Archive for December, 2008

Holy Innocents, Martyrs

Posted on December 29th, 2008

Note: In an ordinary year, I would have likely observed the First Sunday after Christmas on the day this sermon was preached, 12/28/08. However, I will be away from Immanuel next Sunday and over the Epiphany holiday, consequently we are transferring Epiphany to the preceding Sunday, thus missing the readings for Christmas II, which also treats the Holy Innocents (as well as the flight into Egypt). Thus, we observed Holy Innocents this past Sunday.   Christmas pageants are cute because they don’t tell you the whole story. They usually end with the wise men leaving, and the kiddos coming out for the big finish. What they don’t tell you is that after the wise men leave, soldiers come. Soldiers sent by Herod the Great.

Categories: Sermons

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Mystery in the little martyrs of Bethlehem

Posted on December 27th, 2008

I’m struggling writing my sermon for tomorrow, Holy Innocents (Mt. 2.13-18), because I simply don’t know what to make of those little children who were killed. My mind keeps going to the still-born baby I buried a couple of years ago, the time I visited the hospital to pray with a woman about to have a procedure to remove her miscarried child, and my wife’s own miscarriage. One points to the mercy of God and the hope of the resurrection, but it doesn’t alleviate the sadness that will always be there in this life. I suppose the only thing to say is that why God allows suffering even to “innocents” (and their parents, especially mothers) is a mystery, and we must trust God works…

Categories: Theology

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The one and only Son

Posted on December 26th, 2008

In an earlier post today, I wondered why Matthew renders “sons” in Jeremiah as “children” (tekna). Gibbs writes in his commentary on Matthew [thanks, Heidi!], “Matthew has taken ‘sons’ in both the LXX and the MT and deliberately rendered it as ‘children.’ His purpose in so doing is to emphasize that Jesus is the true and only ‘son’ and fulfillment of all of Israel’s history. In Matthew 1-4 only Jesus is called ‘son’ (huios), and he is so designated repeatedly.” (p131) Interesting that this comes so close to the citation of Hos. 11.1 in Mt. 2.15, “Out of Egypt I called My SON.”

Categories: Theology

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The Name, singular?

Posted on December 26th, 2008

I’ve often wondered what is meant by the Matthean text, “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The name (to onoma, singular) could be collective, so that the Persons are understood to be united; but what I wonder is if it isn’t “one Name that rules them all,” so to speak. Namely (bad pun), YHWH. In Rev. 14.1, the 144,000 have inscribed upon their foreheads “[the Lamb's] name and His Father’s name.” (NKJ omits “[the Lamb's] name,” although both my Nestle-Aland and Byzantine texts have the longer text given above.) Is that two names written on the foreheads (the name of the Lamb and another name, of the Father), or one name that denotes…

Categories: Theology

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Matthean Mystery

Posted on December 26th, 2008

Well, not a deep mystery; more a puzzle, really: What text of Jeremiah was St. Matthew working with? In the Gospel for the Holy Innocents (Dec. 28), Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31.15. The first thing I noticed was that both the ESV and NKJ translate bane (“sons”) as “children,” despite the LXX having huiois (sons). For some reason Matthew has tekna (neuter “children”). Why? It was clearly only boys who were killed. Does the fact that it is neuter give it broader application to the whole Jewish people? Then, there is the matter of “comfort.” Rachel refuses to be comforted. Jer. 31.15, Heb. has hinnachem, “comfort, relent.” LXX decides to go the “relent” route with pausasthai, “cease.” But Matthew, curiously, uses a term loaded with meaning:…

Categories: Theology

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Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 24th, 2008

I pray that you all have a wonderful, joyous celebration of our Lord’s birth. Here are some thoughts on the meaning of Christmas from C.F.W. Walther: What happened [in Bethlehem] did not apply solely to the residents of Bethlehem, but to all whose nature the Son of God assumed, everyone who is called human and a sinner. For, as the angel of the Lord proclaimed, “I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.” An unspeakably great, unexplorable divine mystery is at the bottom of all this. God’s holiness and righteousness must shut the doors of heaven to us sinners, and He knows that neither we ourselves nor any creature in heaven or on earth can open…

Categories: Theology

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Quirinius conundrum [updated]

Posted on December 23rd, 2008

Sometimes living 10 miles from church really stinks. It would be nice to skateboard over there and check out Just’s Luke commentary, see what Fr. Brown has to say, and look at the CPH lectionary book. I think that the Luke 2 gospel for Christmas Eve gives Luke 2.2 as saying something like, “This registration took place before Quirinius was governor of Syria.” At least, I think I remember seeing that when I was proofreading the bulletin. [Update: It turns out I was wrong. I just know I saw it somewhere, though.] However, the version of ESV in my Accordance program has, “This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria,” with a footnote for reading it the way I’ve rendered it…

Categories: Theology

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Ready for His visitation

Posted on December 23rd, 2008

Because it’s appointed for Christmas Dawn, this collect is probably rarely used, but it is quite a good one for us to be praying: Most merciful God, You gave Your eternal Word to become incarnate of the pure Virgin. Grant Your people grace to put away fleshly lusts, that they may be ready for Your visitation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Categories: Liturgy

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Rorate Coeli

Posted on December 21st, 2008

Sermon for Advent IV: John 1.19-28   “There stands One among you whom you do not know.” John the Baptist is referring to Jesus, who is the Christ. He was in their midst, but they did not recognize Him. Could that be said of you? You come outwardly to worship Christ here, but do you know Him? Does your life testify that you know Him? Do your words? Do the desires of your heart?

Categories: Sermons

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River

Posted on December 20th, 2008

I’ve been sick with a horrible, horrible cold for 11 days now; consequently, I’ve had little energy for blogging or anything else. Here’s a song I’ve fallen in love with, from Herbie Hancock’s album “River – The Joni Letters.” Since I was a teenager, I’ve been enamored with Hancock’s music, first the “Rockit” stuff that appealed to a teenage boy, then one of the greatest albums of all time, “Maiden Voyage.” This tribute to Joni Mitchell is phenomenal, and it just keeps getting better with repeated listening. Enjoy.

Categories: Music

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