Knowing and Understanding
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
In Jesus, the
power of God is hidden in weakness. His wisdom is hidden in foolishness, His
riches in poverty. God is a Man, flesh and bone. He dies our death. His life
becomes our life. Justice condemns the Innocent One in mercy. The Holy One of
God becomes sin. He rides into Jerusalem
as the Ransom. He breathes His last, but the devil is undone. Hell’s walls are
demolished; the flaming sword of Eden
is extinguished. The angel of death passes over. Who can know and understand
the ways of the Lord?
The donkey seems
to know. He knows his Master. The children know, too. They sing God’s praise in
the Temple.
They ask Him to save them. The Temple
veil knows its part; having nothing more to hide, no longer separating God and
man, it rips in two. And the centurion knows; at the death of Jesus he confesses:
“Surely this is the Son of God.” Who
knows these things? No one but God knows, truly. Yet He reveals Himself to men,
and with Him all things are possible. And through the grace of the Holy Spirit,
you know, too. God’s grace is sufficient.
Jesus comes in
power, but He is known in weakness. He is the Lord of Life, but we celebrate the
victory won in His death. He came before; He will come again. First He came in
humility; this time He will come in glory. Every knee will bow. Every tongue
will confess, “Jesus is Lord.” And all the sons of God will be revealed. All
the universe will know what the angels already know. The dogs and trees, rocks
and birds, will see the hope within you, your lamp burning with the oil of
faith. They will see the blood-washed children of God; they will see you as the
child of God in whom the Father is well-pleased. And so we pray: “Stir up your power, O Lord, and come to
rescue us from the threatening perils of our sins, and save us by Your promised
deliverance.”
Jesus comes already
now. He comes, His power hidden in weakness. It is not the power of might and
strength as the world counts such things. It is the power of love, of
deliverance and protection. It is the power of sacrifice. This grace has made
Him your Lord. He rules in you through forgiveness. He comes in humble ways, so
that you would look upon Him and not be destroyed. God has a face. By faith you
gaze upon the face of the Child born of Mary, the face of a Man. And though He was despised and
rejected, He is beautiful to you. His feet, pierced and scarred, are most
beautiful, for He brings Good News from God. He has reconciled you to His
Father. He has opened heaven to you. He fulfills His promise. He keeps His
Word. He is your God, and you, by grace, are His people, His beloved Bride. He
comes now in power. He is not a god who looks on from a distance. He is our
present, promise-keeping God.
A Man sits at the
right hand of God and rules the Universe. He is God and Man, and through Him
all mankind is welcome in heaven. He is in heaven, but He is also present here.
He is hidden in and under bread and wine, in the voice of His messengers, in
His Name. He is seen by faith; He reveals Himself to you in His Word and gifts.
Who can understand such things? The donkey can, and the children, the Temple veil, even the
Centurion. And by the power of the Spirit, you know and understand. God Himself
makes you worthy. His grace is sufficient. You see His face and live. In the
name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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