25. Fourth Sunday in Advent. I.
Lord Jesus, give us
thy Spirit in our hearts,
thy truth and thy humility. Amen.
Gospel Lesson, John 1, 19-28. And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
❦
If we allow John the Baptist to teach us truth and humility, he prepares the way for the Savior, and we receive true Christmas joy.
It would not have been at all surprising, if the brilliant troop of priests and Levites, which were sent to John, had turned his head; and there was still more of a snare in their questions, which gave him honor as the Christ and might well have tempted him to represent himself as being the Messiah. But John confesses the truth here, as he did later before Herod, and does not deny his Lord and Savior. “I am not the Christ,” says he; “I am his voice,” neither more nor less. I myself am nothing, but Christ makes use of me as his voice. Do not ask concerning me, concerning my person, but ask concerning him. Why will ye not know him who stands among you? He is the eternal God, who alone gives power to my words and my baptism; I am an humble servant, not worthy to unloose the latchet of his shoe. Everybody who has some little knowledge of himself, knows how prone a man is to seek honor, and he must extol the humility of John as a miracle of grace.
John is, indeed, truly great in his love of truth and in his lowliness. He, of all who lived before the Pentecost, sees Jesus with the greatest clearness of vision. And it is because of the fact that the glory and grace of Christ shine so brightly in his soul, that he is so humble. Again, because the Spirit of God teaches him to know himself so well and makes him so humble, therefore he sees the Lord so clearly, while the others do not know him.
And you, my reader; who are you? When you are to confess, and deny not, but confess the truth and say who you are; then, what is your name? What are you? What should you be? You, also, are destined to greatness, but are become of the smallest. It is only by knowing this, that you again achieve greatness and glory. Have you learned to know yourself? And do you know the One, unknown of the world, who stands among us? Has your eye followed the finger of John, as it points to the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world? O, that we might obey the Spirit of God, which guides us into all truth, and become lowly of heart; then would we also become great before the Lord. In this wise the soul comes to love the unspeakable gift of the eternal Father.
Merciful God, who gavest John such deep knowledge of self, such truth and humility in his heart; we earnestly ask of thee this same grace. Give us this grace and teach us to receive our Savior aright, that we may have true joy and peace in him. Amen.*
Give deep humility; the sense
Of godly sorrow give;
A strong desire, with confidence,
To hear thy voice and live;
Faith in the only sacrifice
That can for sin atone,
To cast our hopes, to fix our eyes,
On Christ, on Christ alone.
26. Fourth Sunday in Advent. II.
Lord, satisfy us early with thy mercy,
that we may rejoice and be glad
all our days. Amen.
Epistle Lesson, Philippians 4, 4-7. Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
❦
How can Paul say that the believers shall rejoice in the Lord alway? He, himself, had “continual sorrow in his heart” and suffered so much from the buffetings of the devil, that he complains: “O wretched man that I am; who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” We have his own answer: “We approve ourselves in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses; we are as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” But how can this be? Yes, “the Lord is at hand.” For this reason the overmuch sadness of believers is turned to joy, their sorrows are dissolved in prayer, their fight ends in that peace of God which passes all understanding. The Lord is at hand; at hand in the word, at hand in death, at hand in the judgment. In every respect this concerns you. In whatever sense you may take these words, “The Lord is at hand,” they will tend to open your ears to the apostolic admonition that here precedes and follows them. A little while, and you shall never shed another tear, never heave another sigh; you shall enjoy eternal peace. Have you not reason to rejoice?
Be comforted, believing Christian, and be joyful in the midst of your sorrow; joyful today, and joyful tomorrow; joyful in the time of gladness, and joyful in the year of affliction. You have reason to rejoice. God loves us and has given us his Son, who is with us alway. In him you are a child of God and heir to salvation. Your present estate is humiliation, but this is the way to glory; you now have many troubles which are hard to bear, but all things shall work together for your good. “Be careful for nothing,” for nothing whatever! There is no wrong for which Jesus has no remedy. The harder the struggle, the greater the victory; the fight itself will strengthen your arm. “In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Speak to God about all your concerns; whatever your trouble may be, take it to the Lord in prayer; then it is yours no longer, for the Lord has made it his own. Give him thanks for his goodness in taking your troubles upon himself. Do exactly what Paul here says; it is God himself who speaks through him and offers us this joy. Pray and give thanks; do not fail to let thanksgiving follow prayer. Submit to this commandment of God; grace to do this has already been given you. Do what God commands, then shall his peace be victorious in you. At all times and everywhere take your every need and care to the Lord your God in prayer. Even if he does not at once take away your outward tribulations or the sorrow and suffering of your heart, he still gives victory in your soul, so that you are able to thank God for your afflictions. Therefore: Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, rejoice! Let your moderation be known unto all men! The Lord is at hand!
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God; therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light. To this end give us thy Holy Spirit for Jesus’ sake. Amen.*
Jesus! Thou joy of loving hearts!
Thou fount of life! Thou light of men!
From the best bliss that earth imparts
We turn unfilled to thee again.
Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood;
Thou savest those that on thee call;
To them that seek thee, thou art good,
To them that find thee, all in all.
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.