Worship Helps for Advent 4
Artwork: The Visitation
Artist: Jan Lievens
Worship Theme: Since Adam, all have come to life in the
sinful image of the first parents. With that image comes death. But now comes
one who will shepherd his people Israel, one born God and man, the Word made
flesh to bring salvation to every generation. The judgment is coming, yet the
Lord’s deliverance for every generation is at hand.
Old Testament: Genesis 4:1–2, 6–8, 25-5:5
The man was intimate with Eve, his wife. She conceived and gave birth to
Cain. She said, “I have gotten a man with the Lord.” 2She also gave birth to Cain’s brother
Abel.
Abel tended sheep, but Cain worked the ground.
6The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?
Why do you have that angry look on your face? 7If
you do good, will you not be lifted up? If you do not do good, sin is crouching
at the door. It has a strong desire for you, but you must rule over it.”
8Cain said to Abel, his
brother, “Let’s go into the field.” When they were in the field, Cain attacked Abel,
his brother, and killed him.
25Adam was intimate with his wife again. She gave birth to a son and named
him Seth, because she said, “God has set another child in place of Abel for me,
since Cain killed him.” 26Later a son was born to Seth, and he named
him Enosh. This is when people began to
proclaim the name of the Lord.
5:1This is the account about
the development of Adam’s family:
In the day that God created man, he made him in the
likeness of God. 2He created them male and female and blessed them,
and on the day they were created, he named them “mankind.”
3Adam lived 130 years, and
he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his own image, and
he named him Seth. 4The days of Adam after he became the father of
Seth were 800 years, and he became the father of sons and daughters. 5All
the days that Adam lived were 930 years. Then he died.
1. The birth of the world’s first son must have been
joyful. Cain killed his brother years later, though. How could this
have happened? (See 5:3)
2. Adam lived 930 years. Then what happened?
Epistle: Revelation
12:1–6
A great sign appeared in the sky: a woman clothed with
the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2She
was pregnant, and she cried out in pain and agony as she gave birth.
3Another sign also
appeared in the sky: There was a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten
horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept away a third of
the stars in the sky and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the
woman, who was about to give birth, so that he could devour the child as soon as
it was born.
5She gave birth to a son,
a male child, who will shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was
snatched up to God and to his throne. 6Then the woman fled into the
wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God in order that she might be
fed there for 1,260 days.
3. Who was the male child? The dragon? (See
12:9)
4. We would assume a dragon could easily devour a
brand-new baby. What happened, though in John’s vision?
5. What did God do, meanwhile, for his church on earth
(the woman)?
Gospel: Luke 1:39–55
39In those days Mary got up
and hurried to the hill country, to a town of Judah. 40She entered
the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41Just as Elizabeth
heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled
with the Holy Spirit. 42She called out with a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43But
why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44In
fact, just now, as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby
in my womb leaped for joy! 45Blessed is she who believed, because
the promises spoken to her from the Lord will be fulfilled!”
46Then Mary said,
My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord,
47and
my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,
48because
he has looked with favor on the humble state of his servant.
Surely, from now on all
generations will call me blessed,
49because
the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50His
mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51He
has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those
who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52He
has brought down rulers from their thrones.
He has lifted up the
lowly.
53He
has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich he has sent away empty.
54He
has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy,
55as
he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever.
6. What happened when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting?
7. What does Mary first call God in her song?
8. Summarize the content of the song in your own words.
Answers:
1. Cain killed Abel because Cain had not been born in
God’s image (holiness) but in his father Adam’s image (sinfulness), and Cain
had failed to resist the power of sin inside him.
2. After Adam lived 930 years, he died. The same
thing happened generation after generation. The wages of sin is death.
3. The male child in John’s vision was Jesus. The
dragon was the devil, or Satan.
4. In John’s vision, the dragon was not fast enough to
seize the child. Jesus was born and went straight to heaven. What a
comforting picture: The devil wanted to harm Jesus as Jesus walked this earth,
but he could not lead Jesus into sin or defeat Jesus. Jesus lives. Jesus
reigns!
5. He fed her in the desert. Ever since Jesus’ ascension,
God feeds his church on earth by Word and sacrament.
6. The baby in Elizabeth’s womb, John the Baptist, leaped
for joy. Then the Holy Spirit filled her with new insight into what was
happening. What awesome things the Spirit does in connection with the
message of Jesus!
7. In her song, Mary calls God her “Savior.” She was
a sinner, just like all of us. No one should pray to her.
8. Mary knew God was fulfilling the promise he had made to
Abraham and had repeated for centuries. Generations to come would look at
this event and see how God powerfully lifts the humble up to experience the
great things God has done for us by his grace in his Son.
Putting your faith
into action
When
the God of salvation acts, his people respond with praise and thanksgiving.
When Elizabeth greeted Mary as the mother of the promised Savior of the world,
Mary did what comes naturally to Christians who are impressed with the Lord’s
love and faithfulness—she glorified the Lord. Keep that response in mind and
heart as you ponder the Christ-filled manger. Here is God’s greatest gift to
you! How will you thank him?
The will commands the
intellect to agree with God’s Word. We
say also, “Just as the terrors of sin and death are not only thoughts of the
intellect, but also horrible movements of the will fleeing God’s judgment, so
faith is not only knowledge in the intellect, but also confidence in the
will. In other words, it is to want and
to receive that which is offered in the promise, namely, reconciliation and the
forgiveness of sins.” Scripture uses the
term faith this way. Paul says in Romans
5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this
passage, to justify means to acquit a guilty person and declare him
righteous. But this happens because of
the righteousness of another, namely, of Christ. This righteousness is given to us through
faith. Therefore, since our
righteousness is the righteousness of another, we must here speak about
righteousness in a way different than in philosophy or in a civil court. (There we seek after the righteousness of one’s
own work, which certainly is in the will.)
It says in 1 Corinthians 1:30, “He is the source of your life in Christ
Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness...” In 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake He made
Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness
of God.” In other words, we are made acceptable to God… – Apology of the Augsburg
Confession, Articles V, Love and Fulfilling of the Law (paragraphs 183-186)
Comments
Post a Comment