Shepherd of the Springs
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

From the Old Testament of the Day: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. [Mal. 4.5-6]

From the Epistle of the Day: "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." [Rom. 15.4]

From the Holy Gospel: Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. [Luke 21.28]

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent, called "
Populus Zion," from the Introit of the Day: "O People of Zion, behold the Lord cometh to save the nations." Last Sunday, the lessons showed you our Lord Jesus coming to His people by entering Jerusalem, the city of God, to save the world through His sacrifice on the Holy Cross. And so, the new Church Year began with the First Sunday of Advent, a season of repentance and preparation for the Festival of Christmas, the Nativity of our Lord.

This Second Sunday of advent brings the message of the second coming of Christ, and in Advent, this message of Jesus coming again for you promises you, despite being a sinner, and because of the redemption that you have in Christ Jesus, that you are counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and that you will stand before the Son of Man, wearing His righteousness as you own in the day of Judgment.

The entire Church Year construction that has come to you is a gift that carries you along this path, by, in, with, and for Christ and for your eternal salvation. Thus, as last week your attention is invited to "How the Church year Serves Your Faith, so today, you attention is invited to "How the Church Year Serves Your Future."

I.

The Old Testament for this 2^nd Sunday of Advent, as already read to you, is taken from the prophet Malachi. Malachi lives and serves God’s people by his proclamations at the time after the Fall of Jerusalem the Babylonian captivity, and the return to the Promised Land. When the captives returned to the ruins of Jerusalem and the Temple, there is an initial eagerness on their part to rebuild the Temple and the city itself. Ezra, the priest, and Nehemiah, the prophet, led the rebuilding efforts, and after the initial enthusiasm waned among the people, Ezra and Nehemiah repeatedly exhort the people to finish the rebuilding of Temple and of the city walls.

Malachi is a contemporary of Nehemiah, and so his book, and our Old Testament lesson today, are part of Malachi’s God-appointed prophesy to an unprepared and seemingly uncaring people. And his message is this: "This present life is not going to continue forever – so stop acting as though it will! There comes and end to this life and an infinitely better, eternal life to come. But, comes the day of reckoning and of judgment. Live your days with THAT in mind! "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction"

II.

Today’s Epistle from the pen of St. Paul, written to the Roman Christians and to us all, explains what this "Second Coming" message is appropriate to the daily life of Christians – and to your Advent Season of repentance and preparation:

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" Here, St. Paul speaks precisely to you to your pre-Christmas lives.

Consider the young children among us today and among you in your world. They are eagerly awaiting Christmas and the gifts that this event brings to them. In a recent Garfield comic strip, Garfield speaks to the reader, "Christmas is coming and you have to be on your best behavior!" In the second frame, he adds, "And Santa is watching you!" And in the final frame, where you can see Odie, the dog, coming up to him, Garfield concludes, "And so are his spies!" This, of course, is not the Christian view of Christmas, or of Christ’s return, but a parallel is there.

There is a sense of anticipation in these days leading up to Christmas, especially among children. Likewise, there is a sense of anticipation that is appropriate for these days leading up to Christ’s Return, His Judgment day – in which His declares you righteous and blessed and rightful inheritors of new and everlasting life. The message of this Second Sunday in Advent is: Consider how great that coming day will be for you – greater than any Christmas day that you have ever anticipated.

III.

This thus brings you to consider your Savior’s words to you about the Last Days and the Day of His glorious return: "Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near!" The point of this Holy Gospel, and the Second Sunday of Advent that brings it it to you, is this: To hear these words and to mark your Savior’s promise to return on the Last Day. You hear them now so that you might be changed, encouraged, and prepared NOW, by humble repentance and confident anticipation, for that glorious return of Christ THEN, in the future, "soon", and thus this repentance shapes your Christmas anticipation also.

hus, the future shapes your present life. Advent brings a reminder of the signs of the end-times, so that you might be encouraged, as part of your Christmas preparations, to "look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." God’s promise to you makes the reminder of His 2nd Coming a Christmas gift and not a threat to you.

For this reason, Advent, this season of Christmas preparation is not just about this coming Christmas day; it brings you this gift from God in the form of a promise and of a certain hope: You, though still a sinner, as you conscience will continue to point out, are given this great gift again this Christmas, namely, the promise, soaked in sacred blood, so that, as the Day of Judgment approaches, you may look up and raise your head with joy, because then your redemption is drawing nigh.

The picture and promise of the End Times shape your life today so that as your redemption draws near, you will stand with joy before the Son of God. This repentance is God’s gift, the working of the Holy Spirit, in the image of Christ, an image seen already in the Old Testament, where Jesus is pictured as the 2^nd Elijah – "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers!"

God’s promise to you makes the reminder of His 2nd Coming a Christmas gift and not a threat to you. For this reason, Advent, this season of Christmas preparation is not just about now. Christmas brings you this gift from God in the form of promise and of a certain hope: You, though still a sinner, as you conscience will continue to point out, are given this great promise, soaked in sacred blood, that, as the Last Day, the day of judgment approaches, you may look up and raise your head with joy, because then your redemption is drawing nigh. So, as St. Paul concludes the Epistle of the Day: "The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that – by the power of the Holy Spirit – you may abound in hope!