The sermon for February 2nd was based on Luke 2:22-32.

          Grace and peace to you . . .

Women are weak and men are wicked. This is a simple and dreadful reality. Eve was fooled into eating the Forbidden Fruit and Adam, who wasn’t fooled, joined her in her sin. St. Paul reminds us of this in His first letter to St. Timothy (2:12ff). I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. St. Peter, in urging husbands to be gentlemen with their wives says to, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1 Peter 3:7). Scripture reminds us of the wickedness of men in many, many places, and with special vividness in Ecclesiastes (9:3) Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. Neither men nor women are acceptable to God. So says the Holy Ghost in Romans Chapter 3 (v23) all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Women are offended at being called weak. Among their first reactions is to deny it and immediately afterward point to the weakness of men. That, in itself, proves the point. Men despise being called wicked. We carry around in our minds a whole list of virtues just to throw in the face of anyone who dares to make the accusation. I can’t be wicked because: I love my wife, I’m good to my children, I don’t go hunting, I don’t eat meat, I volunteer, etc... No one wants to think that they are unacceptable to God and yet it is my unpleasant duty to remind you this morning that not one of you is in any way naturally acceptable to God. You are all sinners and, as such, damned. You and all the people you know and all the people you love and all the people you don’t know.

Let’s be honest, let’s set aside all the godless pride and the unbiblical feminism that we use to distract ourselves from our unworthiness. You didn’t need the Prophets and the Apostles to tell you that you we’re unacceptable to God did you? You knew it. You’ve always known it. Those of you who, in your heart of hearts, know your not good enough don’t need any reminders. And those of you with over-inflated egos know that you are driven by the fear that you are not yet sufficiently well accomplished. You may not always have called it unrighteousness. You may not have always known you were trying to satisfy God. But scrawled upon your very hearts is the understanding that you are, ultimately, not good enough. The natural reaction is denial.

When Adam and Eve first realized what they had become, unworthy of God’s love, they were so over come by the urge to deny it that they hid in the shrubs and dressed themselves in leaves. They were unwilling to admit the awful truth. We are likewise unwilling. Rather than confess our sins and throw ourselves on the mercy of God, we would rather deny that there is anything to confess. We’re so driven to deny our sinfulness that we will reject the very Word of God in our efforts to redeem ourselves and those we love. Here’s what I mean.

When you hear that there are doctrinal controversies within the Church and among Christians, the childish, Biblically illiterate, and quite natural reaction is to deny that the controversies could possibly be important. No doctrinal controversy can be important, such thinking goes, because God wants everyone to be happy and get along. We don’t want to look at doctrinal conflicts any more than Adam and Eve wanted to see God after they had sinned. We’d rather just paper over the whole thing, with fig leaves if necessary, and pretend that everything was just fine. But that doesn’t work. As St. Paul says to the Galatians (6:7) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. God, our loving and tender Father in Heaven, cursed both Adam and Eve and threw them out of their own home in Eden. Our same gentle and Heavenly Savior says this to those who would challenge His doctrine You brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:34-37) This is the way Jesus Christ treats people who quarrel with pure doctrine. There is no papering over, no covering up. There is no pretending that everything is just fine and that doctrine shouldn’t divide people. Adam and Eve tried to patch things up with God and God wouldn’t have it. The Jews tried to make Jesus see things from their point of view and He absolutely refused to compromise.

Why do we think that the stewards of His Sacred mysteries should behave any differently? There is no reason to think so and yet we do. Each of you want Pastoral care to be entirely positive, to be constantly affirming and perpetually accepting. The ministry of the Word and of the Sacraments can’t be this way because God is not this way. He says so Himself. This is what Jesus says when He sends out His disciples (Matthew 10:14-15) Whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! It will be Jesus’ way or no way at all. You don’t want to believe that though. You still want to think that Jesus will be lenient, that He’ll excuse you if pure doctrine or the right life of the Church would come between you and your loved ones, whether they be your children or your parents or your brothers and sisters, or even between you and your spouse. You expect Jesus to make exceptions. I hear you doing it all the time. Well, I’d have come to Church but my husband or wife or children didn’t really want to. I’d help with this or that but it might cause trouble at home. Jesus makes no exceptions, none for you and none for me. If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26-27) Surely you say, Jesus can’t mean this, not the Jesus who talks about mercy and peace and letting the little children come to Him. He does mean it. He says it again in Matthew 10:34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. These are Jesus’ own personal standards. You cannot pretend that they are form some abrogated Old Testament covenant. You cannot pretend that they are the personal opinion of some mistaken Apostle. Jesus said them and He meant them. They are recorded here for all time and they apply to you personally. Is there anyone left in this building who is still prepared to pretend that they are worthy of God’s love or to pretend that they deserve to be treated well by Him? Is there anyone here who still insist that God owes their children or their grandchildren any particular kindness? I should think not! Our sin, our unworthiness, our lack of love for God above all things ruins all.

We get divorced because we love ourselves more than our husbands or wives and because we love them more than God. We go broke because we trust in ourselves more than in God our Father. We go to war because of our sin. Our tallest buildings crumble around us and our greatest technical achievements crash to the ground because of our weakness and our wickedness. We die because we’re sinful and hell itself is full because we resist the Word of God when we hear it.

There is nothing in our lives that is clean or pure or true. We see that fact on preeminent display in today’s festival. On this day we celebrate Jesus’ presentation in the temple. Why was Jesus being presented in the temple? St. Luke says that it was because the Law of Moses demanded it. And with them they brought a sacrifice. What kind of sacrifice were they making? The answers are found in the 12^th Chapter of Leviticus. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. This describes the festival of the Circumscision of our Lord which we celebrated on January 1^st. She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. Even this most wonderful of blessings is overshadowed by sin and uncleanness. God’s curse on women is partly given to their relationship with their husbands and partly to their relationship with their children. Having a child is among the central purposes of a woman’s reason for being but it also makes her unclean and unholy before God. It prevents her from coming near Him or His temple. ‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days. Having a daughter brings twice the separation. ‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 7Then he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female. The most natural thing in the world for a woman is to become a mother and even this splendid and wonderful circumstance is something for which she needs to be forgiven. It is that way with all human endeavors. Nothing that a man or a woman does can be acceptable to God. Our highest works and our best achievements fall utterly short and become things for which we must, ultimately apologize. ‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’" This is the Law of God that governed the birth of children. Jesus was subject to that Law and His parents dutifully obeyed. Joseph took Jesus to be circumcised and when the time was right he took Mary and Jesus to purified. He’s a question though. What did they take as a sacrifice? The Law required a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering or if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering.

Whether she knew it or not, Mary, the Mother of God, brought a lamb of the first year. She brought with her the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. We sing that truth every week in the Divine Service. St. John the Baptist proclaims it to the world when He sees Jesus approaching. Christ is the sacrifice that replaces all other sacrifices. His is the life that make all other lives worthwhile. He is the one, for whose sake, we may hope to expect mercy and goodness and grace from God our Father.

Jesus makes right and even improves upon the human condition. Women who have been given faith in Christ are no longer cut off from God, even for a little while by having children. Men who trust in the person and work of Jesus are no longer despised by their Father in Heaven. He does not do these things for those who have no faith in Him, however, they are the exclusive blessings of those to whom He has given faith. He gives the forgiveness of sins and ultimate redemption to those who believe and have been baptized, to those who are truly Christian.

The difference between the one under the curse and the one who is freed from it is faith. Faith in Christ Jesus and Him Crucified makes all the difference. God gives that faith to whom He pleases and He gives it through the proper preaching of the Word and the right reception of the Sacraments. These are the means by which lost and condemned sinners become children of God and brothers of Christ. We who have them defend them and protect them, not because we’re cranky or contrary but because they are the means by which any person may be redeemed.

Haggai talks about the nations being shaken and the temple being filled with treasure. And then of peace going out from it. Today, with Jesus’ Presentation in the temple, we celebrate the filling of that place with more riches than the earth will ever have produced. And We join with Simeon in singing of the peace that comes out of it and into our lives. Every week we sing the Nunc Dimitis. Lord now let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word. Those words had special meaning to Simeon but they have an equally precious meaning to each of us.

The grace of God given to each of us makes us right and righteous. The faith we receive in Holy Baptism transforms us from damned sinners into children of the Heavenly Father. The Body and Blood of Christ, born of the Virgin, circumcised on the 8^th day, present this morning in the Temple and given to us in the Lord’s Supper strengthens that faith and forgives our sins. The Word of God proclaimed to us by our Pastors and pronounced over us in Pastoral Absolution sets us free from the dread of not being good enough for God to love. All of these become ours, exclusively by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. We do not earn them. We do not deserve them nor do they come to us from anyone else or by any means other than those given by Christ Himself.

This is why St. Paul tells us in our Epistle that there can be no boasting among Christians. Christians have nothing whatsoever in their lives to be proud of other than Christ. And He makes everything worth having. With Him even our suffering becomes something noble and enriching. The least little things are blessing with Christ and without Him, even the most otherwise fulfilling and delightful things become wretched refuse. In Jesus alone do we find light and glory as Simeon says. But in Christ we find them indeed, and abundantly and all freely given to the faithful.

Simeon, St. Luke tells us, was devout and righteous and waiting for the consolation of Israel. On the heals of yesterday’s national disaster and on the eve of yet another war, we too are waiting for consolation. This is to say nothing of all the heartaches and griefs known only to ourselves and our families. If you are looking for consolation, as I am, then I have good news for you. Your sins are forgiven you. Jesus Christ has died in your place and whatever wrath God had in His heart toward you has been washed away. You will live at peace with God and with all who share this faith for eternity and there will be weeping and sorrowing no more. May you all believe these Word of God and may all whom you love come to believe them too. Amen.

Last Updated: 7/15/2008