The Meyer Minute

The Meyer Minute for December 24, 2019

Company’s coming! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are coming to the door of your heart and home. Let me tell you, they’re not boring, like some Christmas visitors to your home. This might surprise you: your company for Christmas is an engaging, relevant family.

Someplace along the line, we picked up the notion that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were an ancient version of the Cleavers. Manger scenes and carols and holiday greeting cards are glazed over with sentimentality, so clouded with a longing for a simpler time that the Holy Family seems unreal. The stable doesn’t smell any more. The straw in the manger doesn’t scratch the baby. The baby doesn’t cry. Mary and Joseph wear clothes that look like they’re fresh from the cleaners. No grime. No sweat. And therefore, no real relevance to the problems of our lives.

Mary had to explain her situation to Joseph. And what would she say to her family and to people in the little (and I suspect gossipy) town of Nazareth? The conception of the child was heavenly, but the effects were earthly and real. Joseph didn’t believe Mary at first. Would you? A pious person who believed in the old morality, Joseph was ready to end his relationship with Mary, until an angel appeared and explained the truth to him. On top of that, required by the government to make a 90-mile trip from home to Bethlehem. We’re not the only ones with problems!

The Great O Antiphons ask Immanuel to come. The first letter of each antiphon, in Latin, taken in reverse order – complicated? – spells “Ero Cras,” “Tomorrow I will be there!” Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God with us, comes to make you and yours a holy family in the sight of God. Jesus comes to meet your times of despair with His hope, to give you honor in place of shame, to cover your guilt with His Word of forgiveness. As Mary and Joseph welcomed the Child into their hearts and home, as the Child accompanied them in their marriage and life, welcome your company for Christmas!

“O God, You make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Grant that as we joyfully receive Him as our Redeemer, we may with sure confidence behold Him when He comes to be our Judge, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. (Collect for Christmas Eve)

The Meyer Minute for December 23, 2019

Beauty surrounds us these Christmas days, but what beauty will touch your deepest yearnings? For what does your soul yearn? Is it that new exercise machine, the gift card, a new outfit, the latest tech device, or whatever shiny gift you hope to receive? Commercials and advertisements dumb down our yearning for beauty, and many empty souls content themselves with today’s gift that will be tomorrow’s junk. “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).Don’t you and I aspire to something higher?

The architects of great cathedrals designed sanctuaries to call people beyond themselves to Someone higher. Your Creator “has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The lights shining in your decorated home, your church decorated for wonder by young and old, the beautiful things we put up and will take down, all invite our yearnings for the hidden God to break into our lives with beauty that will fill us with awe. His beauty shines with wisdom in place of today’s barrage of information, life and immortality in place of our slow dying and final death, and unity among peoples and nations to replace our divisions. “Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light and usher in the morning” (Lutheran Service Book, 378, 1). Isn’t this the prayer of our deepest yearnings? 

“O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, the anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God” (The final O Antiphon).

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifest in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). “Seek the Lord while he may be found’ call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). May Immanuel, God with us, bring eternal beauty to your heart and life!

 

 

 

The Meyer Minute for December 20, 2019

I’m not ashamed to admit I have my fears about dying. When some church people brush that aside, I’m reminded of what 19^th century theologian C.F.W. Walther wrote. “Many preachers picture the Christian as a person who does not fear death.  That is a serious misrepresentation, because the great majority of Christians are afraid to die. If a Christian does not fear death and declares that he is ready to die at any time, God has bestowed a special grace upon him.  Some have expressed this sentiment before their physician told them that they would not live another night, but after that they were seized with a terrible fear” (Law and Gospel, 313).

What fear has you in prison? Today’s “O Antiphon” prays Jesus to come and open the prison door. “O Key of David and Scepter of the House of Israel, You open and no one can shut, You shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.”

God promised to remove Shebna, a proud and self-serving government official in Jerusalem, and replace him with pious Eliakim. “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open” (Isaiah 22:22). That prophecy looks ahead to Jesus. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18).

Jesus invites you to come out of fear. “Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown” (Revelation 3:8, 11).

“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.”

(Lutheran Service Book, 357, 5)

 

The Meyer Minute for December 19, 2019

The campus is covered with a heavy layer of snow, the hundreds and hundreds of trees are bare, scenes that are desolate and beautiful at the same time. Walking through the campus, you sometimes come upon the stump of a tree cut down. When spring comes, a stump that still has live roots will send forth a branch.

A stump was all that was left of the house of Jesse, father of David and the kings of Israel. God had intended Israel to be a blessing to “all the families of the earth” (Genesis 12:1), but through the centuries Israel turned inward, forsaking God’s mission to the Gentiles. Into the vacuum come worldly powers, Egypt, Assyria and Babylon, who take down the mighty tree. Who bothers with a stump, the lowly Church? The God who creates out of nothing! “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1). The new growth comes because God remains persistent in His mission for a glorious future for all peoples. “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” This is the promise of Jesus. “In that day (the day of Jesus, which is both now and not yet), the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people…. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel” (Isaiah 11:11-12; cf. Romans 15:12).

“O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before You kings will shut their mouths, to You the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.”

“God can soon turn gloomy days into glorious ones.” So wrote Matthew Henry, a 17^th century minister in England, in his commentary on Isaiah chapter 11. If your spirit needs a glorious scene amidst winter’s desolation, enjoy a leisurely read of Isaiah 11.

“O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree, / Free them from Satan’s tyranny

That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save, / And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to thee, O Israel.

The Meyer Minute for December 18, 2019

The greatest blessing of living in America is the promise of freedom of religion. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” While the government is a “lord” over us, the First Amendment secures our right to worship God. Can earthly lords save us? Is government the best we can do for ultimate help? “We are all beggars,” wrote Martin Luther shortly before his death. Today’s Advent prayer is to our greater sovereign, our coming Lord Jesus. “O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.”

“The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help.  Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning” (Exodus 2:23-24). And God gave them what? A new government, another earthly lord? God gave only a man, Moses, but a man with a promise of deliverance. When they had followed him to Sinai, God revealed His kingdom of grace. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt” and promised His grace would guide them to the Promised Land (Exodus 40:36-38).

Like ancient Israel, we look forward to our Promised Land by looking to our Adonai. “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus...who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope” (Hebrews 3:1-2, 5-6).

“Trust not in princes they are but mortal, / Earthborn they are and soon decay.

Naught are their counsels at life’s last portal, / When the dark grave doth claim its prey.

Since, then, no man can help afford, / Trust ye in Christ, our God and Lord. / Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” (The Lutheran Hymnal, 26, 2)

“O Come, O come, Thou Lord of might / Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height

In ancient times didst give the Law / In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to Thee, O Israel.

(Lutheran Service Book 357, 3)  

 

The Meyer Minute for December 17, 2019

Jesus, who are You? The little baby? The fearful vision of Revelation chapter one? Gentle Savior or the one who overturns temple tables? Since the earliest days of the Church, devotional use of the “O Antiphons” help us learn about the Jesus we worship.

The “O Antiphon” for today begins, “O Sapientia,” the Latin word for “O Wisdom.” Jesus is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). There’s no lack of information at our fingertips, but wisdom? That’s why we need Jesus. His words bring order to our lives bombarded on every side by information. “Does not wisdom call? ‘To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones learn prudence; O fools, learn sense’” (Proverbs 8:4-5). “Learn from me…and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

“O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and permeating all creation, mightily ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.”

O Jesus, the wisdom of God, You are the eternal Word from the Father. “In the beginning was the Word…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). No longer in the manger or on the cross, You are ascended and fill all things. You are before all things and in You all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). Let me learn from You! “Humility there and simplicity reigning, / ln paths of true wisdom my steps ever training. If I learn from Jesus this knowledge divine, the blessing of heavenly wisdom is mine” (LSB, 536, 3)G.K. Chesterton: “If a man say, ‘I like to find something greater than myself,’ he may be a fool or a madman, but he has the essential. But if a man says, ‘I like to find something smaller than myself,’ there is only one adequate answer—‘You couldn’t.’” (in Os Guiness, “The Call,” 118). Jesus approves your simple humility. “Wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7:35).  

“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!

(LSB, 357, 2)

The Meyer Minute for December 16, 2019

Joy in the adventure of faith!

Reality check: I often trudge through the daily schedule, like trudging through heavy snow. Maybe it’s me, not you. Are you filled with joy as you get up for each new day? Especially now in these packed days of December, everything to do and not enough time to do it? OK, point made. You and I often have days when we resign ourselves to trudging through the day.

So what should I write now? Trudging is wrong? No, here’s the move we need to make, days that wear us down are an invitation to look ahead. A beautiful Advent passage is Isaiah 35. Look at the impossible things God will do to transform a barren place. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing” (Isaiah 35:1-2). Who’s going to make that happen? Read the whole chapter. Sight will be given to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the lame will leap and the mute speak. The One who does the impossible said, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:4-5).  “In gray, leaden days of winter, trudging through snow and schedule… Faith forward!  Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus.

Gaudete is the Latin name for the third Sunday in Advent. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Gaudete, rejoice, is a command. Why not rejoice now in the things God will do?  You know from experience, the crocuses will push through and bloom. By faith you know “the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10).

“Startled at the solemn warning, / Let the earthbound soul arise;

Christ, its sun, all sloth dispelling, / Shines upon the morning skies.”

(Lutheran Service Book, 345, 2).

The Meyer Minute for December 13, 2019

Advent after Advent after Advent we’ve heard John say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Are things any better for all that preaching? Our country seems to have lost its Judeo-Christian center, congressional hearings show compromise is a thing of the past, treating others civilly is not always common, and worldwide we have one powder keg after another. God’s kingdom often seems light years away.

Where are we looking? “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21). In the world’s midst? No, in the Church’s midst. Last week we meditated upon Jesus’ return to judge the living and the dead. We’ll see the kingdom then, big time! But now? Now it’s hidden, “in your midst.” You’ll see its signs Sunday when you withdraw from the world to be gathered with fellow members of the kingdom, “the holy Christian Church.” You’ll gather around Jesus, His Word, spoken and physical in the sacraments, the holy things which are the ancient meaning of the “communion of saints.” Scholar Jeffrey Gibbs describes the kingdom among us this way, “Is God’s kingly ruling activity fully present? No. Has it begun to operate? Yes, and John’s preaching is part of it.” (Concordia Commentary on Matthew 1:1-11:1, 153). That’s why the holy things in our midst this Sunday are “a foretaste of the feast to come.”

Now and not yet. The kingdom is breaking into our world in the Good News of Jesus. It’s like the first streaks of light before the full rise of the sun. Better to say, “Son.” “In this world you have trouble” (John 16:33), but “Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 12:6).

“Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light, and usher in the morning.” Amen.

The Meyer Minute for December 12, 2019

The plot is complicated as we follow the Advent story; the characters are many. The conception and birth of John the Baptist is a small scene in the bigger adventure. The angel gave Zechariah the word: “Your wife, Elizabeth, is going to have a baby.” He answered, “How in the world? We’re both old!” Angel: “You will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words” (Luke 1:20).

Religious though he was, Zechariah didn’t trust the word, and I’m not sure I do either. We’ve been through this Christmas drill so many times. Do we trust the word that this baby is my Savior, your Savior? The word to us about Jesus can seem as unbelievable as Gabriel’s word was to Zechariah. Do we honor with our lips while our heart is far from trusting God’s word? (Isaiah 29:13).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3). The baby, who can’t even change his diapers, is the Creator of all? Do you believe that?

He’s also your eternal judge. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The baby will come back in all the glory of God and judge you. Your inmost thoughts, feelings, urges, sins, what you hide from others… everything will be laid bare before Him (cf. Hebrews 4:13). Do you believe that?

When Zechariah saw that Elizabeth was indeed pregnant, he realized the word of God is to be trusted (Luke 1:57-79). For me, I confess I’m slow to surrender my own judgments to the Word. Martin Luther: “It is certain that man must utterly despair of his own ability before he is prepared to receive the grace of Christ” (Heidelberg Disputation 18). Do you believe that about yourself? Advent is an adventure of introspection.

The Meyer Minute for December 11, 2019

“The wolf shall lie down with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together, and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:60). That’s reconciliation!

The busyness of these days before Christmas easily frays our nerves so that we easily pop off against one another. Pause for reflection. What’s your heart’s goal this Advent? When you have your eyes on the goal, you’re annoyed by petty things. When you have your eyes on the goal, you address relationship problems as quickly as you can. The goal? “Obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9). When people rub you the wrong way, when sins against you become your obsession, then your energies aren’t going toward the goal. We’re pursuing a glorious eternal goal; let’s get this other stuff behind us!

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10). Reconciliation is the in-breaking of Christ’s heavenly kingdom so that the forgiveness He brings us is forgiveness we share with others. “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Matthew 6:12). Forgiveness doesn’t await an apology. After all, we hadn’t apologized to God when He in eternity determined to send us a Savior. Forgiveness doesn’t condone wrong; it affirms that there indeed is right and wrong. What forgiveness does is free you from emotional bondage to what was done to you. Forgiveness makes straight the path to God.

About Jesus, “his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth….” Let the little child lead us. “Come to terms quickly with your accuser” (Matthew 5:25).