A Collect for New Year's Eve

Almighty and everlasting God, from whom comes down every good and perfect gift, we give You thanks for all Your benefits, temporal and spiritual, bestowed upon us in the year past, and we ask You of Your goodness, grant us a favorable and joyful year, defend us from all dangers, and send upon us the fullness of Your blessing; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Adapted from the Lutheran Hymnal

A beautiful, glorious exchange - in baptism

Many years ago I attended an Evangelism seminar where a pastor demonstrated one way to share the Gospel of Jesus.  His presentation was built around 2 Corinthians 5:21 - God made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.  His Law/Gospel way of telling the good news of Jesus' salvation by grace through faith was so clear and compelling that I made the presentation my own and have shared it many times.

Last night I finished reading "Martin Luther - Preacher of the Cross," by Professor John T. Pless.  I was excited to read a passage Pless shared which showed how Luther connected this joyous exchange to baptism. 

Luther preached: Is not this a beautiful, glorious exchange, by which Christ, who is wholly innocent and holy, not only takes upon Himself another's sin, that is my sin and guilt, but also clothes and adorns me, who am nothing but sin, with His own innocence and purity? And then besides died the shameful death of the Cross for the sake of my sins, through which I have deserved death and condemnation, and grants me His righteousness, in order that I may live with Him eternally in glorious and unspeakable joy.  Through this blessed exchange, in which Christ changes places us with (something the heart can only grasp in faith) and through nothing else, are we freed from sin and death and given His righteousness and life as our own.  (page 126)

What glorious Gospel! In our baptism we receive the blessings of the Cross of Christ Jesus! "Christ changes places with us."  He takes our place at the cross and we are spared.  Instead, our blessed Lord "clothes and adorns us" with His righteousness so that we might "live with Him eternally in glorious and unspeakable joy."

Live today in this baptismal grace.  Remember your baptism when you are beset by guilt or overwhelmed by sorrow.  Although you sin, you are forgiven in Christ.  Although you have not earned it, Christ has made you holy, covering you in His righteousness and purity.  Although you do not deserve it, Jesus, in His ascension, has readied a place for you in the kingdom of heaven.  All because of His joyous exchange which began in your baptism

Do you need a touch of the Lord's heavenly medicine?

I have shared this prayer before.  But I went back to it today and it blessed me greatly.  Maybe it can do the same for you.

Lord give me the courage
the heavenly medicine
to sing
when I am in the prison
of depression
as the apostles did
in jail
To laugh
at the demons within me
knowing you
reign supreme
in the throne room
of my heart
To be thankful
at all times
knowing you
are in control
Christ in me

Acts 16:23-25, Psalm 27:6; 40:1-3, Ephesians 5:19-20

From "Prayers For People Under Pressure," by Donald L. Deffner, page 28 (I believe this book, which had been out of print can now be obtained from Northwestern Publishing House or found on Amazon) 

God gave His dearest treasure

But God beheld my wretched state

Before the world's foundation

And mindful of His mercies great

He planned my soul's salvation

A Father's heart He turned to me

Sought my redemption fervently

He gave His dearest treasure

Martin Luther 

Unto to you is born a Savior!

It is the eternal power and divine eloquence of this simple yet tremendously important message which has perpetuated Christmas and which still electrifies the hearts of Christmas whenever the glad tidings are repeated. Unto you is born a Savior!

Unto you, you who were born in sin, you whose life is a record of transgression and iniquity and are therefore under the wrath of an offended God; unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, a Redeemer, an Emancipator, which is Christ the Lord, the promised Messiah, the Emmanuel, the God-with-us, the Mighty God!

Surely, no matter what our circumstances may be on this most holy day, we have every reason to lift our hearts in fervent prayer and say:

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray
 Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell
 O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel

Herman W. Gockel, "Daily Walk with God," December 24 devotional 

God is with us!

The lights were dimmed and the candles gave off a warn and welcoming glow.  My fellow students and I were positioned on the steps leading up to the chancel area of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Tucson, telling in Scripture and song the story of the birth of the Christ child.  We sang with all the faith and joy our hearts could muster:

O Holy Child of Bethlehem

  Descend to us we pray

Cast out our sin and enter in

  Be born in us today.

I didn't appreciate then what I do now - we kids were given the opportunity to proclaim a message that provides hope in the best and worse of times.  God is with us! 

We need not be afraid - God is with us!

We can live each day with courage - God is with us! 

We can trust even in the face of adversity - God is with us!

Let this truth plant its roots deep in your heart this Advent - God is with us!

We hear the Christmas angels

  The great glad tidings tell

O come to us, abide with us

  Our Lord Immanuel!    

Martin Luther on the Nativity of the Christ

Many in this congregation think to themselves, "If only I had been there! How quick I would have been to help the Baby! I would have washed His linen.  How happy I would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!

Yes, you would! You say that because you know how great Christ is, but if you had been there at that time you would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem.  Childish and silly thoughts are these!

Why don't you do it now? You have Christ in your neighbor.  You ought to serve him, for what you do to your neighbor in need you do to the Lord Christ Himself.

Taken from "Hear I Stand," page 354