God is with us in Word and Sacrament

The Third Sunday in Advent

The Third Sunday in Advent

Matthew 11:2–10

+ IN NOMINE IESU +

“Lord, Jesus Christ, we implore You to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation.” He visits us in His Word and Sacrament. He comes in our midst. His voice is heard and His Spirit given through His Word preached. His body and blood, which was given and shed for us upon the cross, is received in our mouths. He comes into our midst to forgive our sins and make us new. He come into our midst to lighten the darkness of our hearts.

And our hearts are dark. The darkness of our hearts are a result of sin—our own as well as that which we suffer at the hands of sinful men in a fallen and broken world. They are weighed down with fear and foreboding. They are heavy with uncertainty and fear. They are burdened by things that we have done and things that we have left undone, things that we should have said and things that we wish we hadn’t. They are laden with things we can control that we don’t, and things we can’t control that we try so desperately to control.

Where do you turn when that darkness settles in, when the heaviness weighs you down, when the burden threatens to break? Do you take pleasure in the world, and in the indulgence of the flesh, or do you rejoice in the Spirit and good works? Consider what you pray for. Are your prayers only for physical and temporal things—for the healing of bodies, the increase in temporal blessings? Why don’t we pray for spiritual and eternal things—for the increase of faith, hope, and charity, for a growing knowledge in God’s Word and teaching, for an ever enlarging faith, a more fervent hope, and a deeper love of God that is pressed into service of our neighbor by good works? “Lord, Jesus Christ,, we implore You to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation.”

Behold John the Baptist, who awaits martyrdom in prison. He is there because he would not lie to Herod the King. He would not look the other way, so that Herod could indulge his sin and lust and greed. He was imprisoned for preaching the truth of God’s Word. And ultimately, Herod would separate John’s head from his body for the same.

John the Baptist is a witness to all of us, not just because he prepared the way for Christ, but also in the example of his life under Gospel. When the darkness of his heart overshadows his faith and hope in the Messiah, when he wonders if Jesus is the coming one, John turns to Jesus. He sends his disciples to ask. And Jesus responds: “Tell John what you hear and see: the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised up, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Jesus graciously visits John. But He doesn’t go see John in prison, He sends only His Word, a reiteration of the promises of God spoken by the prophets. And that is enough because the Word of Jesus is gives the Spirit and life.

“Lord, Jesus Christ, we implore You to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation.” Our hearts are dark, but Jesus is greater than our hearts. And so He visits us. He comes to us in His Word. He reminds us of His promises. He is the crucified one, the one who felt the bite of the nail for our transgressions, the one who was raised again for our justification, the one who ascended at the Father’s right hand and reigns and works for the good of His people. And He is coming back. He has not forgotten about you. He knows just how dark and cold it is. He knows the temptations you face. He sees the hurt and darkness of your hearts, and does not turn His face. You are the apple of His eye. By His gracious visitation, He comes to lighten that darkness, take away the sin that stings, give you courage in temptation, and a hope that gives warmth in this chilling darkness.

“Lord, Jesus Christ, we implore You to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation.” And he does. For He is the coming one. He not only came, but He comes. And unlike John, He also comes to us in His physical presence, in His very Body and Blood. He takes up residence in this house, indeed, even in us. He reaches out to touch your lips. And this cleanses, not like Isaiah, with a burning coal and pain. He cleanses from the inside out. He takes away sin. But in removing  our sin, he gives us in exchange His very righteousness, His holiness, indeed, His very life, the life He lives now at the Father’s right hand. Our hearts are lightened. Our faith strengthened. Our hopes reignited. Our love rekindled.

Do not be afraid of what shall be. Rather, rejoice. For the Lord is at hand. Your king is coming to you, just as He promised. For the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them. So also, is the Christ, the promised coming one, raised from the dead.

Though we are weak, though we are frustrated and unsure and full of doubt, though we are dying and afflicted by death, by His gracious visitation, we believe that He is coming. For He comes in Word. He comes in Sacrament. He comes to and for us. He take away our sins. He makes us His. We are His. And even though there is much we do not know and more we do not understand, we are His. We have heard His Voice. It has spoken us clean. We are washed in His Blood. We are joined to Him in the Holy Communion. We are His! Give us patience, Lord. Give us Faith, Hope, and Love. Lighten the darkness of our hearts by your gracious visitation. And come Lord Jesus. Come quickly! Amen.

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