κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

Rejoice! That’s the name given this Third Sunday in Advent. Rejoice! This is the day of the year designated to help us remember to Rejoice in the Lord always! (Pp 4:4). This call to rejoice can be heard as both a greeting and a command. And it can be heard in the Word for our meditation today, from Matthew chapter 11, where Jesus says to John’s disciples , After you have gone, announce to John what you hear and see: the blind gain sight and the lame are walking, lepers are being cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are being raised, and the poor are being evangelized. And blessed is whoever is not being scandalized in me (vv 4-6). In other words, Rejoice. I will say again, rejoice at what you see and hear: Jesus comes to you with good news of great joy ... You, the baptized children of God, the inheritors of the heavenly kingdom, are hearing and seeing the Gospel that our Lord Jesus Christ has come, he will come, and he continues to come. He comes with healing. He comes with doubl...

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The real light, which illuminates all men, was coming into the world. ... John bore witness about him and cried out, This is he of whom I said He who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me. Last week, we heard how God’s Word conquered the darkness with eternal light. That Word and Light is Christ Jesus, our crucified and eternal God in the flesh. He truly is the great light who scatters the darkness of sin, Satan, and death. He is the true Word that gives us hope in the forgiveness of sins. All things for us and for our salvation have been secured in Jesus, whose birth united divinity to humanity and whose ascension takes humanity into heaven. As the Word of God ... Christ is meant to be heard and seen ... to be touched and proclaimed.  But, a...

Straighten up and lift up your heads because your redemption comes near (v 28) . Last week we crossed the threshold of a new church year, and stepped into the monthlong season of Advent. The special emphasis of Advent, as all of you should know, is the truth that Christ comes near. It’s not just that he came once to us in the past and will come again in the future to judge the living and the dead, but that he also continues to come to us today in Word and Sacrament. Behold, Christ comes: yesterday, tomorrow ... and even today!  This is great news and the root theme for our observance of Advent this year. We recognized that last week when we heard that behold, your savior comes to you. Answering how and why he does this is what I plan to have us focus on today and the next two weeks. The Lord of Heaven and Earth inspired all of the prophets and apostles to proclaim this message to you ... this Gospel ... this Good News ... that God loves us in this way: He comes to live for you, die...

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was turned toward God, and the Word was God. ... In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overtaken it.   Words are powerful. With words we make promises, pledge allegiance, and express our thoughts and feelings. We want others to hear our words, believe our words, and trust our words. With words we can build up relationships ... or tear them down. We can show ourselves trustworthy ... or destroy reputation and hope through broken promises, forgotten pledges, and a history of tiny deceits. If you think our words can have power, then think of the power of God’s Word.  Our Old Testament reading from Genesis shows this power: God said, Let there be light , and there was light. God’s Word separated the light from the darkness. God’s word works. The book of Hebrews teaches that in many and various ways God spoke ... you know, words ... by the prophets, and that, now, i...

Dear JonEtta and Frank, Diane and Thomas, Mary and Kent, Lisa and Buck; dear friends and extended family of Darlene; dear brothers and sisters in Christ ... Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . The text for our meditation today comes to you from our epistle reading, Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians ... especially where we read, Blessed is the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who blessed us.   If you ever met Darlene, if you ever sat with her for any time at all, you know ... Anita Darlene Hearting was blessed. I am so blessed , she said every time I ever visited with her.  She was blessed with a strong faith in Christ. She was blessed with a long life. She had been blessed with a loving husband. She was blessed with loving children. She was blessed on the farm. She was blessed in the church. She was blessed by our Lord. And she wanted more than anything to share that blessing with anyone she met ... especially al...