Simeon’s Song: A Peculiar Carol

“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy Word;
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence
 of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
                                                                                                      (Luke 2:29-32; RSV)  

Over the past few days, while pondering the upcoming Gospel text for this weekend (Luke 2:22-40), from St. Luke’s nativity narrative, a question came to my mind that I’ve never really thought of before. Here’s the question: “After all the festive celebrations of candlelight services last Sunday on Christmas Eve, services that included the singing of uplifting carols such as Angels We Have Heard On High or Joy To The World … and after all the exchanges of brightly colored presents and fun-spirited time with family and friends … well … what-in-the-world are we doing here in this gospel text, talking about death?!” Huh? After all, St. Luke’s account of Simeon’s troubling song is simply haunted by the specter of death. Right? And so, alongside the other Christmas carols we’ll like be singing this weekend, this one sounds peculiar if not flat-out odd, almost dissonant (to use a musical expression). So, let me ask the question very simply, once more: “What’s all this talk about death doing in the middle of our Christmas celebrations of birth and new life?” 

Many of us know all too well, how the loss of a loved one makes this Christmas Season particularly difficult. And most of us are reminded of those we’ve loved and lost simply by singing a stanza from a hymn, the touch of a favorite ornament or an absent stocking on the mantle, the taste of peppermint stick … some fleeting but vivid memories of Christmases past. Well, guess what? Simeon’s no different. He’s an old man now (note the marvelous depiction of Simeon as interpreted by Rembrandt). And Simeon’s been around the block more than a few times. And so we can imagine that he’s tasted love and loss, joy and despair, hopes and fears, just like you and I. And so he sings of death simply because he can’t help himself, because he, like us, lives with death every day. “Thou sure and firm set earth; Hear not my steps, which way they walk; For fear the very stones prate of my whereabouts” (Wm. Shakespeare’s Macbeth; II,i,56).

But, take note here. This is more than merely stark realism. For St. Luke is clear that Simeon is able to speak of death so honestly only in the light of the coming of the promised Messiah; only, that is, by the con-fidence (“with faith”) that in this helpless child, God has come to redeem Israel and save the world (cf. Paul Tillich’s “Love Is Stronger Than Death” in The New Being, p.172-174). “Lord,” Simeon sings, “now you can let your servant go in peace; for your word has been fulfilled.” Simeon perceives, you see, that in the Christ Child, God has kept God’s promises (e.g. Isaiah 7:14; 9:1-7). That in this new-born baby, set for the rising and fall of many, God has acted “once and for all” (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 10:10; I Peter 3:18) to address the question and specter of death with the promise of new life.

Thus, we continue to sing Simeon’s Song, all these many years after the events of St. Luke has recorded for us, simply because it bears witness to God’s great love for us – a love that even death cannot destroy (Romans 8:37-39). For, like Simeon, we also need to hear and see (the proclamation of God’s Word) and touch and feel God’s promise (receiving the Holy Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper), the promise that God will be with us and for us forever, the promise announced in the birth of that holy babe in a manger, now held lovingly in Simeon’s arms and ours. I hope to see you at worship this weekend, in hearing God’s Word for you; yes, to set the New Year upon a solid foundation …

A Blessed Christmas to you and Hope-filled New Year.

Dr. John Christopherson
Senior Pastor

What shall I cry?

Waiting is more than just standing in line at the supermarket wishing everyone would hurry a little bit. That can be annoying, but at least there is an end in sight. Waiting in a much deeper sense is enduring suffering, wondering when help will arrive. That's the situation the prophet Isaiah is sent to speak about in our Old Testament scripture this weekend. In the midst of exile, stuck in a far off land, the people of God are trapped in a generations-long wondering about when, or if, any help will come to them. There they sit on the edge of despair as a conquered people without power, strength, will or resolve to change their fortunes. 

We all know something like this. Trapped between what we wish and what we experience, stuck with the knowledge that we lack the power to make things as we like. Yes, we don't like to admit it and we do a marvelous job convincing ourselves that there is something better just over the horizon – if just we could make it that far. "Just put one foot in front of the other and we'll make it there together" is our hope until even those hopes are dashed. A crushing disease, or a terrible accident? Enormous expectations, or unrelenting abuse? When there is no hope left in us, then who will come and help? What shall I cry?

This is Advent, when those who wither like grass wait upon and watch for the coming of Christ Jesus, as we hear God speak to the stuck, trapped, and oppressed, "Comfort. Comfort. Comfort. I am coming for you."

Pastor Lars Olson

Keep Awake

Dear Friends in Christ,

Here we are, at the start of what the church calls Advent* and the world calls The Christmas Season.  In this weekend’s Scripture readings, however, we do not encounter visions of sugarplums or the sound of sleigh bells. Instead, we hear cries of lament and suffering from the prophet Isaiah: “Oh, that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” the prophet wails. And then in the Gospel reading, Jesus warns that this age is quickly coming to an end, and we are to be alert and ready. He says, “Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come. Keep awake.” (Mark 13:33, 37b)

To “keep awake” is to live with the intensity of living in the last days, while still tending to the good work God has given us. Surely you have been asked a question like, “What would you do if you knew you only had a month to live?” Your priorities would sharpen, your awareness would be heightened, you wouldn’t take so much for granted. However, living with this kind of intensity for an unknown period of time is, frankly, not possible. Gratefully, Jesus has given us more than exhortations, teachings, and warnings to help us keep our focus. By his coming into our world, by his death on the cross and triumphant resurrection, he gave us his very own life to hold onto when our faith, our trust, our hope, our own life reaches its limits and comes to an end. 

Once, Martin Luther was asked what he would do if he believed the world would end tomorrow, and he responded, “I would plant a tree today.” When Jesus bids us to live awake, on the watch, he is calling us to invest in the present and trust in the future that God alone holds. So let us live awake, alert, attentive to what God is doing through Jesus Christ – the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. He was and is and is to come.  Amen!

Pastor Katherine

* P.S. The season of Advent is not only counter-cultural, but mysterious to Christians of all ages as we embrace themes such as waiting, hope, preparation, and anticipation among the “busy-ness” of this world. Concordia Publishing House has produced a 2½ minute video which serves as a lovely introduction to the season. I invite you to view it here.

Are you a sheep or a goat?

Just when we are celebrating on Thanksgiving all of the blessings which God bestows upon us, Jesus’ teaching in our gospel text, Matthew 25:31-46,  goes back and not only challenges our Thanksgiving sensibilities, but actually offends us. Just when we are thinking we are doing pretty good in this life, and our “scorecard” looks pretty good, Jesus not only talks about the sheep and the goats; he tells us that he will divide all of humankind, blessing the sheep with the peace and glory of being in His presence for eternity, and cursing those who are the goats for all of eternity.

So what is really at stake here? This is a well-known text and normally motivates our thinking into action. We attempt to stave off being judged as a goat by trying to “do” the things Jesus talks about; feed the hungry, clothe the poor, take care of the widow, visit those in prison. We again look at our scorecard and say, “hmm…if I just add a few more good deeds, then I can surely justify myself and my life.”

However, there is a twist. In the middle of our mind setting off on the path of do-gooding, Jesus says, “the righteous will say, 'When did we do this?'” The offense of Jesus teaching is his exposing our self-righteousness, our ability to think we can earn God’s favor; that by doing good things for others, we actually gain points on our heavenly scorecard. He tells us it was not because we strove to be Mother Theresa, but that he used us when we did not know it or take credit for it – these times happened as the fruits of faith. Jesus names those who did not even know they had given of themselves in such a way as to not take any credit, and gives them an identity of righteous.

As we gather around the table this Thanksgiving weekend, let us give thanks for all of the blessings known and unknown to us. Not that we would dwell on the physical blessings of possessions, but that we would really recognize that in the ebb and flow of life, Jesus gives us our greatest blessing, himself. He gives us the gift of faith to know and trust in him so we might get just a small foretaste of the feast to come when we live in eternity with God.

Join us this weekend for worship as we hear what Christ has done!
Happy Thanksgiving, and many blessings on you and your families!

Jeff Backer, Intern Pastor

Simple Gifts, Amazing Possibilities: Giving “Passing the Buck” A New Definition

“For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted them his property; to one he gave five talents [“equaling a hundred years wages’], to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.  He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more.  So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more.  But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. … Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. … He who had received the one talent cane forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so, I was  afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.  Here you have what is yours.’  But his master  answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. … you ought to [at least] have invested my money with the bankers [with a modest interest].  So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has made ten talents. …
And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness …” – Matthew 25:14f; RSV

 Indeed. This is a troubling parable.  It’s one of four concluding “parables of judgment” in Matthew’s gospel, which Jesus teaches his disciples – just a few days before he suffers death on the cross [for our sake]. It doesn’t deliver what we expect. But while it alarms us (and it should!), it also brings us into serious reflection on what it means to be a true disciple. One who lives between Christ’s first advent and his second advent/coming.  Matthew’s gospel makes it repeatedly clear that the life of discipleship is costly, it means taking serious risks (cf. II Samuel 24:24).  Moreover, this “Parable of the Talents” [see Arland Hulgren’s excellent commentary, The Parables of Jesus, p.271-281] is not about what must be done in order to be saved or on repaying a debt, but on responsible ministry and mission in light of the Master’s/Jesus’ return.  As St. Paul would also remind us: “We have this treasure [i.e. the gospel of Jesus Christ] in earthen vessels [i.e. us!] (II Corithians 4:7). The grace in this parable – as it always is – comes up-front, in the form of the gifting of talents to ALL of the servants. The question remains … “Are we, especially in modern mainline Protestantism – that is waning in the winds of increasing religious pluralism, moral relativism, secular humanism – say nothing of personal complacency and messed-up priorities … “O, I’m just so busy” BUNK! – also like the servant sitting over the talent buried in the ground, not risking and not gaining or sharing, cuz we’re ‘afraid’?” (Which if you think deeper into this parable, the servant sounds a lot like another man who had all kinds of excuses and “passes the buck” … or should we say, “buries it.”  Cf. Genesis 3:9-12, 23.)

Let me leave you with this thought … in this season of Thanksgiving … and for you, among the family of First Lutheran Church, a time for tithing and pledging for ministry and mission’s sake … consecrating anew the many, many amazing talents (in all kinds of forms) that God has given us -  yes, the One from who ALL blessings flow.  We who are in Christ have an enormous, uncountable, unimaginable treasure – in Jesus and his saving love for us, and all people! The only “catch” with this treasure is that the only way to keep it is to give it away.  (Remember the song “The Magic Penny” we sang in Sunday School or Grade School?)  Then it comes back – doubled, tripled, and quadrupled in the form of others who will love Jesus with us.  So give.  Invest in the kingdom of God.  Not because you have to, but because you get to!  Give like you give to your children, because you love to see them healthy and happy. Tell others, like you tell stories of your favorite novel or vacation or your grandkids – without reserve or shame, like you can’t help yourself.  Give like you’ve been given to: when God sent his son to die on a cross for us.  Who can imagine such a gift? The litmus test of truth is with those who give abundantly in return – “whatever the gift may be.” Yes, to those of us … all of us, to whom much … no, EVERYTHING has been given.  Thanks be to God!  From whom all blessing/talents flow … See you this weekend in praise and thanksgiving to God …

John Christopherson
Senior Pastor