41. Sunday after Christmas. I.
Lord, remember us
in our youth and in our old age,
and give us a blessed end. Amen.
Gospel Lesson, Luke 2, 33-40. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she, coming in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him.
❦
“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” These words of the Psalmist we see established in our gospel lesson. “The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness,” says Solomon (Proverbs 16, 31). Old age brings much infirmity and many ills. In the 12th chapter of Ecclesiastes this matter is spoken of metaphorically: “The keepers of the house shall tremble:” that is, the arms and hands; “and the strong men shall bow themselves,” that is, the legs; “the grinders cease because they are few,” the teeth, namely; “and those that look out of the windows be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the streets,” meaning the eyes and ears. So it is with the several members of the body, and so it is with the mental faculties. Everything is being weakened and blunted, until “the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern;” that is, until the vital force is exhausted, and breathing ceases; and “then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” But such old people as Simeon and Anna are happy. The life of Jesus in them does not grow old. Let us be like them, whether our life is to be long or short; and may it shape itself like theirs at last. The Spirit has opened the eyes of Simeon, so that he sees the Savior in this child. The name Anna means grace, and Phanuel means the countenance of God. She remains always in the temple serving God; this is the beginning of the bliss in heaven. The same grace may be ours. Jesus is here and wishes to be known and embraced by our hearts in faith. He saves from all sin and gives the soul peace and joy. “He forgiveth all thine iniquities, and healeth all thy diseases. He redeemeth thy life from destruction, and crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; he satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” You know where you may find him; he is where he has promised to be. None who earnestly seek him there, shall seek him in vain. In the present degenerate age we still know of old men with the words of Simeon in their heart, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation;” and we likewise know of aged women who, until at the very moment of their death, have the jubilant voice of Anna, the daughter of Phanuel.
Lord, Jesus, we thank thee for the life thou gavest us, which never waxes old and dies. Give to young and old the childlike faith of the venerable Simeon and the pious heart of Anna. Grant us, at the last, that we depart in peace and have a blessed end in thee. Amen.*
O draw me, Savior, after thee!
So shall I run and never tire.
With gracious words still comfort me;
Be thou my hope, my sole desire.
Free me from every weight: nor fear
Nor sin can come, if thou art here.
[TLH 349, listen here; or LSB 682; or ELH 372]
42. Sunday after Christmas. II.
Let thy mercies come
also unto me, O Lord,
even thy salvation,
according to thy word. Amen.
Epistle Lesson, Galatians 4, 1-7. Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
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Here we again learn from the Holy Spirit, through Paul, that the Son of God is born of a woman. Of whom does the Spirit speak but of the babe that was born in Bethlehem, of the man that died on the cross? That which is born of a woman is man. Christ really is very man, and yet the Spirit here says: “God sent forth his Son, made of a woman.” Can this be understood otherwise than as meaning, that Christ is God and man in one person? The Son of God is the Son of Mary, the Word was made flesh, the only begotten of the Father became man. — He was made under the law, and he thereafter, of his own free will, declared himself subject to the law; for this reason he was circumcised, and for this reason he was baptized. He obeyed the law and fulfilled it in all things, its deepest spiritual claim and its every commandment, to the very letter. But though he fulfilled the law, yet he let the punishment for its violation fall upon himself in full measure; he placed himself under the condemnation of the law, and he willingly accepted the sentence: Because thou hast transgressed and hast deserved condemnation and death, thou shalt die the death of the accursed. The Son becomes a servant, the Holy One becomes the sinner, in order that we may become sons and stand acquitted before God. The life and blood of his only begotten Son are sacrificed under the judgment of the law on the accursed tree, that we accursed sinners may be free and have sonship in God.
All this has come to pass, and now the Son of God says: Believe in me, and all this is yours. It was not necessary for me to keep the law for my own sake; I am righteous from eternity; I had no sin for which to suffer punishment. I have never transgressed; but all has been done and suffered for you, and you shall believe it; all has been done, you shall not do it, but believe it. The fulness of time is come; everything which was then to be done has been done; you are redeemed from bondage; if you believe, you are a free and blessed child of God. Let the devil, then, no more deceive you with this lying invention of his, that you must satisfy the demands of the law in order to become a child of God. This is nothing less than to deny the perfect work of Christ. Verily, the law has been fulfilled, and you are a child of God when you believe this gospel. Now art thou mine, says our Lord Jesus; “thou art mine, and I am thine; and where I am, there shalt thou be; the enemy shall not part us.” God help us to understand this! And then, behold, how the Spirit of the Son of God in your heart cries, “Abba, Father!” and bears witness with your spirit, that you are a child of God.
Lord Jesus, blessed God and Savior, give us the simplicity of faith and the liberty of grace; give us the glory and bliss of the adoption of sons. Amen.*
Lord Jesus Christ,
My Savior blest,
My hope and my salvation!
I trust in thee,
Deliver me
From misery;
Thy word’s my consolation.
Most heartily
I trust in thee,
Thy mercy fails me never;
Dear Lord, abide;
My helper tried,
Thou Crucified,
From evil keep me ever.
[TLH 353, ELH 258; listen here]
* 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.