It's Christmas Time!

 

What are you doing this weekend?  I pray you are going to go to church.  You have the glorious opportunity to go to church three times in three days (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, 1^st Sunday after Christmas).  That’s three days of hearing the good news of the Savior’s birth.   That’s three days filled with the gift of Christ coming to save his people.   That’s three days of fellowship with fellow believers receiving the greatest gift of all, the Christ-child born to save us from our sins.

This Christian holiday is celebrated by more people than any other holiday.  In fact, it is even celebrated by Christian and non-Christian alike; 85% of people in the United States gather to celebrate Christmas.  But, will you be celebrating by receiving the Word of God in church?  What are the people of the world celebrating?  Americans really aren’t sure any more.  And I am concerned. 

This holiday has become more about gift giving to others than about the gift of Jesus.  Christmas decorations were up by October in the retail stores and they know why.  Projected Christmas gift spending this year is around $850 billion (up from $416 billion in 2002). Gift giving is not the problem though, but it is a picture of a general problem. 

What’s the real problem?  Faith.  What do you believe happened at Christmas?  The latest stats I could find were a comparison of 2017 to 2014.    In 2017, 66% believed Jesus was born of a virgin, 75% believed that Jesus was laid in a manger, 67% believed the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, and 68% believed wise men visited Jesus and brought gifts.  The scarier statistic is that only 57% believed all four were true  (pew research study from Dec. 18, 2017—link at the bottom). This is a decline of about 7% for each category from 2014.  It is especially disconcerting in light of what has happened over the last 20 months as attendance at churches has certainly not recovered from pre-pandemic levels. 

It should be clear that these statistics are of all Americans—not just Christians.  That is just the problem.  Statistics this year show that 29% of Americans now have no religion.  Yes, just 63% of Americans identify as Christian.  And that is to identify, it does not state practicing, regular church attending Christians.  It should be equally alarming because even amongst those who are Christian only 76% in 2017 believed that all four of the above stats are true.

Why are these statistics important?  It shows an alarming trend in the rejection of the inerrancy of Scripture.  Every one of these statistics should be 100% amongst Christians.  The Christian faith is not a “once upon a time” fantasy, but is the historical fact of salvation.  The greater reality is that there are many who are struggling in their lives and have lost their resiliency as they are overcome by the challenges thrown at them.  These people are hurting and ponder on what to do with their lives.  Maybe this includes you, dear reader. 

Why is Christmas a season of hope?  Why would I hope that you will go to church three times in three days?  Because you are loved by God.  Jesus was born of a virgin and placed in a humble manger.  The angelic chorus announced his birth to a group of lowly shepherds who in great excitement went to see their Savior.  A star appeared that night that led the magi on a two year trip to worship the baby Jesus that had been prophesied of in Numbers 24:17.   

No, there were no youtube videos or tiktok snippets.  Mary did not update her profile on facebook that the Messiah was born.  Simeon did not post on Instagram a picture of him holding up the baby Jesus. FoxNews did not get an exclusive with the shepherds and 60 Minutes did not get to sit down with wise men and hear all about their experience.

Rather, we believe it by faith.  And what is faith?  Hebrews 11:1 says, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  Faith at its simplest is trust.  And that is what Christians do.  We trust because Scripture is not man-made but is God-breathed.  All people cling to faith.  The atheist clings to faith that there is no god.  The evolutionist, in faith, holds to the unproveable belief that the world was created over billions of years.  But those whose hope is in God have an everlasting joy.  As Paul says in Romans 5, “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God…and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” 

Faith in Christ is all or nothing.  If you start to pick and choose what you believe in Scripture your faith then becomes in you.  Since faith has been created in us by Christ, since faith is a gift of God not of works, we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, confess that Scripture is without error and is God’s gift to us to keep us in the faith.

One last thought: encourage one another by giving gifts.  In so doing may you be led to receive the greatest gift of all: Jesus Christ.  He was born to give you the greatest gift ever known: the forgiveness of sins.  His birth began that gift, because he does what you cannot.  He lives the perfect life in your place and he dies for your sin so that in him you may have the hope of eternal life.   In a few short months do not forget to come together and celebrate holy week where Christ Jesus completes the gift, when we remember that by his sacrifice we have life with him and the promise that just as he was raised from the dead, we too will look forward to the resurrection and eternal life with him.  This is no pie-in-the-sky hope, but it is 100% guaranteed, the greatest gift you could ever have. 

As you gather together with your family, go to church and hear the birth of Christ from Luke 2.  Listen to John 1 and rejoice the Word of God was made flesh.  And on the 1^st Sunday after Christmas rejoice with Simeon and depart in peace knowing that you have seen the Lord’s Christ.

 

 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/18/5-facts-about-christmas-in-america/

 

The Flood, the Corona Virus, the Protests, and Christ for You

 

Part I

The flood of Genesis 6 has important connections for you today with the corona virus and the Protests?  It sounds like quite a stretch but I hope to make it clear for you over the next couple of articles.  Moses says, “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose…The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them.  These were the mighty men who were of old the men of renown.”  (Genesis 6:4)

What does the Nephillim, these mighty men, and the flood have to do with our topic?  I will lay it out in four different thoughts.  First, I will show how the Pandemic Virus and the flood have affected our understanding of the Commandments.  Second, where are our churches and what are they doing in the midst of this pestilence?  Third, how are the riots connects to the flood?  And fourth, Jesus Christ has prepared us for this and we are made more than ready through Christ alone.

Let us begin with by seeing how we have come to this point.  The sons of God came into the daughters of man. That doesn’t sound too bad until we realize who these two groups are.  The sons of God are the believers, the Church, the line of Seth.  The daughters of man are the children of Cain.  And they created the mighty men, that is, those who boasted in themselves and the mighty things they could accomplish.  (The stage to this was reset after the flood by the children of Ham, but that’s another story.)

The children of God were led to believe that they could overcome the heathen line of Cain and were free to marry whomever they wish.  But this is the danger of coveting and lust, it leads the faithful away into a false piety, to believe it doesn’t matter who you are with as long as you do it for the right reasons, God will sanctify it. 

We have forgotten the warning of Scripture over and over.  One of the first warnings in Deuteronomy was, “You shall not intermarry with them (those living in Canaan), giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.” (Deut 7:3-4) Parents and children have become so arrogant that they think they can convert the heathen to the truth by a marriage.  But we have ignored the very foundations of the Law. Do not look for a spouse by what arouses you but by the Word of the Lord.

Paul likewise warns in 1 Corinthians 6:14-15, Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?  Marriage is a yoking, you are walking hand in hand with your spouse.  Now of course this speaks specifically to the heathen but this does have a connection to those who are members of heterodox churches.

False teaching is dangerous.  It has wreaked havoc upon the churches of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).  We were once described as the sleeping giant and the reality is we still need to be awakened from our groggy slumber.  1971 was the statistical height of the LCMS with 2,886,207 members and while it was predicted to see exponential growth it never did.  Now others have spoken to that problem but the greatest problem is the doctrinal indifference of our church body precisely during this time and while much has been recovered we sleep on a precipice and we cannot be lured by the false gods of today and that is being seductively waved before us by the daughters of man. 

Will we be seduced by the gods of the social gospel?  Will the desire for doctrinal indifference lead us and our children away to think that what the church teaches doesn’t really matter?  Will we covet that which is not ours and scheme to get it to the detriment of our very souls? 

Time will tell.  But in the meantime we need to be warned and to be set on a right path.  We are in the midst of a so-called pandemic the world has not every seen.  The fear and despair is rife through all nations and ages.  But there is a glimmer of hope.  For there is always hope.  Not all is doom and gloom.  We are reminded in this season that Christ is coming.  There are bright stars in this bastion of Christianity as pastors and Congregations thrive against the odds stacked against them.

The Lord promises that he is with us always till the very end of the age.  He promises that where the Word rightly faith will be created.  The Church will prevail.  It may be but a remnant but even as the flood was right upon Noah, not all was lost, for the Lord preserved his promises in the lives of just eight people, from there countless millions have come to faith and believed in the promise Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Cling to this rock.  Here in your local church, where the Word of God is taught rightly is foundation of salvation as the promised Savior delivers to you his means of forgiveness.  You, right now, are called to hear this word.  May you remain steadfast in his Word and Sacrament.