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Worship Service Check-In: http://www.immanuelpalatine.org/checkin

Worship Service Check-In: http://www.immanuelpalatine.org/checkin

Worship Service Check-In: http://www.immanuelpalatine.org/checkin

Today is the first of the bookends that mark the Epiphany season—the Baptism of Our Lord and His Transfiguration. In common is the command from God to “listen to Him.” We begin our journey of listening to the Lord, learning from those who went before, acknowledging the revelation of the Lamb of God in baptismal water, and looking to Him, the Word made flesh. In the prophet Isaiah comes a voice of comfort to a troubled Judah. By these words, the Lord reminds us that despite the circumstances of the moment, the faithful are beloved in the eyes of the Lord—a love made profoundly manifest in the gift of His own Son to die that we might live and to live that we might never die.

Today is the first of the bookends that mark the Epiphany season—the Baptism of Our Lord and His Transfiguration. In common is the command from God to “listen to Him.” We begin our journey of listening to the Lord, learning from those who went before, acknowledging the revelation of the Lamb of God in baptismal water, and looking to Him, the Word made flesh. In the prophet Isaiah comes a voice of comfort to a troubled Judah. By these words, the Lord reminds us that despite the circumstances of the moment, the faithful are beloved in the eyes of the Lord—a love made profoundly manifest in the gift of His own Son to die that we might live and to live that we might never die.

Today is the first of the bookends that mark the Epiphany season—the Baptism of Our Lord and His Transfiguration. In common is the command from God to “listen to Him.” We begin our journey of listening to the Lord, learning from those who went before, acknowledging the revelation of the Lamb of God in baptismal water, and looking to Him, the Word made flesh. In the prophet Isaiah comes a voice of comfort to a troubled Judah. By these words, the Lord reminds us that despite the circumstances of the moment, the faithful are beloved in the eyes of the Lord—a love made profoundly manifest in the gift of His own Son to die that we might live and to live that we might never die.

Did you already forget Christmas? The department stores have begun selling the leftovers for a discount because “Christmas is over.” For the same reason, formerly decorated Christmas trees already line the streets as refuse for disposal. Even though Christmas songs speak joyously of “the twelve days of Christmas,” many, if not most, people seem to think of them as a countdown rather than an extended celebration. Remember? Today, December 29, is but the fifth day of the twelve! We are not done yet. Or did you forget?

Did you already forget Christmas? The department stores have begun selling the leftovers for a discount because “Christmas is over.” For the same reason, formerly decorated Christmas trees already line the streets as refuse for disposal. Even though Christmas songs speak joyously of “the twelve days of Christmas,” many, if not most, people seem to think of them as a countdown rather than an extended celebration. Remember? Today, December 29, is but the fifth day of the twelve! We are not done yet. Or did you forget?

Did you already forget Christmas? The department stores have begun selling the leftovers for a discount because “Christmas is over.” For the same reason, formerly decorated Christmas trees already line the streets as refuse for disposal. Even though Christmas songs speak joyously of “the twelve days of Christmas,” many, if not most, people seem to think of them as a countdown rather than an extended celebration. Remember? Today, December 29, is but the fifth day of the twelve! We are not done yet. Or did you forget?

Tomorrow, we celebrate the beginning of the new year. For many, that will mean a family gathering, a meal, and stories about the past. On this New Year’s Eve, many will make New Year’s resolutions— something they intend to change in the upcoming year. There is a good chance you already know where you will spend that time, often with family, food, and storytelling. Have you ever considered there is a day coming that will be like no other before it? That day will be a day of judgment and salvation. It will be a day when wickedness is forever vanquished to the pits of hell and the righteous will celebrate with a feast and the story of our salvation told. It will be a day of change—one the world has never seen before and never will again. Thanks be to God for that day—let us look forward to it with great joy!

Did you already forget Christmas? The department stores have begun selling the leftovers for a discount because “Christmas is over.” For the same reason, formerly decorated Christmas trees already line the streets as refuse for disposal. Even though Christmas songs speak joyously of “the twelve days of Christmas,” many, if not most, people seem to think of them as a countdown rather than an extended celebration. Remember? Today, December 29, is but the fifth day of the twelve! We are not done yet. Or did you forget?

Did you already forget Christmas? The department stores have begun selling the leftovers for a discount because “Christmas is over.” For the same reason, formerly decorated Christmas trees already line the streets as refuse for disposal. Even though Christmas songs speak joyously of “the twelve days of Christmas,” many, if not most, people seem to think of them as a countdown rather than an extended celebration. Remember? Today, December 29, is but the fifth day of the twelve! We are not done yet. Or did you forget?

Did you already forget Christmas? The department stores have begun selling the leftovers for a discount because “Christmas is over.” For the same reason, formerly decorated Christmas trees already line the streets as refuse for disposal. Even though Christmas songs speak joyously of “the twelve days of Christmas,” many, if not most, people seem to think of them as a countdown rather than an extended celebration. Remember? Today, December 29, is but the fifth day of the twelve! We are not done yet. Or did you forget?

At Christmas, our lives and attention are often occupied not only with the smaller details of the season— the decorations, the gifts, the special menus, the schedule of events— but also with those details of greater importance: family, parents and grandparents, children and grandchildren, as well as those of more distant relationships. Greater than that, as Christians we center our celebration here in God’s presence to hear God’s Word, to attend to what is most important, which alone can give all the other details of life its most solid foundation. That Word puts everything else in its proper perspective, including our place and participation in the kingdom of God. The “big picture” includes God’s amazing creation from the beginning, as well as our part in mankind’s fall into sin and struggle with Satan and death. Then enters God’s great remedy: our salvation from sin and death through the redemption that is in God Himself, in the person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, our Lord. His incarnation and birth from the virgin Mary was a great miracle— God taking on our human flesh and blood. Greater, however, was His own sacrifice in our flesh, by which He has cast down Satan and his lies and raised up a new creation to new, eternal life. On this day, amid any and all distractions and details, the familiar hymn has it right: “How firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!” (LSB 728:1).

Imagine a person unfamiliar with Christmas. How would you explain it? To truly grasp Christmas, they must know that God, the creator, exists. They must also understand that all people have sinned against God, resulting in the consequence of “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Christmas is the revelation of God’s deep love, offering forgiveness, return to Him, and eternal life despite our sin. In Old Testament times, faith in the promised Christ saved people. Today, faith in the same Christ, born of the virgin Mary, saves us through His sacrificial death, as evidenced by His resurrection. Paul prayed for their salvation, asking how they could call on Him without belief, believe in Him without hearing, hear without preaching, or preach without being sent. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. It’s not hard to imagine someone who’s never heard Christmas, even us who have. We often live as if we’ve never heard, struggling with sin until we’re delivered from its power. We need to hear this story repeatedly. Tonight, we recall the beauty of Christmas and the Gospel of our salvation, a message to be cherished and believed over and over again.