Pious Lutheran

The Presentation of the Christ Child in the Temple, Phillippe de Champaigne, 1648 The Lord Redeems by the sacrifice of the firstborn Son The Lord’s wrath passed over the Israelites, but killed the firstborn sons of man and beast, and only spared the Israelites through death of a lamb The firstborn males had to continue to be given to the Lord; beasts were sacrificed, sons were redeemed Jesus is the ultimate firstborn Son of God, set apart to the Lord, and is also the Lamb of God, who is sacrificed for the redemption of all of God’s people, so that we may go in peace. Merry Christmas!  The first Sunday of Christmas, today, we hear of perhaps a strange thing happening to Jesus. At forty days old His parents had to take Him to Jerusalem and present Him to the Lord at the temple. For this purification of Mary and presentation of Jesus, a sacrifice had to be made. The requirement was really that a lamb had to be sacrificed, but if the parents couldn’t afford to sacrifice a lamb, then a ...

Simeon and Anna in the Temple , Rembrandt, 1627 The Child who divides the world. Some reject this child and fall Others by faith receive His redemption and are lifted up Merry Christmas! I know the secular world around us has already put away their Christmas decorations and is celebrating New Years’ Eve today, but in the church we’re still celebrating Christmas. We get twelve days of rejoicing in our Savior’s birth and taking comfort in the incarnation. We Christians are delighting in the new birth given to us through Christ’s birth.  Yet today much of the world is engaged in nothing but hedonistic drunkenness and debauchery. The secular New Year has been a time of sinful living since at least the beginning of the use of the Roman calendar. In antiquity it was a time of pagan celebrations and certain gods and goddesses were worshiped. The old year was put to rest and the new year was ushered in. This pagan worship wasn’t reverent, but it was very similar to what is done today at ne...

Merry Christmas! “ And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” ” Saints Peter and Paul both refer to Jesus as the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense. St. Paul also says that Jesus is not just the stone of stumbling, but indeed the chief cornerstone of the holy temple of the Lord. And so, Christ is both the rock of stumbling, and the cornerstone upon which the whole church is raised up. What an incredible thing, that the very first Sunday after Christmas, we don’t meditate on a cute little baby, but we’re marveling with Joseph and Mary that Jesus is the stone of stumbling and that many will fall because of Him.  It’s a standard Hallmark movie notion that the holidays bring us closer to one another, that Christmas is a time for families to set aside their differences in order to put on a smile. But how ...

Merry Christmas! When six weeks had passed, and the time for the purification according to the Law of the Lord had come, Joseph and Mary took their infant baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. As they entered in, they were met by Simeon who “ blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. ” Indeed, Christ has come as a sign that is opposed, a sword to pierce the hearts of His people, so that we may be saved. I know Christmas is such a joyful time! It really does bring out the best behavior and attitudes in many people. The sad and lonely are often comforted, the bored are made lively, and even the marginally Christian consider themselves slightly more Christian on Christmas. It’s a time of year many people anticipate with great excitement and expectation. First we have Halloween...

Merry Christmas! Yes it’s still Christmas today. Christmas lasts for a full 12 days, ending when Epiphany begins. Thus, today is the first Sunday during Christmas when we read about Jesus who is presented at the temple at 40 days old, as we read: “ When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. ” Isn’t that kind of fascinating? On Christmas Day we read that the Word is God, and the Word became flesh in Jesus, therefore Jesus is God. Yet, Jesus who is the Lord is presented to the Lord. Isn’t the Trinity an amazing thing! Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, the Son, is presented to the first person of the Trinity, the Father. So Jesus who is both fully God and fully man is in today’s reading subjected to the Law of the Lord on account of His being fully human. But why are we reading this today? What’s the point of it? What significance does it have for us today? Why was it even recorded in scrip...