The Second Sunday after Christmas: Wisdom. Assurance. Promise.
Public Domain Video of Divine Service, St. Luke, Rensselaer
Second Sunday after Christmas
Ephesians 1:3-14
Luke 2:40-52
O Lord our God, we thank you for the treasure that is your Holy Word and that we have the privilege to read, hear, mark, and inwardly digest it. We join with the Psalmist and declare “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” O Lord speak to us today so that we are prepared to meet 2025. Amen.
In the last couple of weeks in December we were exposed to many kinds of reviews of 2024. What were the noteworthy news events? What were the best-selling books? What were the music hits? Many of us also take that time to review the highlights and challenges of the past year. As we move forward into the new year, many of us make formal or informal resolutions concerning goals and changes that we want to see happen.
I think that the lessons we glean from the readings for today serve to sharpen our focus on how we want to move forward. If I summed up the readings in the briefest form possible, I would use the following three words: Wisdom. Assurance. Promise.
Early in his role as King, Solomon is granted the gift to choose what he would most like the Lord to endow him with. He chose wisdom. While we all know that that was the best possible answer that King Solomon could have given, we know that that selection would probably not be on many people’s lips either then or now.
When I have been in conversations where people expressed what they truly wanted. The number one thing I hear about is “winning the lottery.” Granted large sums of money do address and fix some problems. But, if money, a large or small amount, is not used wisely, before long, no more money. And, then you also discover that your new friends aren’t really your friends either. And, the respect and honor that you thought you would receive because of the money, is surface deep and goes away as quickly as it came.
But wisdom, now that is a gift worth having, because wisdom shows us how to live well regardless of income. Wisdom shows us good and Godly priorities that enable us to build and treasure that which truly matters. Wisdom can come as a gift, as it did to Solomon. Most often, wisdom is learned through study, through teachers, and through life experiences. True wisdom points us to God’s Word which shows us what a life worthy of living looks like. Wisdom begins with the acknowledgment that the Lord is God and we are not. Wisdom continues as we learn what God’s priorities are for our life. The first priority is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, and soul. The second is to love our neighbor. As Jesus taught us, in these two summary statements are all of the Law and the Prophets.
Wisdom that is learned teaches us that wisdom as human understanding and effort only takes us so far. We need God’s forgiveness. Wisdom teaches us that we sin. The Law of God teaches us when we are wrong, when we have done wrong, when we have not measured up before God or the people around us, and when we have failed. The Ten Commandments accuse us of where we have fallen short. So, we are utterly aware that we need what Jesus gives to us from the cross and that we receive through faith. In the cross, Jesus takes our sin upon Himself and gives us His gift of forgiveness. On account of this gracious act of Jesus, our heavenly Father see not our sin but Christ’s forgiveness. Where we should experience God’s anger and his wrathful punishment, we instead receive his love.
The second summary word is assurance. I like assurances. Sometimes I need assurances. One of the features that I appreciate when I use electronic communication are when I see words such as “sent” and “delivered.” Depending on the device of the person I just sent a message to, I am even told “read.” Meaning that the message has been opened up and read. If I don’t get a “read” sign, I benefit from seeing the emoji (thumb up, heart sign, or smiley face). I have been assured that the message was sent, received, and read.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul provides an assurance to the baptized Christian that your salvation is neither your idea nor your own doing. God predestined you before the foundation of the world to be adopted into His kingdom and to receive salvation through the cross of His Son Jesus Christ. God’s glorious grace is that you bear no responsibility for the origin of your salvation. It is the will of our heavenly Father that you have faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. God’s wisdom teaches us what we can do and what we cannot. Wisdom teaches us that our human sin will not spontaneously allow us to come to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit does the Father’s bidding and creates faith within us through the Word. God has chosen us to be a part of His kingdom. Wisdom that we gain through the Word shows us how we are to respond and to live as God’s people.
From time to time, Satan and his minions, like to trick us out of our faith through doubt or some kind of crisis. God assures us through Ephesians 1 that God has chosen you and you are His.
The third summary word is promise. Jesus promises to be exactly where he says that he is going to be. If Joseph and Mary could have pushed their anxiety aside for just a few moments and thought about who their Son is and recalled the remarkable circumstances around his birth, and the fact that He is now at the age of study in preparation for his Bar Mitzvot, that he just might be in the Temple learning from the finest spiritually trained minds in the region. I do not think that Jesus meant any bit of disrespect when he responded to Joseph and Mary, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” Isn’t this where you should be?
Jesus makes promises to us. One of those promises is that we can know where to find Him. Jesus promises that where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) Jesus also said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) We recall what Jesus did and said on the night when he was betrayed: He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them saying, “this is my body given for you.” He took the cup and said “this is my blood, shed for you.” Jesus is present in the bread and wine.
Jesus promises that he can be found here. He can be found here in the church, in the assembly of Christians, as we gather to receive His Word and His Sacraments. Jesus is here. We don’t have to go hunting for Him in the far reaches of earth or space. Jesus is here, in the church, we have met Him in the Baptismal Waters, and we meet Him in Holy Communion. He speaks to us those assuring words: You are mine, you always have been, and always will be, I forgive you of your sins, I died on the cross so that you can live forever in my Father’s house.
Wisdom. Assurance. Promise. Good words to enter a new year with.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment