I Will Make You A Great Nation: Genesis 12:1-20

Genesis 12:1-20: "1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: 'Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' 4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South. 10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, 'Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, "This is his wife"; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.' 14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, "She is my sister"? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.' 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had."

There are several similarities between the calling of Abram, and the Exodus account. Abram is caused by a famine to go to Egypt. So was Jacob and his sons. The Pharaoh of Abram's time is plagued by plagues. So is the Pharaoh of Moses time, who is the writer of this book. The Pharaoh of Abram's time commands him to leave his country. After the plagues during the time of Moses, Abram is Pharaoh demands Moses and all Israel, the descendants of Abram, to depart from the land.

Given the season of the year, this text hearkens us back to the flight into Egypt of our Lord and Savior Jesus, St. Mary, and St. Joseph. Although our Lord was forced from the land, not because of famine, but because of the rage of an evil king, one cannot help but consider that our Lord like Abram, and the Israelites before Him, had to seek shelter, solace, and succor in the land of Egypt. The question that has to come to mind is "Why Egypt?" After all, Egypt is not looked upon all to well by Scripture. There is an answer, and it is a spiritual one. This is really a picture of our own lives. Egypt represents this world. The world is at odds with the True God. It would rather have a god of its own choosing. The god the world chooses is an amalgamated god, one that embraces all religions as the same, and lumps them all together, as just different ways to the same end result of heavenly bliss. This is not the True God. The True God, is only the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and the true Savior is only the Lord Jesus Christ, Who suffered and died on account of our sins, for our salvation.

However, in this world we must live. In a sense we have been exiled to Egypt, we are forced to live a world, and in a land, that is not our true home and land. Our true home and land, is heaven. Our Lord sends plagues, that is, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, war, bloodshed, and the like. He sends these things not just as a punishment for our sinfulness and wicked lives, but He sends them so that all those in the world, might do as the Pharaoh in the time of Abram did, that is, repent. God desires that we turn from our sinful lives, and live according to His ways. But even more than that, He desires that we trust and rely on Him for everything that we need and desire in this life.

Here is truly the amazing thing about this pericope: God tells Abram to leave his home, his family, the place in which he grew up and in what he was familiar, and go someplace else. If the command was given to us, we would balk at it. Moving is a hassle. The packing boxes, the lifting of heavy objects, making sure that everything is marked so that one is able to find it again and easily once we have reaced our destination, doesn't sound like a very attractive task, even when it is desired and/or necessary. For some of us, even just rearranging the furniture can be a hastle that is best avoided. But the fact that Abram, not only packed up all that he and his wife Sarai owned, and all that he acquired, along with his nephew Lot's things, and did as God commanded him, is a sign of absolute faith.

Abram could not have known what was in store for him, nor did he know where he was going. But he faithfully did as God commanded. Such faith is hard to find these days. To find a person that truly trusts and relies on God is a great and precious thing. There are certainly people who belong to the One True Church who fit this example of faith, who by all appearances trust in God completely, just like Abram did. Such a person is truly blessed.

Abram's leaving of Haran is not unlike a small band of brothers, who either forced out or leaving of their own free will the Synod in which they were raised, left to go into a new Diocese, a land of Canaan, flowing with the milk and honey of the pure teaching of God's holy Word and a blessed fellowship of love and trust. To leave this Synod, and form and join this Diocese, took a leap of faith. A leap of faith not unlike the faith the Abram showed. Abram, as well as this Diocese, desired to do what was right, and desired to do the will of God, and he did it trusting in His Divine grace and mercy.

The desire of Abram to pass his wife off as his sister, in order to save his neck, must also be discussed. This is a weird move on the part of Abram. Afterall he has shown such faith up to this point. Why the doubt? Why the mistrust of God? Why all of a sudden is he trusting in his own abilities, or lack their of, instead of God's? The truth of the matter is that Abram displays that which is inside all of us.

There are always doubts that come to us. We see the world, and what it teaches, and how it behaves, and for some of us we desire to be like the world, and in fact, there are those in the Church, who try to fashion God into the type of god the world wants. This is seen in their preaching, which is nothing more than how to live a good life, or handle a certain situation, and not a true preaching about our Lord Jesus Christ, and what He has done for us. We can also see this attitude in these people's worship. It resembles a rock concert, more than a sacred meeting between God and His people, in order that He might give out His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. These people's worship is focused on themselves, and what they feel, and experience, instead of what God does for them. And they even turn that around, and make their feelings, and emotions, something that God has to effect in them.

For others of us, we are saddened by the abject faithlessness of the world, and wonder why God doesn't do something about it. We secretly desire that God would do something drastic, in order that people would repent, and turn back to Him. Sometimes, there are even people, who do illegal things, like blowing up an abortion clinic, thinking that it is God's will. Abortion is wrong, and it is clearly contrary to God's Commandment, but breaking one commandment to fulfill another doesn't do anybody any good.

Abram had these same doubts, and so he tells his wife to pretend to be his sister. God, however, used the plagues and Pharaoh to get Abram back on track. God sends us these trials and tribulations in this life, so that we might also get back to trusting and relying on Him alone.

There is a true joy that comes, when one trusts in God completely, and is free of doubt. That person hears God more clearly, he trusts in Him more completely, and chases after God wherever He is to be found, desiring and demanding those gifts from Him in all of their grace and purity. That person will also desire to do what is truly God's will, and desire that he receive pure teaching of the Gospel, that the he receive the Sacraments according to Christ's institution, and he will demand that the vehicle in which the Word and the Sacraments are administered be properly adorned like a beautiful Bride set for her wedding, and not a harlot trolling the street for tricks. The historic Liturgy is such a beautiful Bride, and the Liturgy done well, truly adorns the Word and Sacraments in a worthy vehicle.

May all who read this find that True Canaan, where the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are adminstered according to Christ's institution, and delivered in a worthy vehicle.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

We Have Found Him of Whom Moses in the Law, And Also the Prophets Wrote: St. John 1:43-51

St. John 1:43-51: "43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, 'Follow Me.' 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' 46 And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.' 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!' 48 Nathanael said to Him, 'How do You know me?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.' 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!' 50 Jesus answered and said to him, 'Because I said to you, "I saw you under the fig tree," do you believe? You will see greater things than these.' 51 And He said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.'"

There are several things to be pointed out in this pericope: One, after the calling of St. Andrew, the unnamed Apostle, (who is probably St. John) and St. Peter Jesus determines to go to Galilee. There in the hometown of Sts. Peter and Andrew, He finds St. Philip. St. Philip does the same thing that St. Andrew did, he went and told someone else. These Apostles cannot contain their enthusiasm of finding the Messiah. They must tell someone. St. Philip tells St. Nathanael. "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Such a simple sermon. Nothing more needed to be said.

However, in St. Nathanael we see the second thing to be pointed out in this pericope. We see the kind of reaction the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ can have on a person, and that is, doubt. This is especially true of those who have not seen with the eyes of faith the great gifts that our Lord bestows upon us. St. Nathanael had the benefit of seeing with his own eyes, and hearing with his own ears. We today, obviously don't have that luxury, but we do have the eyes and ears of faith, which cling to the preaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that tells us of what He has done for us. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This is the same disdain that those who desire a Lord and Savior, and a God, of their own choosing.

Our Lord Jesus keeps revealing Himself in simple means and ways. He did not show up in Jerusalem, the holy city where the Temple stood, but He was born in Bethlehem. He was not raised in Jerusalem, in the house of the king, but in a backwater town called Nazareth, in the house of a carpenter and a handmaid. He reveals Himself today and comes to us today in simple means as well. He comes through the preaching of the Word, from some guy dressed in something that looks like a Mediaeval bathrobe. And this guy, who is called Minister, or Reverend, or Deacon, or Pastor, or Elder, or Presbyter, or Father, or Bishop, sometimes may not be all that pleasant to listen to. He has a tendency to "get into our kitchen and root around in our fridge without our permission" and point out our sins and our weaknesses, and our failings. For the most part these men aren't the picture of Adonis, but are more likely the embodiment of the nerdly sort. (This can be seen when you get a bunch of them together, it's like a nerd convention). But through this unlikelly man, our Lord Jesus is preached and taught in His truth and purity, and the sacrifice that He made on the cross for our salvation.

Our Lord Jesus also comes to us in the waters of Holy Baptism. There is nothing special about the water used, it is just tap water. The only rubric about the water is that it must be living water, that is, water that flows, just like the water from the tap. But it is not the water that makes a baptism special and salutary, but it is the Word that is connected to it. That Word is the Name of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Without these Words, without that Name, it is no baptism, but it is simple water only. And since we have broached the topic of baptism, it should be pointed out that today, January 13, the octave of Epiphany, is the festival of the Baptism of Our Lord. It is the day we rejoice not only in our Lord's Baptism, but in ours as well. This baptism is performed again by the man of God, who is called and ordained for that purpose. This is done by an insignificant man, just like preaching and the other means of grace, so that the Word of our Lord Jesus may be the main thing, and not the man who does them. For it is our Lord alone Who is deserving of honor and praise.

Our Lord Jesus also reveals Himself in the simple words of the Private Absolution. "Your sins are forgiven." I suppose these words could be taken like the words "I love you," depending on who is saying them they could be just words, and not mean anything. However, even though it be a man of God, dressed in a simple cassock and stole, who says these words, it does not matter if he means them or not, because they are not his words, but His Words. It may be a man speaking it, but it is the Lord Jesus Himself Who is saying it to us. So that, we can be certain, that our sins are forgiven by God Himself in heaven.

Our Lord Jesus also reveals Himself to us in the simple forms of bread and wine. In these simple means, our Lord Jesus Christ, gives to us to eat and drink His true and real Body and Blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Again, the bread and wine, are not the main things in the sacrament, but the Words. Those Words being "Given for you," and "Shed for your for the remission of sins."

And our Lord Jesus also reveals Himself through the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren, that is, wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, there He is in the midst of them. This is the communion of the saints, it is the gathering together of the Body of Christ, into a common people. This takes place in a simple church building. It is silly to think that one can worship by himself. The Church of God is community, and one cannot have a community of himself. This is why parishes are formed, and why dioceses, and synods, and denominations, and the like are formed, because the Church realizes that where two or three are gathered together in the bond of fellowship, there our Lord Jesus Christ is present. And wherever He is present there His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation are given out in abundance. Where these gifts are given out, there is joy, and love, and peace, and patience, and goodwill, and the like. It is a good place to be.

So here is where the Lord Jesus is to be found, in the simplest of places. St. Nathanael did have the luxury, along with the rest of the Apostles, to see our Lord with their own eyes, to hear Him with their own ears, and to spend three years of their life with Him, learning how to be Apostles and ministers of the Word. St. Nathanael, also believes our Lord Jesus to be the Messiah, after He tells Him something only St. Nathanael would know. We, however, get to see our Messiah and Christ revealed to us today in so many ways, it is hard to believe that so many people disdain these good gifts of our Lord and Savior.

And so, we rejoice this day, knowing that we have been baptized, that we have the opportunity to gather together with other saints, and hear the preaching of Him and what He has done for us, and we have the ability to go to our Bishop, Pastor, or Deacon in private, and confess our sins to him, (which is really a confessing of our sins to Him) and receive absolution from them, as if from God Himself. And we can rejoice especially that on this feast day, we can come to the Lord's house, and with other people, receive the True Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given to us in bread and wine, for the remission of our sins.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

The Lord Scattered Them Abroad Over the Face of All the Earth: Genesis 11:1-9

Genesis 11:1-9: "1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.' 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.' 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."

The narrative of the tower of Babel tells us the history of the development of the many languages that are in use in the world. Before the tower of Babel, which means confusion, everyone spoke the same language. There was a unity and bond, everyone worked together, because they understood each other. The question has to be raised, "Why is that such a bad thing, that our Lord has to put an end to it?" There are many people who believe that everyone was united there would be peace. Surely this cannot be a bad thing. There are at least two reasons the Lord causes the confusion of languages at Babel.

One is stated in the pericope, that now mankind will be able to anything it puts its mind to. We hear this, and think, surely this can't be a bad thing. Think of all the technological advances that could be made. We could cure poverty, world hunger, bring about world peace, etc., etc. The problem with such a view is that it fails to take into account that man is corrupt from his birth to the core. This is the stain of Adam, whose sin caused all mankind to become sinful from generation to generation. Such unity of purpose from a corrupt race, would only lead to the propagation of evil, and then the evil would grow and increase. I suppose there are those who would say, "That would never happen." But history itself bears this fact to be true. Just think of all the countries throughout history, which have been united in an evil purpose. Nazi Germany certainly comes to mind. And if you're thinking that is an extreme example, just think of the slave trades, or prostitution rings, or drug cartels. All these things come about because the evilness that is innate in all mankind, has bubbled to the surface, and become prevalent. The truth of the matter is that corruption, greed, envy, strife, murder, and so on, could be easily found even the so-called good governments.

And so, in His Divine providence, the Lord, causes confusion in language, so that they might not trust in themselves, but rather search after Him, and trust in Him to provide all necessary and good things for this life.

The second reason is that the people at Babel were not fulfilling the commandment of God, which was to be fruitful and multiply, in order that they might fill the whole Earth. Here they planned to stay for generation after generation. However, the Lord, in His divine mercy, causes them to be confused, so that they might leave that place and go and enjoy the whole of His creation. The Lord God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, has given us His creation to enjoy. These people at Babel were missing out on all the good things that God created for us to use. It would seem silly for someone to make us a birthday cake, and then only eat one slice of it, and then throw the rest away. And so, the Lord God, gives them a push in the right direction to use His wonderful gifts.

The Lord God continues today to be abundant with His gifts. The city of Babel was a poor representation of the City that God had planned for us. He brings us into that holy city by baptism. In this City the stain of sin and corruption is washed away, and since it is done away with, the Lord God, unites us together with one language, that is the language of salvation and grace. It is the language of His holy Word, wherein He tells us what He promises to give to us. In this City, which is the Church, He gives us His holy gifts, of forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. This City is perfect and holy, and it is built by Him. This is a City which we can rejoice over, and desire. This City is scattered abroad over the face of the whole Earth. Come to this City, and see what great things it has to offer.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Come and See: St. John 1:35-42

St. John 1:35-42: "35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, 'Behold the Lamb of God!' 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, 'What do you seek?' They said to Him, 'Rabbi' (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), 'where are You staying?' 39 He said to them, 'Come and see.' They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, 'You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas' (which is translated, A Stone)."

After His baptism our dear Lord Jesus calls His disciples. Notice that this is the next day after His baptism. St. John the Baptist proclaimed yesterday, "Behold the Lamb of God." But it appears that nobody listened. And so, St. John the Baptist repeats the proclamation again today, "Behold the Lamb of God." Two of his disciples, we are told, actually hear and listen to those words, and follow our dear Lord Jesus. We should also take note that our Savior Jesus is there again a second day. And in both St. John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus there is a difference noted by the Evangelist. St. John the Baptist "stood" with his disciples; our Lord Jesus "walked" by the River Jordan. St. John the Baptist's position is fixed, he is to remain at the Jordan and preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Our Lord Jesus, however, is mobile, He is to go from place to place preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins, after St. John the Baptist's imprisonment.

This is also meant in a mystical sense, St. John the Baptist represents the Law, and our dear Lord Jesus is a picture of the Gospel. The Law's punishment ceases with our Lord's coming, and the Gospel's grace begins to "walk about" into all the world.

This grace of the Gospel, begins with our Lord's disciples. We are told that there are two disciples of St. John the Baptist there that day who leave St. John the Baptist, and follow our dear Lord Jesus. The name of one is given here, and that is St. Andrew. Of course his feast day begins the Church Year, this is the honor bestowed upon him as the first to follow our Lord Jesus Christ. We are also told of these two disciples that they remained with our Lord Jesus, and did not return again to St. John the Baptist.

There are couple of things that should be pointed out. One, time of day is given. It is the tenth hour. St. Augustine states that this represents the decalogue, the Ten Commandments. Here in the tenth hour, the disciples call our Lord Jesus, "Rabbi," that is, teacher. The only True teacher of the Law, is the One Who gave the Law. And so, in this tenth hour, the the time had come for the Ten Commandments to be fulfilled by love, that is, the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Chrysostom, the Golden-tongued, tells us that the tenth hour makes note of the lateness of this scene. The tenth hour is 4 p.m. For some people that is quitting time, it's the time for the work to be over. For others, it is the time to eat, or at least start getting dinner ready. This time of year in the northern part of the country it is even beginning to get dark. However, our Lord doesn't say, "It's getting late, why don't you come back tomorrow." Instead, He invites them with the Gospel invitation of "come and see," that is, come by believing, and see by understanding. What a great evening that must have been for St. Andrew, and the other disciple not named! They had heard the preaching of St. John the Baptist about the Messiah to come, but now they were hearing Him with their own ears. That must have been totally awe-full! For St. Andrew, in fact, it was so full of awe, that he runs and tells his brother St. Peter, who in turn comes and meets our Lord Jesus, and receives a new name, that is, Cephas, or A Stone (his previous name being Simon).

The second thing to make note of is that, as mentioned above, the second disciple is not named. It is believed that this second disciple was the writer of the Gospel, the Evangelist St. John, the beloved of our Lord. If this be true, we can assume that just like St. Andrew, went and told St. Peter, that St. John the Evangelist, went and told his brother, St. James the Elder. This would hold significance, because whenever our Lord Jesus takes disciples off with Himself to a private place, St. Peter, St. James, and St. John are always the ones being listed. It makes one wonder, why the first disciple, St. Andrew, is not included in this, but we are not told, nor does it seem to bother St. Andrew, for he indeed walked far and wide with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaiming him the Messiah. He didn't stop with his brother St. Peter, but according to legend ended up in Scotland and the surrounding areas, and brought the Gospel to them, and became their patron saint.

St. Andrew serves as an example to us. Upon hearing the words of our Lord, he is filled with joy. The words that our dear Lord Jesus spoke revealed that He was the Messiah. When we hear the preaching that our Lord and Savior is indeed the Messiah, that is, the Christ, the Anointed One, Who was sent to fulfill the Law perfectly for us, and to suffer and die for us, we too are filled with joy. And like St. Andrew, who spread that message abroad, just like the rest of the Apostles, we too, should run to all who would listen, and say to them, "Come and see, we have found the Messiah." We find the Messiah today in the Church, where the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution. To these parishes, must all those who are lost, all those who would listen, and like St. Peter, come willing without a question of doubt, be brought by our invitation. Come and see! Come and hear of the Messiah, our Savior, and learn of joy and love.

God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then God Remembered Noah: Genesis 8:1-22

Genesis 8:1-22: "1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. 15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 'Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.' 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.'"

Then God remembered Noah. These are the words of glad tidings after all of the words of destruction that were spoken of by God. God had shut Noah and his family up into the ark. There they remained throught the 40 days and nights of flooding, and throughout the entire time it took for the waters to recede from the Earth. I am sure that after being boxed up in the ark, with no place else to go, that Noah and his family were ready for it to all be over with. They were probably even tempted to think that God had forgotten about them. Perhaps, they even felt they were going to live out the rest of their lives in the ark. But Moses in his first book, commonly called Genesis, tells us that God remembered Noah. This is a proclamation of God's grace and mercy.

And in reality this was God's plan all along, to save Noah and his family, and thereby save the whole human race. God destroys that which is evil and corrupt, so that that which is righteous and pure may have free course and abound. Here again, in this narrative of Noah and his family, is a picture of our Lord Jesus. Our Lord and Savior takes the corruption and the evilness of mankind, all of his sinfulness, both original and actual, and destroys it on the tree of the cross. Then he places his holy family, that is all of Christendom, His lovely Bride, into the holy Ark of Christendom. There He doles out the gifts that He won by His death, that is, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation, through the means of grace, that is, those means by which He imparts those gifts. Those means include preaching, absolution, baptism, communion, and the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren. Through these gifts the Holy Ghost, creates and sustains faith and life in all those who use them and trust that God actually works through them.

In this way, God remembers us. He remembers our lost and fallen condition, and having shut us up into the holy Ark of Christendom, through baptism, and the other means of grace, brings us out of the Ark and onto the dry land of our heavenly home. By these gifts He shows His grace, that is, He freely gives these gifts, without any merit or worthiness on our part. He also shows us His mercy by these gifts, that is, He doesn't treat us the way we deserved to be treated, which is with punishment and eternal death, but rather gives us the reward that belongs to Him, which is life and salvation.

This evenings reading ends with another proclamation of good tidings. That is that God will never again destroy the Earth. The One True God declares:

"I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease."

That means that God will not only not destroy the Earth, nor will He let it be destroyed. Until the Last Day, God will keep things going; both "seedtime and harvest, cold and heeat, winter and summer, and day night." This passage is a declaration against all the global warming fanatics. God, in His divine providence, that is, in His watching over all creation, all the time, will not let anything happen to it. Even on the Last Day, God will not destroy the Earth, but rather, replace it with a new one, as our dear Lord Jesus relates through the Blessed Evangelist St. John in His Revelation.

These cries of the end of the world, and utter destruction of the world, are really no different from the cries and sorrows that could have arose from being cramped up on the ark. They are the cries of the faithless, who only trust in themselves their abilities. True faithfulness never trusts in itself. It's absurd if you think about it. "Have faith in yourself." That's like saying, "Have faith in your faith." Faith needs an object to grasp onto, to believe in, it never believes in itself. That is why for Noah, his faith grasped onto to his Savior and God, and he believe that He would save him. Noah truly believed that God would not forget him, that God would not destroy him, nor keep him cooped up in the ark for the rest of his days.

Such faith is what is lacking these days. We need to stop trusting in ourselves, there is no salvation there anyway. You cannot trust in what is corrupt, to bring about purity. Instead we should rely on God, trust in Him that He will deliver us from all harm and danger, that He will guard and protect from every danger. Even the dangers of "global warming," nuclear holocaust, meteors crashing into the Earth, the poles reversing polarity, or whatever other danger the faithless ones want to put in front of us, in order to lead us away from our reliance on the One True God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

He has promised that He would not leave us nor forsake us, that He would always guard and protect us. Noah stands as an example of God's grace and mercy. He did not forget Noah, He will not forget you.

May God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Behold the Lamb of God!: St. John 1:29-34

St. John 1:29-34: "29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, "After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me." 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.' 32 And John bore witness, saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.'"

Behold the Lamb of God! What great words! This proclamation from St. John the Baptist is all over our liturgy. The proclamation that our dear Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God is found in the greater doxology, the Gloria in Excelsis. It is in the Proper Prefaces for Advent and Easter. It is in the Agnus Dei. It is also found in the canticle Dignus Est Agnus from the book of Revelation. What that means is that this proclamation is an important one.

Our Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God. Well, what was done to lambs, without spot or blemish, in the Old Testament times? They were sacrificed for sins. Our Lord Jesus is our sacrifice for our sin. But He is not just the Lamb, but He is also the priest Who offers Himself up on our behalf. Behold the Lamb of God, is a proclamation of Redemption. It is a proclamation of our forgiveness from sins.

St. John the Baptist realizes this great mystery. He realizes that our Lord Jesus is greater than he is, that he is not worthy to untie His sandals. This is a confession of his sinfulness, and an acknowledgement of the righteousness of Christ. St. John the Baptist cannot take away sin. Even though he is baptizing in the Jordan River, his baptism cannot save, it was nothing more than a symbolic washing. The Baptism that our Lord Jesus gives us can save, it can remove sins, and impart righteousness. For it is a baptism of not just plain water, but it is water connected with God's word. Which means in that water is the Holy Ghost, and those baptized with the Holy Ghost have their sins drowned in those waters, so that He may bring them out of the water spotless and pure, just like the Lord Jesus Christ was a pure and spotless Lamb.

He becomes for all those who are baptized into His Name, a Shepherd, and He leads them to the still waters of His holy Word and Sacraments. There we receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation, freely, abundantly. And in these things we find rest and comfort from the trials of this life. Yes, though we walk through the valley of tears, this life life filled with trouble and sorrow. We know we have a Shepherd, Who comforts us with His holy Word, washes our wounds from the battle with sin, death, and the world with the waters of Holy Baptism, and feeds us with His true Body and Blood, given in bread and wine.

And this is perhaps the greatest gift of Lamb of God, for just like in the Old Testament times, the sacrifice that was offered was eaten by the priests as a wage for their service, so too, does the royal priesthood, eat the Lamb of God, which is given to us in this sacred and holy mystery.

One might wonder why St. John the Baptist shows up at this time of the year, in the season of Epiphany. For Advent is really the season of St. John the Baptist, since Advent is the forerunner of Christmas, as St. John the Baptist is the forerunner of our Lord Christ. He is even mentioned in two of the Advent Gospels, once in prison, and once in the pericope that comes before this mornings reading. Epiphany is all about our Lord Jesus being manifested to the world as One, True, and only Savior. Here St. John the Baptist shows up, to proclaim into our ears, that our dear Lord Jesus has come to begin His work of salvation for us. Here He is the Lamb of God, proclaimed as the Son of God, having the Holy Ghost rest upon Him in the form of a dove, acknowledging Him as or Priestly King, Who will offer Himself up on the altar of the cross, for our forgiveness.

Behold the Lamb of God! Crucified for us! Hanging dead on the tree on account of our sins. The sacrifice is made, we are made clean and pure. And this Lamb of God, is offered as our spiritual food, to create and sustain faith and life within us. And just as this Lamb of God, although dead in the grave for three days, rose again to eternal life. All those who feast on the Lamb of God receive that eternal life as a gift.

So rejoice this day in the Lamb of God, hear Him proclaimed by the modern day John the Baptists, the ministers of the Word, and come to the Lord's house and receive that Lamb of God on your lips for your forgiveness and life.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

The Spirit of the Lord God is Upon Me: Isaiah 61:1-3

Isaiah 61:1-3: "1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

 

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me. Our Lord Jesus quotes these words about Himself, in the synagogue of Nazareth. This pericope contains that our Lord Jesus is to do and fulfill: preach good tidings to the poor; heal the brokenhearted; proclaim liberty to the captives; open the prison of those who are bound; proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; and comfort those who mourn.

The one phrase that stands out is the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God. This is a reference to the crucifixion of our dear Lord Jesus. On that day and in that year, God's vengeance over sin was appeased by the acceptable sacrifice of our Savior on the cross. He offers Himself up as a sacrifice for our sins, taking on Himself our punishment.

This is the glad tidings that is preached to the poor, that heals the brokenhearted, that comforts the ones who mourn. The death of Christ, frees from the prison of sin and death, all those who are bound in it. It gives freedom from sin, death, and the devil to all those who are held captive by them. Our dear Lord Jesus destroys sin, death, hell, the devil, the world, our sinful flesh, all by His death on the cross.

This reading, which is the Old Testament appointed for The First Sunday after Epiphany from The Lutheran Hymnal, also ends talking about "trees of righteousness." How could this be anything but a reference to the tree upon which our dear Lord hung as a sacrifice for us. This tree which led to our Lord's death, cancels out the tree that led to Adam's death. It is a tree where His righteousness is displayed for the whole world. It happens in such a way that this tree of death, becomes for us, the tree of life. The means by which our Lord Christ, won for us eternal life by His death and resurrection.

This morning we heard from the Gospel lesson that the Boy Jesus was in His Father's house, answering and asking questions of the elders. Little did those who marveled at His wisdom, realize who this child was, nor did they know for what He was destined. We are not told what exactly was discussed, but one can't help but imagine that this passage from Isaiah, or another just like it from the Old Testament, was discussed by them. For we know that our Lord was constantly teaching people about the purpose of His coming, that is His suffering and death on our behalf.

And so, we rejoice today, for the death of our Savior. We rejoice that the Boy Jesus, who marveled the teachers of the Law with His wisdom, fulfilled that Law perfectly for us, and took our punishment upon Himself on that tree of righteousness.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Do Not Be Conformed to This World: Romans 12:1-5

Romans 12:1-5: "1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

The Collect for today, the First Sunday after Epiphany, states,

"O Lord, we beseech Thee mercifully to receive the prayers of Thy people, who call upon Thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen."

This Collect carries the theme of the reading wonderfully. The Blessed Apostle St. Paul in the Epistle reading for the First Sunday after Epiphany, which is also this morning's reading, captures the spirit of the Lord's wholehearted consecration of Himself to His Father from today's Gospel reading of the Boy Jesus in the Temple from St. Luke 2. This reading is all about conforming one's self to the will of the Father. It is all about obedience. And the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, explains to the Church at Rome, that that obedience applies to us as well.

Our Lord Jesus was to be about His Father's business in the Temple. He was to be obedient to the Father's will. We too, are to be about our Father's will. Well, this obviously begs the question, "What is the Father's will?" We learn from Dr. Martin Luther's Small Catechism, on the Lord's Prayer, the third petition, that the Father's will is done

"When God breaks and hinders every evil counsel and will which would not let us hallow the name of God nor let His kingdom come, such as the will of the devil, the world, and our flesh; but strengthens and preserves us steadfast in His Word and in faith unto our end. This is His good and gracious will." *

This means that God's will is to destroy the devil, the world, and all sinfulness. This is done by what we learn from the first two petitions of the Lord's prayer, having His Name being hallowed, and having His kingdom come. God's name is hallowed, when His word is taught in its truth and purity, and we lead holy lives according to it. In other words, when we are obedient to our Father in heaven, by listening to His holy Word, and doing it, that is, His commandments. The kingdom of God comes to us when He gives us His Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit gives us the grace to believe His holy Word, or to say it another way, the Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith in us. The Holy Spirit does this by the blessed Sacraments, through those means of grace, which impart to us faith and life.

And even though we pray for these things, God gives them to us without our prayer. This is why He has given us the Church, and within the Church, He has established parishes, with ministers, to dole out those gifts, so that we might have faith and life.

So just like our dear Lord Jesus as a boy in the Temple, who is to be about His Father's business, so too, are we to be about our Father's business, that is receiving, and rejoicing over the gifts that He gives us, both bodily gifts and spiritual gifts. This is what it means to "not be conformed to this world." For this world, wants nothing to do with the Father's will. There are even those in the Church, who bemoan and wail about having to go to church to worship, or they moan about having worship their way. They would trade the worship of our Lord, for the worship of themselves. Even the amount of worship gets slap in the face from this world. Heaven forbid that a worship service last more than an hour! And even more so, if one advocates worshipping on more than just on Sunday (except for Advent and Lent, then people will begrudgingly relent to Wednesday night services, since they only last a few weeks).

The Early Church, and the Church of the Middle Ages, worshipped daily, at least morning and evening, and in some places several times a day. Our lives as Christians should be filled with worship, that is, with the hearing of God's Word, and the receiving of His gifts. It must be this way, because the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh do not want us to hallow God's Name, or let His kingdom come, and they will do whatever it takes to destroy the faith and life that God planted into us through the means of grace. This is why, we as Christians, must come to the Lord's House, to His Temple, and "present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." For in is in His house, the place where He hands out His Word and gifts, where we find not only rest for our souls, from the battle that we face daily because of the devil, the world, and our flesh, but it is also the place where God strengthens us in His Word and Spirit, so that those unholy three, have no power over us.

So, rejoice today that our dear Father in heaven, has sent His Son into our flesh, and on account of Him, sends the Holy Spirit to us, that we might have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation through the means of His grace, so that we might be obedient to Him, and trust and rely on Him for all of our wants and needs.

God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas


* Translation from Doctor Martin Luther Small Catechism and An Explanation of Christian Doctrine based on Doctor Luther's Small Catechism, Edited by Markku Sarela, Published by The Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland, 1999.

Only Noah And Those Who Were With Him in the Ark Remained Alive: Genesis 7:1-24

Genesis 7: 1-24: "1 Then the LORD said to Noah, 'Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.' 5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth. 7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, 9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark--14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. 17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days."

The narrative of the Flood shows God's judgment and mercy. God judges the whole earth to be worthy of destruction, and so He sends a flood. This should serve as a stark warning to us! "All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died." We learn from Dr. Martin Luther's Small Catechism that, "God threatens to punish all that transgress these Commandments. Therefore we should dread His wrath and not act contrary to these Commandments." * This is a commentary on Exodus 20:5, "I, the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me." * What that means, is that God takes His Law seriously. He does not want people neglecting or breaking His commandments. What that also means, is that He will punish those who transgress against His Law.

What does that mean for us? It means we should take God's commandments seriously too. Especially those of us who claim to love Him and want to do His will. We should study His Law, so that we know what to do, and not to do, and live by them. We should teach them to our children, and place them on our hearts, on our walls, and keep them ever before us. However, we should never think that we are saved by our keeping of the Law. Only One Man was perfect, and that was our dear Lord Jesus, only He kept the Law perfectly. We fail often, daily. And when we do we should confess our sins, to God, or our minister. When we repent of our sins, and confess them, and promise to amend our sinful ways, we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness of sins, from our minister, just as if it came from God Himself.

I am quite sure that at the time of Noah, there were many people, like today, who did not believe that they were all that evil. After all, everybody else was probably doing the same things, and unfortunately, we have this bad tendency to judge our works according to our neighbors works, that is, by our fellow man's works. This leads to one of two things, pride or despair. Pride comes when we look at our neighbors works, and think, "Well, at least I'm not as bad as that guy." Despair comes upon those who look at their neighbors works, and think that they will never be a good person. They say to themselves, "I wish I was as good as so and so." But we should not be comparing our works to any other man's works. Instead, we should trust in Christ's works on our behalf. Our dear Lord Jesus, fulfilled the Law perfectly for us. And better yet, our Father in heaven, took out our punishment upon our dear Lord Jesus. And so, our keeping of the Law, really stems from our love for what our Lord did for us. We desire to keep the Law because of what He did. And when we fail, we have an intercessor before the throne of heaven, who pleads on our behalf for us--our dear Lord Jesus, who sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us.

This is why Noah is saved. It wasn't because of his righteousness, but because of his faith in God to redeem him, inspite of his sinfulness. And this faith was reckoned to him as righteousness. This is why the world is destroyed in a flood, because they lacked faith in God, they trusted in themselves and their works. They thought they were not all that bad, that they were acting just like everybody else. This is why Christians don't act like everybody else, why they obey God, because they believe that He is their Lord and Savior, and that He will keep His promise to punish those who remain in their sins, even as He punished those at the time of the Flood.

But God shows His mercy in this pericope as well. He saves Noah and his family. We see from the text that God even closed the door for Noah, shutting him up into the Ark. We see that He protected Noah, and all of His creation, by saving two of each kind of living thing. Again Noah is a figure of the promised Christ. Noah is shut up in the tomb of the Ark, just like our Lord Jesus is shut up in the tomb. Both our dear Lord Jesus and Noah are carried through death, one real, one seeming, to life again on the other side. This also is a picture of baptism. In baptism, God saves us, we are placed into the Ark of Christendom, and He carries us through the Flood of this life to our eternal home. He counts us as righteous, because we believe that He has called us by baptism, and enlightened us with His gifts of forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation, and sanctifies and keeps us in the one true faith. That faith is that our dear Lord Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly for us, and suffered and died for us, so that we might have eternal life with Him.

This evening we rejoice in this gift. We rejoice that God has shut us up through the water of baptism, into the Ark of Christendom, and guides and protects us through this valley of tears, until we come home to live with Him in heaven.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

* Translation from Doctor Martin Luther Small Catechism and An Explanation of Christian Doctrine based on Doctor Luther's Small Catechism, Edited by Markku Sarela, Published by The Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland, 1999. Scripture quotations from the King James Version, 1611.

The Son of God: St. Luke 3:23-38

St. Luke 3:23-38: "Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."

I imagine there are some people who get to these sections in Scripture, the ones with a long list of names, and think, "filler . . . skip." But these genealogies do relay more than just a person's bloodline. Today we get the bloodline of our dear Lord Jesus from the Evangelist St. Luke.

Let us begin by pointing out the differences between St. Luke's genealogy and St. Matthew's genealogy (St. Matthew 1:1-17): Here are two major differences. First, St. Matthew descends from Abraham to Jesus; St. Luke ascends from Jesus to God. Second, St. Matthew includes in his genealogy a reminder of certain people's sins (Tamar, who bore Perez by playing the harlot to get Jacob to sleep with her; Rahab, whose trade was a harlot, gave birth to Boaz, the grandfather of David; Bathsheba, who isn't even called by name, but rather given the title of "her of Uriah," who gave birth to Solomon the son of David; there is also included the listing of all the wicked kings of Judah, who disobeyed God). Therefore, one could say that St. Matthew's geneaology is full of sinners. This is not so with St. Luke, St. Luke leaves out the infidelities in our Lord Jesus' lineage. Both St. Matthew's and St. Luke's geneaology is by design. St. Matthew wishes to portray that the Savior of mankind has come that was promised to Abraham. St. Luke, however, is portraying the righteousness of Christ.

This is why St. Luke's genealogy takes place directly after the baptism of our dear Lord Jesus. In the same way that He purified the waters of the Jordan, and thereby purified all water for baptism, drowning the Old Adam in the River Jordan, He now purifies His whole lineage, all the way back to God. The genealogy starts with the Son of God, our Lord Jesus, and ends with the son of God, Adam. The first son of God, Adam, was made by Father, the second Son of God, was begotten by the Father. Adam was created in the image of God, but on account of his sin, that image was corrupted and distorted. Our Lord Jesus restores that image, it was for this reason that He descended from the Father, in order that He might ascend back to the Father, bringing Adam (and all who are is descendants by adoption into Christ) with Him.

Therefore, this genealogy ties back into the baptism of Our Lord Jesus, because just as the voice from heaven declared that our Lord Jesus was His "beloved Son," so too are we His beloved Sons by adoption, through this baptism. Hence, when people ask you, "Who is your father?" You may rightly reply, "My Father is God the Father in heaven."

This is the gift of our dear Lord Jesus to us. Adam destroyed the Father/son relationship he had with the Father, but our Lord Christ restores that Father/Son relationship. And He transfers to us that relationship. We are all now God the Father's sons, on account of our baptism. And make note that I did not say "sons and daughters," this is both theologically and Scripturally incorrect. The inheritance belonged to the firstborn son. Our dear Lord Jesus is the firstborn Son, and through baptism, He makes us co-heirs with Him. He makes us all "sons." Both male and female.

But this should not cause anyone any great consternation, for by calling all those who are adopted into this sonship, "sons," our Father in heaven is claiming us as His own. He is saying to us, that He loves us as much as He loves His Firstborn Son, our Lord Jesus. And just as our Lord Jesus is perfect and holy, so too are we, on account of Him, perfect and holy through our baptism. So that, even as our Lord Jesus is called the Son of God, we too are called sons of God. And thereby receive all the benefits of sonship, that is, eternal life with our Father in heaven.

Rejoice this day that our Father in heaven as called us His sons through the waters of baptism, and pours out upon us His grace.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

I Will Establish My Covenant With You: Genesis 6:9-22

Genesis 6:9-22: "9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark--you , your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.' 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did."

This evening's reading tells us that Noah was a just and perfect man; that he walked with God. Noah is a picture of another just and perfect man, our dear Lord Jesus. That Noah walked with God, doesn't just simply mean that he went for walks with Him. It means that Noah did as God desired. He was in complete fellowship with Him, walking in all His ways. Noah is contrasted by the rest of the world. "Indeed it was corrupt." Noah is the only one who is righteous, and so God plans to destroy that which is corrupt, through a flood.

One can see two images in this narrative. The Cross of our dear Lord Jesus, and our baptism. In the Cross, God destroys all that is corrupt in mankind. Our Lord Jesus stands as both the Victim and the High Priest, offering Himself to the Father, as a sacrifice for all of mankind. He dies, we live. He suffers, we go free. We who are corrupt, suffer no punishment. He who is just and perfect, suffers our punishment. Like Noah, our Lord Jesus is also place in a type of Ark, but He is only in this Ark for three days; it is His tomb. Noah is carried through the death of the world, to life again after the flood. Our dear Lord Jesus is carried through the Tomb and death and, even hell, to life eternal.

The Cross and the Tomb, as well as the Flood, are all pictures of our Baptism. We are buried, through the waters of baptism, into Christ's death. For us Christians, this is our death. It is the death of all that is corrupt in us, that which we inherited from Adam. But just as we are brought out of the waters of baptism, so are we brought out of sin and death, so that now we have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation in Christ Jesus alone. Noah too was buried in the waters, carried safe and sound through those waters, to life again on the other side.

This is the covenant that God makes with Noah. That he will live with Him. And it is the covenant that God has made with us. He fulfilled this covenant through His Son's death on the Cross. And He makes us a part of that covenant through our baptism. When we receive the Flood of baptism, God places us into an Ark. He places us into the Church. Perhaps you have wondered why the main seating area in a church building is called the Nave? Nave, is the Latin word for ship. And in most historic looking church buildings, if you look up at the ceiling, the ribs of the  arches look like the underbelly of a ship. The Church is the ship, or to say it another way, the Ark, that carries those who have been called out of corruption, and put on the perfection of our dear Lord Jesus, to our heavenly home. We are carried through this sea, this life of death and trouble, to our eternal home.

This is God's covenant with mankind, this is His covenant with you. Rejoice at your baptism, and rejoice that when you come to the house of God, you are being carried through this flood of life, and nourished by the preaching of the Gospel, and by the very Body and Blood of Jesus given in bread and wine. And these gifts of God to you will sustain you, and strengthen you through this vale of tears, until you reach your heavenly home.

God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas

You Are My Beloved Son: St. Luke 3:21-22

St. Luke 3:21-22: "21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, 'You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.'"

The Feast of Epiphany anciently possesed three historical events in the life of Jesus. They were: 1) The visit of the Maji; 2) The Baptism of Jesus; 3)The miracle of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. All three of these were a part of the Epiphany feast. Today these three historical events in the life of Jesus are divided up for us. The visit of the Magi, takes its place on the Feast itself. The Baptism of Jesus is celebrated on Epiphany's octave, January 13. And the wedding in Cana is the Second Sunday after Epiphany. The Church in her grand wisdom, over time also included for the First Sunday after Epiphany the narrative of the Boy Jesus in the Temple. And so in Christmas and Epiphany we get the details of our dear Lord's early life, and the beginning of His ministry to us.

Today's reading tells us, briefly, of the baptism of our dear Lord Jesus. Two things can be pointed out about this pericope.

One, the appearance of the One True God, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Father appears as a voice from heaven, declaring to all who will hear, that our dear Lord Jesus is His beloved Son. And that He is a Son in whom He is well-pleased. The Son whom the Father refers too, is obviously our Lord Jesus, whose baptism purifies the waters of the Jordan River, and thereby purifies all water for baptism. The Holy Ghost appears in bodily form like a dove. Therefore, all three persons of the One, Holy and True Trinity are present for the Baptism of our Lord.

The Second thing that can be pointed out is the application to us. The Baptism of our Lord is a picture of our own baptism. Our dear Lord Jesus in sanctifying the waters of the Jordan, and thereby sanctifying all water for baptism, removed sin and death and the power of the devil from the waters of baptism. So that when you are baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost by the minister of God, your sins, both the original ones you inherited from Adam, and all those which you added thereto, by your own disobedience and willfulness, are drowned and washed away in the waters of your baptism. Therefore, as the Blessed St. Paul says to the Church at Rome, you arise as a new man, without sin. And the Almighty Father, who is now your Father in heaven, proclaims from heaven, that you are His beloved Son, in whom He is well-pleased.

On account of Christ's work, you are given the place of Christ, as a free gift. That means your sins are taken away. And because your sins are taken away you also are given eternal life and salvation. For whereever there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. Therefore, whenever we remember our baptism, we drown the Old Adam within us once again, and every time we remember our baptism and drown our Old Adam anew, we again arise as a new man before God pure and holy. This is the process which we call "repentance." It involves confessing our sins, either to God or Minister, and receiving absolution, that is the declaration of the forgiveness of your sins.

Therefore today, confess your sins, and rejoice in your baptism, and live as a new man who has been redeemed by God. If you have not been baptized, seek out a minister of God to see what is required for you and your family to be baptized.

May God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas

This One Will Comfort Us: Genesis 5:1-32

Genesis 5:1-32: "1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. 6 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. 7 After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. 9 Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan. 10 After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died. 12 Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. 13 After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died. 15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. 16 After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died. 18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. 19 After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died. 21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. 25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. 28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed." 30 After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth."

The geneology from Adam which leads to Noah, contains one striking detail, and that is the ages of these offspring of Adam. I get asked the question all the time of why these men lived so long compared to our life spans. Many theories have been put forth, but the reality is that the reason why we don't live as long as these men is the affect of sin upon both mankind and nature. Sin, death, and the devil, have completely enveloped the world, and they have left it in darkness and despair. Death surrounds us all the time, we are always hearing of someone who has died. For Christians, we can take comfort in the Resurrection from the dead, just as our dear Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. But for those outside of Church; those who do not believe that our dear Lord Jesus fulfilled the Law of God, which they cannot, nor are able to fulfill, or are not that bad to merit condemnationon their behalf, and suffered and died in their place, and now gives us forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation, through the preaching of the Word, and the adminstering of the Sacraments, have no hope for a Resurrection from the dead.

 

Such was the case of the men of the world before and at the time of Noah. But the one True God shows His mercy, by giving to this lost generation the gift of a baby boy, named Noah. Noah means "rest." Noah was meant to be the rest for this lost generation. And Noah fulfilled that task, by preaching to the people of that generation, the warning of God of a flood which would destroy the whole Earth. But as we learn, they did not heed that warning.

 

The One True God, has sent His Son, to dwell in our flesh, so that we might have "rest." Rest from the terrors of sin, death, and the devil. And He sends out to this fallen generation His ministers, those who embody the message Noah, proclaiming all to come into the Ark of the Church, to be rescued from the flood of sin, death, and the devil. This Ark of Christendom, carries us through this life, we enter through waters, the waters of Baptism, and are carried through the means of grace, to our eternal home, where live not just for several hundred years, but for all of eternity. And unlike this life which is fill with dread and trouble and strife, our eternal life is filled with joy and peace, and indeed, rest.

 

So this evening we take our rest in the comfort of Noah, the comfort of the Ark, the Ark of our salvation.

 

God's peace be with you!

 

Deacon Dulas

Welcome to the Deacon's Didache

Welcome to the Deacon's Didache! Didache means teaching, just like The Didache, or The Teaching of the Apostles, teaches the desires of the Apostles for their posterity. Therefore, this blog, as the title suggests, is about teaching. It will be teaching on the Scriptures, specifically the readings from the Lessons for Morning and Evening Throughout the Year of The Lutheran Hymnal, pp. 161ff. Each blog post will contain either contain the reading (if it is a short one) or a link to the reading, all Scripture lessons will be from The New King James Version of the Bible (copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc. Used by permission.). It will also contain a short teaching on that Scripture reading. It is the hope of this Deacon, that these may be used by the readers for an added devotion, and you are invited to come back every morning and evening to read a new blog post. The readings will begin with the Evening reading for Jan. 7th, which is Genesis 5:1-32.

If you desire to know more about who I am, you may read my complete profile. I also encourage you to visit our website at http://www.saintmatthewmission.org/

God's peace be with you.

Deacon Dulas