Larry Devich
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Advent 2: Sunday
Read Psalm 66:1-12
Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your
power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. (Psalm 66:3)
The Old Testament Israelites knew captivity. It was woven throughout their
history. They suffered the 400 years in Egypt before the Lord sent Moses, then
led them to freedom Himself—present with His people in a pillar of cloud by
day and a pillar of fire by night. They suffered the various incursions during the
time of the Judges, until each time God raised up a leader to set His people free.
Later on, after Assyria exiled the northern ten tribes into oblivion, the
Babylonians captured Jerusalem and led the people captive once more. But God
kept His promises, and a faithful remnant returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the
temple, the Lord's house.
It was good to be freed from captivity. It was even better to gather at the
tabernacle, later the temple on Zion. There, the Lord was present with His
people, dwelling in the Holy of Holies. There, sacrifices were offered, pointing
to the promised Sacrifice for sin. No wonder former captives declared, “Blessed
be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!”
Centuries later, a virgin in Nazareth would echo such praise: “He who is
mighty has done great things for me” (Luke 1:49). In Mary's case, however, it
was not that she had visited the Lord at His temple; rather, He had come to her
in the most miraculous of ways. The Lord was now incarnate in her womb,
conceived by the Holy Ghost. Make no mistake: He was just as present in
Mary's womb as He was in the Holy of Holies. And why was Jesus become
flesh? To be the Savior—to rescue His people from the bondage of sin, the
captivity of the grave and the tyranny of the devil.
To rescue you.
That is why He bore all your sins and infirmities to the cross, destroying
their power and setting you free for eternal life.
The Lord visits you. Jesus bears the name “Immanuel,” “God with us,” and
keeps the promise in the name. Your Savior comes to you, hidden not in a cloud
or behind a curtain or a manger, but in words and water, bread and wine. In His
Word and Sacraments, Jesus is just as present with you as with Mary, and He is
doing great things. He is giving you forgiveness, strengthening your faith and
granting you eternal life.
For now, you're still assaulted by those who would take you captive. The
devil still seeks to afflict you and drive you from your Savior into His kingdom
of darkness; but Jesus has conquered the devil. And by taking away your sin,
Jesus has robbed the devil of His power. Death still seeks to haunt you, plaguing
you with its outriders of disease and injury, but Jesus has conquered death and
risen from the grave. He gives this victory to you in His means of grace, too.
These are great things. For Jesus' sake, and by His work, they are yours.
Oh, come, Oh, 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.(TLH 62:1) ¶ 12/10/2006 07:20:00 AM 0 Comments
Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your
power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. (Psalm 66:3)
The Old Testament Israelites knew captivity. It was woven throughout their
history. They suffered the 400 years in Egypt before the Lord sent Moses, then
led them to freedom Himself—present with His people in a pillar of cloud by
day and a pillar of fire by night. They suffered the various incursions during the
time of the Judges, until each time God raised up a leader to set His people free.
Later on, after Assyria exiled the northern ten tribes into oblivion, the
Babylonians captured Jerusalem and led the people captive once more. But God
kept His promises, and a faithful remnant returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the
temple, the Lord's house.
It was good to be freed from captivity. It was even better to gather at the
tabernacle, later the temple on Zion. There, the Lord was present with His
people, dwelling in the Holy of Holies. There, sacrifices were offered, pointing
to the promised Sacrifice for sin. No wonder former captives declared, “Blessed
be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!”
Centuries later, a virgin in Nazareth would echo such praise: “He who is
mighty has done great things for me” (Luke 1:49). In Mary's case, however, it
was not that she had visited the Lord at His temple; rather, He had come to her
in the most miraculous of ways. The Lord was now incarnate in her womb,
conceived by the Holy Ghost. Make no mistake: He was just as present in
Mary's womb as He was in the Holy of Holies. And why was Jesus become
flesh? To be the Savior—to rescue His people from the bondage of sin, the
captivity of the grave and the tyranny of the devil.
To rescue you.
That is why He bore all your sins and infirmities to the cross, destroying
their power and setting you free for eternal life.
The Lord visits you. Jesus bears the name “Immanuel,” “God with us,” and
keeps the promise in the name. Your Savior comes to you, hidden not in a cloud
or behind a curtain or a manger, but in words and water, bread and wine. In His
Word and Sacraments, Jesus is just as present with you as with Mary, and He is
doing great things. He is giving you forgiveness, strengthening your faith and
granting you eternal life.
For now, you're still assaulted by those who would take you captive. The
devil still seeks to afflict you and drive you from your Savior into His kingdom
of darkness; but Jesus has conquered the devil. And by taking away your sin,
Jesus has robbed the devil of His power. Death still seeks to haunt you, plaguing
you with its outriders of disease and injury, but Jesus has conquered death and
risen from the grave. He gives this victory to you in His means of grace, too.
These are great things. For Jesus' sake, and by His work, they are yours.
Oh, come, Oh, 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.(TLH 62:1) ¶ 12/10/2006 07:20:00 AM 0 Comments
