St. Luke Ev. Lutheran Church

Sermon by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

1^st Sunday after Christmas,

December 30, 2007 Galatians 4:4-7

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

People of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

This is the week—every year—when I buy a copy of USA Today—two pages called Passages! It’s 120 people who died this year—people in music and the arts—people in government—people in business—people in science and medicine—people in literature and media—and people famous all around the world for all kinds of reasons. This past year Johnny Hart died. Johnny Hart drew comics. His work was in the funny papers. He used to draw that little cave man called BC. I will never forget an Easter Sunday long ago. That little cave man carved on a stone tablet—“What is Easter all about? Hiding eggs for kids to rout? Pink chapeaus on pink madams—cakes and cookies shaped like lambs? That’s not what it’s all about! Who was buried then got out—leaving no one any doubt. He is risen!—hear them shout. That’s what this day’s all about!” Johnny Hart said when he was little—his parents used to drop him off at Church for Sunday School—and pick him up again—when it was over! Johnny Hart said when someone gave him a Bible and he read it—the Holy Spirit worked such a powerful change in his heart it changed everything! Don’t ever let anyone tell you—that you can’t be an evangelist—sharing the good news of the Christmas and Easter Gospel because you are only what—a guy who writes for the funny papers? This first Sunday after Christmas—we rejoice in the birth of our Savior—our tiny King! Today God’s Word reminds us:

God’s Timing Is Everything!

1. At just the right time Jesus redeemed us

2. At just the right time we became sons and heirs

The part of God’s Word we are concentrating on today is from Galatians. Galatians—is the inspired and inerrant letter the Apostle Paul wrote to people in Galatia. That’s not a city—it’s an area—a large area—present day Turkey. This letter was read and copied and shared and read some more. It is one of the very first books of the Bible that we teach at the Seminary in Nigeria. Do no know why? Because in just 6 chapters it teaches again and again—we are saved by grace through faith alone. We are not saved by doing good stuff. We are not right with God by doing more good things than bad things—so some cosmic scale tips toward being good. Galatians teaches very plainly that you don’t make up for doing something horribly sinfully wrong—by doing something incredibly good. You don’t impress your Heavenly Father—by obligating yourself to all those very complicated Old Testament laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy—with all the clean and unclean regulations! Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly and completely. He died and rose again to set us free from the law that condemned us!

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law… At just the right time—God sent his Son Jesus—to be born of the Virgin Mary. Here is a very powerful reminder that God doesn’t do things the way people do. Baby Jesus was not born in Jerusalem—he was born in Bethlehem. Not born in a palace or a hospital but born in a stable and rested in a manger—a feed box for lowly animals. The first to worship Jesus were not theologians—not High Priests or Pharisees or Sadducees or Scribes who had painstakingly copied the Scriptures. No—angels said to shepherds—that Christ the Savior is born. Jesus was born in a time and a place where there were no cell phones that could take pictures—no digital cameras or video—no instant messaging about his birth. Jesus was born in such a time and place the only way for the Christmas Gospel to spread was for people to tell people—for people to tell their family and friends and relatives—for people to tell complete strangers that baby Jesus was born—their redeemer! This is still 2,000 years later—the best way for people to find out about Jesus. The best way is for us to tell them!

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son… A man named Bob died. Bob invented the first wireless—TV remote! That was back in 1956—1956—when I was 4 years old. It was a long time after that—before everything had a remote! A man named Bob died who worked very hard—to find a very good sausage to serve to truck drivers in his 12 stool 24 hour a day diner in SE Ohio. A man named Ando died—96 years old. He invented those instant noodles—in those little chicken soup packets—or those little Styrofoam cups. I love those noodles! And the guy named Alfred—a tea trader—said—if you roast coffee beans really dark—and then make really strong coffee—you can mix it with foamy milk and caramel—and people will stand in line and pay an arm and a leg for just one cup! If you stop and think about it—all these different people were at just the right place—at just the right time—with just the right idea—to make my world—my life—just a little bit better. That’s just how kind and gracious and merciful Jesus is. At just the right time—the perfect time—God gave us the only gift that really matters—the gift of his Son. At just the right time—a very gentle young woman in Nazareth had a baby in her tummy. At just the right time that little baby was born in a stable. And at just the right time—that little baby grew up—to save people everywhere from all their sins!

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law… Jesus came to buy us back from sin and death. The wages of sin is death! Death is in the news every day—the new ways people die. A young man named Carlos was killed by a Siberian Tiger in San Francisco. A lady named Kelly died after three pit bulls attacked her in the street at 9:30 at night. A lady named Benazir Bhutto was assassinated—after she gave a speech to a whole bunch of people she thought loved her. A man named Bob—the guy who invented Gatorade—died from kidney failure. Isn’t that kind of ironic? A lady named Leona—who was called the queen of mean in the newspaper—died of heart failure. Do you see the irony in that? The queen of mean made millions in the hotel business. I wonder if there was room in the inn that was her heart—for baby Jesus to rest there! A wiry little man named Ike died this year. They said that Ike used to become so angry and so violent he did actually physical hurt and harm to his wife named Tina. They even made a movie where they had Ike lashing out—hurting his wife. Ike always said he didn’t do that! Wouldn’t it be horrible—if you were innocent—and yet everybody just kind of assumed that yeah—you were guilty? Jesus redeemed those under law—those who are actually guilty of hurting and harming the very people they have a God-given responsibility to guard and protect? Jesus died for the sins that happen in families. The sins that are published in the tabloids they sell at the grocery store check out lanes. And Jesus died for the sins that families cover up and hide so that nobody knows about them—except the perpetrator and the victim—and Jesus! Jesus knows all our sins. And Jesus died to wash them all away. Jesus is the one who makes us strong—so that people who are caught up in horrible self and soul and marriage destructive addictions can get help and can stop! This new year can be the year where people finally get help and stop hurting the people they promised to love!

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law… We are under law. Sometimes—it may seem—we do things that are wrong—and we get away with it. It seems there are no consequences. It seems like we didn’t get caught. I heard the other day they have police officers in Belgium who are blind. At first I thought that can’t be right—but it is. One officer is named Sacha van Loo. He’s 36 years old. He is physically not very imposing—and he has been blind since birth! But do you know what he has going for him? An exceedingly acute sense of hearing! Sacha can listen to a phone call—and pick up background noises. He can hear people talking in the background. He can listen to a voice—and pick up an accent—ever so slight—that means the person talking is from this neighborhood or that. He can hear the difference! There are six blind police officers—six police men who cannot see with their eyes—but they can still help catch the bad guys who so often woefully underestimate them! There are lots and lots of people who underestimate God, too. People who think if they are quick enough and clever enough and sneaky enough—they can do what is sinful and hurtful and wrong. And somehow—Jesus can’t watch all 6 billion people at once. And they won’t get caught! Jesus knows all my sins and all your mistakes. Jesus paid the penalty for all the sins we do all the time—because he loves us so much!

Since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. A lady named Brooke Astor—died this year. She was so rich—she gave away $200 million! I have a very hard time imagining that much money. I have a hard time imagining what you would have to do to get that much money. Leona—that queen of mean—had a real estate empire that was worth $5 billion. It included the Empire State Building. When Leona died—her puppy named Trouble—was in her will. Trouble will inherit—and be will supplied with Milk bones and rawhide chews. Two of Leona’s grandchildren received absolutely nothing—nothing at all! We have an inheritance—stored up for us in heaven. Jesus himself said we should store up treasures in heaven—where moth and rust cannot destroy—where thieves cannot break in and steal. Where our treasure is—that’s where our heart will be also. If you stop even for a moment and think about it—we don’t need some uncle to die and leave us a small fortune. We have a brother who died and rose again—so that we are heirs of our Heavenly Father!

Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior—which is Christ the Lord! Someone in my family the other day got one of those cards with the little computer chip in it. You open the card and it sings out loud, Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you very much! Thank you thank you very much--we really mean it! Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I love that card! Thank you, thank you! Open it—and they start singing! How do you thank Jesus? How do you thank the Christ child? What do you give to the one who has everything? Give him your heart. Give him your life. Give him worship and praise in this house. Read his Word. Grow in faith and in faithfulness to him every day of the new year!

If you drive around enough and listen to Christmas you hear that song by Dan Fogelberg called Same Old Lang Syne! It’s a sad and depressing song—that tells the story about a singer who bumps into his old girlfriend at a grocery store. They try to go out for a drink—but they can’t find a place that’s open. So they end up drinking a six pack in his car. It’s sad and depressing—as the lady is married to an architect who keeps her safe and warm—but she can’t say she loves him. Sad about all the things that might have been and could have been but aren’t—the lady leaves—and the snow turns into rain. How depressing! This year—Mr. Fogelberg died—56 years old—one year older than I am. I wonder if Mr. Fogelberg knew that the most powerful weapon against worry, depression and anxious fear is found in the Christ-child! If you drive around enough and listen to Christmas music—you are bound to hear the Emerson, Lake and Palmer—Lake guy sing a song called “I believe in Father Christmas”. Did you ever really listen to the words? “They sold me a dream of Christmas. They sold me a silent night. And they told me a fairy story till I believed in the Israelite…Hallelujah noel be it heaven or hell the Christmas you get you deserve.” Did you get that? Hallelujah noel be it heaven or hell the Christmas you get you deserve!” We do not get what we deserve! We deserve eternal destruction—every single one of us. On our own and by our self—we deserve the flaming lake of fire in hell. But because of the Christ child we receive the most precious Christmas gift of all—the only gift that really matters--the gift of eternal life. Amen!

To God alone all glory!

Rev. Anthony E. Schultz