The Lutheran Hour
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"Things Can Change"
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Text: John 3:17
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Centuries ago the Lord sent His Son into this world as a baby. True man and true God, Jesus was born for the purpose of saving us from ourselves and the forces of darkness that had kidnapped us. At the open tomb we see the Savior’s sacrifice has been accepted. This day, every day, may we, in repentance and by blood-bought forgiveness, join together and say: “Thanks be to God.” God grant this be the prayer of us all. Amen.
We live in a changing world. Even so, there are some things which simply do not change. For example, when adults get together with children, they almost always ask, “What’s your name?” Then they ask the standard, “How old are you?”
I can tell you another thing which doesn’t change: the interaction between children and Santa at the shopping mall. This past week Pam and I went Christmas shopping. That’s really a misnomer. Pam went shopping, my job was more along the lines of a two-legged pack mule. While Pamie was reconnoitering some retail no-man’s-land, I put my burdens down and spent about ten minutes watching children visit Santa. My observations told me some things don’t change. Just like it was when I was young, the children seem to be divided into two distinct groups.
The first group was composed of children who positively ran toward Santa, took a flying leap into his lap and, ignoring the pain in his face caused by the impact, with great ceremony presented their Christmas list. Some of those lists were thicker than a small town’s telephone book.
But there was that second group of children. These unwilling and unenthusiastic kids had to be carried by their parents to their visit with Santa. These children were fine when they could watch at a distance. They didn’t mind other kids sitting on Santa’s lap, but each step closer raised their anxiety level. When their time came to sit down on Santa’s lap, they acted as if they were being strapped into an electric chair. The conversation went like this: Santa asked, “What’s your name, little boy?” The little boy cried. “How old are you?” The little boy howled. “What do you want for Christmas?” The little boy screamed. “Have you been a good little boy?” That seemingly innocent question was the clincher. The force of the little boy’s shriek melted hearing aids and dogs started to howl five miles away.
The only reason the little boy reacted this way is, he was scared. Here he was with the man – the man who knew if he had been naughty or nice. Now, the man was asking him about his past. Should he be honest and make confession, “You know, Santa, I have had those times when perfection eluded me; moments when I picked on my sister; days when I didn’t pick up my room.” Making that kind of confession to Santa seemed suicidal to the lad. His mind said, “How can I expect to get anything in my stocking if I’ve been naughty?” The other choice open to the boy was to guts it out, to stretch the truth and try to con the red-suited saint by saying something like: “Santa, I don’t like to brag, but the truth is, all 365 days of this last calendar year I’ve been good as gold.” Of course saying such a thing meant the youngster was taking a risk. Quite a risk. After all, Santa knows. Knowing if you’ve been naughty or nice is part of his job description.
Children don’t change and we adults don’t change either. Christmas is coming, but the passing of 2,000 years hasn’t brought about much of a change from the night when Jesus was born and there was no room for Him in the inn. Look around. If you do, you will see countries which have no room for Him. When Jesus was born, King Herod sent his soldiers to have the Son of God murdered. Herod has long since gone to his reward, but the world has many rulers who still think as did that mad monarch. Look and you will see despots and dictators who think the Christ Child who came to redeem and restore His heavenly kingdom remains a threat to them.
Look and you will see governments who, like the rulers of ancient Rome, have passed laws, terrible laws, to persecute and punish anyone who would share the story of the Savior. To keep their borders barred they have forbidden the wearing of Christ’s cross. To keep their people safe from the child who was born as God’s gracious good gift of great joy for humankind; they threaten to arrest anyone who prays to Jesus in his own home. To make sure none of their people hear they can be saved through the blood of the Redeemer, these countries warn ministers and missionaries: “Sharing the Savior’s story is a crime punishable by death.” No, things haven’t changed. Go to Africa, Asia, the Mid-East and listen to those men who have attained a high and prominent position in their non-Christian faith. Listen to them and hear as many of them preach hatred and violence against the Savior and any disciple who dares say, “God so loved the world He gave His only-begotten Son” (John 3:16). Watch as these leaders provoke mobs to burn, rape, murder, and enslave those who confess the Christ and would share how God’s Son came to give His life to save us from our sins. Listen to these leaders’ untruths and pay attention to their half-truths. Then, having heard, ask yourself, “Why is the 2,000 year-old story of the birth of a baby boy in Bethlehem so terrifying to them? What is so horrifying about Jesus’ coming that they will go to such ends to keep His story silent?”
Are they afraid because of Jesus’ teachings? Most certainly Jesus spoke as no other man, ruler or not, has ever spoken. Hitler filled his speeches with the venom of a master race, but Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Mao filled China with tears as he killed millions who disagreed with or disobeyed him. In contrast, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Stalin starved to death millions in Ukraine, the breadbasket of Europe, but Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Saddam Hussein tortured and murdered his critics in the dungeons of his private palaces, but Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). North Korea rattles its nuclear saber to intimidate the world, but Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Most certainly, the world’s rulers are afraid of Jesus. In comparison to the love which flows from every word Jesus spoke, every action He performed, these rulers seem petty, pretentious, pitiful, and oh, so pathetic.
Why are the world’s religions so frightened of a baby born 2,000 years ago? Is it because they have nothing to compare with the 100+ prophecies made about the Savior’s birth, life, miracles, suffering, death, and resurrection? Nothing to compare with God-given promises to identify the Savior? Or are they afraid because of more practical reasons? Is it because they stone to death a woman who is taken in adultery, while Jesus forgave such a woman and let her live out her life in repentant thanksgiving? Is it because they still enslave children while Christianity says there is no difference between slave and free? Is it because their religion allows a man to divorce his wife with a few short sentences, but the New Testament encourages Christian husbands to “Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25)? Is it because their religion calls for its followers to engage in a holy war, while Jesus tells His believers, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account” (Matthew 5:11)? Is it because they are promised heaven if they die while they are fighting for their faith, while Jesus says to those who are being persecuted, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12)?
The truth is, the religions of the world fear Jesus not because He was born a baby. They could live with Him if He had remained a cute, cuddly, infant. But Jesus didn’t stay a baby. True man and true God, Jesus did something no other leader has ever done; through His life, death, and resurrection He built a bridge of salvation no other faith can offer. While every other religion of the world must say, “You have to do this and you have to do that” if you are to begin to please god; Jesus came as our substitute. Jesus came to take our place, to fulfill the laws we have broken, to resist the temptations which have brought us down.
The Messiah said it Himself, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” While every other religion of the world leaves its followers filled with anxiety and uncertainty as to whether they have done enough to please their god and win salvation, the Bible rightly says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works” (Ephesians 2:8). No other religion can embrace and share a Savior who has done everything necessary to win salvation. Where believers in other faiths may be left unsure if they will have a place in heaven, Jesus assures, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11: 25-26).
The religions of the world fear Jesus because He did not stay a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. They are afraid because Jesus is the Savior of the world. They are afraid because if the Holy Bible has told the truth, then they are believing a lie. If Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after He was murdered, then His sacrifice to win our redemption from sin and Satan has been accepted and He can be believed when He says, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
If these things are true – and they are true – then there is no other name under heaven which can save us. If Jesus is right – and He is right – then they are wrong. The religions of the world know that on these truths there is no compromise; there is no coming together; there is no middle ground. Either Jesus is the only name under heaven which can save us, or He is not. Scripture rightly says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God’s inspired Word rightly maintains: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17). Which is why, even though the Savior with nail-pierced hands, still reaches out, beckons, and invites these lost to believe and be saved; the other religions of the world are bound to hate and are pledged to destroy Him.
Because God so loved the world He gave His Son is why the night the Savior was born, the angel spoke about God’s good news of great joy for all the world. Because God so loved the world and gave His Son is why Christians celebrate at Christmas. Yes, we may not know the exact day Jesus was born, but we do know God so loved the world that believers are saved. We do know because God so loved you He gave His Son. That is why you should celebrate also. Sadly, there are some things which don’t change. This Christmas finds many of you not knowing, not understanding the sacrifice Jesus made so you could be forgiven and be brought into heaven.
You should know Christmas is more than combing the stores for the perfect gift; it is the celebration of the perfect Gift that God has given us in His Son. Christmas is more than being trampled by holiday shoppers in a superstore at 6:00 in the morning; it is more than toys and tinsel; it is more than brightly wrapped presents and well-lubricated parties; it is more than cards and carols; it is more than listening to the radio belt out, “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.” Christmas is more than figuring out how, in financially difficult times, you’re going to celebrate and still feed your family in January when the credit card bills come rolling in. Christmas is more than children sitting on Santa’s lap and giving him their official list. Christmas is celebrating Christ in a cradle, on a cross, and before His empty tomb in resurrection victory. That is what Christmas is, and that changes everything – including you.
At the beginning of this message I spoke of the responses children gave when Santa asked them, “What do you want for Christmas?” Well, things can change. Because things can change, I’m not going to ask you what you want for Christmas. I already know what you’ve been given: you’ve been given a Savior. Because things can change, I’m going to ask, “What are you giving God this Christmas?” To that question some might reply, “I don’t know, what do you give someone who, quite literally, has everything?” Well, I can tell you what God wants: God wants you. You. That’s what God has always wanted. Before Jesus was born, an angel came to Mary and asked her, in a unique and intimate way, to give herself to the story of salvation. The Lord asked Mary to give Him her body, her life, her future, every part of her. What did Mary do? She gave God the gift He asked for. She said, “Let it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). Mary gave herself. No reservation, no reluctance, no holding back. Joseph, Jesus’ foster father did the same. God always wants people to give themselves to Him.
For people to give themselves to God. That would be a change. About 30 years ago, I knew a mother, well, actually, I still know her, who was given a bathrobe by her children on Christmas Eve. She modeled it and the kids pronounced it just about the prettiest thing they had ever seen. With glowing words, Mom agreed. The next day, Christmas Day, as she was getting ready for church, the children came in with the bathrobe they had rescued from its place of honor under the tree. They asked, “Mama, aren’t you going to wear your pretty bathrobe to church?” They waited as Mama’s mind raced. She weighed the alternatives: keeping her dignity or letting her children down. It took the smallest of a second for her to make her decision.
One-half hour later, on Christmas Day, that prim, proper, wonderful lady walked into church wearing a bathrobe. I want to tell you, she didn’t sulk, slink, or slither her way into a dark back pew near the door. That lady walked in proudly. She strode into church with dignity and, with her children, sat down where she normally sat: third row, left side. After service, and without embarrassment, to all who asked and to many who didn’t, she said, “This is the bathrobe my children gave me for Christmas. Isn’t it the most beautiful bathrobe in the world?” I was proud to know that lady then, I’m proud to call her my wife still. Pam had it right: Christmas began with God setting Himself to the side and giving humanity that which they most needed. Two thousand years ago God gave us His Son as a sacrifice so we would be freed from sin, the devil, and death; He gave His Son so all who believe on Him as their substitute might be saved. God gave us what we needed.
Now, in thanksgiving, this Christmas, by the Holy Spirit’s power, we can give God the one thing He wants from us: we can, by God’s grace, in repentance and devotion and thanksgiving, give Him ourselves. And if everyone were to give God himself, this Christmas the Father would look down from heaven and say to His Son, “Well, Jesus, what do you know about that – some things can change.” To that end, if we can help you respond to the Savior who gave Himself for you, I offer this invitation: please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for December 14, 2008
Topic: A Sad HeavenANNOUNCER: Is there sadness in heaven? Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hi, Mark.
ANNOUNCER: Does God ever get sad as He considers all the terrible things taking place in the world, and would this sadness somehow undo the perfection and bliss of heaven?
KLAUS: Say that again?
ANNOUNCER: Well, the thinking goes like this: God is in heaven. Heaven is a perfect place where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and we will never be sad. But, if God is in heaven, and knows everything that’s going on here on earth in space and time, does that make Him sad? And wouldn’t we be sad that our unbelieving friends or family members aren’t there in heaven with us?
KLAUS: OK. Now I get it. What we’re really trying to answer here is a whole bunch of questions about God and about heaven.
ANNOUNCER: Right. So, how to untangle it?
KLAUS: Let’s start with the part about whether God gets sad. That’s an easy one. Because the Bible is very specific about that one. The answer is: Yes, God gets sad – or at least He is grieved. If someone wants to make a distinction between grieving and being sad, I wouldn’t necessarily argue with them about it.
ANNOUNCER: OK. Now where do you find evidence of this in the Bible?
KLAUS: In Genesis 6:6 it says, “The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth and it grieved Him to His heart.” God made everything perfect and man had messed things up through sin and disobedience.
ANNOUNCER: And not only that, when mankind messed things up, they messed things up in a big way. In fact, we’re often quite proud of how big our sins are.
KLAUS: Exactly. And that’s the point in time when God, having taken a look at humankind was sad – grieved, if you prefer.
ANNOUNCER: OK. Any others ?
KLAUS: I can give you one from Jesus’ life – from the 3rd chapter of Mark. It talks about how Jesus was in the synagogue and along with the Savior and the crowd was a man with a withered hand. Jesus’ enemies watched to see if He would, on the Sabbath day, perform a miracle. They weren’t concerned about the man – or his malady. They just wanted to see if Jesus would do something they considered to be wrong, so they could accuse Him.
ANNOUNCER: But Jesus did heal the man.
KLAUS: Yes, He did. And immediately afterwards the Pharisees started plotting to kill Him.
ANNOUNCER: And you said Jesus was grieved by this?
KLAUS: I did. The Bible says when Jesus saw the hardness of their hearts concerning the man and His mission, He was sad. He was sad because they were so absolutely, totally messed up.
There is one other place I can think of where God is grieved. Actually, the Holy Spirit. That’s found in Ephesians 4. There, Paul encouraged Christians to keep away from sinning. He wanted us to live the new life in Christ: Don’t let the sun set on our anger, don’t speak wrongly – all kinds of things. He sums it up by saying, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
ANNOUNCER: So you’ve kind of provided a Trinitarian example of sadness here. There is another common denominator in that God expects people who have seen His grace and love to respond. And He becomes upset, sad, or grieved, when those who know the right thing, choose otherwise.
KLAUS: Absolutely. To those who are given much, much is expected.
ANNOUNCER: OK, I think we’ve handled one part of the question, but there is the other part: “If God can be grieved in heaven, how can we be sure that we won’t be? After all, eternity is a very long time to be grieving.”
KLAUS: I couldn’t agree with you more. I think there might be an answer to the question, although, quite frankly, I’m not entirely sure. We’re kind of conjecturing like we did last week.
ANNOUNCER: Right, but go ahead.
KLAUS: Well, the first part of the answer isn’t conjecture. We know we won’t be sad, grieving, crying, or in pain in heaven. We know that because the Bible says so. And, although I don’t totally understand, I accept what the Bible tells me.
ANNOUNCER: Now what part of that is conjecture?
KLAUS: The conjecture part is: this is our time for testing. This is the time when we will pass or fail, be saved or be lost. And, lest anyone not know, it is through faith in Jesus the Savior we’re saved. But this is the time before the final results have been pronounced.
ANNOUNCER: Now I’m not sure I understand that.
KLAUS: Let me try it this way. When you were in school, you took tests. When did you worry about the test? Before you took it, or after.
ANNOUNCER: Before. There’s no point in worrying once the test has been taken.
KLAUS: Yes, I think that’s the way it is with God. He grieves, He becomes sad now. But after judgment day, well, at that point, the results are in. Nothing more can be done. People will either be saved, or they won’t. And for those who are saved, there will be unending joy. And it will all make sense because God’s justice is perfectly fair.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selection for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is” by Paul Gerhardt & Kenneth Kosche. From On My Heart Imprint Your Image by Kathryn Peperkorn (© 2003 Christ Lutheran Academy, Pleasant Prairie, WI) Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” From Hark the Glad Sound by Kathryn Peperkorn (© 2004 Christ Lutheran Academy, Pleasant Prairie WI) Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“O Come, O Come, Immanuel” From Oh Holy Night by Jeannine Dennis (© 2006 Dennis Music & Productions, Modesto CA)
“O Sanctissima” by J. Schildknecht. From Organ Music for the Church Year (© 1995 Japan Lutheran Hour)