Emmanuel [Advent 4; St. John 1:19-28]

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE.

Emmanuel speaks to you today saying,

“He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed,

‘I am not the Christ.’.”

St. John the Baptist is giving his testimony. His last will and testimony, for it will be at these words that St. John will be martyred. Martyred for the faith; not insurrection, not sedition, and not rebellion. But simply the faith. The same faith you have that leads you to defy all laws and head to Church as often as you can.

Thus in the second greatest testimony we have from John, he prophesys to us saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” The first greatest is him pointing us to Jesus, because this second is a rule for Christians to live their lives by.

We talked about this life last week as a life of repentance. How you decrease yourself is by admitting to and confessing your sinful nature in front of a holy God that is sacrificed on the cross in your place. How Christ increases is by you submitting yourself to His Church and His rules. Meaning you receive grace and forgiveness in the way Jesus has prescribed in Word and Sacrament.

This holy God is not a God far off, but He is Emmanuel. Our king and Lord, the expectation of all nations and their savior. And that is our prayer to this Emmanuel, that He come Himself to save us. Not just help us out of this or that trouble, not just boost us up here and there, or even coach us on this or that issue.

The prayer is to save us as a Savior. In stories, you only need a savior at a time and place where all your resources, reserves, and talents have been completely exhausted. You have nothing left. You are about to epically lose in the most humiliating way. You need a savior.

A mighty savior like John? Who stands up to government and the ruling class and decries their sins against humanity. No, he loses his head in prison and dies. A mighty savior like Moses? Who confronts the slave driver, frees his people, and leads them through the Red Sea on dry ground. He disobeys God and dies in the mountains alone.

What about Abraham? He is the Patriarch is the Jews to this day. He is the father they all claim lineage to, the man they all swear by, and the prophet they all follow. Abraham showed great faith and fortitude in leaving the comforts of family and home to go at God’s command, to a place that had yet to be revealed to him. He was a wanderer.

Abraham only had one son with promise, disobeyed many times, and died as well. What about Noah, or Enoch, or Adam?

All of these men exercised the faith God gave them in such great ways, we think. If only we could have commands from God like they did, then we could really shop off our stuff and prove that we are real Christians.

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. 

Repent! That something better is God in flesh made manifest. We have the completion; the perfection of this Promise. The same promise given in shadows in ancient times is presented to us in shining light. To us a child is born. To us a Son is given.

Born of a humble virgin, yet holds the whole creation in His hand. Whose essence none can touch and yet is bound in swaddling clothes as a child. God Who, in the beginning, established the heavens, yet lies in a manger. Who rained manna on His people in the wilderness yet is fed on milk from His mother’s breast.

The God-man, Jesus, Who is all these things now gives you the same faith of the patriarchs for free, yet your task is greater than theirs. What could be greater than governing a newly created earth, or sailing an Ark, or conquering lands in God’s Name, or confronting Kings, or parting seas, or bringing down governments, you ask?

Going to Church. Jesus sent all those men to do all those crazy things all in order to point towards Himself and His Church. Abraham went out, not to conquer an earthly city, but to find a heavenly city of promise. Noah built an ark, not because he needed a new hobby, but because he wanted to live in the house of God’s promise. John the Baptist did not call for the overturning of government, he preached the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In going to church, we decrease ourselves by admitting we don’t have what it takes to be righteous, to be holy, or to be pleasing to God and need it handed out to us and handed down to us, for they are beyond our means.

But Emmanuel is not content to leave us in such a sad estate. Indeed His is so jealous for you that He takes the seat below you and is the One Who truly “decreases” Himself to a position below you by suffering and dying for the world on the cross. This is so that you are not decreased, but increased in Him.

Thus, at the same time that going to church is a struggle and a sacrifice, it is also your coronation and glorification. For it is in the Divine Service that the Holy Spirit gave us where you are high and lifted up. You are set in the seat of honor. You are given all power, and glory, and blessing, and honor, because Jesus came to save you, not Himself.

Now that God is a man, just like us, we receive the promise in our hands, not just as a formal title. We receive the blessings of God by means of water, word, and bread and wine. We don’t need to image mysterious quests or impossible standards. Christ is the standard and Christ is the fulfilled quest and He gives away all the benefits.

The real reason for Christmas is you. You receive all the gifts from God. You receive all the love from God. You receive the warmth of His house, readings in your honor, and a seat at the eternal feast.

For Emmanuel comes from the world of corruption, in crimsoned garments from the city of death and is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength from the cross and He is mighty to save, even in death.

His apparel is red for He has borne the wrath of God, suffered and died. He has done it alone, with no help. He has trampled sin, death, and darkness for us. For the day of vengeance and redemption was the day of crucifixion. His own arm brings us salvation and His own zeal held Him fast to the tree.