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December 27, 2024

Broadcast

                              Saint John
                              John 21:24
                              12/27/2024


        24   This is the disciple who is bearing witness about
             these things, and who has written these things,
             and we know that his testimony is true.  (ESV)

        On the third day of Christmas the Church celebrates the
   memory of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist.  John was the
   son of Zebedee and the brother of James the Elder.  He was one of
   the first disciples to be called by Jesus.  Rarely does he
   mention his own name in his Gospel, but refers to himself as
   ``the disciple whom Jesus loved.''

        On the night that Jesus was betrayed, only John did not
   forsake Him in the hours of His suffering and death.  John
   followed Jesus to the house of the high priest, and stood at the
   foot of the cross.  He was entrusted with the care of Mary, who
   he took to his own home immediately.

        John spent his ministry in Jerusalem and Ephesus.  Although
   he is the only apostle of Jesus who did not die as a martyr, he
   was persecuted for his faith.  He wrote the book of Revelations
   while an exile.  John is the author of the fourth Gospel and
   three epistles, as well as Revelations.

        One of the most famous passages in the Bible flowed from
   John's pen by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
        For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
        begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
        not perish, but have everlasting life.[1]


        John said of himself, ``This is the disciple who is bearing
   witness about these things, and who has written these things, and
   we know that his testimony is true.''

        May our Lord grant that we witness our faith in our Lord
   Jesus Christ as did the Apostle John.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. John 3:16 (KJVA)

December 26, 2024

Broadcast

                             Saint Stephan
                             Acts 7:59-60
                              12/26/2024


        59   And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
             ``Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.''
        60   And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud
             voice, ``Lord, do not hold this sin against
             them.'' And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
             (ESV)

        Yesterday we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior,
   Jesus Christ.  With rapt attention, we listened to the angel
   choir sing ``Glory to God in the highest,'' and contemplated that
   the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  Coming to faith in
   Christ Jesus, holding to Him as our redeemer from sin, death, and
   the power of the devil, comes with a price.  The second day of
   Christmas is the Feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the
   Christian Church.  Stephen, who was one of the deacons appointed
   by the apostles to assist with caring for the Church, was a holy
   and upright man.  He dared to proclaim the truth of salvation by
   grace through faith for the sake of Christ, even before the
   Sanhedrin.  For speaking the truth, Stephen was taken outside the
   walls of Jerusalem and stoned to death.

        Saint Luke recorded the last moments of Stephen's life.
        ``And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
        `Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'  And falling to his
        knees he cried out with a loud voice, `Lord, do not
        hold this sin against them.' And when he had said this,
        he fell asleep.''


        There is a cost of discipleship, a cost of being in the
   world but not of the world, a cost for trusting in Christ Jesus
   alone.  Whereas we will, more than likely, not be stoned for our
   faith, yet we will constantly be asked to defend our faith.
   Saint Stephen serves as an example of one for whom Christ Jesus
   is the most important.  He also serves as an example of one who
   forgives even as he has been forgiven for the sake of Christ.
   May our Lord grant us faith like that of Saint Stephen, that we
   be faithful to Christ Jesus no matter the cost.  Amen.

December 25, 2024

Broadcast

                      Glory to God in the Highest
                           Luke 2:1-14 (ESV)
                              12/25/2024


        Saint Luke wrote:
        In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
        that all the world should be registered.  This was the
        first registration when Quirinius was governor of
        Syria.  And all went to be registered, each to his own
        town.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the
        town of Nazareth, to 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, who was with child.  And while they were
        there, the time came for her to give birth.  And she
        gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in
        swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because
        there was no place for them in the inn.

        And in the same region there were shepherds out in the
        field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an
        angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of
        the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with
        fear.  And the angel said to them, ``Fear not, for
        behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will
        be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day
        in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
        And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby
        wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.''
        And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of
        the heavenly host praising God and saying,

        ``Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among
        those with whom he is pleased!''


        O God, You make this most holy night to shine with the
        brightness of the true Light.  Grant that as we have
        known the mysteries of that Light on earth we may also
        come to the fullness of His joys in heaven; through the
        same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and
        reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
        forever.[1]


        Please join us this morning at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran
   Church to celebrate our Lord's birth.  May our Lord grant you a
   blessed Christmas.  Christ the Savior is born.  Amen.   ____________________

   1. Collect  for  Christmas  Midnight,  LSB Propers of the Day, p.
      294.

December 24, 2024

Recording

                              God With Us
                            Matthew 1:18-25
                              12/24/2024


        18   Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this
             way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to
             Joseph, before they came together she was found to
             be with child from the Holy Spirit.
        19   And her husband Joseph, being a just man and
             unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce
             her quietly.
        20   But as he considered these things, behold, an
             angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
             saying, ``Joseph, son of David, do not fear to
             take Mary as your wife, for that which is
             conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
        21   She will bear a son, and you shall call his name
             Jesus, for he will save his people from their
             sins.''
        22   All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had
             spoken by the prophet:
        23   ``Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a
             son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,''
             (which means, God with us).
        24   When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel
             of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
        25   but knew her not until she had given birth to a
             son. And he called his name Jesus.  (ESV)

        Saint Matthew wrote:
        Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.
        When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph,
        before they came together she was found to be with
        child from the Holy Spirit.  And her husband Joseph,
        being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame,
        resolved to divorce her quietly.  But as he considered
        these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to
        him in a dream, saying, ``Joseph, son of David, do not
        fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is
        conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will
        bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he
        will save his people from their sins.''  All this took
        place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the
        prophet: ``Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a
        son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,'' (which
        means, God with us).  When Joseph woke from sleep, he
        did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his
        wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a
        son. And he called his name Jesus.


        O God, You make us glad with the yearly remembrance of
        the birth of Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
        Grant that as we joyfully receive Him as our Redeemer,
        we may with sure confidence behold Him when He comes to                  
        be our Judge; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord,
        who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one
        God, now and forever.  Amen.[1]


        Please join us this evening at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran
   Church to hear the message of God's rich grace, love, and mercy.
   May our Lord grant you a blessed Christmas.  Christ the Savior is
   born.  Amen.
 ____________________

   1. Collect for Christmas Eve, LSB Propers of the Day, p. 293.

December 23, 2024

Broadcast

                  The Great ``O'' Antiphons -- Part 7
                              Isaiah 7:14
                              12/23/2024


        14   Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
             Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
             and shall call his name Immanuel.  (ESV)

                  O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, the
                  anointed for the nations and their | Savior:*
                       Come and save us, O | Lord our God.


        We come at last to the final of the Great ``O'' Antiphons.
   The Church, since the beginning of Advent, has been preparing for
   the day when her Savior appears.  During the past week, as the
   mood of the Advent season intensified, we prayed with the whole
   church that Jesus would come and redeem His people.

        The final ``O'' Antiphon forms the basis of the first verse
   of the Advent hymn, ``O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.''  It's text is
   from Isaiah: ``Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
   Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call
   his name Immanuel.''

        Emmanuel means ``God with us.''  Tomorrow He comes,[1] and
   we shall see the incarnate Son of God reposing in a manger.  He
   once came to give His life for you and me.  He comes now in Word
   and Sacrament to give us hope.  He will come again to raise us
   from our graves, giving us life everlasting with Him.

        Please join us at Trinity on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
   to hear of our Lord's birth.  May He continue to bless you
   always.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. The  ``Lutheran  Service Book: Companion to the Hymns'' volume
      1, p. 67, notes: ``The initial letters (excluding the `O')  of
      the seven [names of Christ given in the 'O Antiphons'] finally
      established as the standard (SARCORE), which were probably the
      original  seven,  form  an  acrostic  when read backward: `ERO
      CRAS,' which means `tomorrow I will be [present]'; and so  the
      `secret'  news  of  Christ's immanent birth is revealed in its
      entirety only on the day before Christmas Eve.''

December 22, 2024

Broadcast

                  The Great ``O'' Antiphons -- Part 6
                             Psalm 118:22
                              12/22/2024


        22   The stone that the builders rejected has become
             the cornerstone.  (ESV)

                  O King of the nations, the ruler they long
                  for, the cornerstone uniting all | people:*
                       Come and save us all, whom You formed |
                       out of clay.


        The great ``O'' Antiphon for the twenty-second of December
   reminds us of the words of King David.
        The stone that the builders rejected has become the
        cornerstone.


        The emphasis on the kingship of Christ Jesus, the ruler they
   long for, continues as He unites ``all people.''  Often in the
   Bible we hear Jesus refereed to as the King, most certainly in
   the prophecy fulfilled when He rode into Jerusalem on Palm
   Sunday.  During the Advent season, where many choirs and
   orchestras present ``Messiah'' by George Fredrick Handel, we hear
   the phrase from Revelation, ``King of Kings, and Lord of
   Lords.''[1] We thrill to the music as the chorus proclaims, ``And
   He shall reign forever and ever,''[2]

        Thus we pray the cornerstone the builders rejected, as David
   called Him, come and redeem His creation.

        May our Lord bless you richly as you hear that Christ Jesus
   is indeed our King, who died to redeem His people from sin and
   death, who rose again to reign forever.  Amen.
   ____________________
   1. Revelation 19:16
   2. Revelation 11:15

December 21, 2024

Broadcast

                  The Great ``O'' Antiphons -- Part 5
                             Luke 1:78-79
                              12/21/2024


        78   Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby
             the sunrise shall visit us from on high
        79   to give light to those who sit in darkness and in
             the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the
             way of peace.  (ESV)

                  O Dayspring, splendor of light ever- |
                  lasting:*
                       Come and enlighten those in darkness and
                       in the shad- | ow of death.


        The great ``O'' Antiphon for the twenty-first of December
   comes from the Song of Zechariah, found in the first chapter of
   Luke:
        Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the
        sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to
        those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
        to guide our feet into the way of peace.


        This antiphon, which reflects also the prophet Isaiah, ``The
   people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who
   dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined,''[1]
   applies to Jesus' second coming.  The wording of the antiphon
   reflects the older King James translation which uses the term
   ``Dayspring'' in place of ``sunrise'' in the Benedictus.  This
   specialized Messianic title says that the rising of the morning
   light overcomes the darkness of night.

        We pray, therefore, that Jesus, the Light that no darkness
   can overcome, return quickly to redeem this world from the gloom
   of sin and death.

        May our Lord grant us the light of faith which holds firmly
   to God's rich promises of grace and mercy.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Isaiah 9:2 (ESV)

December 20, 2024

Broadcast

                  The Great ``O'' Antiphons -- Part 4
                             Isaiah 22:22
                              12/20/2024


        22   And I will place on his shoulder the key of the
             house of David. He shall open, and none shall
             shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
             (ESV)

                  O Key of David and scepter of the house of
                  Israel, You open and no one can close, You
                  close and no one can | open:*
                       Come and rescue the prisoners who are in
                       darkness and the shad- | ow of death.


        The great ``O'' Antiphon for the twentieth of December comes
   from Isaiah, the twenty-second chapter.  ``And I will place on
   his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and
   none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.''  Saint
   John also uses this title in Revelations: ``And to the angel of
   the church in Philadelphia write: `The words of the holy one, the
   true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will
   shut, who shuts and no one opens.'''[1]

        This name of Jesus, the Key of David, reminds us of the
   Office of the Ministry which our Lord gave to the Church.  Jesus
   told the disciples: ``I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
   heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
   and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.''[2]
   Our Lord has unlocked the kingdom of heaven for all who trust in
   Him, giving them the complete forgiveness of their
   transgressions.

        May our Lord grant us hope, knowing we soon will be
   delivered from the chains of our sin.  Amen.
   ____________________
   1. Revelation 3:7 (ESV)
   2. Matthew 16:19 (ESV)

December 19, 2024

Broadcast

                  The Great ``O'' Antiphons -- Part 3
                             Isaiah 11:10
                              12/19/2024


        10   In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as
             a signal for the peoples -- of him shall the
             nations inquire, and his resting place shall be
             glorious.  (ESV)

                  O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before
                  the peoples, before whom all kings are mute,
                  to whom the nations will do | homage:*
                       Come quickly to de- | liver us.


        The Antiphon for December 19 is drawn from Isaiah: ``In that
   day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the
   peoples -- of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting
   place shall be glorious.''

        At the time of Jesus' birth, there was no descendant of King
   David on the throne in Jerusalem.  Herod was not part of David's
   family, but was put in charge of Judea because of political
   reasons.  The children of Israel longed for the restoration of
   the kingdom of David and Solomon, based in part on Isaiah's
   prophecy.

        Jesus came first, not as a ruler, not to restore Israel, but
   as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of all people.  One of the
   themes of Advent is that of Christ Jesus coming again with the
   blast of a trumpet to judge the living and the dead.  This
   Antiphon confesses that, although Christ Jesus won the victory
   over sin and the grave, that victory will be given to us only
   when He returns on the last day.

        May our Lord grant us the strength of faith to wait for Him.
   Amen.

December 18, 2024

                  The Great ``O'' Antiphons -- Part 2
                             Exodus 3:1-2
                              12/18/2024


        1    Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-
             law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his
             flock to the west side of the wilderness and came
             to Horeb, the mountain of God.
        2    And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a
             flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He
             looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it
             was not consumed.  (ESV)

                  O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel,
                  who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and
                  gave him the Law on | Sinai:*
                       Come with an outstretched arm and re- |
                       deem us.


        Since at least the eleventh century, those who gather for
   the evening Vespers service have sung the Song of Mary, the
   Magnificat.  During the last week of Advent, this canticle is
   preceded and followed by a short verse which names Jesus and asks
   Him to come quickly to deliver the church from sin, death and the
   power of the devil.

        God appeared to Moses several times, the first being his
   call to be the prophet to Israel as God spoke from the burning
   bush, and the second as God gave him the Law on Mount Sinai.
   Each time God speaks in the Old Testament, it is through the pre-
   incarnate Christ.  It was the Son of God who spoke from the
   burning bush, and the Son of God who thundered on the mountain
   while engraving the Ten Commandments on two tables of stone.

        Only the Son of God can redeem us from sin, death, and the
   power of the devil.  If He could be in the burning bush without
   consuming it, if He delivered the Law, He has the power to save.
   May our Lord grant that we hear Him and trust in His almighty
   deliverance.  Amen.