Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.

Forgiveness is an essential part of that life of repentance.  And we forgive those who trespass against us, just as we are freely forgiven.  But who should we forgive? And should we forgive those who are not necessarily sorry for the wrong they have done?  Listen as Pr. Borghardt reflects on forgiving the un-sorry person:

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  Romans 1:16.

 In short, enthusiasm clings to Adam and his descendants from the beginning to the end of the world. It is a poison implanted and inoculated in man by the old dragon, and it is the source, strength, and power of all heresy, including that of the papacy and Mohammedanism.  Accordingly, we should and must constantly maintain that God will not deal with us except through his external Word and sacrament. Whatever is attributed to the Spirit apart from such Word and sacrament is of the devil.  Smalcald Articles, III, VIII, par 9-10.

Earlier this week a church planting team from our LCMS District came to our congregation to talk about entering into a partnership with our congregation in Nashville, Tennessee.  Situated smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt, home to the Christian music industry, our congregation is centrally located along what many have termed “church row.”  We are one of the smaller churches along this stretch of road in Nashville, but we are growing.  Nashville and Davidson County boast a population of approximately 620,000 people, 600,000 12 years earlier.  In 2000, there were approximately 591 congregations with 297,312 members.  When the statistics are adjusted for children, the figure jumps to just over 400,000 (Source: Association of Religious Data Archives).  In 2007, the estimated population was 620,000.  The number of churches climbed to 853 and church membership saw a slight increase to 304,238 (Source:  Social Explorer using ARDA numbers).  You can throw a rock and hit a large, mega, or brand new church in Nashville and its surrounding counties.  I may be a little color blind when it comes to distinguishing the colors on the demographic map, but the numbers show pretty close to 50% of the adult population claims membership in a church in Davidson County, the geographic home of the Music City, and more than 60% when children are factored into the equation.  So why plant churches when 262 new churches yielded only a slight increase in claimed membership over a 7 year period in Nashville?   The answer may surprise you.

The presentation revealed District statistics showing that congregational membership declined  by 3.1% between 2004 and 2009.  The “market penetration” for LCMS congregations in Nashville is .09% of the population, that is one tenth of one percent of the population of the city of Nashville is LCMS Lutheran.  One church has recently closed and is merging with another church in an adjacent county.  That leaves three LCMS congregations in Nashville with a Sunday morning attendance of 551 churchgoers any given Sunday (less during football season).  This coincides with an overall decline in Synod membership (not a phenomenon unique to Lutheranism).  A healthy church, we are told, is a growing church, one that is outward looking and “missional.”  If the numbers are declining or stagnating, the congregation must be looking too far inward and only receiving transfer members from sister congregations.  The congregation must not be doing something right.  All of that needs to change if we are to survive as Lutheran churches in this market.  It is time to look to something new and completely different.  Something bigger and bolder.  Let us revitalize a congregation by partnering with it to plant a new church, and give the people something to do.  This will stimulate excitement among a stagnant, declining congregation, giving it purpose and direction.  And we will do that by planting large churches, congregations with average attendance of 500 members or more any given Sunday.  That is the stated goal and charge of the District.  Apparently, success has been demonstrated in other church plants within the district with phenomenal “conversion growth,” and in reaching the “dechurched” and “unchurched” thus increasing “market share.”    The numbers do not lie.  We are committed to doing whatever is necessary to reach the “dechurched” and “unchurched.”  Growth and market share.

As any good Lutheran, we have to ask the question:  ”What does this Mean?”  We cannot simply accept what is handed to us, or look through rose colored glasses and see what we want to see.  Our theology drives us to the Cross where we cling to Christ.  The mission of the Church leads from the Cross — it is the Cross — and Christ builds His church, the body of believers on earth, through His Word and Sacrament.  Jesus, in commissioning the office of the holy ministry among His apostles, teaches: “When you are walking in the works I have established for you, make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to walk in the ways of everything I have imparted unto you.  And always keep in mind, I am with you in these things, doing and completing the work.”  Paul, the preeminent Apostle to the Gentiles, cuts to the core of the proclamation of the Gospel:  ”For I resolved to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified” and “For the word of the Cross if foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.”

So what does looking at the place of Lutheranism in the Bible Belt in this manner mean?  What is the message that is being conveyed?  On the most basic level it means that numbers and market share determine how and where we plant churches, not the Word of God.  The numbers show that the LCMS is underrepresented as a church body within the Nashville and Davidson County geographical area and in the wider Bible Belt.  Therefore, we need to get our share of that market.  God is leading us to this market.  It follows then, that numbers determine the measure of the success, the health and vibrancy of a congregation.  And if other plants are experiencing such growth, surely God’s Will is being done.  For the numbers show how greatly He is blessing these efforts.  And we do have metrics in place to ensure that the church plants succeed.  But what about the Gospel?  Where is the theological justification for planting big churches?  Where does Scripture reveal that numbers are the measure of success for a local congregation?  Where does Scripture reveal that we are to measure our success?  While these may sound like rhetorical questions, the response given is usually along the lines of “surely you cannot argue that the Gospel is not the driving force behind the presentation.  After all the message was conveyed to a group of Christians, by Christians.  We all know the Gospel, we do not need to make it explicit in the presentation, it is implied.  That is a given.”  We are all Christians here, so how can you call into question whether we are concerned with the Gospel?

Make no mistake, proponents of church planting are serious, dedicated individuals.  Their sincerity is not questioned.  And true, their hearts and intentions are in the right place and convey a desire to share Jesus with others.  Yet when the message delivered to potential “partners” in church planting is all about numbers, growth, market share, penetration rates, when the talk is of going after segments of the market such as men or 20 and 30 year olds, when the only passage of Scripture mentioned is “To whom much is given, much will be expected,” what conclusion can be drawn but that a theology of glory is at work?  This, in my opinion, is the more fundamental problem — we no longer trust in the sufficiency of Word and Sacrament to do what the Triune God promises it will.  There is a panic in declining numbers.  The rugged consumerism of American Christianity which has infected Lutheranism is at stake.  God needs our HELP!!  Say it ain’t so!  I wish I could.  I have heard it preached from the pulpit of the urgent need to have we sinners “go out” and reach lost and condemned sinners and apostate sinners — and let’s be clear with what and who we are and call a thing what it is — we’re sinners or damned sinners, all in need of a Savior let’s not forget those facts — in an effort to generate support for mission and planting.  The message usually goes something like this:  ”You have been so blessed.  You are saved.  You have been given so much — You have Jesus.  But those people out there who would never step foot in our church, who would never feel welcome here, they do not have Jesus.   And they are dying because you are not out there sharing the love of Christ.”  The gospel that is conveyed is this:   “Jesus died so that you can……

stand on your own two feet …..
share the love of Christ…..
proclaim His excellencies….
go tell others….
(fill in the blank).”

Is that the Gospel?  You are saved, you do not need Jesus anymore, but others do….  now go and DO?  The Law says do this, and it is never done.  Grace says believe, and it is already done.  Our do, is Jesus’ done.

Now do not get me wrong, Christ has prepared works for us in which we are to walk.  But it is always His work, His mission, all of which He works through us.  And it is not because of declining numbers that these things are done in and through us, but because of who Christ is, because of who He has made us to be.  It is so ironic that the focus of church planting in our District should be on numbers.  For it is not about making “de-churched” apostate sinners or “unchurched” damned sinners “churched,” as if that would solve the problem of declining numbers.  Our sinful flesh always wants to make the life of a Christian into something we do.  The Word is never enough.  And yet, it is never about what we DO for Christ — my works are never complete and will always be incomplete works — conversions, market penetration, turning of sinners none of it depends upon me.  Last time I checked, Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the the Trinity, and all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him.  I am pretty sure He does not need anything we have to give.  Rather, it is about Christ’s commission to His apostles to make disciples through Word and Sacrament ministry.  It is about serving our neighbor in love.  It is about being a neighbor.  There is a reason Christ sent the Spirit into the world, He who calls us by the Gospel.  For the Spirit calls us, draws us into Christ.  On earth, the visible manifestation of the Body of Christ is the church catholic.  It is here, gathered around word and sacrament that Christ washes us in Baptism, cleanses us, makes us holy, and presents us to God who declares us good.  Christ continues to feed us and the Spirit to strengthen us and preserve our lives in the universal, unified body of believers, not one that is geared only toward some “de-churched” or “unchurched” unbelievers.  In the Body of Christ we are all one, without distinction.  This I know, for the Bible tells me so.

When a presentation about church planting is devoid of any reference to a Scriptural basis supporting the “Why,” when no theological basis is offered, when the Gospel is to be taken as the assumed basis supporting the “Why” and the actual words used convey the law and works of man, when phrases such as “Kingdom building” and “extension of the Kingdom” are used, when marketing and church growth principles are the focal point of the conversation, it can only do one thing — point to the work of man, what I must do, and away from what Christ has done and IS DOING through His Word and Sacrament.  That this is true is confirmed by the stated charge and  goal to build big churches, worshipping 500 on average every Sunday.  So faith comes by numbers, and numbers by the work of man.  I am sure that there will be those who will say, “You’re splitting hairs,” or “What’s the big deal?”  And maybe I am.  However, I trust that the Word of God and the Sacraments will do their work, that it is sufficient.  The Word does not focus on numbers.  Nor does it center on the sinner.  Rather, the Word proclaims Christ crucified for the sinner and raised for the sinner’s justification.  The Word is about what the Triune God has done and is doing in Christ for the life of the world.   Certainly we use those first article tools of the created world that God has given us in service of the Gospel, but we do not trust in those tools to build God’s Kingdom.  Rather, we trust in the Grace of God Alone working through Christ Alone, creating receiving Faith Alone in the sinner, as revealed in the source of life Scripture Alone, for the Glory of God Alone, not for the glory of man.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus gave the full price for our redemption, what greater treasure can we have?  We can boldly say:  ”I am Baptized into Christ!”  This is such a firm and blessed assurance that neither sin nor death need bother us.  And we can proclaim it to Satan himself, as Christ did  for us.

Below is a video from the Coram Deo Higher Things Conference in Atlanta where a group of Lutheran youth, 400+ strong sing this wonderful hymn.  As God’s child, gladly say it — better yet, sing along — I am baptized into Christ!

With this issue of Christianity Today, we embark afresh on such an enterprise. We are calling it the Global Gospel Project (GGP), resources for a full-orbed discipleship of heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Christianity Today is setting out on a life long learning project designed to make disciples.  In the churches that make up the “evangelical” world and that pioneered the Church Growth Movement throughout the world, leaders have noticed that there is a hunger for deeper teaching of the Word, a hunger for *gasp* doctrine.

We are constantly assured that the churches are empty because preachers insist too much upon doctrine—dull dogma as people call it. The fact is the precise opposite. It is the neglect of dogma that makes for dullness. The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man—and the dogma is the drama.

Roots are meant to run deep, take hold of the soil and all the nutrients, and hold on for dear life.  The deeper the roots, the stronger the plant.  Without these deep roots, when raging storm winds blow, the plant will be ripped from the soil because it has nothing to keep it grounded.  There are many word pictures in Scripture that illustrate this point.  Christ’s parable of the sower tells our preachers how the Gospel will be received by others, and what will affect our reception.  His comment about the camel and the eye of the needle made as He watched the rich young man walk dejectedly away from Him is another.  Paul warns preachers in 1 Corinthians to be careful how they build, for in the day of judgement, the material will be exposed — build with straw, and it will go up in flames on the day of judgment.  That material is most certainly the doctrine being fed to the flock.  If it is straw, it will burn, and not withstand the day of judgment.  Consequently, it will not sustain those hearers in that day either.

The church growth movement at least in evangelical circles has long recognized that they can attract large numbers of people by playing church and making it look like so many other things in popular culture.  However, once they get them in the door, they cannot keep them — Lutherans in the CGM never got that message.  One can be fed spiritual baby food only so long.  Once you start cutting teeth, you need to start eating solid food, and the bottom line is that people ARE NOT being fed.

The question that has long dogged the evangelical world of church growth gimmickry is how do we retain this burgeoning membership that lines the pockets of the preachers, pays for fancy lighting and high tech equipment, sends our select preachers to cutting edge leadership conferences where they learn to change the language of Scripture to make it kinder and gentler for those non-sinner, unchurched people.  Put another way, we have been so focused on growing our churches, that we have neglected the main priority of the church:  to Make Disciples.

Christianity Today is attempting to exert some influence over the evangelical world of churches to implement a unified program that emphasizes core doctrines of Christianity.  While they admit that the program is not catechesis, they recognize that disciples are made through life-long learning — catechesis is a necessary component of the Christian walk and mission of the church.  The series will last five years, and will examine doctrine through the lens of the ecumenical creeds, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer.  Each of these are foundational elements of all catechisms.  The lead article, Why We Need Jesus, is written by Michael Horton of the White Horse Inn radio program, and a frequent guest on Issues, Etc.  Christianity Today plans to develop more resources such as podcasts, blogs, and Bible Studies.  This is exactly what confessional Lutherans have been doing through outlets such as Issues, Etc., Pirate Christian Radio, Worldview Everlasting, and Concordia Seminary on iTunesU  just to name a few.  We need to continue to do so, and expand our leadership in this area.

This will be an exciting time for pop-Christianity in America as God continues to call gather and enlighten His church.  I pray that the church growth proponents in the LCMS and particularly in my District watch what Christianity Today is doing.  I recently had a Lutheran pastor tell a group of people that our Lutheran confessions are not a tool to be used in reaching the “unchurched.”  Rather, we need to use recent, innovative materials that deconstruct the church and the faith, and rebuild both using different words that convey meaning to lost sinners.  After all, we have to speak their language, not teach them the language of Christ and His church.  But as a clear explication of what Scripture teaches, I can find no other better tool to assist in reaching those people who really want to be in church but do not know it and so they are just not churched (I did not realize church was a verb).  This especially so since the confessions contain each Ecumenical Creed, Luther’s Small and Large Catechism, the Augsburg Confession and its Apology, the Smalcald Articles, the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, the Formula of Concord and its Epitome, and testimonies from the church Fathers.  There is certainly a walk from spiritual milk to solid, rich food, that nourishes for a lifetime.

Hats off to Christianity Today and the ambitious program on which it is about to embark.

Image via Wikipedia

Preached rightly, the Gospel does not change, but is timeless.  486 years later the Word preached should still apply to us today, otherwise it is not the Gospel of God.  Below are some excerpts of a sermon preached by Martin Luther on Christmas Eve 1525.  Luther addresses the Gospel hidden in the Christmas story, in the shepherds, the manger, the proclamation of Christ to the World from heaven itself.  He notes that Christ must be preached in every proclamation of the Gospel — Christ for YOU and for ME, Christ for SINNERS.  Christ must become ours and we His before we can take those steps forward in service to our neighbor to do any good work.  And no work is good either if it does not benefit my neighbor.  This is still the work of Christ, my work that is.  For just as Christ serves me, so I serve my neighbor in the same way Christ does, giving everything in service to my neighbor.

May the peace, love, and joy of the Christmas season be yours, in Christ for YOU!

The Mysteries Hidden in the Gospel of Christmas Eve, Luke 2:1-14
Excerpts from the 1525 Christmas Eve Sermon of Martin Luther

Faith – What is to be Believed
Christ For YOU
The first matter is the faith which is truly to be perceived in all the words of God. This faith does not merely consist in believing that this story is true, as it is written. For that does not avail anything, because everyone, even the damned, believe that. Concerning faith, Scripture and God’s word do not teach that it is a natural work, without grace. Rather the faith that is the right one, rich in grace, demanded by God’s word and deed, is that you firmly believe Christ is born for you and that his birth is yours, and come to pass for your benefit. For the Gospel teaches that Christ was born for our sake and that he did everything and suffered all things for our sake, just as the angel says here: “I announce to you a great joy which will come to all people; for to you is born this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord” [Luke 2:10–11]. From these words you see clearly that he was born for us.

He does not simply say: “Christ is born,” but: “for you is he born.” Again, he does not say: “I announce a joy,” but: “to you do I announce a great joy.” Again, this joy will not remain in Christ, but is for all people. A damned or a wicked man does not have this faith, nor can he have it. For the right foundation of all salvation which unites Christ and the believing heart in this manner is that everything they have individually becomes something they hold in common. What is it that they have?

Christ has a pure, innocent, holy birth. Man has an impure, sinful, damned birth, as David says in Psalm 51[:5]: “Behold, in sin am I fashioned in the womb, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” There is no remedy for this except through the pure birth of Christ. Now the birth of Christ cannot be distributed physically, even as that would not be of any help either. For this reason it is distributed spiritually, by means of the word, to everyone, as the angel says, so that all who firmly believe that it is given to them in this manner shall not be harmed by their impure birth; this is the manner and means to become cleansed from the stain of the birth we have from miserable Adam. Christ willed to be born so that we might be born in different manner, as he says in John 3[:3–6]. This happens through that faith, as James 1[:18] says: “He has born us of his own will through his word of truth, so that we begin to be his new creation.” In this manner Christ takes to himself our birth and absorbs it in his birth; he presents us with his birth so that we become pure and new in it, as if it were our own, so that every Christian might rejoice in this birth of Christ and glory in it no less than if he, too, like Christ, had been born bodily of Mary. Whoever does not believe this or has doubts about it, is not a Christian.

Christ Must Become Ours and We His BEFORE We Do Good Works
This is the great joy, of which the angel speaks, this is the consolation and the superabundant goodness of God, that man (if he has this faith) may boast of such treasure as that Mary is his real mother, Christ his brother, and God his father. For these things are, all of them, true and they come to pass, provided we believe them; this is the chief part and chief good in all the gospels, before one derives from them teaching concerning good works. Christ, above all things, must become ours and we his, before we undertake good works. That happens in no other way than through such faith; it teaches the right understanding of the gospels and it seizes hold on them in the right place. That makes for the right knowledge of Christ; from it the conscience becomes happy, free, and contented; from it grow love and praise of God, because it is he who has given us freely such superabundant goods in Christ. Then there follows a mind right willing to do, to refrain from doing, and to suffer everything that is pleasing to God, be it a matter of living or dying, as I have said many times. This is the meaning of Isaiah 9[:6]: “To us a child is born, and to us a son is given.” To us, to us, born to us and given to us. Therefore see to it that you derive from the Gospel not only enjoyment of the story as such, for that does not last long. Nor should you derive from it only an example, for that does not hold up without faith. But see to it that you make his birth your own, and that you make an exchange with him, so that you rid yourself of your birth and receive, instead, his. This happens, if you have this faith. By this token you sit assuredly in the Virgin Mary’s lap and are her dear child. This faith you have to practice and to pray for as long as you live; you can never strengthen it enough. That is our foundation and our inheritance; on it the good works are to be built.

Serve Your Neighbor
Now when Christ has thus become your own [in the manner described], and when you through him have become cleansed in such faith, then you have received your inheritance and the chief goods, without any merit of your own, as you see, but solely because of God’s love who gives to you as your own his son’s possessions and works. Now there follows the example of good works, that you also do to your neighbor as you see that Christ has done for you. Here we learn what good works are in themselves. For tell me, what are Christ’s good works? Is it not true that, in every case, they are good for the reason that they took place for your benefit, for God’s sake who commanded him to perform such works for your benefit? Thus Christ was obedient to his father in this, that he lived and served us. Because you are full and rich, you have no other commandment according to which you serve and obey Christ, except that you direct all your works so that they are good and useful to your neighbor, exactly as Christ’s works are good and useful to you. For this reason he said while eating the evening meal: “This is my commandment that you love each other as I have loved you” [John 13:34]. You see here that he has loved us and that he has done all his works for us. The purpose is that we, in turn, do likewise, not to him—he is not in need of it—but to our neighbor. That is his commandment; that is our obedience; and so faith brings about that Christ is ours, even as his love brings about that we are his. He loves, and we believe, and those are the ingredients of the cake. Again, our neighbor believes and is expecting our love. We, then, should love him, too, and not let him look and wait for us in vain. The one is the same as the other: Christ helps us, so we help our neighbor, and all are satisfied.

From this you should yourself note how far afield they have gone who have tied good works to stone, wood, clothing, food, and drink. What does it avail your neighbor if you should build a church out of pure gold? What benefit does he derive from the ringing of big bells and many bells? What benefit does he derive from the great display of pomp and pretense in the churches by means of vestments, reliquaries, statues, and vessels made of silver? What benefit does he derive from the burning of many candles and much incense? What benefit does he derive from the making of lots of noise, murmuring, the singing of vigils and masses? Do you think God will permit himself to be paid off by means of the ringing of bells, the smoke of candles, the display of gold and other nonsense? None of these has he commanded to you. But [he has commanded] that if you see that your neighbor errs, sins, is in need, and suffers in his body, possessions, or soul, then and there you should get busy, let everything else go, and help him with all you are and have. When you can do no more, then you should help him with words and with prayer. For that is what Christ has done for you and he has given you an example that you should do likewise. Behold, these are the two things that a Christian should practice. The one is directed toward Christ, that he draw Christ unto himself and through faith make him his own, that he be clothed with Christ’s riches and boldly trust in him. The second is directed toward his neighbor, that he get down to his level and also let him have disposition of his possessions. Whoever does not practice these two things is not benefited, no matter whether he kills himself fasting or becomes a martyr, permits himself to be burned at the stake, and performs all miracles, as St. Paul teaches in I Corinthians 13[:1–3].

The Gospel – What is to be Preached

The Gospel Sets Forth ONLY Christ….
The second mystery or hidden teaching is that in the church nothing other than the gospel shall be preached. Now the gospel teaches only the two previous things, Christ and his example, two kinds of good works: one kind belonging to Christ, by means of which we in faith, attain salvation, the other kind belonging to us, by means of which our neighbor is helped. Whoever teaches differently from the gospel, he misleads, and whoever does not teach the gospel in accordance with these two parts, he misleads even more and is worse than he who teaches without the gospel, because he desecrates and corrupts the word of God, as St. Paul complains about some [II Cor. 2:17; 4:2]. Now nature by itself could not have discovered such teaching, nor can the intelligence, reason, and wisdom of all men devise it. For who would fathom from his own resources that faith in Christ unites us with Christ and makes us owners of all the possessions of Christ? And who would imagine that no works are good except those which pertain to our neighbor or are, at least, aimed in that direction? Nature teaches no more than to act according to the wording of the commandments. Hence nature operates in terms of its own works so that this one assumes he fulfills the commandments by making endowments, and that one, by means of fasting, and another, with vestments, and a fourth, by making a pilgrimage—one by doing one thing and another by doing still another—and yet these are nothing more than self-devised, futile works, which afford help to nobody. At the present time, unfortunately, the whole deluded world is going astray on account of human teaching and works, so that faith and love have vanished together with the gospel. Hence the gospel and its interpretation are an entirely supernatural sermon and light, setting forth only Christ.

…..Proclaimed by Angels Sent by God
This is brought out in the first place in this, that it was not one human being who announced to another this birth of Christ, but it was an angel who came from heaven and announced to the shepherds this birth of Christ. No human being knew a thing about it. In the second place, midnight, at which time Christ was born, has a meaning, namely, that all the world is in darkness at his advent and that reason is unable to recognize Christ. There must be a revelation from heaven. In the third place, the light which shone around the shepherds is meant to teach that there is needed here a light entirely different from any natural reason. St. Luke speaks here of gloria dei, the glory of God shone about them. He calls this light a gloria or honor of God. Why does he do this? In order to touch on the mystery and to indicate the nature of the gospel. Since the gospel is a heavenly light, teaching nothing but Christ in whom God’s grace is given us and our doing is summarily rejected, it raises up only the honor of God so that henceforth nobody can boast of a single capability, but is obliged to give honor to God and to leave the glory to him, so that it is purely through his love and goodness that we are saved through Christ. Behold God’s glory and God’s honor are the light in the gospel which comes from heaven and shines around us through the apostles and their successors who preach the gospel; for the angel represented all the preachers of the gospel, and the shepherds represented all hearers, as we shall see. For this reason the gospel is unable to permit any other teaching in addition to it. For man’s teaching is this earth’s light and is man’s glory. It raises up man’s glory and praise and makes souls arrogantly rely on their own works, whereas the gospel teaches them to rely on Christ and on God’s mercy and kindness, to glory and to be bold in Christ.

Likewise, in the fourth place, there is a significance to the names “Judea” and “Bethlehem,” where Christ wanted to be born. “Judea” in German means “confession” or “giving of thanks,” as when we confess and praise God and thank him that all our goods are gifts from him. Such a “confessor” and “praiser” is called Judeus. The king of such “Jews” is Christ, as his inscription reads: Jhesus nazarenus rex iudeorum. Thus, we too, say in German of a grateful or of an ungrateful person: he acknowledges it, he does not acknowledge it, etc. In this manner it is indicated that no teaching makes such confession, except the gospel which teaches Christ.

Likewise Beth means “house,” lehem means “food” or “bread”; “Bethlehem” means “house of bread.” The town bears this name because, situated in a good, fertile area, it abounded in grain; therefore, like the surrounding towns, it was regarded as a grain depot, just as we call such a town a lardpit. In former times it was called “Ephrathah”, i.e., “fertile.” The rationale behind both names is the same: it had fertile, grain producing soil. The meaning of this is that without the gospel there is nothing but desert on earth and no confession of God and no thanksgiving. But where the gospel and Christ are, there is Bethlehem abounding in grain, and grateful Judea; there everybody has enough in Christ and there is nothing but thanksgiving for God’s mercies. But the doctrines of men thank only themselves, and yet they permit arid land and deadly hunger to remain. No heart is ever satisfied unless it hears Christ preaching properly in the gospel; when this happens, a person comes to Bethlehem and finds him; then he also comes and stays in Judea and thanks his God eternally; then he is satisfied; then, too, God is praised and confessed. Apart from the gospel there is nothing but ingratitude and we do nothing but die of hunger.

….. which is Glorious, Joyous Good News
But the angel demonstrates the gospel most clearly with his words. To show that nothing else should be preached in Christendom, he takes over the office and the word that are appropriate to the gospel and says: Evangeliso. He does not say “I preach to you,” but “I am speaking a gospel to you.” I am an evangelist and my word is a gospel. Thus, as is explained earlier in the Advent Postil, ⁴ gospel signifies a good, joyous message, and that shall be the sermon in the New Testament. And whereof does the gospel speak? Listen! He says: “A great joy do I announce to you; my gospel tells of a great joy” [cf. Luke 2:10]. Where is it? Listen again: “For you is born a Savior, Christ the Lord, at Bethlehem in the town of David” [cf. Luke 2:11]. See there what the gospel is: a joyous sermon concerning Christ, our Savior. He who preaches him properly, preaches the gospel and nothing but joy. What greater joy may a heart know than that Christ is given him as his very own? He does not just say: “Christ is born,” but he appropriates Christ’s birth for us and says: “Your Savior.” Thus the gospel does not merely teach the story and accounts of Christ, but personalizes them and gives them to all who believe in it, which is also (as mentioned above) the right and real nature of the gospel. What good would it do me, if he were born a thousand times and if this were sung to me every day with the loveliest airs, if I should not hear that there was something in it for me and that it should be my own? When that voice sounds, no matter how furtively and imperfectly, my heart listens with joy, and the voice reaches through all the way and sounds splendidly. If there were something else to preach, then the evangelical angel and angelic evangelist would have touched on it.

….. and Tells Us Where to Find Him
Then he says: “This will be a sign for you: you will find the child wrapped up and laid in a manger” [Luke 2:12]. The cloths are nothing but Holy Scripture, in which Christian truth lies wrapped up. Here one finds faith described. For the entire Old Testament contains nothing but Christ as he is preached in the gospel. Therefore we see how the apostles adduce testimony from the Bible and how in this manner they prove everything that is to be preached and to be believed concerning Christ. Thus Paul says in Romans 3[:21] that faith in Christ, by means of which we are justified, is manifested through the law and the prophets; and Christ himself, after his resurrection, opens unto them the Scriptures and shows how they talk of him. Likewise on Mount Tabor, Matthew 16[17:3], when he was transfigured, there stood two men, Moses and Elijah, with him (i.e., the law and the prophets) as his two witnesses, his sign, pointing to him. For this reason, I take it, the angel says that the cloths are the sign by which one would know him. For there exists no other witness on earth to Christian truth but Holy Scripture. Similarly, Christ’s indivisible coat signifies the Scripture of the New Testament which was apportioned and gambled away during his passion. This signifies how the pope, the Antichrist, would not deny the gospels, but would tear them apart and play tricks with them by means of false interpretations, with the result that one could no longer find Christ in them. For the four soldiers who crucified the Lord were prefigurations of all bishops and teachers in the four parts of the world who tear apart the gospel and kill Christ and faith in him with their teachings of men, something the pope together with his papists fulfilled a long time ago.

Thus we see that the law and the prophets, too, cannot be preached or recognized properly, unless we see Christ wrapped up in the Scriptures. It is true that it does not seem that Christ is in them. The Israelites, we know, do not see Christ in them. They are inconspicuous, unimportant cloths, simple words, and they seem to speak of unimportant external matters, so that of itself nothing striking is discernible, but the New Testament, the gospel, must explain, reveal, and illumine, as has been pointed out. First the gospel must be heard, and one must believe the appearance of the angel and his voice. Had the shepherds not heard from the angels that Christ was lying there, they might have looked at him a thousand and another thousand times and yet they would not have found out from that that the child was Christ. Thus St. Paul says in II Corinthians 4 [3:14–16]: “The law remains dark and covered up for the Jews until they are converted to Christ.” For Christ must first be heard in the gospel and then one sees how beautifully the entire Old Testament is attuned solely to him and makes sense so sweetly that man must give himself up captive in faith; then he realizes how true are the words which Christ says in John 5[:46]: “Moses has written of me; if you believed him you would also believe me.” For this reason let us beware of all teachings which do not teach Christ. What more do you want to know? What more do you need? If you know Christ to the extent (as has been said above) that through him you walk in faith toward God and in love toward your neighbor and if you do to your neighbor as he has done to you, that is indeed the whole Bible condensed into the shortest span, so that there is no more need of words or books, but only that you live and do accordingly.

He lies in the manger. Look at this so that you may be certain that only Christ is to be preached in all the world. What else is the manger than the gathering of the Christian people in church to listen to the sermon? We are the animals that go with this manger. There Christ is placed before us, and with this food we are to feed our souls, that is, lead them to the sermon. He who goes to listen to a sermon, goes to this manger, but the sermons must deal with Christ. For not all mangers hold Christ and not all sermons teach the faith. Notice there was only one manger in Bethlehem in which this treasure lay, and it was, in addition, an unused, despised manger which at other times contained no fodder. Thus the preaching of the gospel is free of all other things; it has Christ and teaches only him. Should it, however, teach something else, then it has already ceased being Christ’s little manger, and has become the manger of cavalry horses, filled with the physical fodder of temporal teaching. But so that you can see how Christ wrapped up in the cloths signifies faith in the Old Testament, let me cite a few examples.

We read in Matthew 8[:4], where Christ cleanses the leper, that he says to him: “Go now, show yourself to the priest and offer up your offering, as commanded by Moses, for a testimony to them.” Here you are told that the law of Moses was given to the Israelites to be a testimony or sign, as the angel also declares in this passage, namely, a sign that the law means something else than merely what the words say. What other meaning? Christ is the priest; all men are spiritual lepers because of unbelief. But when we believe in him, he touches us with his hand, he gives us and attributes to us his works. Thereby we become clean and healthy, without any merit of our own, and we are “to show ourselves” to him, that is, to be grateful and acknowledge that we have become righteous [frum], not through our doing, but through his grace. In this way we are set right with God. Now we are to offer up our gift, that is, we are to share what is ours with our neighbor and do good to him as Christ has done to us. This is the meaning of serving Christ and bringing your gift to the real priest, for it is done for his sake and to show love and praise for him. Do you see how beautifully both Christ and faith are wrapped up in the simple passage of Scripture and the metaphor? You comprehend now that Moses in the law has only given a testimony and a signification of Christ. In this manner one must understand all of the Old Testament and one must let these the cloths be signs which point to Christ, so that one can recognize him.

The Gospel in the Diapers of a Baby
Another example: the fact that the Sabbath was so strictly regulated and that one could not perform any work on that day, indicates that there shall be in us not our works, but the works of Christ, for, as said before, it is not our doing, but what Christ has done, which redeems us. Now there are two kinds of works, as indicated above. In the one category those works which Christ has done personally, without us. These are the chief works, and faith is involved here. The second category are the works which he works in us and which we do toward our neighbor in love. The former may be called works of the evening and the latter works of the morning. Thus, “evening and morning become one day,” as it is written in Genesis 1[:5 et passim]. For the Bible begins the day in the evening and brings it to a conclusion in the morning; that is, evening together with the night is the first half, and morning together with the day is the second half of an entire natural day. Now as the first half is dark and the second light, just so the first works of Christ’s are ours in faith and are hidden, but the others, the works of love, are to come out into the light of day and to be revealed to the neighbor publicly. See, thus is the whole sabbath celebrated and sanctified! And don’t you see how well Christ lies here in his swaddling cloth? How well does the Old Testament show forth faith and love in Christ and in his Christians. Now baby diapers are commonly of two kinds, one for the outside, coarse, woollen material, the other for the inside, linen, softer material. The woolen, coarse outside material is the metaphor which is now narrated from the law. But the linen material is the sayings of the prophets, set forth without metaphors, as the one in Isaiah 7[:14]: “Behold, a virgin shall be pregnant and bear a son; his name shall be called Emmanuel,” and similar ones which likewise would not be understood as being about Christ, if the gospel did not indicate them and point out Christ in them.

Proclaimed by Messengers of God
So have we indicated the two, faith and the gospel, that they and nothing else should be preached in Christendom. Now let us see who are to be the preachers and the pupils. The preachers are to be angels, i.e., messengers of God, and they are to lead a heavenly life, dealing all the time with the word of God, so that they never preach human doctrines. It is a most unseemly thing, to be God’s messenger and not to promulgate his message. Angelus means “messenger” and here Luke calls him angelus domini, “messenger of God.” There is also more significance attached to the message than to the messenger’s life: if he leads a bad life, he hurts himself, but if he delivers a falsified message as God’s message, he seduces and harms everyone who listens to him, and he creates idolatry among the people, so that they honor lies as truth, men as God, and worship the devil instead of God. For this reason there is no more gruesome plague, misery, or misfortune on earth than a preacher who does not preach God’s word. Unfortunately the whole world is full of this kind nowadays. Yet they are of the opinion they are performing well and are pious people, although their true nature is that they murder souls, blaspheme, set up idolatry, so that they would fare far better, if they had been robbers all the time and murderers and the very worst criminals—at least they would know that they were evildoers. But, as it is, they go about under the name and appearance of priest, bishop, pope, clergyman and in reality they are ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing. It would be a boon, if nobody listened to their sermons.

It is Preached to the Poor Despised Sinners of the World
The pupils are shepherds, poor folk out in the fields. Here Christ keeps the promise made in Matthew 11[:5]: “The poor have the gospel preached to them,” and in Matthew 5[:3]: “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here there are no learned people, no wealthy people, no powerful people; for such people do not accept the gospel. The gospel is a heavenly treasure which refuses to tolerate another treasure along-side it; it cannot get along with another earthly guest in the heart. Therefore whoever loves the one, must let go the other, as Christ says in Matthew 6[:24]: “You cannot serve God and mammon at the same time.” The shepherds indicate this in that they are found in the field under the sky, and not in houses; thus they do not cling or cleave to temporal goods. In addition, they are in the field at night, despised and not recognized by the world which sleeps during the night and likes to strut and be seen during the day. But the poor shepherds are up and working during the night. They represent all the lowly ones who lead a poor, despised, unostentatious life on earth and live under the open sky, subject to God. They are ready to receive the gospel. The fact that they are shepherds means that nobody should listen to the gospel for his own benefit solely, but each one should tell someone who has no knowledge of it; for whoever believes for himself, that one has enough and he must see to it from then on how he might bring others also to such a faith and knowledge, so that one person is the shepherd of the other, and pastures him and takes care of him on this earth in the darkness of his life. The first thing the angel does is to frighten the shepherds. For nature is initially aghast when it hears the gospel message that all our doing is nothing and is damned in the sight of God, and nature is loath to give up its opinion and impudence.

Now each and everyone should measure himself against the gospel and should see how near or how far away from Christ he is and how he stands in the matter of faith and love. There are many who become inflamed with unreal devotion when they hear of such poverty of the Christ-child. They are almost filled with wrath against the citizens of Bethlehem; they condemn their blindness and ingratitude and are of the opinion, that had they been there, they would have rendered outstanding service to the Lord and his mother and they would not have stood for such miserable treatment. But they do not look around themselves to see how many of their immediate neighbors there are who could use their help and whom they are neglecting and leaving exactly as they are. Who is there on earth who is not surrounded by poor, miserable, ailing, erring, or sinful people? Why then does he not perform his deeds of love right here? Why does he not do to them as Christ has done to him? It is a plain lie and deception for you to think you would have done a lot of good for Christ, if you do not do it for these people. Had you been at Bethlehem, you would have paid just as little attention to him as did the others. Of course, now, because his identity has been revealed, you want to serve. If he were to come now and lie down in the manger and have you informed that it is he about whom you now know so much, then you might do something, but prior to that you would not have done it! If somebody had told the rich man in the gospel, so that he would have known for sure, what an important person poor Lazarus would be later on, he would not have left him lying and rotting there [Luke 16:19–31]. Similarly, if at the present time your neighbor were that which he is slated to be later on and if he were lying before you, then in all likelihood, you would take care of him. But since this is not so, you disregard everything and you do not recognize your Lord in your neighbor. You do not do to him as he has done to you. For this reason God lets you become blind, lets you be deceived by the pope and false preachers, so that you spend money for wood and stone, paper and wax and in this manner lose the means whereby you might have been able to help your neighbor.^[1]

Tomorrow, I come.

Amen. Come Lord Jesus come.

What a great way to usher in Christmas with our families. We call out to Christ throughout the season by naming the Old Testament Names by which He is known, and in these very words the Father has given to us, is Christ’s response. Merry Christmas!!

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, hope of the nations and their saviour: come and save us, O Lord our God.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

O Emmanuel,
Rex et legifer noster,
expectatio gentium,
et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos,
Domine, Deus noster.

O come, o come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

O king of the nations, you alone can fulfil their desires: cornerstone, binding all together: come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust of the earth.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

O Rex Gentium,
et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis,
qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem,
quem de limo formasti.

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.