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December 17, 2024

Broadcast

                  The Great ``O'' Antiphons -- Part 1
                             Proverbs 8:33
                              12/17/2024


        33   Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect
             it.  (ESV)

                  O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the
                  Most High, pervading and permeating all
                  creation, mightily ordering | all things:*
                       Come and teach us the way of | prudence.


        We sing The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) as the canticle for
   the daily office service of Vespers.  During the last week of
   Advent, when it is sung, it is preceded and followed by an
   antiphon, a single verse that connects the canticle to the holy
   day being observed.  During this week the antiphons begin with
   the word ``O'' followed by a form of address to Christ.  Each
   antiphon is a prayer to the Son of God imploring Him to come as
   our judge and redeemer on the last day.

        The Antiphon for December 17 is drawn from the book of
   Proverbs.

        In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is more than an attribute of
   God.  It is the title used to identify the Son as distinct from
   the Father.  Wisdom is identified as one who existed before the
   world was created, and the One through whom all things were
   ordered.

        The Antiphon reflects the language of Proverbs, where Wisdom
   says: ``Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.''[1]

        May our Lord grant us the wisdom to recognize the coming of
   Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Proverbs 8:33

December 16, 2024

Broadcast

                     Sing Unto the Lord a New Song
                              Psalm 98:1
                              12/16/2024


        1    Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done
             marvelous things!  His right hand and his holy arm
             have worked salvation for him.  (ESV)

        The Psalmist wrote:
        Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done
        marvelous things!  His right hand and his holy arm have
        worked salvation for him.


        Psalms are the hymnbook of the Bible, and there are also
   other hymns throughout the Old and New Testaments.  Those songs
   which are not from the Psalms are called Canticles.  Among the
   Canticles are the Nunc Dimittis, ``Lord, now let your servant go
   in peace according to Your Word''; the Magnificat, ``My soul
   magnifies the Lord'', and the Benedictus, ``Blessed be the Lord
   God of Israel.''  These three Canticles are found in the first
   two chapters of Luke.

        God's people have always raised their voices in praise of
   the Almighty God.  Hymns not only speak in prayer to our heavenly
   Father, they also teach us of His grace, love, and mercy.

        An ancient practice, one that goes back before the time of
   Jesus' birth, is to sing a verse before and after a Psalm or
   Canticle.  This verse, called the antiphon, summarizes the
   teaching of the song, or draws our attention to the importance of
   the day.

        During the last week of Advent, as we are preparing for the
   coming of our Redeemer, the Church recalls the longing for the
   Messiah with a series of antiphons which are used in the daily
   worship services.  Each day the antiphon begins with the word
   ``O'' and a title of the coming Christ.  This week, beginning
   tomorrow, we will hear and ponder these antiphons.  You can find
   the text and meditation on the antiphon on the Trinity website,
   http://trinityslayton.info under the menu item ``Turn Your Radio
   On.''

        May our Lord grant you His grace and peace as we await His
   coming.  Amen.

December 13, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Messenger - Part 5
                             Malachi 4:5-6
                              12/13/2024


        5    Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
             the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
        6    And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their
             children and the hearts of children to their
             fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a
             decree of utter destruction.  (ESV)

        The book of Malachi, the book of the messenger of God,
   brings a three-fold message.  First, it spoke to those serving in
   the Temple following the restoration of Jerusalem after the
   Babylonian captivity.  It gave a warning of false doctrine and
   practices which did not give glory to God.  Second, it
   foreshadowed the first coming of Jesus, speaking of His
   forerunner, John, speaking of our Lord appearing suddenly in the
   Temple.  Finally, it speaks of the final coming of our Lord Jesus
   to judge the living and the dead.

        Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
        great and awesome day of the LORD comes.  And he will
        turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the
        hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and
        strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.


        Elijah called Israel to repent, to turn from worthless idols
   and trust in God alone.  John the Baptizer called Israel to
   repent, to turn from worthless reliance on traditions and pious
   actions so to trust in God alone.  The Church calls spiritual
   Israel, and the world, to repent, to trust in the Triune God,
   Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so to have eternal life.

        Advent is a time of preparation.  We look back on God's
   promises and see how the death and resurrection of Jesus
   fulfilled the ancient prophecies.  We see how Christ Jesus is
   with His Church today in Word and Sacrament.  We believe He will
   come again in glory.

        Please join us at Trinity Lutheran Church each Sunday
   morning to learn more of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier,
   the one True God.  May our Lord grant us grace to hear the call
   of His messenger.  Amen.

December 12, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Messenger - Part 4
                             Malachi 4:4-5
                              12/12/2024


        4    Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes
             and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all
             Israel.
        5    Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
             the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
             (ESV)

        The last chapter of Malachi certainly brings to mind the
   final judgment, which is part of the Advent theme, but it also
   speaks of the first coming of Jesus.  Malachi, the messenger of
   God, wrote:
        Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and
        rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
        Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
        great and awesome day of the LORD comes.


        In the Lutheran tradition, the last Sunday of the Epiphany
   Season commemorates the Transfiguration of Jesus.  There on an
   unnamed mountain, Peter, James, and John looked upon the glory of
   Christ.  Standing with Jesus were Moses and Elijah, the one
   through whom God gave the Law, and the one considered the
   foremost prophet.  Malachi calls upon us to listen to both Moses
   and Elijah for both speak the Word of God for our salvation.

        Jesus identified John the Baptist as coming in the power of
   Elijah as he proclaimed, ``Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is
   at hand.''  The prophetic word of Elijah, the prophetic word of
   John, the prophetic word of the Church bring the same message.
   Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful.

        The great and awesome day of the LORD comes with Christ
   Jesus.  There, on the cross outside the city gates of Jerusalem,
   there in the unnatural darkness where even the sun refused to
   bring light on the death of Jesus, our Lord died to bring you
   life everlasting.  Yet death could not hold the sinless Christ,
   showing that we also, being declared sinless for His sake, will
   also rise again.  May our Lord grant that we hear Moses and
   Elijah that we may have life in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

December 11, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Messenger - Part 3
                              Malachi 4:4
                              12/11/2024


        4    Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes
             and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all
             Israel.  (ESV)

        Malachi, God's messenger, has called our attention to the
   coming day of the LORD.  On that day the evil and arrogant will
   be set ablaze, while the ones who trust in God will find the joy
   of salvation.  Malachi said nothing new, nothing which hadn't
   been proclaimed by countless others.

        Everything we need to know about the Triune God, about His
   grace, love, and mercy, is readily available.  There is nothing
   hidden, nothing that only special wise people can find, nothing
   which is not clearly proclaimed.

        Malachi wrote: ``Remember the law of my servant Moses, the
   statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all
   Israel.''  The words Moses gave the children of Israel at Mount
   Horeb before they crossed the Jordan River to enter the land once
   promised to Abraham are a retelling of the words God spoke at
   Mount Sinai.  They were certainly words of the Law, but also
   words of promise, of grace, of love.

        What was the word of God given through Moses at Mount Horeb?
   ``And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you,
   but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love
   him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all
   your soul.''[1] That fear of the LORD is to trust in His
   promises, to hold firmly to His grace, and to serve Him above
   that which He created.

        May our Lord grant us the faith to fully trust in Him for
   our eternal blessing.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Deuteronomy 10:12 (ESV)

December 10, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Messenger - Part 2
                             Malachi 4:2-3
                              12/10/2024


        2    But for you who fear my name, the sun of
             righteousness shall rise with healing in its
             wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from
             the stall.
        3    And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will
             be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day
             when I act, says the LORD of hosts.  (ESV)

        The message of the Old Testament prophets and the New
   Testament apostles is consistent.  Turn from your sin, turn from
   your selfish desires, and look to your Creator.  Stop trusting in
   those things which perish, and hold firmly to the God who made
   heaven and earth, who longs to redeem you from the condemnation
   which is the just punishment of our transgressions.

        Malachi, the messenger of God, spoke of the fate of the
   arrogant and evildoers who will be destroyed.  He also speaks of
   the blessings for those who trust in God, who recognize that
   Jesus Christ is their only hope for eternal life.

        But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness
        shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out
        leaping like calves from the stall.  And you shall
        tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the
        soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the
        LORD of hosts.


        The ``sun of righteousness'' which Malachi promises is none
   other than Jesus.  Our Christmas hymn, ``Hark! The Herald Angel
   Sings,'' uses this title for the infant.  Even the Epiphany
   season has the theme that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World,
   the Light no darkness can overcome.  Those who trust in God are
   truly healed from the guilt of their sin, from the fear of
   eternal death.  They are freed from the condemnation of the Law,
   redeemed by the blood of Christ.  Even in the midst of trials
   they find the joy of knowing God's presence, especially as we
   hear His Word and partake of the Sacraments.  We look forward to
   the day when our Lord comes to restore His creation, to show
   Himself as the Sun of Righteousness.  Until that day, we call
   upon Him in prayer, we praise His holy name, and give thanks for
   His great mercy.

        May you find comfort and hope in the words of God's
   messenger.  Amen.

December 9, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Messenger - Part 1
                              Malachi 4:1
                              12/09/2024


        1    For behold, the day is coming, burning like an
             oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will
             be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them
             ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will
             leave them neither root nor branch.  (ESV)

        Although everywhere you look you see Santa Claus and the
   wishes for a Merry Christmas, the Church is still in the season
   of Advent.  We are preparing for the coming of Jesus, both as we
   remember His first coming two thousand years ago, and look
   forward to His return to judge the living and the dead.
   Traditionally the second Sunday in Advent looks forward to His
   second coming.

        Malachi, the prophet, wrote not only for those who lived
   four hundred years before Jesus' birth, but for the modern
   Church.  The words of this book are clear, but there is some
   question about the author.  Is Malachi the name of the prophet,
   or is this a title.  In the Hebrew the word Malachi means ``my
   messenger'' or ``my angel,'' which certainly can be applied as
   the title for someone appointed by God to call His people back to
   repentance.

        For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven,
        when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be
        stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze,
        says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them
        neither root nor branch.


        Malachi writes of the entire New Testament era, not merely
   the final judgment.  This era extends from the day that the angel
   Gabriel told Zechariah of the coming of John the Baptizer to the
   day when the final trumpet sounds.  We are in the last days, as
   the author of Hebrews contends: ``Long ago, at many times and in
   many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these
   last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the
   heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.''[1]

        May our Lord grant us wisdom to hear His messenger.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Hebrews 1:1-2 (ESV)

December 6, 2024

Broadcast

                     The Righteous Branch - Part 5
                            Jeremiah 23:5-8
                              12/06/2024


        5    ``Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,
             when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
             and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and
             shall execute justice and righteousness in the
             land.
        6    In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will
             dwell securely. And this is the name by which he
             will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.''
        7    ``Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares
             the LORD, when they shall no longer say, `As the
             LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out
             of the land of Egypt,'
        8    but `As the LORD lives who brought up and led the
             offspring of the house of Israel out of the north
             country and out of all the countries where he had
             driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own
             land.''  (ESV)

        The prophet Jeremiah wrote:
        ``Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when
        I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he
        shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute
        justice and righteousness in the land.  In his days
        Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely.
        And this is the name by which he will be called: The
        LORD is our righteousness.''

        ``Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the
        LORD, when they shall no longer say, `As the LORD lives
        who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of
        Egypt,' but `As the LORD lives who brought up and led
        the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north
        country and out of all the countries where he had
        driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own
        land.''


        Here we have Jeremiah's warning to the people who had
   rejected the LORD God that the city of Jerusalem would be
   destroyed and the people taken captive.  Yet God, who is gracious
   and merciful, who desires that all people be saved and come to
   the knowledge of the truth, sent His Son to pay the price of our
   sin and to declare us righteous.

        The word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah came true.  God
   disciplined those who had rejected Him, yet showed His mercy and
   desire to forgive.  Today the same offer is extended to all
   people, for Jesus Christ is our righteousness, and our salvation
   from sin and death are a gift for His sake.

        Please join us at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church each
   Sunday to hear the truth of God's rich love, grace, and mercy.
   May our Lord bless you with wisdom and faith.  Amen.

December 5, 2024

Broadcast

                     The Righteous Branch - Part 4
                            Jeremiah 23:7-8
                              12/05/2024


        7    ``Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares
             the LORD, when they shall no longer say, `As the
             LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out
             of the land of Egypt,'
        8    but `As the LORD lives who brought up and led the
             offspring of the house of Israel out of the north
             country and out of all the countries where he had
             driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own
             land.''  (ESV)

        The prophet Jeremiah was preparing the people of Judah and
   Jerusalem for the seventy-year Babylonian captivity.  God was
   about to inflict the punishment which those who had rejected Him
   had earned.  In His righteousness, grace, and mercy, God had
   given His people ample time to repent of their sins, to turn back
   to Him, and to live.  Even as the punishment due to them was
   coming, God sent Jeremiah to call them from worshiping idols,
   from turning their back on the One True God.

        Although Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, God promised
   that a remnant of the faithful would return.  Through Jeremiah
   God said:
        ``Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the
        LORD, when they shall no longer say, `As the LORD lives
        who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of
        Egypt,' but `As the LORD lives who brought up and led
        the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north
        country and out of all the countries where he had
        driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own
        land.''


        God keeps His promises.  Our Lord promised David that from
   his line would come a King who would reign forever, which is the
   promise of the Messiah.  Therefore, a remnant of the children of
   Israel would return from captivity, which happened seventy years
   after the defeat of Jerusalem.

        Those who heeded Jeremiah's warning, those who did not
   reject the prophet's message, survived.  Those who rejected God
   were destroyed.

        May our Lord open our hearts and minds to hear His holy
   Word, to repent of our sin, and trust in Him alone.  Amen.

December 4, 2024

Broadcast

                     The Righteous Branch - Part 3
                             Jeremiah 23:6
                              12/04/2024


        6    In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will
             dwell securely. And this is the name by which he
             will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.
             (ESV)

        A fun topic for conversation, why did your parents choose
   your name?  Are you named for a relative or a close friend?  Are
   you named to honor an event or a place which is special to your
   family?  Is your name a play on words, such as the name of
   William Lear's second daughter, Shanda?

        The prophet Jeremiah, writing of the coming Messiah, said as
   inspired by the Holy Spirit: ``In his days Judah will be saved,
   and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he
   will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.''

        The names by which our Savior is known tell of the love and
   grace of God.  Jesus means ``The LORD is our salvation.''
   Immanuel says ``God is with us.''

        ``The LORD is our righteousness,'' one of the titles given
   to the Messiah, clearly proclaims the Gospel, that we, by our own
   works, by our own efforts, by our own desires, cannot earn
   righteousness.  Salvation from sin and death, redemption from our
   transgressions, is a gift because Jesus lived, died, and rose
   again from the dead to defeat the devil.  Satan lies crushed
   under His feet.

        Because the LORD is our righteousness, Saint Paul could
   write: ``For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this
   is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of
   works, so that no one may boast.''[1] Because the LORD is our
   righteousness, we have the hope of everlasting life.  May our
   Lord give us the faith to hold to the name of Jesus, our
   Salvation, who is our righteousness.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)