Behold, Your King is Coming to You
This is a portion
of an Advent sermon by Pastor Aaron A. Koch of Mt.
Zion Lutheran
Church in Greenfield , Wisconsin
The world celebrates holidays all
backwards. Have you ever noticed
that? All of the celebrating is
virtually done before the day ever arrives.
This is especially so with Christmas.
All the feasting, the decorating, the nostalgia are done up front. You've got Christmas movies and Christmas
music and Christmas parades not only before Advent but even sometimes before
Thanksgiving! By the time the actual
holiday arrives, Christmas seems almost anti-climactic. By December 25th, you're tired of the songs
and the phony holiday cheer and you're ready to move on, especially if things
didn't quite live up to expectations.
That's the way it is with the world because that's the way the world
looks at life. You live for a while, you
have your fun, and then you die and it's all over. So you better make your time now count. First there's life and then there's
death. But with the church it's the
other way around. First there's death
and then there's life, both with our Lord and with us. Life really begins when we are freed from
sin's curse and are with our Lord in the resurrection. So our days in this world are lived
differently, as preparation for that coming time when the celebration will
really begin.
This faith is reflected in the way we observe Christmas. The church doesn't celebrate a holy-day, a
holiday until it actually arrives, and in the days following. The 12 days of Christmas that you hear about
in the carol are the days from Christmas to Epiphany on January 6th. That's the real Christmas season. What we're in now is the Advent season. And Advent is a time of penitent and
hope-filled preparation. In the early
church, Advent was a time for fasting, believe it or not. This is a time not for mere sentimentality
but to dwell more fervently on the Word of God to make ready the way of His
coming to us–which is the reason for the additional midweek Advent
services. We eagerly anticipate
Christmas, but now's not the time for the full celebration. We don't sing the “Glory Be to God on High”
yet in the liturgy. That's the song of
the angels that doesn't come till Christmas Eve. Now's the time for waiting and discipline and
focusing on the coming of our Lord in the flesh to save us.
That's why we have the Gospel that we do today. The Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem
New proposal for Epiphany Vespers: Monday evening,
January 5th, then Epiphany Day of Reflection on Tuesday
Epiphany Vespers is moving to Monday night for the first
time since it was offered, some nineteen years ago. This January our annual
winter Vespers is scheduled Monday, January 5th, 2015, at 5:00 pm.
This is the eve of Epiphany Day. The
size of our choir is rather depleted, so we do not know how much of a
contribution it can make, if any. Perhaps holding the event on a Monday and
Tuesday will generate interest among people who might have been unable to
attend on a weekend. This change puts the Vespers not only on a Monday night,
but also at a new time: 5 pm (rather than 7 pm), followed by our traditional
wine-and-cheese reception, another annual tradition. Our Epiphany
Day of Theological Reflection, will be on Epiphany Day itself, Tuesday
January 6th, beginning with Holy Mass at 9:00 and going until 3:00
in the afternoon.
The fifteenth retreat in the Theological Reflection series
is entitled,
“THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN, IN
CHRIST, IN THE LITURGY”
We have been considering this to some extent already in the
Sunday classes this fall; at this retreat, a more in-depth study will take us
into a careful consideration of this concept, its Christological meaning, and
its restoration in us. This retreat on Tuesday, January 6th, will
focus not only on the creation account, but on several passages throughout the
Scriptures that deal with the image of God.
First Tuesday Meetings Dec. 2
On Tuesday, December 2nd, Altar Guild meets as
usual at 6 pm, and Elders at 7:15 pm.
Between them we will hold vespers at 6:45 pm. All members are invited to attend.
Special Advent Masses on Wednesdays in December
During Advent, our Wednesday masses have appointed Gospels
from the pre-nativity narratives in the first chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel.
On Wednesday, December 3rd, the Gospel is St.
Luke 1:1-25, the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist.
On Wednesday, December 10th, the Gospel is St.
Luke 1:26-35, the annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
On Wednesday, December 17th, the Gospel is St. Luke 1:39-56, Mary’s Magnificat.
Members are invited to make an extra effort to attend these
services as part of your Advent preparation for the coming of Christmas.
December Birthdays
12/11 Chris Harden
12/13 Michael Eckardt
12/13 Lynn Woller
12/20 Peter Eckardt
12/20 Rachel Rowe
12/25 Robert Melchin
December
Anniversaries None
December Ushers
Allan Kraklow, Steve
Kraklow, Tom Wells.
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Anna Baker
at home; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield; Emilie Ricknell
(temporarily) at home; Jean Russell (termporarily) at home.
In Our Prayers
In
addition to our shut-ins, our current list of prayer intentions at mass
includes the names on the lists here following.
Anyone wishing to update the lest by addition or subtraction, please
inform the pastor.
Sick or infirm:
in our parish:
Jean Russell
Emilie Ricknell
John Ricknell
Linda Rowe
John Sovanski
Ann and Dale Baker
And also:
Anna Rutowicz [re Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter, cancer]
Caleb Cleaver [re Ricknells]
Madison Lindsay [re Andersons
Jill Matchett [re Shrecks]
Barb Fornoff [re Russells]
Lorene Foglesong [re Kraklows]
Corbin Gonzales [re Russells]
David Wexell [re Verplaetses]
Cathy Van Wassenhove [re Verplaetses]
Carl Hepner [re Kraklow]
Duane Kraklow [brother of Allan]
Emily Corzine
Shelly DeBord [re Watsons]
Lois Hopkins [re Kemerlings]
Liam Hampton [re Murphys]
Anthony Strand [re Murphys]
Troy Kelly [re Murphys]
Cindy Davenport [re Kemerlings]
Carter Wills [re Thompsons]
Pastors Don Chambers [Manito]
Glenn
Niemann [Pekin
In the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [re Ricknell]
Thomas Kim [re Shreck]
Michael and Katherine Creech [re Murphy]
Richard Heiden [re Eckardt]
And Carter Wills
in trouble:
any unborn children in danger
of abortion
Those suffering persecution
in Egypt, Nigeria, Eritrea, Guinea, Khazakstan, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, China,
the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere.
Remembering
the Dead in Christ
On the last Sunday of the year we remember members who have
fallen asleep in Christ during the year, with a tolling of the bell for each during
mass.
This year we lost one member: Sara Bidni.
Altar Guild
Notes
Advent begins November 30th. The four Advent
Sundays’ color is violet. If roses are obtained, they may be placed on
the Third Sunday in Advent, December 14th.
For midweek masses, color remains violet (Third Class Feast).
The three Christ Masses will be held as usual, 7 pm
Christmas Eve, 12 midnight, and 10 am Christmas Day. Color is white
for all three.
The Sunday after Christmas is Holy Innocents’ Day (December
28th). Color is red.
The Circumcision and Name of Jesus will be observed on New
Year’s Eve, the 31st, at 7 pm. Color is White.
Decorating During Advent
As is our custom, we decorate the church little by little
during Advent, until finally all is complete for Christmas. The
day on which volunteers are needed help put up the tree is Saturday, December 6th,
beginning at 9 am. Please help!
Advent for
the church is a time of penitential preparation for the coming of Christ
(that’s why the color is violet). It’s
helpful to remember this as we also prepare our households for Christmas. Unlike the commercial and secular world, the
Church’s celebration of Christmas begins with
Christmas, and runs the twelve days of Christmas, until Epiphany (note, for
instance, that our Christmas Vespers is after Christmas). The finest way to prepare for the coming of
Christ is by contrition and confession.
The Magnificent Disguise of God
I am not ashamed of the Gospel, says St. Paul
And
why would they not know? Surely, because
of the astounding disguise that it wears.
For this is the way of the Gospel: the majesty of God is hid therein,
which no one would ever find who employs his own reason or strength to do
look. Reason would look elsewhere,
certainly, where nature’s most beautiful sights are evident to behold, perhaps. But God has confounded the wisdom and
knowledge of men by means of his most magnificent disguise. He veils his strength in deepest humility and
simplicity.
Certainly this is
evident at Christmas, with its lowly cave, ox and ass, manger, and most
dreadful conditions. The glory of the
Lord shone round about the shepherds, to be sure, but it did not shine round
about the creche. This sign unto them
was not the reappearance of any heavenly host, but the swaddling clothes and
manger. Consider the sign: it betokens
dearth, not majesty. It is meager, not
mighty. It is all disguise, marvelous
disguise.
So also is it fitting that the Christ Mass should
be surrounded by the days of martyrs: in Advent, St. Andrew and St. Thomas
And
so the Gospel itself, also like the nativity of the Christ it proclaims, is
veiled in disguise: simple words from ordinary preachers. Less than simple, really, for this preaching
always creates enmity toward the preachers, enmity from the serpent’s seed
(Genesis 3:15). Thus are they hated by
many for Christ’s sake, as He Himself said they would be, and counted
shameful. St. Paul
So
also let us make no mistake: the ordinariness of the Gospel, that it does not
produce instant results splendid for the eye to behold, is nothing more than a
magnificent disguise. It is the power of
God. Behold: it will cause the dead to
be raised incorruptible at the Last Day, when the trumpet shall sound. For by it sins are forgiven and hells bars
are torn down; by it the righteousness of God is revealed from heaven, revealed
and given to those who believe it. By it
also the wrath of God is revealed against those who would reject it. The simple shaking of the dust off the shoes
of the Apostles against cities who rejected them will result in a fate worse
than that which befell Sodom and Gomorrah
BONAVENTURE'S PRAYER OF
HUMBLE ACCESS
The
significance of St. Bonaventure, exactly contemporary with Thomas Aquinas (born
three years apart, both died the same year, 1274), is usually eclipsed
somewhat, by the eagerness of historians to chronicle the latter. But this Augustinian, whom Luther preferred
over Thomas, made some contributions indicative of a profound and far-reaching
theology. Not least among these is his
prayer of humble access to the Sacrament:
My Lord, who art Thou, and who am I,
that I should presume to place Thee in the foul sewer of my body and my
soul? A thousand years of tears would
not suffice for once worthily receiving so noble a Sacrament. How much more am I unworthy, wretched man,
who daily sin, continue without amendment, and approach in sin. But Thy mercy is infinitely greater than my
misery. Therefore, trusting in Thy goodness,
I presume to approach.
Note
the contrast between “Thou” and “I,” evoking at once a deep reverence for the
One whose name is holy and reverend.
Next
is the acute perception of what the Sacrament is: “Thee”; thus implicitly superseding
the sophistries upon which such Aristotelians as Thomas were wont to
embark. Transubstantiation, while
certainly not incompatible, is deemed insufficient: the Sacrament, since it
is Christ's body and blood, is Christ Himself, in whom dwells bodily all the
fulness of the Godhead; why dim the marvel of this by speaking of substance
and accidents?
Note
also that Christ is received into “my body and my soul,” a concise confession
of the partaking of Christ by mouth—this is called by Lutheran scholars the manducatio
oralis—and rejection of spiritualist reception.
Then
note the keen awareness of sinfulness, seen first in the confession of sinful
being (the foul sewer; wretched man), leading to confession of sinful acts (who
daily sin . . .).
Next,
mark the confession of continuing “without amendment.” Absent is any notion of progressive
sanctification here. Even my approach is
“in sin.” Bonaventure sees nothing at
all worthy of praise in himself, even in his approach to the Supper.
But
finally, note the contrast between mercy and misery, which words
both arise from the same Latin root, a subtle reminder that mercy is for the
miserable. So Bonaventure returns to the
presumption he dares at the outset of the prayer. He presumes to approach indeed, but only
because of mercy. That, coming on the
heels of such a profound confession of misery, becomes painfully evident. No wonder Luther liked him better. Here is a fitting prayer of humble access for
any Lutheran.
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