Sermon for 12/17/23: Third Sunday in Advent

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Comfort for the Flock

Matthew 11:2-10 (11)

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

History is a fascinating subject, a subject it’s important for us to consider. After all, as the old saying goes, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Still, the more history one reads, the more one comes to realize that all of these historical figures have something in common: they are all dead. According to the Scriptures, conservatively speaking, there are about 7000 years of history preceding our time, and the people who have filled those years are gone! I don’t mean to be morose; I only say this to point out that what the voice in the Old Testament reading was told to say is absolutely true: “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades...”

Those of us who have some years on us understand these words pretty well. We are the grass that withers, the flowers that fade. It takes a while for young people to get this. Life is fresh for them; the grass is fully green, and the flower is at the height of its beauty. But if there is one thing history teaches us, it is that, unless we are among the living when the Lord returns, every one of us will one day go the way of all flesh. Like the grass of the field, we will one day wither away and be replaced by another crop of grass that will flourish for a while and then wither and be replaced.

And why does this happen? Isaiah tells us: “...the breath of the Lord blows on (us)...” The curse was breathed out when Adam and Eve fell into sin…and it is still breathed out on all flesh to this day. God’s judgment continues to do its work on our bodies. This makes us aware of our frailty and of our certain end, but it also turns us to a better and more certain hope. I do not encourage the morbid fascination with death that is so popular, but rather a sober and prayerful contemplation of life. As the Psalmist wrote: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

But now, in opposition to the fading flesh of man, Isaiah shows the Word of God. “The grass withers, the flower fades...” but, the prophet adds, “...the word of our God will stand forever.” And here is your comfort: while your flesh is but withering grass and a fading flower, God’s Word is enduring. And this is a comfort to you because the Word of the Lord is your salvation from the judgment that is spoken to your flesh. This Word is not simply the writings found in the Scriptures, but also the eternal Word, Jesus Christ Himself, who was made flesh for us. This is why Isaiah tells the Church, “Behold your God! Behold the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. And he will tend his flock like a shepherd...” And this was what John the Baptist preached more than 700 years later. He preached against withering flesh, crying out for the people to repent. And when they repented, he turned their attention to Christ, pointing Him out, and proclaiming: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

When we see John languishing in prison, his own flesh suffering and withering, he sends his disciples to Jesus. But he does not send them because of doubt; instead he wants his followers to see and hear the Messiah for themselves. In answer to John’s question, “Are you the one who is to come?” Jesus reveals that He is that One by showing forth His works—yes, works that fulfill the prophecies of His coming, but works that also offer us a glimpse of our flesh restored in the New Creation He will bring into being when He comes again. When He gives the blind their sight and makes the lame able to walk again; when He cleanses the lepers, opens up the ears of the deaf, and raises the dead, Jesus gives to failing and withering flesh the wholeness and vitality He will give to all flesh in the resurrection to His heavenly kingdom. Heaven itself bursts in on a dying world and restores it in the person of Jesus Christ, who is the unchanging, eternal, enduring Word of the Lord. “Are You the coming One?” To eyes that see and ears that hear, the answer is clear!

And now God’s breath blows on us again, but in a different way. Where God’s Law worked death in our mortal bodies, the Gospel breathes new life into our souls. This Gospel of Christ is not just another story from history of a great man who died for a great cause; it is the proclamation of the changeless Word of God. And Jesus, the Word made flesh, is active to comfort and forgive, to renew and restore. Life in Christ comes to us through hearing His Word and receiving the gifts to which He attaches His Word. In simple water, bread, and wine, God breathes upon us to make us firm and permanent. For if we are found in His enduring Word, then we are also made enduring by Him. And yes, even the flesh of the faithfully departed will one day rise to share in that enduring condition. Indeed, “...the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” This is true comfort for the flock of God. 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.