WELCOME TO ADVENT!

That's right. Today is the first Sunday of Advent. You wouldn't know it by all the Black Friday sales & Christmas decorations, but we haven't entered the season of Christmas yet. First comes four Sundays of Advent, which is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus--this time, not as a baby born in a manger, but as the glorious Lord & Savior who will come again on the last day to take His people home with Him to heaven. Advent is a time of penitential reflection, but it is also a time of celebration as we look forward to the return of our Lord.

Today's Gospel reading was an interesting choice:  the genealogy of Jesus Christ, as found in Matthew 1:1--17. It struck me again how many shady characters were part of His genealogy. Abraham tried to pass off his wife Sarah as his sister. Jacob stole his brother's birthright. Judah had sex with his daughter-in-law. Rahab was a harlot. Ruth was a Gentile. David committed adultery & was guilty of murder. And Joseph? He was a descendant of Judah, which had been prophesied, but he came from peasant stock, not royalty.

What are we to make of all this? Despite all the nefarious ancestry, Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit & born of the Virgin Mary. He is not just the God of any one people or nation. He is the God of sinners, of the poor, of the humble. Welcome to Advent!

TODAY'S OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGE

1 Chron. 29:10b-14.  “O Lord God of our father Israel, praise Your name for ever & ever! Yours is the mighty power & glory & victory & majesty. Everything in the heavens & earth is yours, O Lord, & this is your kingdom. We adore You as being in control of everything. Riches & honor come from You alone, & You are the Ruler of mankind; Your hand controls power & might, & it is at Your discretion that men are made great & given strength. O our God, we thank You & praise Your glorious name, but who am I & who are my people that we should be permitted to give anything You? Everything we have has come from You, & we only give You what is Yours already!” The Living Bible

THE LORD HEARS

"O Lord, rebuke me not in Your anger, nor discipline me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled . . . Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of Your steadfast love . . . The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer." (Ps. 6:1-2, 4, 9)

CONFRONTING PAIN & DESPAIR

"Yet when we confront our pain & despair &begin to accept the loss, surrendering ourselves to God in our powerlessness, then pain & despair can give way to hope.The unwanted pain can be accepted & transformed. When we accept our pain as our own, suffering can grow into compassion. It's as if the heart opens. Out of sorrow come warmth & joy." Philip Williams, Men's Devotional Bible

STEWARDSHIP CORNER

"We make financial decisions daily. We decide whether to spend our money, give it, lend it, save it, or invest it. Because money is a very important part of life, it's important to come to know what our Lord teaches us about it in His Word. While money itself is neutral, we can make it either a positive or negative part of our lives. When God has first place in our lives rather than money, a big obstacle to an intimate relationship with Christ is eliminated. With God's strength, guidance, & wisdom, we can make the right choices regarding the resources He entrusts to us. We need to show self-disciple in our own demands & desires for self-gratification. God wants us to share with those in need, & He wants us to use our money in ways that extend His kingdom." Grace Lutheran Church Bulletin

RECOGNIZING GOD'S WILL

"Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born from water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What is born of the flesh is flesh, & what is born from Spirit is spirit.'" (John 3:5-6)

"Thereby it is concluded that through the teaching & works of the Law, which people can do, no one is freed from sin or justified before God. Through the Law nature does not become different, but remains as it was before. That is why through the Law people still cannot come into God's kingdom or obtain eternal life.

"On the other hand, 'what is born from Spirit,' He says, 'is spirit.' 'Spirit' means what God creates in us beyond nature & human ability, namely, the spiritual knowledge, light, & understanding which He reveals to us, through which we know God, turn to Him, lay hold of His grace, sling to Him, etc. If this is to begin & happen in anyone, then his heart must be renewed & kindled through the Holy Spirit so that he learns to recognize God's will toward him & knows how to obtain grace & eternal life." A Year in the Gospels with Martin Luther

AN ADVENT PRAYER *

* Source:  Lutheran Prayer Book

O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, King of kings & Lord of lords, the Son of the living God & Son of David, come. Come now to Your Church that You have purchased with Your blood. Come with Your gracious presence, that we may rejoice in You. Come & rule over us, that we may serve & follow You. Come with Your love, humility, & perfect obedience, & let Your lowliness become our glory. Come into the midst of Your people & bless us, for we are Your heritage. Forgive us our sin, & do not angrily cast away Your servants, for You are meek & gracious. Clothe us with the garment of Your righteousness, for You are the only righteous one & our helper. Satisfy us with the abundance of Your mercy, for You did become poor for our sakes, that by Your poverty we might be made rich. Hear us, Lord Jesus, for the sake of Your holy name. Amen.

AN ADVENT HYMN

Savior of the Nations, Come (LSB #332, St. 1)

Savior of the nations, come, Virgin's Son, make here Your home! Marvel now, O heav'n & earth, That the Lord chose such a birth.