Advent: The Most Lutheran of Seasons

Lutherans are often portrayed as being “Lent” sort of people. Somber, slow chorales. Serious, meditative worship. Deliberate and determined people with their eyes set toward the cross. Anyone looking too happy or cheerful must be a charismatic or something. Yet, if anyone is looking too sad or melancholy, they must not know that Jesus loves them.

Sometimes it’s hard being a Lutheran.

Yet in comes the season of Advent. Advent is a time of urgency and waiting. It is a time of being prepared for Jesus’ return at any moment and knowing that moment has already been 2000 years in coming. We have our eyes set toward our work and worship and also toward the clouds awaiting Christ’s coming. The hymns of this season are joyous and hopeful, yet at the same time, penitential.

Advent seems to reflect the paradox which is Lutheranism.

We look for the coming Savior, but we do so with both repentance and joy. Though our church may be decorated for Christmas, the Bible lessons for this season of Advent really do not reflect a period of pre-Christmas. Rather, they reflect the judgment of the Flood and the judgment of the Last Day, the call to repentance by the prophets and John the Baptizer, and Jesus’ and Paul’s admonition to watch and wait for the coming of Christ in the clouds.

This short season of Advent – only four weeks long – perfectly reflects what it means to be a Lutheran Christian in our world today.

We are told by our society to have parties with our family during this “holiday” season, but then conflict inevitably ensues. We are encouraged to shop, spend and stay busy from “Black Friday” until all the after Christmas sales are over. Our American culture pushes us to have everything now and that this time of the year is all about gifts.

This is also the time of the year in Wisconsin that is often the darkest with less sunlight and more depression.

Yet there is hope in this Advent season. It stands in stark contrast to the fake and plastic joy of our culture.

Advent says to us:

·         The hope Christ offers is real, not contrived.

·         Slow down. Watch. Be ready. Don’t be consumed by this world. Rather, focus on the world to come.

·         Wait. We have the Gifts of God now, but not in fullness.

·         Peace is coming – in the manger, then upon a cross, and finally in the clouds.

·         Examine the past so that you may live in the present and focus on the future.

·         This season is necessary, that’s why you need both the Sunday morning and the midweek Advent services.

Advent. What a great time to be a Lutheran!

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Come. Amen.

Watching and waiting,

Pastor Michael D. Zarling



Midweek Advent Theme: The Songs of Advent

It has been said that music is an outburst of the soul and the literature of the heart. Music played a huge role as the Christ was about to be born into the world. Mary sang God’s praises in her Magnificat. Zechariah blessed the God of Israel in his Benedictus. And the angels sang to the shepherds with their Gloria in Excelsis.

These songs of Advent have been a part of the Christian Church for two millennia. We celebrate this Advent season by singing these ancient songs which still speak to our hearts, lift up our souls and magnify our Lord.

Nov 30: Benedictus – Pastor Zarling

Dec 7: Gloria – Pastor Roekle

Dec 14: Magnificat – Pastor Janke


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Max Lucado - False Doctrine

I love the way author Max Lucado writes. He is a great storyteller and a fantastic wordsmith. I have a number of Lucado's books on my shelves and receive his daily paragraph devotions. However, as popular as he is, as many books as he has sold, as many lives as he has touched with the Gospel, he still proclaims false doctrine. I still remember being told at the Seminary that you can generally tell a pastor's theology based on the kind of books he has on his shelves. Though our WELS pastors may have a few books by Lucado, Covey or even some fiction by Peretti, they had better have the majority of their books be sound, Lutheran, biblical doctrine. Martin Luther, The People's Bible commentaries, The Book of Concord, People's Bible Teachings, C.F.W. Walther, Francis Pieper, Werner Franzmann, etc. I mention this because of the devotion I received via email from Max Lucado on Friday, June 12 entitled "Saved by Faith." In the devotion he calls communion and bapti...
Read more

Jesus has prepared a place for you - A funeral sermon for Jim Hermann

Image
John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  2  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  4  You know the way to the place where I am going.” “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Did you catch the difference between what I read just now and what I read in the Gospel lesson? The Gospel lesson was from the NIV. The second verse I read was from the King James Version. If you’re older than 50, that’s the version of the Bible that you heard in church and learned in catechism class. But, even if you’re older younger than 50, you know about the mansions. “The mansions of heaven” is a term Christians use pretty...
Read more

Water into blood and water into wine

Image
Here are some thoughts that didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon. The Old Testament lesson for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany is the account of Moses turning the water of the Nile River into blood. The first of the ten plagues God used to get the Israelites out of Egypt. Exodus 7:14-24 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert. But until now you have not listened. 17 This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not ...
Read more