[Editor’s NOTE: In Anno Domini 2024, the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord, celebrated on the 25th of March, takes place next week. In his BFP, however, Laache places Annunciation Day on the Fifth Sunday in Lent.]
156. Annunciation Day. I.
“O, my Immanuel, come and be born in my heart.”
Gospel Lesson, Luke 1, 26-38. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God, unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
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In the midst of the lenten season we shall consider this gospel lesson, and the divinity of Jesus, and his two natures in one person, that we may not forget who it is that suffers, but may ponder it earnestly and worship his love. Then shall we know this love in our heart, and the Lord himself shall assume shape in us, both as the King of the cross and as the King of glory. It is necessary that Jesus be conceived spiritually in our heart; — and it is a blessed thing, also.
The Holy Ghost testifies in the scripture with such clearness and emphasis concerning the mystery of the divinity in Christ, because it is so absolutely necessary that we recognize this truth. The church has understood this, and therefore it repeatedly presents this testimony of the Spirit for our meditation in our church services. — Can anyone who with an honest purpose reads the gospel of the conception of Jesus construe it otherwise than as meaning that the son to whom Mary is to give birth is the Son of God? Is it not stated with all possible clearness that he had no father after the natural order on earth? Does not the angel say repeatedly that he shall be called the Son of God? But in the scriptural use of language to be called the Son of God is to be the Son of God. This is what Mary understands to be the meaning of the words spoken by the angel. And does not the angel clearly call attention to the prophecies concerning the Messiah, in which his divinity is announced? We call to mind II Samuel 7, wherein the Lord gives David the promise: I will set up thy seed after thee; I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever; I will be his father, and he shall be my son. We are reminded of Isaiah 9, wherein the same heir to the throne of David is called “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace,’’ with a government of peace without end, in which he reigns from henceforth even for ever. How can the Holy Ghost in the scripture, and how can the angels of the Lord speak in this wise, if this son of Mary be not the only begotten Son of God, very and everlasting God with the Father? The whole Bible teaches that he is conceived by the Holy Ghost, and that he is true God and true man in one person. We dare openly and aloud declare them to be fools who deny that Christ is true God; they read the scripture incorrectly, and do not perceive its true meaning, for the reason that they wish to appear wise above that which is written. When man is led by his own conceit he walks in darkness. — Let us rather bow in worship and thank God for his ineffable gift. It is a glorious thing to be fully assured of the divinity of Christ; for then he is unto us a perfect Savior, and his name is great and beautiful above every name. Why should it trouble me that his person is more exalted and wonderful than anything which my poor reason can grasp? On the contrary; the wisdom and power of God must of necessity be far beyond my comprehension; and here is the miracle of all the miracles of God; the highest, and the deepest, and the greatest; a mystery which the angels desire to look into. I therefore willingly and gladly bow to his power to do wonders, and believe that his love is immeasurably greater than all that we can conceive and understand. For with God nothing shall be impossible. — What, then, is to prevent us from saying with Mary: “Be it unto me according to thy word’’? God says: “I love you with love eternal; I give you my only begotten Son, and in him I give you life everlasting.” To this I make answer: “Be it unto me according to thy word.” Was Mary disappointed when she believed the word of the Lord? Shall we be disappointed, do you think, if we build on his word? No; it has pleased God in his everlasting love to give us his Son for our Savior, and to let him become man, in order that we may be given a part in his glory. Let the sages and champions of infidelity keep their Messiah, whom they regard as a mere man, whose person and doctrines have their day, and then drop forever out of sight; — such a Savior will not serve our turn; we must have one who is Lord over time and eternity, earth and heaven, life and death, sin and righteousness, men and angels and devils; and such a one we have, blessed be his name! With the whole Christian church we believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, true God and true man, who suffered and died, rose again and lives, and sits at the right hand of God.
God Holy Ghost, give us this simple and childlike spirit. Amen.
We believe in Jesus Christ,
His own son, our Lord, possessing
An equal Godhead, throne, and might,
Thro’ whom comes the Father’s blessing;
Conceived of the Holy Spirit,
Born of Mary, Virgin-mother,
That lost man might life inherit,
Made true man, our elder brother,
Was crucified for sinful men,
And raised by God to life again.
157. Annunciation Day. II.
Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Lesson, Isaiah 7, 10-15. Moreover, the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God: ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
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Our Lord Jesus is the true “Immanuel;” or, in our tongue, “God with us.” He is the true, eternal God, the second person of the holy Trinity, begotten of the Father from eternity; but at the same time he is true man, with body and soul, sprung from Adam, like unto us in all things, yet without sin. He is one with the Father in eternal divinity, and one with us in true human nature. His sacred person forms a wonderful connection between God and us. How near to us is God come, now that the one and same Lord Jesus is both God and man! His birth on earth is the birth of God’s Son by the woman Mary; his human sufferings are the sufferings of the Son of God; and the blood of the man Jesus Christ is the blood of the Son of God. How excellent is human nature become by the union of the Son of God with man in one person! A precious stone is not set in lead, but in gold; yet even to the gold the stone adds new luster and splendor. Much greater glory do we receive by the personal, indissoluble union of God’s only Son with man. The angels have transcendent glory; the thrones and principalities in heaven are close to God; but it is with man only that he is united in one person; the Son of God did not become an angel, but he became a man. How great is man by this means become! But we lay our glory at his feet: for not we, but he has done it. He has thus decreed; it was his will to love us in this way; of his free love he has chosen us. The glory is not ours; yet it is our glory. To us it is at once the deepest humiliation and the highest exaltation. This truth, that the Son of God was made man, is worth more than all our other knowledge, and it contains more of strength and joy for the soul than all else in the world that is beautiful and noble. In wonder and worship the apostle Paul exclaims, 1 Timothy 3, 16: “Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
Another of the wonders of grace is this, that the mystery is revealed to the simple. It is for all, and is offered to all; but we must become as children, if we are to lay hold on it and keep it. The truth must rouse us out of our foolish dreams of pride, and teach us to know what we are become. Whosoever does not see that he is a lost sinner cannot know the excellence of the person of Jesus Christ. For his person and his offices cannot be separated. He is “Immanuel” in his offices as well as in his person. He, God and man in one person, is our Jesus, who takes away that which separates us from God. He is our Christ, the High Priest, who leads us into the presence of God; the Prophet, who brings the truth and life of God to our souls; and the King, who destroys our death, establishes the kingdom, and appoints us to live and reign with him forevermore. If the prophecy concerning “Immanuel” gave Ahaz and Judah sufficient assurance of the continued existence of the nation, because the people of which he was to be born could not cease to be; — how much more shall we, Immanuel’s very own people, be saved; we who are sprung from him, and born of him, and are the members of his body, flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bones! Be simple in heart, childlike in mind and spirit; so shall you grasp this in faith. — God help us, that in truth we may be of the people of Immanuel. Amen.
Glory to God in highest heaven,
The Father of eternal love;
To his dear Son, for sinners given,
Whose watchful grace we daily prove;
To God the Holy Ghost on high, —
O ever be his comfort nigh,
And teach us free from sin and fear,
To please him here,
And serve him in the sinless sphere.