The sermon for January 4 was based on Matthew 2:13-23.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Christian Church confesses that life is a gift from God, to be enjoyed and protected, and that life should never be subject to the whims of mankind, but treasured and lived according to the purpose for which it was created by God. At the same time, you also confess and proclaim that the holy life of Christ your Lord was given into death to cover the sins of all people, even to forgive the sins of those who have abused God's gift of life. Christ gave up His own life to save you and give you eternal life in heaven. He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world by His sacrificial death.

Perhaps it might seem out of place to think about such a difficult, unpleasant matter as the death of Christ so soon after His birth. Most of you would just as soon keep death "out of sight and out of mind," and at least not have to think about it right now. And yet, it is appropriate to consider the issues of life and death at Christmas. The very first day after Christmas, Bethany celebrated the Festival of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. The day after Christmas remains a stark reminder that Jesus Christ was born for those who refused to receive Him, who persecuted Him, who put Him to death on a cross. That is the true reality of Christmas; for Christ was born to give up His life as a ransom for many.

You remember that fact again today, even as you did last Sunday, as you hear of the Holy Innocents, those infant boys of Bethlehem, who were slaughtered by vicious King Herod in Satan's first attempt to kill the newborn Christ Child. It is but one example of the hostility that Jesus faced throughout His life from the very people He came to save. For Christ came into your world, a world which hates Him and does everything it can to ignore Him or destroy Him. Yet, while you were yet such a sinner, while you were still His enemy from birth, He lived and died for you. Such was the extent of His divine love and mercy toward you, a poor, miserable sinner.

In utter contrast to His love is the vengeful wrath of King Herod, who was furious when the wise men did not come back to tell him where the Child was. You can almost picture the notorious king shaking with rage, fists clenched in raw fury. Herod was hardly a religious man. He was not a full Jew by birth, and he didn't care at all about the Jewish faith. But he did know the Messianic hopes of the religious Jews. And he figured a Messiah would jeopardize his throne. So he sent the Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem with orders to return with the location of the newborn King. His intention, of course, was to murder the Child. So he was filled with rage when the Magi did not come back.

Herod's anger turned quickly into action. He ordered all the baby boys less than two years of age, in Bethlehem and all its surrounding territories, to be murdered. That would certainly bring an end to any talk of the Messiah! That's the kind of guy the great King Herod was - ruthless, cold, calculating and oftentimes raving mad. Human life was cheap and disposable to this man. Herod is known from history to have killed thousands of people during his reign, whenever such action furthered his cause.

And what was Herod's cause? Simply put, he wanted power, control, the right to choose his own destiny, and the destiny of those around him. Very often, he was capable of doing just that. And so, King Herod had no desire and saw no need for a Savior from sin, death, and hell. Thus, he rejected God's plan of salvation for his own political ambitions. As Satan's agent, he tried to kill God's Son, to serve his lust for power and control, to exercise his self-appointed "right to choose."

Sinners always want to control life, over which they have no authority, right, or power. All attempts to do so are simply a repetition of that very first sin in the Garden of Eden, your sin against the First Commandment, where the creature tries to take away the authority of the Creator, where the sinner tries to "be like God."

That is what Herod tried to do, when he attempted to kill the Christ Child, and when he murdered all the baby boys of Bethlehem, just as the unbelieving Jews would try when they had Jesus killed. Many even today try to control life and death. Often they try in obvious ways, like shooting each other, or aborting a defenseless, unborn child, or assisting someone to commit suicide.

But don't kid yourself. You also are guilty under God's Law. Any hatred that lurks in your heart is murder in God's eyes, and you cannot hide it from Him. Your failure to help and befriend your neighbor in every bodily need is a breaking of the Fifth Commandment. Too often, you live your life and spend your time as though you belonged to yourself, just as the world and your sinful old Adam have taught you to believe. Too often, you act as though you have earned what you have or as though you determine the length of your days and give yourself the breath of life. And like King Herod, you too often try to control God's gift of life, to exercise power where you have no right to do so, to play "God," by choosing life or death according to your own criteria.

Yet, despite all such attempts, in spite of your pride, the simple fact remains: you don't have the power to control life - not for yourself nor for anyone else. To begin with, the creation of new life remains the work of God alone. The Scriptures repeatedly point out that God is the One Who opens and closes the womb. The virginal conception and birth of Jesus, and the pregnancy of the elderly and barren Elizabeth, are further proof that God alone is the Author and Giver of life. He is the One who determines the number of your days on this earth, according to His good and gracious will.

Of course, sinful people always reject and fight against this fact, for by nature you want to live by your own power. By nature, you want to have some control. So you clamor to make your own choices and decisions, to be your own person, to do things your own way.

But the Lord is still the One in charge of history and life. You see that so clearly in the Gospel today. The angel of the Lord had first warned the wise men not to go back to Herod, and then alerted Joseph to the danger of staying in Bethlehem. Twice Saint Matthew indicates that what happened was in accordance with God's Old Testament prophecies. And the Lord is the One Who would call Jesus back out of Egypt once Herod was dead. Obviously, God is in control - not Herod, not you - but the Lord.

Because the Lord is in control, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents was not to be in vain. Though the Author and Giver of life certainly did not cause their death, He used their infant blood to bring about good for the entire world. As the prophet Jeremiah indicates, in the midst of the terrible weeping and sorrow which overtook the bereaved parents of Bethlehem, God calls out with a Word of comfort: "Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, . . . There is hope in your future, says the Lord." [31:16]

Indeed, there was hope for the future. The death of the Holy Innocents provided a shield for the Infant Christ Child, so that He could escape into Egypt and later win life for the entire world. Furthermore, the blood of those infant martyrs of Bethlehem pointed forward to the coming death and bloodshed of the Son of God. His holy and precious blood brings forgiveness for all people. His innocent suffering and death brings life to those who would otherwise be lost and gone forever.

He is the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, the Lamb of God, who takes upon Himself the sin of the entire world. His mercies are new every morning; His forgiveness never-ending. In the face of all your sins which ruin your life, He comes to restore your life. He comes that you might have life in Him, and have it more abundantly.

God redeemed the fallen creation by His own birth as your real human Brother in the flesh. Beginning as a tiny Fetus within His Mother's womb, the Son of God grew and developed through all the stages of human life. And already there in the womb the Savior was taking on the task of your salvation. He became like you. He lived your life from womb to tomb, and thereby showed that God has not given up on you, but chooses instead to love you and to save you. The sanctity and great value of human life is shown above all else by this, that God Himself took that life to be His very own.

Thus, take the greatest comfort that, even in the midst of suffering and death, you share in the glorious life of Christ your Lord. You struggle through the day-to-day realities of life in this sinful world with the confidence that eternal life is yours for Jesus' sake. God will strengthen you and keep you till the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ [1Co 1:8]. Think of that! In spite of all your sins, you will be blameless. For God is faithful; and He has called you into fellowship with His Son.

Instead of striving to control life for yourself, you live life to the fullest simply by receiving the life God offers and gives you through His precious means of grace. In the water of Baptism, you entered with Christ into His death, and rose with Him to everlasting Life. In the Absolution by your pastors, you hear and receive forgiveness, as from Christ Himself. In the bread and wine of His Supper, you feast upon the heavenly banquet of salvation.

None of these things can you do for yourself, nor can you take any credit for them. God does them all for you by His grace and love alone. You can do nothing but receive them from His hand with thanksgiving and cling to them by faith alone. Even that faith is a gift of His grace, which He gives to you. It is only by faith that you cling to His life and salvation in the Gospel and Sacraments, because for now your eyes and ears, your heart and mind, feel and sense nothing but death and despair. Moreover, words and water, bread and wine, all look and seem so frail and helpless - like an infant, so easily subject to the whims of sinful tyrants. How can any of these humble means do anything to help you in your trouble, or save you from sickness and death, from heartache and disaster? The means of grace don't pay the bills; they don't bring miraculous, physical healings or guarantees of good health; they don't bring back to this world your loved ones lost to death.

But they can and do bring the forgiveness of your sins, eternal life and salvation. They are the means of one, tiny Infant, who grew up to die on a cross; who by His death has conquered death forever, who by His resurrection has opened the gates of heaven to all believers, and who, by His Gospel and Sacraments, has shared His cross and resurrection with you.

Thus, by these means of His salvation, you are constantly reminded that the sufferings of this present age are not even worth comparing to the glories of the age to come [Rom 8:18]; that though your sins are like scarlet, the blood of Jesus Christ has made you white like newly fallen snow [Isa 1:18]; that even in the midst of death, you have been given eternal life. Oh death, where is thy victory? Oh grave, where is thy sting? Thanks be to God, Who has given you the victory in your Lord Jesus Christ [1Co 15:55-57]. Amen.

The Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Last Updated: 7/15/2008