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A star in the sky, carols in the evening air, a candle in the window, a wreath on the door, mistletoe hung high, poinsettias aflame with brilliant color, gifts beneath a lighted tree, friends around the holiday table, families reunited in love, church bells ringing. All these things are part of Christmas in America! And as far as most of America is concerned, we have been in the Christmas season for at least a few weeks already. Many have already “celebrated Christmas” with their families by having gift exchanges when everyone can get together.

Yet the Church Year calendar tells us we have just started Advent, the Intro, the prep time, the waiting period. Yesterday marked the beginning of Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas. This season is designed to help you prepare for the coming of your Savior, the Messiah. Advent means “coming.” It is to remind us that the celebration of Christmas is coming and that our Lord Jesus is coming back again. These are to be days of anticipation and expectation and preparation for Christ’s arrival.

Advent has a purpose. There is a reason for this season as well. Through the centuries, Christians have observed a time of waiting and expectation before celebrating the birth of the Savior at Christmas. The Advent season is to be a time for reflection and preparation, but the mood is not meant to be sorrowful. This is a time of joyful anticipation. We know that Christ is coming again, but He has not yet come. Advent is a representation of that. It is not that we don’t know about Christ’s birth! It is just not yet the celebration of it! That will come eventually, just as our Lord will return eventually. This is the season before the season.

Advent is something we should embrace and value in the church. It proclaims the revelation of God’s love expressed in Christ’s birth in a humble stable, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His victorious resurrection! It points to the hope of Christ’s coming again as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Advent makes innkeepers out of all of us, asking each of us to make room for the arrival of Christ the King.

I pray that you will all use this season to prepare room for Him in your hearts, your lives, and your homes! Blessings to you this Advent. And, when it arrives, have a Merry Christmas.

A young teenager finds herself pregnant. Her fiancée wants nothing to do with her, because he knows that child is not his. This scenario is played out daily in our world and often results in just one more abortion, a human life tossed aside like so much trash. Or perhaps they would harvest the fetal tissue for stem cells, use in research, experiments, or transplants. Of course they would never discuss or even consider that the tissue came from an actual person.

Think about the advice Mary would receive if God had chosen to carry out His plan in the United States of the 21^st century. “Get rid of that fetus before it is born. Having a baby now will just ruin your life.” That is the wisdom of our world.

God had other plans in sending His Son to this world at just the right time. That child born to us through Mary did not ruin lives — He saved our lives! That which was conceived in her was of the Holy Ghost, God made flesh, the long-awaited Messiah, Christ the Lord. Through His life He would keep the Law for us. By His death He would pay the price for our sin. In His resurrection we receive the Good News of our own rising from death to life for eternity. That is a far cry from what the world would consider an “unwanted child.”

There are plenty of people who still consider Jesus an “unwanted child.” They don’t want Him in their lives. For the most part, that is because they have never really met Him. They have heard things and seen misrepresentations of Him, but they have not met the real Jesus.

Those who follow Jesus need to remember that when people see us and observe our actions, they attribute what we say and do to Jesus. How do we represent Him in our spheres of influence?

My prayer this Advent season is that more people would see Jesus for who He truly is when they encounter those of us who follow Him.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
Oh, come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel!

Just a few days ago I woke up to dreary looking skies. It was gray and drizzly instead of clear blue skies and sunshine. But for whatever reason, my mood did not match the weather. On the contrary, I woke up feeling joyful. Thankfully, that is the case more often than not. God gives me a joyful spirit when I start a new day.

I had the words of a Big Daddy Weave song echoing through my head. It speaks of the difference a relationship with Jesus makes in our attitude, and repeats the refrain “I see it in a different light.”  You can listen to it here:

While wondering why I had a positive attitude on a dreary day, some passages came to my mind.

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

When we have troubles, we seldom consider them to be light and momentary. In fact, they can seem insurmountable and will consume us if we let them. But we have to remember that in all things, God is in control. Fix your eyes on Jesus and His promises. He has already earned your forgiveness and life. That is not temporary, like our problems. It is eternal.

Psalm 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Joy in the morning. That is what I was feeling. Not because of who I am or what I have done. It is all because of who Jesus is and what He has done for me…and for you.

May the joy of Jesus help you face your light and momentary troubles today.

Last Sunday Cheryl and I attended worship and Bible Class at her home church, Zion Lutheran Church in Lockett, Texas. That is where we were married and one of our daughters was baptized. Most of Cheryl’s family are still members there.

After Bible Class, I went into the sanctuary and sat down. One of our great nieces came and snuggled up next to me in the pew. She wanted to show me what she got in Sunday School that day. She said, “It’s an Advent calendar, and it is full of chocolate!” She was more than a little bit excited. She went on to explain that there were twenty-four numbered windows on the picture of the nativity scene. The teacher told her that inside each window was a Bible verse and a piece of chocolate. Then she said, “I want to go home and open them all at once and eat all the chocolates!”

I know how she felt. Most folks don’t like to wait. The world certainly doesn’t wait for Christmas. Businesses have already started having Christmas parties for their employees on this first day of December. Decorations were up long before Thanksgiving. You know what I’m talking about.

I told my great niece, “You could certainly do that. But I think you should try to use it the way your teacher told you. An Advent Calendar is supposed to help you get ready for Christmas and show you how many days are left until it is Christmas day. Every day you get to read another Bible verse and think about it that day. And you get a piece of chocolate EVERY DAY. That way you have something to look forward to every day from now until Christmas gets here. The more windows that are opened, the closer it is to Christmas, until finally all the windows are opened.”

I don’t know how convincing I was or if she followed my suggestion. But I still believe in observing Advent. It is a time of waiting, anticipation and expectation, knowing that something wonderful is coming. It gives us a chance to reflect on the magnitude of God’s gift to us before we come to the day we celebrate His birth. We prepare ourselves to once again rejoice that Jesus came down to this earth to be one of us, take our sins on Himself, and earn our forgiveness by offering His sinless life on a cross. I love watching the progression of the Advent wreath, and the building excitement until the time has fully come and we hear the proclamation:

Luke 2:10–12  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Advent also reminds us that just as we wait for Christmas, we are waiting for our Lord’s return. We know that is just as certain as His first coming. He will come again to take all the faithful to Himself, and we are now in that waiting period. One day we will hear another proclamation:

Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.

While writing yesterday’s devotion, an old hymn popped into my head. I found myself humming it and then singing it. I could not remember all the words, so I decided to look it up. I discovered that while it is included in “Lutheran Service Book,” there are only four stanzas in there. I remembered it being longer than that, so I went back to “The Lutheran Hymnal” and found it, and sure enough, there are eight stanzas there.

I know that folks complain about some hymns being too long, especially if the service is already running long. Truth be told, I have done that myself at times. But since we are not in a worship service right now, we have time to look at all the stanzas and reflect on the message they share.

What is the world to me With all its vaunted pleasure
When Thou, and Thou alone, Lord Jesus, art my Treasure!
Thou only, dearest Lord, My soul’s Delight shalt be;
Thou art my Peace, my Rest What is the world to me!

The world is like a cloud And like a vapor fleeting,
A shadow that declines, Swift to its end retreating.
My Jesus doth abide, Tho’ all things fade and flee;
My everlasting Rock What is the world to me!

The world seeks to be praised And honored by the mighty,
Yet never once reflects That they are frail and flighty.
But what I truly prize Above all things is He,
My Jesus, He alone What is the world to me!

The world seeks after wealth And all that Mammon offers,
Yet never is content Tho’ gold should fill its coffers.
I have a higher good, Content with it I’ll be:
My Jesus is my Wealth What is the world to me!

The world is sorely grieved Whenever it is slighted
Or when its hollow fame And honor have been blighted.
Christ, Thy reproach I bear Long as it pleaseth Thee;
I’m honored by my Lord What is the world to me!

The world with wanton pride Exalts its sinful pleasures
And for them foolishly Gives up the heavenly treasures.
Let others love the world With all its vanity;
I love the Lord, my God What is the world to me!

The world abideth not; Lo, like a flash ’twill vanish;
With all its gorgeous pomp Pale death it cannot banish;
Its riches pass away, And all its joys must flee;
But Jesus doth abide What is the world to me!

What is the world to me! My Jesus is my Treasure,
My Life, my Health, my Wealth, My Friend, my Love, my Pleasure,
My Joy, my Crown, my All, My Bliss eternally.
Once more, then, I declare: What is the world to me!

(The Lutheran Hymnal #430)

This hymn, written almost 400 years ago, is based on this passage:

1 John 2:15–17 ¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Knowing who Jesus is and all that He accomplished for us through His sinless life, His death to pay for all sin, and His victory over death, gives us the certainty this hymn writer expresses.

Romans 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

My old fishing buddy, Jim Bronaugh, was a great guy. He loved to laugh and smile and joke. One time after he had recovered from a very serious illness, I was visiting with him. He said, “It was terrible. At first, I felt so bad I was afraid I was going to die. Then, it got worse, and I was afraid I wouldn’t!”

During the lockdown for the corona virus, I saw people who had the disease and then recovered being interviewed on television. A common refrain from those folks was “I thought I was going to die!”

When I was in the fourth grade, I had a very serious case of food poisoning. It was scary. I was afraid I might die. So I did some soul-searching. You may not think a fourth grader would do that kind of thinking, but I did. I wondered what would happen to me if I did die. And I remembered what I had been taught from God’s Word. I had a Savior who paid for my sins and would welcome me into heaven. I knew and believed I had forgiveness and acceptance for Jesus’ sake. I still do.

Psalm 56:3–4 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

I trust in the Lord. Fear still comes, especially when I focus on this world and my own power. But when I turn my eyes back to Jesus, when I trust in Him, I know I am safe and secure.

John Newton’s famous hymn “Amazing Grace” has a stanza that may not be well known, but it is powerful.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease,
Amazing grace shall then prevail
In heaven’s joy and peace.

It can be difficult to think about leaving this world, because it is all that we know. Yet our faith in Jesus assures us of being with Him. I enjoy being here on earth, but I know something better is coming.

Earlier this month my father-in-law died. About ten days before that I attended the funeral of a friend. Yesterday I attended the funeral of a man who was a member of the congregation I served for most of my ministry, someone I knew for more than 25 years. While there, I found out another long-time member of that congregation had died, and her funeral will be on Friday. Death is a reality. It is something we all face, and we deal with it in different ways. I know some who refuse to attend funerals because they don’t want to deal with this reality. But, unless our Lord returns first, it is something we will all go through.

Something I have heard a lot of preachers say recently goes something like this: “The funeral is not about the deceased. It is not about the survivors. It is all about Jesus.” I understand the sentiment, and I agree that our focus should be on what Jesus has done for us that enables us to be forgiven and have eternal life. But some of those preachers put that into practice by barely mentioning the deceased. Shouldn’t we proclaim the goodness of God in the life of the departed loved one?

I once had a brother pastor write to me that he would conduct a funeral service even if no one showed up. That is all well and good, but how much better it is that we proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior to those who are still living and give the Holy Spirit the chance to work faith and confidence in their lives! Yes, it is all about Jesus, but it is also about how He works in the lives of sinners to rescue them from sin and death.

When I conducted funeral services, as much as possible I shared stories about the person who had died to illustrate his or her confidence in Jesus. I spoke of God’s loving work in the life of the deceased through Baptism and Holy Communion and the Word. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would work through me to help others understand God’s love for them, too. It was all about Jesus, but it was addressed to those who were still living, in the hopes that it would strengthen the faith of those who already believed and perhaps be a light for those still living in darkness.

1 Corinthians 15:19–22 ¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. ²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Christ alone gives us the victory over death and the grave. It is good to celebrate that in the service for a departed brother or sister in Christ. It is vital to proclaim that to those who grieve. It is all about Jesus.

When Cheryl’s dad died, he left specific instructions that his committal service was to take place before the service at the church. There was no casket nor picture of him in the chancel. Why? His reason was two-fold. He wanted the service to be all about Jesus. And he wanted a visual reminder to all who attended that He was no longer here, but with Jesus. He even asked his pastor to point that out to those in attendance. What a beautiful object lesson from that retired preacher who is now with his Lord! Yes, it is all about Jesus.

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament and Gospel lessons for this Last Sunday of the Church Year both use familiar imagery to speak of God: The Lord is our Shepherd. Here is a portion of that Old Testament reading.

Ezekiel 34:11–16 “ ‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. ¹³ I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. ¹⁴ I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶ I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

David had written “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Jesus called Himself “The Good Shepherd.” This picture language helps many people see God as a loving, tender caregiver and protector. Ezekiel reminds us that our shepherd will seek the lost and rescue us from places of danger. He wants to lead us to places of safety and provision.

I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.

When I read those words this morning, it reminded me that God is faithful. He came down to earth to do just that. Our Good Shepherd is God Himself, the maker of heaven and earth, the one in control of everything. He became one of us in order to live among us, guide us, lead us, tend us, protect us. And this Good Shepherd was concerned about more than just our provision here on earth. He came so that we could have an eternal good pasture, that place of safety and provision. He accomplished that by laying down His life for the sheep. That was the only thing that could make the payment our sin demanded. He procured our forgiveness and life and salvation. And He will come again to take all the faithful to be with Him.

[He] will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak…

 Hearing that today made me smile. I hope it gives you comfort as well.

I found an old email that listed “Things To Be Thankful For…”

…the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

…the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.

…a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

…all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.

…my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.

…the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.

…the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means that I can hear.

It is good for us to have a focus on giving thanks. We all have so much for which to be thankful. There is a story about Jesus that drives this point home for us.

Luke 17:11-19 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him — and he was a Samaritan.  Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

After hearing this story, most people focus on the problem with the nine who did not give the proper response of gratitude to God for the healing He gave them. But let us not forget the one who did the right thing: One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. That’s a great thing to do. If you were to put yourself in this story, that is where you belong, at the feet of Jesus. You should be the one who returns to give thanks.

Giving thanks is good not because it calls attention to the one who gives thanks. Giving thanks is good because it focuses on the One who deserves thanking. The real point of this account is not that one returned, but that ten were cleansed. They all had reason to give thanks.

Another way to consider this is “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” That, above and beyond everything else, is your reason to give thanks. You have been healed of something far worse than leprosy! It is because Jesus died for you that you are able to live. It is because you believe that Jesus died for you that you will live, not only now, but forever. God has provided the healing needed for all people through the death of Jesus. He has paid for the sins of all people. You and I are blessed to be among those whom the Spirit has led to faith. We know what God has done and through faith claim it as our own. We give thanks to God for his goodness.

My desk in my office at church always had a candy jar on it. Visitors were welcome to help themselves. If people brought their children into my office, I would always offer them a piece of candy. When I did so, mom or dad would usually prompt their kids by asking “What do you say to Pastor?”, after which I heard the reply, “Thank you!” By that act of giving thanks they were learning to be grateful, that they had something to be grateful for. It is something we all need to learn. You ought to be grateful for things you have received. Especially Jesus.

Ten lepers were cleansed, and one of them returned to give thanks. That is a good thing to do.

I want to continue the theme of Thanksgiving in my devotions for a couple of days. I have been considering how easy it is for us to expect to be blessed, to the point that we don’t even consider thanking God for it.

A little over 20 years ago when we still had some of our girls in high school and living with us, I was on my way out of the house early in the morning. I walked past the freezer on my way to the garage and stepped in a puddle of water. I looked at the freezer and the door was open about four or five inches. Evidently, the freezer was so full that when the last person who took something out of it tried to close the door, it didn’t close tightly. I know I complained about all the fish and meat and other things we lost. It was not until later in the day that I realized how blessed I was! What a problem to have – a freezer that is so full that you can’t get the door closed! What a reason to give thanks to the Lord!

I also remember around that same time the county reappraised my house. They increased the valuation of my house over 80%. 80%! My property taxes almost doubled from the previous year. My initial reaction was what most of you would do: I complained. But again, upon further reflection, it occurred to me that I should be grateful that God has blessed me not only with a home that has increased in value, but also with the resources to maintain it and even to pay my taxes.

It sometimes takes me a while to remember God’s goodness. It sometimes takes me a while to the get the proper perspective of things. I need to go through attitude adjustments. The way that happens for me is when I quit focusing on my own thoughts and turn my attention to God’s Word. I find it especially helpful to read the Psalms.

Psalm 92:1  It is good to give thanks to the Lord And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

I have used that last passage as a prayer after meals, but it is good to say it every day as a reminder to be grateful. I’ve got plenty of reasons to be thankful. I have a need to express my thanks to God. And the same it true for all of you.

My greatest reason for giving thanks is my Jesus. Because of Him, I know and experience God’s love in my life. Because of Him, I know I have forgiveness for my sins – He paid for them with His life and death. Because of Him, I am certain of eternal life with my Lord and all the faithful.

When I remember that, it puts things back into perspective for me. Thanks be to God.