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The sermon for Dec. 2 was based on Matthew 21:1-9.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
Advent is here! That means Jesus is coming. But for your eyes to see the glory
of the coming of the Lord, then your eyes must not look at appearances. For the
Lord Whom your eyes see processing in today does not look like much. He has no
entourage of attendants before Him; no kingly robes or glorious dress; no
security detail holding back the crowd; no trumpets announcing His arrival; and
no transportation worthy of His person and dignity. Yet, in faith, you see your
Lord coming to you, not just long ago nor only in the distant future. You see
your Lord coming to you today.
When the Lord does come down all glorious, it will be something for your eyes to
behold. But it will also strike holy fear in your heart. For when the Son of Man
comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit in
judgment on the throne of His glory. Then you will tremble in holy fear; not in
terror, nor because you are unsure of where you stand, but because such a show
of glory and power and might is designed to make hearts melt and knees shake.
But now, the Lord hides His glory and sheathes His power and conceals His might.
Not only so that you do not fear with terror, but so that He might deceive the
devil. For if Satan believes that God has let down His guard and that the Son of
Man is vulnerable, then he will be all the more emboldened to attack with all
his strength. Jesus' coming in humility is a trap designed to entice the devil
to come with full strength so that he, who by the tree in Eden once overcame
man, might likewise by the tree of the cross be overcome by the true Man, Jesus
Christ.
So the bait in this trap is Jesus—weak-looking, meek, vulnerable, inseparably
united to your mortal flesh and blood. He does not appear glorious, but quite
inglorious, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. But
there He is. And here He comes. Not much to the eye, but everything to faith,
faith that pins all hope on this inglorious-looking Jesus.
And that is the second reason why your blessed Lord hides His glory and sheathes
His power and conceals His might. For He desires that you follow Him in heart
and mind, not out of fear and terror, but in faith. Faith never goes by what it
sees. For appearances can be deceiving. Faith, then, goes by what it hears, for
"Faith comes by hearing." [Rom. 10:17] And what do you hear?
"Behold, your King is coming to you." He doesn't look like much. His
glory is not apparent. He hides Himself in a body that is broken and in blood
that is shed. And now He conceals that same body and blood in bread and wine.
But do not be like the devil and his seed. Do not be deceived. Instead, believe
what you hear: your King has arrived, the King that has come to save and defend
you, and make you whole.
Christ's advent is what you desire, what you have prayed for from God when you
say, "Hosanna!" And so, here He comes. Perhaps not in the way you
think. For your eyes would like to see the glory of the coming of the Lord, to
scare off whatever troubles you, and to make Him all the more believable. But
that is not the Jesus and King that you are given. Instead, you get the One who
hides Himself so that He might effectively and certainly win and deliver to you
His salvation.
This hidden-ness is one part of the Christian life that so many find so
difficult. You live a sinful, broken life. You feel and see death and suffering
all around you and even within you. You have so many parts of your life that
need salvation, and yet, that salvation seems so far away because your Lord is
so hidden. And so you have your pains and your griefs. You have broken
relationships and loneliness. You have your inner struggles that so often end in
sorrow. Is this advent season shaping up to be joyous and merry, filled with
happy times with family and friends; or, is this the season of hateful grudges,
lonely hours in an empty house, sinful longings, cold conversations with former
friends or alienated family for whom you no longer feel any love? In this dark
world of sin, Jesus is hidden in humility, concealed under the cross, and comes
to you in weary words from this tired preacher and in simple Sacraments that
lack any appearance of glory. But, in spite of everything your senses and
experiences scream into your ears, Jesus, your Lord and Savior, comes to you to
save you.
Faith must finally believe that, and faith boldly confesses the true faith. So
you join the crowd in shouting, "Hosanna!" which means, "Save me!
Now, Lord!" And so you see in His meekness and lowliness your salvation. Do
not let your eyes cause you to lose heart. Do not think or believe that your
cross and suffering leave you no hope. Do not feel that your prayers have been
unheard because Jesus appears so unable to help you. Instead, believe against
what you see and feel, against what your eyes have seen. When you pray,
"Hosanna," you are asking God to grant you faith to receive Him
precisely in His shameful death, and to give you comfort in His humility. And so
God gives you courage to rely not on the appearance of glory and power, not on
the symbols of victory and strength, not with a show of what you consider
righteous. Rather, He gives you the courage to rely and depend on and place your
confidence in Him, regardless of how He comes to you, and wherever and however
He hides Himself for your good.
But there is more to your prayer than simply, "Hosanna! Lord, save
me." That prayer can simply be a desire for a quick fix, an instant rescue
from whatever cross you bear. Rather, "Hosanna" also means:
"Lord, cause me see the glory of Your cross." For if you have received
God's glorious suffering on the cross, then you will have the faith and
confidence to call your own cross and suffering glorious and blessed. For you
suffer and bear your cross not by your own strength, but on the strength of
God's promise and invitation. For Jesus invites you to take up your cross and
follow Him. So now you pray, "Hosanna! Lord, save me so that I may bear
that cross with the patience and trust that cries out to You in faith."
With that prayer, glory takes on a whole new meaning. Now you call glorious what
everyone else sees as inglorious. Now you called blessed what everyone else sees
as a curse. Even the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree." [Gal 3:13] But in faith, you sing out, "Blessed is He who comes
in the Name of the Lord." Blessed is He, not cursed, even though and
precisely because He hangs on the cross. For that is where the Lord is most
glorious and powerful: in His bloody death on the cross. And that is where He
and His glory comes to us: in His bloody, inglorious death delivered into you in
the holy Supper.
And now, while your eyes may not see it and your emotions may not feel it, your
heart in faith rejoices. For the Lord most gloriously comes to you and for you
when He comes lowly and inglorious, whether it is on a donkey, or wrapped in a
manger, or hidden in the bread, wine, and water of the blessed Sacraments.
What more, then, can you say and sing? What better words can you find, but to
shout out, "Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the Name of
the Lord." For there is no more fitting way to greet and welcome your God
and King who comes to rescue you from the threatening perils of your sins and to
save you by His mighty deliverance. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. Amen.
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