The Meyer Minute

The Meyer Minute for December 23, 2016

Tomorrow the preparation of Advent turns to celebrating the Nativity of our Lord.

Tomorrow Concordia Seminary is closed until January 3^rd so that our students and workers can spend time with family and in spiritual re-creation. During this time of rest, I’ve been kindly invited by the Lutheran Laymen’s League to ride on the Lutheran Hour float in the Rose Bowl parade January 2^nd. I’ll wave to you! The Minute will resume on the 6^th.

This week we’ve looked at the “Great O Antiphons” to count down to tomorrow. Each addresses Jesus with a different title. O Sapientia (Wisdom), O Adonai (Lord), O Radix (Root), O Clavis (Key), O Oriens (Dayspring), O Rex, O Emmanuel.” If you take the first letter of each Latin title, starting at the end, you get two Latin words: Ero Cras, which translate, “Tomorrow I will be there.” That’s Jesus’ answer to our yearnings, “Surely I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20).

“O come, O come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”

“Come, Lord Jesus!” “Tomorrow I will be there.” “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Revelation 22:20; Romans 15:13).

The Meyer Minute for December 22, 2016

The Turkish policeman was there to protect the Russian ambassador but instead assassinated him. Did you see the video?

A truck plows into a Christmas market and kills 12 people, a terrible act done only a few yards away from the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Its ruins still stand to remind us of the horrors of World War II.

Our blessed land, America, is so divided that you wonder if even Jesus Christ could bring us together.

For centuries the church today prays to Jesus, “O Rex Gentium, O King of the Nations, Ruler they long for, the Cornerstone uniting all people: Come and save mankind whom You formed out of clay.”

I have always puzzled over the fourth stanza of “Joy to the World.” “He rules the world with truth and grace / and makes the nations prove / the glories of His righteousness / and wonders of His love.” If the King of Nations is ruling the world with truth and grace, somebody’s not getting the message, but the terrible news that assaults us from around the globe and at home does “prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.” We know His righteous and loving rule by contrasting the results when we rule the world without fear of God. “They say, ‘How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?’” (Psalm 73:11).

“O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, and be thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”

“Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms” (Psalm 73:18-20).

The Meyer Minute for December 21, 2016

Why does Jesus come into the world? “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light” (Mark 4:21-22).

Today’s “O Antiphon,” the prayer for December 21 begs for His light to come into our darkness. “O Oriens,” it begins in Latin. “O Dayspring, Splendor of Light Everlasting and Sun of Righteousness: Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

How deep is your repentance? “It is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it become visible” (Ephesians 5:12-13). The church, we Christians, cast stones about “the things THEY do in secret,” but what about the depths of your heart? Have you come to experience the malignity of sin in the darkness of your own heart? Faith hasn’t rooted that out. The light of Christ forgives your sin, but His light also illuminates the darkness still lingering in your own heart. Your deepest thoughts and feelings still struggle against God, so deep is the corruption. Is your repentance also so deep that you beg the light to come and expose your shame before God? Come and enlighten ME who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death. “In your light do we see light” (Psalm 36:9).

“O Come, Thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”

Here’s our hope: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

The Meyer Minute for December 20, 2016

On his 80^th birthday last Saturday, Pope Francis said, “For some days now, I have had in mind a word that seems ugly: old age, a thought that frightens.”

Since the eighth century Christians gathered for prayer on December 20^th have prayed, “O Clavis David et sceptrum domus Israel” in Latin. “O Key of David and Scepter of the House of Israel, You open and no one can close, You close and no one can open: Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.”

What can you do as the years bring you closer to the end, to that final journey you’ve never experienced? You are reduced to prayer, “the darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide.” To prayer and the promise of God in Jesus. “Thus says the Lord God of hosts, ‘I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open’” (Isaiah 22:22; Revelation 3:7). Jesus, come and rescue us, prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

Saying old age is frightening, Pope Francis added, “Old age is the thirst for knowledge” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 18; A19). St. Paul: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:8, 10). Do you know Him in prayer and promise? Do you yearn for Jesus?

“O come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heav’nly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”

“I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown” (Revelation 3:11).

The Meyer Minute for December 19, 2016

Earlier Christians counted down the seven days to Christmas by gathering for evening prayer. On December 17^th they prayed for wisdom. “O Sapientia,” it began in Latin. “O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and permeating all creation, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of understanding.”

“O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High…” What is this wisdom breathed forth by God? “Does not wisdom call? O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense” (Proverbs 8:1, 5).

“O Wisdom, pervading and permeating all creation…” What is this wisdom that fills the universe? “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work. I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man” (Proverbs 8:22, 30-31).

“O Wisdom, mightily and sweetly ordering all things…” What is this wisdom mighty and sweet, powerful and gentle? The Wisdom to whom we pray is not “what” but Who. “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). “He upholds the universe by the word of his power” and yet “a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench” (Hebrews 1:3; Isaiah 42:3). “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created…all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17).

“O Wisdom, come and teach us the way of understanding.” The world’s wisdom is from the world. The breathed Wisdom is taught by the Spirit of the Most High, in His Word, most especially the Gospels of Christ. “Learn from me” (Matthew 1:29).

“O come, Thou wisdom from on high, Who ord’rest all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”

The Meyer Minute for December 16, 2016

Over the years I’ve had some historic front-pages of newspapers framed. My White Sox won the World Series in 2005. Now I feel duty bound to frame the Chicago Tribune’s front page about that other team winning. Most pages I frame are intended to haunt me. The verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial. “Why?” someone asked. “Because it reminds me that race relations in America are troubled,” I answer. My latest front-page: 5-year-old Omran Daqneesh sitting in an ambulance in Aleppo, dirty and blood from the bombing of his home. How can I claim to be a Christian and let horrible news out of my mind?

Michael Kimmelman in yesterday’s New York Times: “Half a million people have been killed in Aleppo, millions displaced across Syria. Syrian, Iranian and Russian forces have laid waste to half the country, instigating a refugee crisis that threatens to unmake Europe and America. But Washington shrugs. And all we do is watch.” “Truth be told, no sane person wants to see these images anyway. What’s happening in Aleppo is almost unbearable to look at. But that’s the point. We have done nothing to help.” “We each turn to the news we like” (A11).

Maybe I frame front-pages because I’m an old paperboy who refuses to rely on the internet as my main source of news and communication. Certainly I frame them because I need more time to reflect than the internet affords. Will church this Sunday help me deal with the haunting images of Aleppo? I’d like to hear a sermon titled “Advent in Aleppo.”

The Meyer Minute for December 15, 2016

“Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long” (Psalm 38:12).

Is there someone seeking to harm you in some way? If not you, your child or your friend? We see enemies on TV all the time; what about yours?

Apparently the psalmist had done something foolish (verse 5), and for that he was repentant, but his enemies were out to get him. “My foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully. Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good” (19-20).

Advent is a busy time for the devil too. If he can alter your spiritual course just a degree or two, he may get you closer to falling off the heavenward way. Advent is a penitential season; we are to reflect upon our own sinfulness and need of a Savior. “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin” (18). But what about the sins of other people? What about the sins of those who seek your hurt? You brood on their wrong as you go about your day, but if you forget their sins in your spiritual meditations and worship, the result is you’ve minimized the depth of our corruption by sin and all humanity’s need for a Savior. The devil’s in the details. An Advent only about my sins is American individualism in spiritual guise. Our personal plea for deliverance is more profound in the wider context, “Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” (22).

The Meyer Minute for December 14, 2016

“Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you” (Romans 15:7).

Holy things happen in worship, and yes, because we’re sinners, unholy things too. That’s why the holy things God gives in worship are so necessary. The Lord’s Supper is a holy thing, a holy communion of sinners with our Savior. Mysteriously He gives us His body and blood to eat and drink, in, with and under the bread and wine. What’s in your heart when you go forward to commune?

“Two men went up to the temple to pray.” The Pharisee put himself forward, imagining he was holy by virtue of the religious life he led. “I thank you that I am not like other men,” he said, scorning people who didn’t meet his self-righteous stands. “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” He went home holy in God’s sight. The Pharisee did not (Luke 18:10-13).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “In another Christian’s presence I am permitted to be the sinner that I am. Other Christians stand before us as the sign of God’s truth and grace.” “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11). Is your church a safe place for sinners? P.S. Today’s Minute is taken from “Moments to Treasure: Reflecting on the ADVENTure” from Creative Communications for the Parish, www.creativecommunications.com

The Meyer Minute for December 13, 2016

When you finish a major job, you appreciate a pat on the back. When you live for Jesus, you look forward to hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:11).

Scary good. That’s how I’d describe a passage in Isaiah. “Your God will come with vengeance.” That’s the scary part. I hope you have no illusions about how God’s searching eye lays bare the sin hidden in your heart, mine too. “Woe is me!” For I am lost” (Isaiah 6:5). But the entire passage is scary good. “Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:4).

You do want to be vindicated for following Jesus, don’t you? And for striving to do what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable? (Philippians 4:8). “No merit of my own I claim but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” His Spirit working in you to will and do (Philippians 2:13), your faith will “be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).

Therefore, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious hear, ‘Be strong; fear not!” (Isaiah 35:3-4).

“Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me!” (Psalm 35:24).

P.S. Today’s Minute is taken from “Moments to Treasure: Reflecting on the ADVENTure” from Creative Communications for the Parish, www.creativecommunications.com. 

The Meyer Minute for December 12, 2016

Dear Seminarians,

A special letter to you in this most special season, our time of joy to celebrate the incarnation of God’s Son, our Savior Jesus.

Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). You and I are blessed to know that truth, to believe it, and strive to extend His peace to all people. I write this because many comments in the recent national campaign for President of the United States were mean-spirited and prompted many partisans to say and do things that are sinful, not consistent with the highest values of our land and especially with the Spirit of Jesus, our Prince of Peace. God has given government the responsibility of protecting its citizens, and that includes safe borders, safe cities, economic opportunities, and much more in our complex world. Citizens may disagree on how to achieve goals for the national welfare, but followers of Jesus know that we are at all times and in all ways to make every effort to live at peace with all people (see Romans 12:18; Hebrews 12:15). I thank our Father for each and every one of you, and thank Him for uniting us as one in the Body of Christ.

Heaven promises “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” (Revelation 7:9). My sincere prayer is that every seminarian, every member of the faculty, staff and board of regents will strive to love all in the name of Jesus. As you and I make that our daily work, this Seminary and the Church will be a blessing to many people in many nations. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

In the Name of Jesus,

Dale A. Meyer