Tag: advent

Come, Lord Jesus! – as Immanuel

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(Matthew 1:18-25)

While the concept of karma has no basis in Scripture and therefore is not covered in any lessons in our Bible Basics class, the idea of it has certainly crept into our American way of thinking. We may rather flippantly comment on karma playing a role when someone pretty universally considered to be a jerk has a stroke of bad luck. Our usage of karma tends to be more negative than positive – that when bad things happen to bad people, it’s karma coming back to get them.

On the flip side, maybe the slightly twisted Christianized version of karma is this: “Do the right thing, and everything will work out.” Sure, there may be a few detours or unexpected potholes along the way, but generally speaking, when we do the right thing, everything works out. That’s why we have the Ten Commandments after all, right? Follow those pretty closely, and things will go our way. Be nice to people, tell the truth, don’t take what isn’t yours – do those kinds of things and generally speaking, everything works out. 

I wonder if that’s why we’re so drawn to a guy like Joseph in the Christmas account. Here is a good guy that the Bible always describes as doing the right thing. The verse today tells us he was “faithful to the law,” (Mt. 1:19), which used to be translated simply as “righteous.” He did the right things. Even after the angelic explanation for what was going on, we see Joseph doing the right thing. “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.” (v.24). And later, after Jesus’ birth, Joseph again follows an angelic mandate to take his family to Egypt to avoid Herod’s wrath. We don’t see Joseph dismissing or disregarding what he is told to do. We don’t see him calling an audible and changing the game plan to what he thinks might be a better option or solution. We see him faithfully following orders – a good guy just doing the right thing. 

Yet, look what this good guy had to go through! The quiet, humble, do-gooder Joseph was going about everything the right way in his relationship with Mary. He had been faithfully honoring the period of engagement before marriage, which could have been a rather lengthy time as the families negotiated the details of the marriage, and then the bombshell dropped: she was pregnant, and Joseph was definitely not the father. So much for “do the right thing, and everything will work out,” huh?!?

It’s happened to you, too, hasn’t it? You did all the right things, but still, look what happened. You’ve been prudent and disciplined with your finances, budgeting wisely and refusing to get caught up in a buy everything and buy it right now culture, but still cannot seem to get things into the black. You’re the model employee, following company policy and always getting your stuff done in a timely manner, and no one ever takes notice. You take care of your things far better than your negligent neighbor, and yet you’re the one who always has car trouble or the leaky roof. You really felt you were doing all the right things as a parent, but your heavy heart questions it as you watch your child’s life continue to crumble in one part of life after another. You’re doing the right thing, but everything is definitely not working out! 

That carries over into our spiritual lives, too, doesn’t it? You’re doing the right things God calls you to in your marriage but the burdens are far outnumbering the blessings. You’ve been much more deliberate about being active and engaged at church, but your problems persist. You’ve been reading your Bible, but rather than experiencing clarity, confusion continues. You committed to the three-month challenge of increasing your giving over the final quarter of the year, but it’s been much more difficult than you thought it would be. You’re doing the right thing, but everything is definitely not working out!

It gets more troubling as we get more personal. I’m talking about trying to do the right thing after you’ve done the wrong thing – that internal scale that we try to balance inside our own minds. Our history of exploding in a fit of sinful rage has resulted in physical damage or scathing words more times than we can count. Therefore, we work really hard at being more patient… only to inevitably lose control again. The next morning we tell ourselves last night was the last time we’re ever going on that website… and then after visiting it again the very next weekend we have to establish a new “last time we’re ever going to visit it.” Your dismal financial situation, caused by credit card debt racked up through your unnecessary purchases leaves you feeling ashamed and guilty, so you end up making it worse by trying to escape the guilt with more buying. You know you should forgive the person who sinned against you as readily as Jesus forgives your sins, but… you just can’t. You’re trying to do the right thing – even when trying to balance the scales because you’re the one who’s done the wrong thing, but it is definitely not working out! 

If you are frustrated or discouraged by this struggle, the Bible provides some insight to help explain what’s going on. “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 16:25). “By the works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16). That’s pretty sobering news for those hoping to make progress by taking the “do the right thing and everything will work out” approach. It won’t work out. It doesn’t work out.

That misses the whole point of God’s law, which is really summed up by “do the right thing.” Or, to put it another way, love perfectly at all times. That isn’t just a tall order; it’s an impossible one. And that’s what God needs us to realize. Even guys like Joseph, guys we’d prefer to look up to and emulate as “good guys” – they are never good enough. We’ll never prove ourselves worthy or free from guilt by getting to the point of good, because it’s an unattainable goal. 

So what did Joseph do when that bombshell of Mary’s pregnancy dropped? Well, since he was the kinda guy who did the right thing, that’s exactly what he stuck with – he did the right thing.

But there’s a monumental difference between doing the right thing in hopes of satisfying God and doing the right thing once you find out God’s more interested in satisfying you. That, after all, was what was revealed to Joseph in his dream. The angel explained the significance of Mary’s pregnancy and birth. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21). “Joseph, did you hear that? You don’t have to be good enough! You don’t have to try harder! You don’t have to live in limbo, wondering if you’ve done the right thing so that everything will work out eternally. The Son born to Mary would take care of all of that. He will save people – including you, Joseph – from their sins!”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, did you hear that? You don’t have to be good enough! You don’t have to try harder! You don’t have to live in limbo, wondering if you’ve done the right thing so that everything will work out eternally. The Son born to Mary would take care of all of that. He will save people – including you – from their sins!

And he wouldn’t leave us wondering where we stood by remaining in heaven and barking out directions or to-do’s that could we could follow to be saved from our sins. He had to do it, and not from heaven, but here on earth. Matthew connected the dots for his readers to no one would miss that Mary’s Son would be God’s Son, the Savior who, just as Isaiah had promised, would come to be with us: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)” (v.22-23).

Immanuel, “God with us,” is not just the stuff of nostalgia; it’s the stuff of necessity. In Christ, God came to be what Joseph couldn’t be, what we couldn’t be, what no one could be: both perfection and payment. Jesus was the good we all strive so unsuccessfully to be. Jesus was the perfect that we’ll never pacify. Jesus was the payment we could never make. 

Christmas is Christmas because it had to be. Out of necessity. I need that child born on Christmas Day. You need that child born on Christmas Day. You love that child and you love Christmas when you are emptied of the notion that you can just do the right thing and everything will work out. It won’t. So God had to fix what we couldn’t, what we can’t, what we will never on our own be able to fix: ourselves. 

For all of his righteousness, his faithfulness to the law, his doing the right thing, Joseph still needed Jesus. So do we. Good news: on Christmas, we celebrate that God gave us just what we needed: Immanuel.

Come, Lord Jesus! – as Judge

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(Isaiah 11:1-10)

There is an innocence about a child’s exuberance to show off a new outfit or costume to mom or dad. A child holds no fear of feedback and eagerly parades out to showcase the look. Some of that is due to the sheer excitement that kiddos tend to experience in even the smallest things throughout childhood. It is also likely related to the fact that the child has an audience that shares the excitement and plays it up with praise and encouragement. Children thrive on that… 

…for what feels like a woefully short period of time until they hit the teenage years. That is when everything changes, and not for the better. Suddenly the cheerleading and positive remarks are replaced by brutal honesty and sharp jabs. A few snide remarks from friends here or there. A parent verbally questions, “you’re wearing that?”, and the childlike confidence fades away. Some never regain it. There is an ongoing fear of being ridiculed or made fun of, a nagging concern over comparison and not measuring up. 

That can carry into adulthood, too, and it can go well beyond just the clothes we wear. Our jobs and how we perform. Our kids and how we parent. Our classmates and our grades. Our friends and who has the newest and the latest. Our cars. Our house. Our yard. Our decorations. We live in a culture that just presumes that virtually every detail of our lives is under surveillance and scrutiny so that everything is fair game when it comes to comparison. And it leaves us as if we’re on guard 24/7 to make sure everything is on the up and up and satisfies the standards of others. More than anything, we just don’t want to be judged inadequate or not good enough.

And it isn’t always others who are responsible for the judgment, either. Often it is self-inflicted. We do it to ourselves. Maybe no one said a thing. Maybe no one noticed this or that. Maybe it’s not even on anyone else’s radar. But our mind draws ridiculous conclusions, nonetheless. “Maybe no one said anything, but I know what she’s thinking.” “Maybe no one noticed this or that because I wasn’t even worth noticing.” “Maybe it’s not even on anyone else’s radar because they’re more impressed by someone else.” We don’t want others to judge us, but so often fail to catch that we ourselves are most often the ones doing the judging!

Let’s seek to recapture that childhood confidence. Let’s get to a place where we do not fear judgment, but welcome it and eagerly look forward to it. We can, you know! We don’t have to live in fear of others’ opinions – or our own! Unlike so many others, we don’t need to wither when the world judges. We don’t need to be afraid of judgment.

We can have the same confidence that the apostle Paul expressed to the Corinthians. “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Cor. 4:3-4). Did you hear his rationale? “It is the Lord who judges me.” We’ll come back to those words, as they are extremely helpful in guiding us to a deeper appreciation of the words of Isaiah. But first, we need to touch on an important realization that Paul had; one that is really the missing piece in our culture’s pursuit of mental and emotional health.

Paul pointed out that not even a clean conscience made him innocent! Here’s why that matters. Our culture’s pursuit of a healthy self-image has always focused on how we feel about ourselves… which is precisely why we’ll never get it right. Years ago, and many adults and seniors can attest to this, if you made a mistake or failed it was understood that if you wanted to avoid that embarrassment or shame in the future, you had to try harder and do better next time. Some of you had parents or dads who were not shy about scolding or bluntly telling you to buck up and put in more effort next time. 

Well, that didn’t seem to do the trick, so the next phase followed the advice of psychologists that said the key to a healthy self-image was thinking positively about oneself. Parents were discouraged from tearing down and pushing kids too hard and instead encouraged to build up with words of affirmation. We’ve been encouraged to engage in daily self-talk, telling ourselves we’re good enough just as we are. The more positively we thought about ourselves, the more secure we’d feel and a healthy self-image would flourish.

But it hasn’t, because people are still mean and say mean things that smother the self-talk and positive vibes. So now we’ve been moving into the next stage which is that we’re making everyone else responsible for how we feel. You cannot disagree with anyone. You cannot say anything that might in any way whatsoever be construed as offensive, regardless of the intent. If someone’s feelings are hurt because of your words, it’s on you, not how they took your words. You cannot have an opinion that goes against what we’re told is the mainstream view that “everyone else” “clearly” shares. 

Do I have to ask if this is working? We’re seeing more suicides than ever and prescribing more pills than ever and we think this approach is working?!? You’ve got to be kidding! Of course this isn’t going to work, and here’s why: you’re the problem. Not the person next to you. Not what they think of you. Not what they say about you. You. Are. The. Problem. 

Your insecurity stems from what you inherently know about yourself. Something is off. Something is not right. You know the thoughts you’ve had. You know the things you’ve gotten away with. You know how much you don’t measure up, your conscience is your biggest critic – and rightly so!

So we need to draw the same conclusion that Paul did: others’ opinions of me cannot fix me; my own opinion of me cannot fix me. There is only one place to turn: the Lord. As Paul stated, “It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Cor. 4:4). While anyone else judging us would leave us standing on shaky ground, when we look at Isaiah’s words about the Lord’s judgment, we find what we cannot find anywhere else: peace of mind. 

You see – we know the Judge! Not only that, but we know what his judgment is going to be when he returns on the Last Day! Think about that. The one who determines your eternal destiny – whether it will be with him in heaven forever or apart from him in hell forever – has already made it known to you what his judgment is! You already know where you’re going. You already know what his opinion of you is. And if his opinion of you is already a done deal, then who else’s judgment do you really have to fear? Who else can say or do anything to you that carries more weight than your Savior’s? No one’s! And so we say, “Come, Lord Jesus! – as Judge.”

Did you know Jesus was the One Isaiah was talking about in the verses this morning? He described him like this: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Is. 11:1-3). That’s a pretty nice description for the One Isaiah goes on to describe as being the One who will judge. Who wouldn’t want a judge with wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord? Those are ideal characteristics for a judge.

But having the ideal judge doesn’t help us if we know we’re already guilty, which we do and which we are. So no matter how fair and just the judge is, how does it help our case if we already know we’re guilty?

Look at how he judges. That’s just it! See the metric by which he judges: “He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears” (v.3b). What he sees from my actions and hears from my lips will not be the basis of his judgment??? Do you know what that means? It means I have a chance! If my own incriminating sinful actions and thoughts won’t be permitted as evidence, then I have a chance! If all of the times I have been so quick to judge others won’t count against me, then I have a chance! If all the times I’ve played favorites, have not treated others equally, and thought so little of others at times won’t count against me, then I have a chance!

Instead of judging my actions and words, see how this judge reaches his verdict: “but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist” (vs. 4a,5). Righteousness, justice, and faithfulness are not descriptions that apply to me, so if those will be the characteristics by which he judges, then they must come from him. It must be the Judge’s righteousness, his justice, his faithfulness by which he judges.

And it is! John tells us “But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). The Righteous One who is our advocate is the very same one Isaiah says will be our Judge. What does this mean for you and for me?

Peace. And that is exactly what Isaiah describes in the pictures in verses six and following. Peace in the animal kingdom and in a world in which there is no fear of little ones being hurt. That peace is ours because Judge Jesus has determined that faith in him means our sins don’t count against us or separate us from him. So we have peace with God. 

When peace with God exists, I can reflect that same peace with my fellow man. You are at peace with your fellow man – the Judge has spoken! Nothing he has done or can do to you will change the Judge’s verdict. You don’t have to get revenge or get even. You are at peace. 

Let that peace govern your heart this Advent and Christmas. Rally to him. Rest in him. The verdict is in. Peace. No guilt. That means you live in a judgment-free zone no matter where you are. Come, Lord Jesus! – as Judge!

A King Who Comes to You

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(Matthew 21:1-11)

I came into the gym searching, as Gena had already texted me the exciting news. There had been a celebrity sighting at my daughter’s high school volleyball playoff game being played in Malibu. You probably wouldn’t know his name, but it’s very likely that you’ve watched him and would recognize him from one or another of his roles in a movie or series. He was there to watch his daughter play. I ended up sitting not too far away from him, which meant I was getting a lot of looks from CLHS fans turning toward me throughout the game… so they could not so subtly catch glimpses of him right beyond me. He cheered loudly, may not have been all that thrilled that the coach didn’t play his daughter more, and we ended up winning the game and moving on to the next round of the playoffs. 

After the game, when pictures of our girls were being taken, someone made a comment about how we should ask Mr. Celebrity to take one with the team. As exciting as the win was, how amazing would it be to get a team picture with Mr. Celebrity??? You’ll never guess what happened next. We asked him if he’d take a picture with the girls and get this: he did! Can you believe it? He actually appeared to be a normal human being and willingly came over for a few pictures with the girls. 

Why do we get so excited about such things? Typically we don’t expect celebrities, athletes, or dignitaries to interact with the rest of us. After all, they’re in a league of their own. They’re a big deal. They live in big houses, drive really nice cars, make lots of money, and rub elbows with others in the same social circles. We generally try to respect their privacy by not hovering or smothering and giving them their space. That’s why we tend to get such a big kick out of the times they do interact with us, even coming over to a very small crowd of parents and high school volleyball players for a picture. 

Even more amazing? The almighty Creator of the universe willfully, knowingly, intentionally, coming to us, to mankind.  

The description of Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday might appear to be out of place for this time of the church year, but it actually fits beautifully as Matthew connects the dots of the prophet Zechariah for us, describing what kind of a King we have: “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (v.4-5). A week ago we highlighted that Jesus was unlike earthly kings and authorities in that he did not establish his kingdom for himself, but rather that he came for others. As we begin our new Advent series, we rejoice in another way that Christ is unlike earthly kings: he comes to us.

That just doesn’t happen. Remember the remarkable story of Esther? She had a unique opportunity to intervene on behalf of the Jewish people and do whatever she could to save them from being wiped out by an edict authorized by the king. The only problem? She hadn’t been summoned by the king for several weeks, which could have implied that she wasn’t in all that great of standing with him. To approach the king, then, without having been summoned, was to risk death. Here is the exchange between Esther and her cousin, Mordecai, the one who had informed her of the plot to destroy the Jews:

“‘All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.’ When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: ‘Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?’ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish’” (Esther 4:11-16). 

I won’t spoil the ending if you aren’t familiar with it – you definitely need to read the rest of the account of Esther to see how everything played out if you don’t know. The only detail I’ll share is this: Esther wasn’t put to death by the king. He allowed her to come into his presence for an audience with the king. 

But even that is a different thing than what we see in Matthew 21. We don’t see Jesus situated authoritatively on his throne, determining who will and who will not be granted the request to have an audience with him. No – we see the King coming to his people. We see the dignitary, not full of himself, but full of grace, grace that compelled him not only to ride humbly into Jerusalem, not only to humbly be betrayed and taken captive, not only to be beaten and berated in humility but in the ultimate act of humility, to be killed by crucifixion. 

Why would a king – this King – subject himself to all of that? What did he have to gain? What benefit was it to him? He did not need to do it to expand his kingdom – it was already all his! He did not need to do it to prove himself – God does not need man’s approval to be validated. No, this King who comes for others comes to you.

During this season of Advent, that is what we celebrate – the Lord Jesus comes to us. And your King still comes to you. He continues to. Isn’t that also what makes interactions with celebrities or dignitaries stand out – they are so rare? I don’t anticipate ever interacting with Mr. Celebrity again. That was most likely a one-and-done occurrence, as are the majority of such memorable occasions. Many of us have similar stories of that one time we met so-and-so, and that is just it, it’s a part of the allure – it was that one time.

But not so with our King. Yes, he came into our world in a human body one time to dwell among mankind for three decades, but even in that way, he will come again on the last day when he returns visibly for all to see. In the meantime he still comes to us in body and blood, giving himself to us in such a way as to both remind us of the price our King paid to win the battle over Satan while also continuing to extend the ongoing blessing of forgiveness won through that battle for us. In continuing to offer himself to us in this way, it is as if the King was opening up his treasure room to us whenever we need it to provide us with the riches of his grace and forgiveness. 

Are you spiritually depleted? Sit at the King’s table, where he comes to you to fill you up again with the food of forgiveness. Are you frustrated by a lack of progress or growth in your Christian living? Sit at the King’s table, where he comes to you to give you the grace needed to grow. Are you discouraged by all successes Satan seems to be having in your life lately? Sit at the King’s table, where he comes to you to remind you of who already won the war. Are guilt and shame doing their best to push you away from the King by convincing you you’re not good enough to be in his presence? Sit at the King’s table, where he comes to you and sets the table with his body and blood for just such guests as you! 

Do you happen to have any other needs that have not been addressed? If so, your King also comes to you through his Word to remind you of the blessings that come from his convincing victory over Satan and his current ruling over all things for your benefit. He rules to oversee not only your present problems but also your future uncertainties. With him on the throne, what business do worry or anxiety have in his kingdom? With him on the throne, what can legitimately rob us of peace? With him on the throne, where else are we going to turn for the level of joy that he is able to provide? With him on the throne, having called us into his kingdom, what greater meaning and purpose can we serve than to extend all of these same blessings to other souls as we do the work he’s given us to bring other souls into his kingdom? He has the answer for every need you can imagine, and your King comes to you as frequently as you will summon him through his Word! 

My experience with Mr. Celebrity was fun, but honestly, a few years from now I will not be surprised to find myself trying to recall which celebrity it was that we got to meet that one time. And other than being a novel experience, we didn’t really gain any benefit from meeting him other than a few pictures. 

How different it is with Christ our King, our Savior-King who still comes to us! Not only during Advent, but always, until he comes to us that one last time to gather the people of his kingdom to be with him forever.

He Lifts Up the Humbled

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(Luke 1:39-55)

How many gifts will it be this year? Do you have a record of how many gifts it’s been in the past? You know the ones I’m talking about – the ones we made a big deal about, the ones we convinced ourselves and others we really wanted – no, needed… only to see them end up unused, forgotten, or re-gifted to someone else. I would imagine you could spend some time over the holidays just looking back on everything in your home, your garage, and/or a storage unit if you have one, and so much of it would be a record of things that at one point were “must-haves.” Going through that process would probably serve to give us pause the next time we convince ourselves that we have to have something. We may not want it as badly as we think we do.

Couldn’t we say that about humility as well? We’ve reflected on humility for the past three Sundays, and honestly, isn’t humility a bit like that gift you think you want, but when it comes right down to it, isn’t as interesting as we thought? We even know that humility is one of those desirable qualities God wants us to have, so we should want it, but really we don’t. Because humility means giving up something I’m really good at: me. Humility means actually doing what Jesus called us to by denying self. Humility means going against my natural self-interest and doing what I’m best at by nature, making my life about me. So humility sounds virtuous and noble and it should be not only on our Christmas list, but an ongoing pursuit of ours, but… the reality is that we aren’t too willing to part with our pride. Like a child throwing a tantrum after being stripped of a toy for misbehaving, we naturally kick and scream against anything that threatens our pride. And humility does just that. 

That’s what makes it so difficult. “No pain, no gain” – it’s unlikely you’ll open up a Christmas card to find those words inside. I don’t recall the phrase being included in any Advent or Christmas hymns. Spend as much time perusing the aisles of Hobby Lobby for something to add to your collection of Christmas decor, but you won’t see the words, “no pain, no gain” painted across a piece of wood in some nostalgic font. The words would seem to be out of place for this time of year.

But maybe they’re more applicable than we might think. As we conclude our Humble Expectations series this morning and you reflect on the past three weeks, has the concept of humbling yourself or being humbled resonated with you as a pleasant experience? If so, forgive me for saying so, but I think you’re a little bit weird. Being humbled – more specifically, the repentance required for that to take place – is a tough pill to swallow. Who likes to be put in their place? Who enjoys having their faults found out and exposed? Who likes being at the dead end where no blame, no excuses, and no rationalizations allow us any outs, where there is nowhere to turn for escape? No one! Provoking our pride is a painful process!

But it’s a necessary one, and this morning we focus on why. Today we look at the end result of that process of humbling and being humbled; today we look at the gain that results from the pain. 

How refreshing it is this morning to see what humility looks like in not one, but two of the women, Elizabeth and Mary, who played important roles in the birth of our Savior. While what has come to be called The Song of Mary, or The Magnificat, is the focal point of these verses, don’t miss the humble greeting that Elizabeth expressed upon Mary’s arrival. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (v.41-43). Remember that Elizabeth was the once-barren, but now-expecting mother herself, and she could have very understandably been bitter toward Mary for arriving and stealing her thunder, or for rubbing it in that she was the one chosen to be the mother of the Savior. But we don’t see that from Elizabeth at all. Moreover, Elizabeth not only acknowledged Mary’s blessed privilege of being the mother of the Savior, but counted herself unworthy of a personal visit from her. This was not false humility. This was not Elizabeth trying to butter up Mary or get on her good side. This is what genuine humility looks like. And Mary takes a page out of the same book of humility.

Mary didn’t spring into a self-centered song spelling out all of the understandable reasons why she was in fact such a good candidate to be the mother of the Savior. Instead, notice who is at the center of her song: the Lord. Her song is not filled with “me’s,” but “He’s.” 

That’s an important element of humility. Humility doesn’t toot its own horn. Humility doesn’t call attention to itself. Humility doesn’t announce its presence in the room. Instead, humility is made known only when all attention is directed elsewhere. Mary does just that, highlighting God’s glorious resumé of rescuing his people throughout history. And how might we describe that resumé? She points out that God has a track record of doing two things: 1) humbling the haughty who think they can stand against him, and 2) lifting up the lowly, those who in genuine humility know and believe that they have zero business seeking an audience with a holy God. 

Mary described the various ways the Lord has for humbling the haughty. “He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts… has brought down rulers from their thrones… has sent the rich away empty” (v.51-53). To those thinking they can hide their pride by keeping it limited to their thoughts – he shoos them out of his presence. To those in positions of power or authority who pat themselves on the back as if achieved by their own doing – he topples them from their lofty place. To those relying on riches or truly believing there is such a thing as a “self-made man,” he sends them away empty-handed. 

Here’s the problem with pride: we think our pride is justified. We think we actually have some good reasons not to be humble, that being humble is actually beneath us. Actually, we don’t even see it as pride. We wouldn’t call it that at all. It’s rather just who we are. We know that no sinful pride is justified, so what we feel, what we think about ourselves must not be pride, because we know that’s not acceptable for God’s people… so we don’t identify it as such. Nevertheless, we still struggle with humility, because we think too highly of ourselves to think humility should apply to us. Mary’s song glorifies God for humbling the haughty, for not allowing others to pridefully rob him of his glory.

Mary’s song also glorifies God for lifting up the lowly. “He has… lifted up the humble… has filled the hungry with good things” (v.52-53). The good news for those who know they have no business in God’s presence is that he will in fact lift them up in his presence! Those who know how spiritually starving they are on their own will be permitted to taste and see how good the Lord truly is! God has no time for the proud because his schedule is booked with raising up the repentant to the joyful heights of forgiveness and salvation! He is far too busy filling up the empty-hearted with grace and all of his richest gifts!  

So as we wrap up this series, into which of these categories do you wish to find yourself? The haughty will be humbled while the lowly will be lifted up. I think we all know what the answer should be, but will our attitude and actions reflect that, or will everything stay the same? Will we continue thinking of humility as a virtue, a noble thing to pursue, but defiantly refusing to trade in our pride for humility? Or, can we see the bigger picture and in humility make our lives less about us, confident that in due time, Jesus will lift us up to himself and exalt us in a way the world never can? Knowing that it isn’t natural to us to desire humility, consider bringing that desire before the Lord. Ask him to help us imitate the humble spirit demonstrated by Elizabeth and Mary, who found genuine joy, not based on all the pregnancy preparations they had to do, but on what God had done. Let your joy this Christmas be based not on your planning and preparations, but in humble gratitude for what God has done.

And ask him to wrap you in his humility. Ask him to help us see that apart from him we are nothing so that we truly embrace that in him, we have everything. Bow low then, as you prepare to gaze again at the manger and see with eyes of faith the one born into humility, that he might raise you up and fill you with good things for now, for Christmas, and for eternity. 

He Humbled Himself

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(Luke 19:28-40)

What does your to-do list look like this year? Christmas gift budget. Send a letter or cards. Schedule gatherings. Finalize travel plans. Decorate the Christmas tree. Trim the palm branches for display… 

Wait, palm branches? Well, based on our verses from Luke for today that would seem to be appropriate. Even though Luke doesn’t specifically mention them in his account from our Gospel this morning, we can hardly reflect on the Palm Sunday account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem without thought of palm branches. But what do palm branches have to do with Christmas, or to be more liturgically correct, the season of Advent, which begins today?

Actually, more than you might think. The season of Advent, after all, isn’t merely the precursor or warm-up act to get us ready for Christmas. Rather, its focus on preparation and readiness includes the bigger picture of all the ways Jesus came to us, comes to us, and will come again. God’s people had been waiting thousands of years for Christ to be born. And what happened after that? They waited some more. They waited for thirty more years to discover what his coming to earth really meant, what it was all about. Even on the day of our text, when Jesus made his final grand entrance into Jerusalem amidst all the fanfare, the crowds – and even the disciple themselves – didn’t fully comprehend what it was all going to amount to.

That wouldn’t be revealed until the end of the week. Then it became clear. The cross. Not Pilate’s palace. Not one earthly empire. Not an earthly king’s crown. The cross. That’s why he came. To die. When we fail to connect Christmas wreaths with palm branches, when our celebration of Christmas is divorced from his Good Friday sacrifice, we open the door to a rather secular celebration of Christmas. We are more inclined to take a page out of the world’s celebration of Christmas rather than a Christian celebration, which is keenly aware that the real wonder of Christmas isn’t found in movie miracles, but in the Gift who came to give Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin. Keep Christmas connected to that and this year will not only meet, but exceed, your expectations.

Speaking of which, what are your expectations? Even as we’re still working on clearing out the Thanksgiving leftovers, our focus shifts to the holidays and the preparations and expectations. We recognize that this year will differ from the last regarding our preparations and expectations. But I wonder something: do we take the time to reflect and consider exactly what our expectations are each year? Or do we just rush from one thing on the schedule to the next, as if our next month is already determined for us, as if this time of year is filled with obligations and we don’t have a say in how we’re going to prioritize what matters to us?

That’s just it. You do have a say. No one is forcing you to get swept up in commercialism. You don’t have to buy the lie that the world knows better how to prepare for and celebrate this time of year than Christ’s church does. There’s no need for any FOMO in deliberately emphasizing the spiritual over the secular. Tempering those expectations and aligning them with God and his Word is really what this series is about. And this morning, it starts with Jesus setting the tone as he humbled himself.

Have you ever met a celebrity or famous individual? Some of us have probably met multiple famous or prominent people. If I asked you which experience was the most memorable, why would you pick the one that you did? Might it be that the one that stands out to you is the one who seemed to you to be the most down-to-earth? The one who didn’t leave you feeling as if you were somehow beneath them or inferior, but that they were just another person like you? The one who was… humble? It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it, that the people we are often enamored with or think so highly of are more likely to leave an impression on us by how much like us they really are? We may think the world of them, but your interaction with them made you feel as if you were just as important in their eyes as they were in yours.

This morning we begin our Advent focus under the theme, Humble Expectations, and we begin the series looking at how Jesus humbled himself for us. Unlike a down-to-earth celebrity, however, Jesus had a different reason for humbling himself: your salvation. Think of how God appeared to his people in the Old Testament accounts and what accompanied his appearing – terror, fear, dread – and rightfully so! A holy, righteous God who alone sets the standard of right and wrong, who determines mankind’s moral compass, is not one before whom sinners can stand! If God and men were ever to have the eternal relationship he craved, it could never be on the basis of our rising up to his level to meet him. No, it had to be God who humbled himself to our level, that through his work we might be taken up to him. Drawn to him versus driven from him. The difference is he humbled himself.

As he humbly entered Jerusalem, it wasn’t Jesus who made all the fuss; it was the crowds, and their excitement was all based on expectations. Jesus wasn’t the one who needed to ramp up the public relations efforts when he came into Jerusalem. The only directions he gave were to secure the foal of a donkey so that Scripture could be fulfilled. The rest of the fanfare was not of his making – it was the peoples’. It was the crowds shouting, the people placing cloaks before him and waving palms. The fanfare was not of Jesus’ making – he didn’t pay to pull in crowds from out of town to serve as his entourage. It was the crowds who ramped up their efforts to make the event such a big deal.

Don’t we often feel the need to do the same with Christmas? We go big with everything, as if Jesus needs us to make Christmas a bigger deal than he already did by his flesh and bone birth into our world, taking on the human body he needed to serve in humble obedience and so that body born on Christmas could experience death in our place. Was that not enough? Does he need the flashiest front yard decked out with a display that will be the envy of all the neighbors? Does he need the gifts we exchange to be bigger and better than the past – especially after last year’s limitations, so much so that we also find our credit card debt bigger as well? Does he need us to deck the halls to make Christmas matter?

You know what I enjoyed about our celebration of Christmas last year? We were forced to scale back. Our gatherings were limited, our celebration in general was rather muted. Because when all the other stuff was stripped away, all we were left with was… Jesus. As it should be every year. Pondering. Reflecting. Marveling. Quietly. Undistracted as the world whirls restlessly by. Just Jesus. Will this year be like that again, or… will we slip back into the older practice of thinking Christmas will be less if we can’t somehow make it more? Do the holidays (holy-days) need our help to make them matter? 

While it is not a part of our text this morning, in the very next verse, Luke records Jesus’ lament as he overlooks Jerusalem:

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” (vs. 41-44). 

Would it be too much of a stretch to question if Jesus’ reaction to our Advent preparation and Christmas celebration would perhaps be similar? What led to his lament? The people of Jerusalem failed to see the peace he came to bring and they “did not recognize the time of God’s coming” (v.44). How many in the weeks that follow will not only completely miss out on the peace Jesus came to bring, but will actually add more distress in their misguided preparations and oversight of what this season brings? How many will remain oblivious to God’s coming the first time in Bethlehem at the birth of Christ, his ongoing coming to us in Word and sacrament, and his promise to come to us again on the last day? Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem before he rode into it to die could just as well be his lament over our world today in 2021! 

May it not be his lament over you. Set the tone for the season by revisiting – and repeating as necessary – the reason behind Christmas. He came to us. God came to us. It’s the only way it would work – for him to descend to us. Do not, as so many in Jerusalem did in Jesus’ day, keep hidden from your eyes the peace that he came to bring. Peace to slow down our frenetic pace. Peace as an anchor for our anxiety. Peace to cease to our stress. Peace to forgive and restore and refresh weary souls. And that peace is ours because he humbled himself. 

Humility marked Jesus’ first coming as the Babe of Bethlehem. Humility marked Jesus’ life. Humility marked this day as he entered Jerusalem. Humble Jesus, though, is not a picture of whimpering weakness. He did not humble himself because there was no other option or because he was somehow incapable of displaying his divine power or majesty for all the world to see. No, he humbled himself so that it might be possible for the Almighty God to come among his lost and fallen creation to rescue and redeem. He became less to save those who are the least: rebellious sinners like you and me. He became less and humbled himself to walk the path of perfect obedience upon which we daily stumble and fall. He became less and humbled himself so that an immortal God could die the death that all mortals deserve. He became less and humbled himself so that hell could be his to suffer and not ours. He became less and humbled himself so that his heaven could be our heaven.

What does your to-do list look like this year? Don’t overload it with stuff that doesn’t matter. Humble your expectations and direct your focus on the One who humbled himself for you.