figurines, extremely breakable. The season of Advent and Christmas are a special time to remember we aren't so tough, and to learn, again, to depend upon the LORD for everything. It is a time to remember that we have shelter from the storms of life. With the Word we are led by the Spirit into the sanctuary of the Bethlehem stable. It is cold and cruel out in the world. But there, by His Manger, it is warm and safe. For our God is there, come down from heaven to taste our fears and to dry our tears. We are not so strong, but we are invited to lean upon Him Who has unfailing strength. We are not so wise, but in His Truth we have light to guide us though all the dark confusion. In love He bids each one of us, "Come!" And so we kneel before Him, just as we are -- sinful, breakable, worn and weary. We lay our every burden beside His bed of straw, and then watch as He carries them, everyone, all the way to the cross. Then finally we stand back in total wonder as our sins are laid upon Him, the Sinless One. We are amazed because, in exchange for our sins, we receive the double blessing of pardon for our sins, and life without end. So hear the words again. Let them wrap around you like a warm blanket against your sorrows and your sins. "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" Says your God. "Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord's hand Double for all her sins." Those are God's own words to you ...Words to keep fragile folks like you and me from breaking. 17

WAIT A MINUTE

SATURDAY DECEMBER 14

James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. As I look out the window this morning, I see that a blanket of snow fell overnight and there is more in the air. The weather reports say we could have up to 15 inches over the next three days. I expect there will be a lot of accidents on the highway. Drivers will continue charging ahead as though the pavement were clean and dry because they're in such a hurry. We don't like to wait for anything. We don't like to wait for our food at the restaurant or for a package in the mail. We like everything to be done for us fast-- right now. We don't even like to wait for Jesus. We want Him to take care of our problems right now before another minute passes. In fact, sometimes we grumble and complain when He doesn't appear to come to us immediately and attend to our demands. But sometimes it's good to wait for Jesus' coming. The Old Testament believers had to wait hundreds of years before the promised Messiah came. While they waited, God prepared them for His birth. They learned through their system of sacrifices that their sins needed to be paid for and they learned about the One who would carry their sins away once and for all by a great sacrifice. God had them wait so that when Jesus arrived they could recognize, appreciate, understand, and be thankful for His coming. As you wait for the Lord Jesus to appear in Bethlehem later this month, watch for God to do the same thing. Watch for Him to prepare you for this glorious birth. He will show you your sins and He will show you the great confidence you can have that the coming one will remove your guilt. It's really not so bad to wait. Pray, learn, grow, and then appreciate the Christ with all your heart when He comes!

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OF THE VIRGIN UNDEFILED

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 11

Luke 1:35 The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. In sports to "showboat" is to do something in a striking way (when an ordinary effort would have been sufficient) in order to draw attention to oneself. God doesn't showboat. If the Lord does a miracle--works outside of or above the laws of nature--it is done for a reason and not just to make a "big splash." The Virgin Birth of Jesus was far more than a dramatic entrance on the human stage by the Son of God. Instead, this miracle was carried out because of the purpose for which God the Son took our humanity upon Himself. We human beings were separated from the holy God by our sinfulness, the sinfulness passed down to each of us from Adam and Eve through our parents. "That which is born of flesh is flesh" (John 3:6). This inherited sinfulness meant that every human born in the normal way would enter the world a sinner--a sinner both separated from God and a sinner unable to fight off the Devil’s traps, tricks and temptations. So, if God's Son was to be our Stand-in, our Substitute and Champion in taking on sin, Satan and death, He would have to be truly human, one of us, yet not a born sinner. God used the Virgin Birth to bring this to pass. So this was personal, for you. Mary's womb was made the Lord Christ's throne-room for nine months, in order that through faith in His substitutionary life and death Jesus might one day rule in your heart. Here a maid was found with child, Yet remained a virgin mild. In her womb this was shown: God was there upon His throne. (Veni Redemptor Gentium, III, Ambrose)

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ORDINARY PEOPLE AND EXTRAORDINARY BLESSING

THURSDAY DECEMBER 12

1 Corinthians 1:27b God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. The fertile fields of grain that surrounded ancient Bethlehem gave the village its name: Beth-lechem, "house of bread." But in the Fourteenth Century BC these fields had lain desolate for more than a year when Elimilech of Bethlehem took his wife, Naomi, and their two sons southeast to Moab to escape the resulting famine. Elimilech died in Moab, as did his sons, now married. When Naomi set out to return to Bethlehem, she advised her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab. Ruth refused. In becoming part of Naomi's family she had come to know and put her trust in the LORD, the one true God. And it was with faith in the LORD's provision that Ruth went out to glean in the fields of Bethlehem --- Boaz' fields. Boaz, in turn, acted in faith when in the role of the kinsman-redeemer he married Ruth. Naomi...Ruth...Boaz... all put their confidence in the LORD. This faith made them members of God's own family. And the LORD graciously chose Boaz and Ruth to be great-grandparents of David and therefore members of the earthly family of Jesus the Christ. Faith is not only for the crisis of nations but for the crunch times in family life as well. And the Lord stands ready to come to our aid-- not only when we face death but as we face life's daily decisions. We can know this for certain because Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer. He became one with us sinners, so that we by faith might become God's own children - with the Father's house our eternal home. He made this happen by joining us in the ordinary things of daily life in order to live the life we have failed to live. And then He died the death we deserve, in order to redeem us by His own blood.

TO THE ROCK

FRIDAY DECEMBER 13

Psalm 95:1 Oh come, Let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock Of our Salvation! A child who scrapes a knee, gets a bruise or a bump or becomes afraid learns early in life to go to mother or father for comfort. As we grow older, we find other sources to which we may go when in need of help. We may go to the bank for a loan for any number or reasons. We may go to a plumber or a contractor, or a wood worker when we need help or advice in their areas of expertise. As we find ourselves in need of such things we learn to narrow down those to whom we go, we learn to trust certain individuals who have proven themselves to give us the help we have sought. If we then have so learned to turn to such individuals when it comes to earthly things, so we ought to learn to turn to the Rock in spiritual things. Jesus the Rock upon which the Church is built has expertise in all areas of life from the smallest detail to the greatest, from the youngest of ages to the oldest, since "We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). When temptations come alluring, go to the Rock, who overcame all temptations. When our sins threaten to overwhelm us, to the Rock, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. When Satan and his hosts assault us, to the Rock against whom the gates of hell shall not prevail. To the Rock, our only hope of salvation, we raise our voices in praise.

Bethlehem's long, long history is the story of God's use of ordinary people and everyday events to work extraordinary blessing. Even the Son of God became "ordinary" - a servant - to grant us ordinary sinners the most extraordinary blessings of all. We are rich, for He was poor; Is not this a wonder? Therefore praise God evermore Here on earth and yonder (TLH 97:3). 14

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