TEXT: Exodus 3:1-15
3 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.7 Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
In the Name of Adonai. Amen.
One-hundred-twenty-year-old Moses was tending sheep on Horeb, aka Mt. Sinai. Moses was a PK… a Priest’s Kid. The mountain that he stood on was God’s mountain. God came to the mountain to save His people. Mt. Sinai was also the Mountain from which God would give His holy 10 Commandments. Some 1500 years later, God would come to Mt. Calvary, another mountain of God. There, God would save His people once and for all.
God called to him from a burning bush, “Moses. Moses.” The name, “Moses,” means “drawn out of water” because Pharaoh’s daughter had found him in an ark among the reeds in the Nile River. In Holy Baptism, you also are all “Moses” since you have been drawn out of baptismal water into the ark of the Holy Christian Church.
The bush was on fire but it wasn’t turning to ashes. God did not come to destroy creation. He came to redeem it. God was in the bush but the bush was not destroyed… so it is that God became man and took on human flesh. But His Godliness did not destroy His flesh. Evil men killed Him on the cross. And when they buried Him, His body didn’t see decay. The psalmist has written “You will not let your Holy One see corruption.” (Ps. 16) And St. Paul once said, “But He whom God raised up did not see corruption.” (Acts 13) This same Body you eat in the sacrament and yet it is not destroyed. It’s God’s Body… It’s holy and indestructible.
God could’ve come to Moses some other way. He didn’t have to hide Himself in a bush. But that wasn’t God’s way. God Who is the Light of the World took on the form of fire in a bush. God had a plan for His people that was bigger than marching them out of Egypt into the Promised Land. That plan looked forward to when the Great I AM would take on human flesh in the womb of Mary. God would set up His throne there, inside Mary. In Mary’s Holy Child the fullness of the Godhead dwelt. Wonder of all wonders…. That God would hide himself inside a sinful woman and allow Himself all the frailty of a little baby. All for you and for your salvation.
Want to know Who God is? Then, learn His name. God’s name, “Yahweh” means “I AM.” In the Old Testament, “Yahweh” or “Adonai” were the proper names of God. “Adonai” means “foundation” or “pillar of a household.” God’s Name tells us Who He is. The Lord Jesus is the stone rejected by men Who has become the cornerstone. (Matt 21) You are His Church and members of the Household of God. You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. (Eph 2)
The Son of God told Moses that His name is “Yahweh – I AM.” It’s a name that implies that God is who He is ALL by Himself. God is “I AM” no one created Him. He isn’t an idea or some impersonal force, He is the God of His people with a real name who truly existed apart from His creation and is now one of us in His incarnation. Whenever Yahweh - I AM took on some physical form, like fire in a bush, or a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day, there the second person of the Trinity was busy working out salvation for His people. God comes to His people in real, tangible, touchable ways. Little children sat in His lap and He put His hands on them and blessed Him. God is no different today. Since His body has been glorified, He is omnipresent (always present) for His people in real and touchable ways. God does not want to deal with us any other way. So He comes in Word and sacraments. So that you hear His voice when His Word is read and so that you receive His Body and Blood at the altar.
There in the burning bush was the second person of the Holy Trinity. We know Him as Immanuel and the Lord, Jesus Christ. For His people in the days of Moses, He took on the form of fire in a bush. Today, He lives and reigns in the form of a man. The Son of God is the One Moses called the “angel of the Lord.” Today, He is still Yahweh, the Great I AM. The name “Jesus” borrows from Yahweh…. “Jesus” means, “Yahweh saves.” In the name “Jesus,” God’s name is forever, and it is the way He wishes to be remembered throughout all generations.
O Yahweh, O Jesus, O Lord, come quickly! Come to us in Your Word …. turn us from our sin…. And bring us encouragement and Hope. Fill our sin-darkened lives with the light of Your eternal flame. You have redeemed us from our sins. But our sins desire to drive us further from you. O Lord, Come. Come with your forgiveness. Come with healing. Come and bring the new heavens and the new earth. Come as the Great I AM on clouds descending!
“O Come, O come, Thou Lord of might, Who to They 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!
In the Name of Adonai. Amen.
Showing posts with label sermon Advent 1 midweek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sermon Advent 1 midweek. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
O Wisdom, Come!
TEXT: Proverbs 8:12-26
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. 13 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. 14 I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. 15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; 16 by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, 21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. 22 “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. 25Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth,26before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.
In the Name of Wisdom. Amen.
Who is the wisest person you know? Is President Obama wise? Are the engineers who work for NASA wise? How about the generals commanding the war in Afghanistan? Are they wise? Or, maybe Donald Trump or Bill Gates, or some other multi-billionaire? Does the ability to make a lot of money make someone wise?
Often when we think of a wise person we think of someone who is smart or brainy. Someone who is successful or maybe even popular? But what does the Bible say about Wisdom?
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.” Godly wisdom is to fear, love and trust in God above all things. True wisdom is to hate all evil, pride, arrogance, and perverted speech. True wisdom comes from the God who made all things in heaven and on earth. God is the source of all wisdom. Not even the best of mankind’s “common sense” compares to Godly Wisdom.
In Proverbs 8:12 it is written, “I, Wisdom dwell with Prudence.” “I, a.k.a Wisdom.” In other words the One speaking calls Himself, “Wisdom,” with a capital “W.”
This One, called “Wisdom,” says, “I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. By Me kings reign and rulers decree what is just. By me princes rule. I love those who love me. My fruit is better than gold. I walk in the way of righteousness, granting an inheritance to those who love me and filling their treasuries.”
Who can this be? Who is this One called, “Wisdom” that Proverbs 8 is talking about? Surely, none other than God Himself can claim to govern and rule all kings and princes. Only God can give all the riches of the world. Only God can truly walk in the way of righteousness. God is Wisdom.
But the text goes on…. “The Lord possessed Me at the beginning of His work. I was there before the beginning of the earth… before the mountains had been shaped, or before the first of the dust of the earth.”
This One called Wisdom can be none other than the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus – our Advent King. That’s Who Proverbs is talking about. This Great Wisdom is Jesus the King who rode into Jerusalem, sitting on a colt, the foal of a donkey, while the little children sang, “Hosanna, Hosanna, in the Highest.” This one called, “Wisdom,” is the One who was nailed to a tree and bore your sins on the cross, died at the hands of evil men, and rose again on the third day.
Jesus is true God. Jesus is Wisdom. He is the one of Whom the writer to the Hebrews says, “In these last days God has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed as the heir of all things, through Whom He also created the world. He is the radiancy of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on High.”
Someone once said that “Wisdom comes with age.” That’s true in a Biblical sense too. Before the Son of God became man and was named “Jesus,” some 2000 years ago when the virgin Mary gave birth to Him in the little town of Bethlehem, He has been true God from all eternity. Often times the second person of the Trinity has been referred to as “the preincarnate Christ” when we want to talk about Him before He became man. Also, the Apostle John called Him, “the Word” when He said, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. By Him all things were made.” The Word, the preincarnate Christ, Wisdom “was there before the beginning of the earth…. Before the mountains had been shaped, or before the first of the dust of the earth.” Jesus is truly an aged sage… even the Ancient of Days. Through Him the entire universe was made. If wisdom comes with age, then surely Son of God who is eternal is the wisest of all.
It is to this Wisdom, this preicarnate Christ, this One through Whom all things were made, the One who became Man and died to redeem us… yes, Jesus Christ, it is to Him that you and I pray to this Advent. We sing to the all-wise Jesus Christ. We implore Him to stir up our hearts, to convict us with His Law, to lead us to repent of our wickedness. We implore Him to forgive us, renew us, and to sanctify us in true wisdom.
“O Come Thou Wisdom from on High, Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in His ways to go.”
In the Name of Wisdom. Amen.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. 13 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. 14 I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. 15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; 16 by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, 21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. 22 “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. 25Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth,26before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.
In the Name of Wisdom. Amen.
Who is the wisest person you know? Is President Obama wise? Are the engineers who work for NASA wise? How about the generals commanding the war in Afghanistan? Are they wise? Or, maybe Donald Trump or Bill Gates, or some other multi-billionaire? Does the ability to make a lot of money make someone wise?
Often when we think of a wise person we think of someone who is smart or brainy. Someone who is successful or maybe even popular? But what does the Bible say about Wisdom?
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.” Godly wisdom is to fear, love and trust in God above all things. True wisdom is to hate all evil, pride, arrogance, and perverted speech. True wisdom comes from the God who made all things in heaven and on earth. God is the source of all wisdom. Not even the best of mankind’s “common sense” compares to Godly Wisdom.
In Proverbs 8:12 it is written, “I, Wisdom dwell with Prudence.” “I, a.k.a Wisdom.” In other words the One speaking calls Himself, “Wisdom,” with a capital “W.”
This One, called “Wisdom,” says, “I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. By Me kings reign and rulers decree what is just. By me princes rule. I love those who love me. My fruit is better than gold. I walk in the way of righteousness, granting an inheritance to those who love me and filling their treasuries.”
Who can this be? Who is this One called, “Wisdom” that Proverbs 8 is talking about? Surely, none other than God Himself can claim to govern and rule all kings and princes. Only God can give all the riches of the world. Only God can truly walk in the way of righteousness. God is Wisdom.
But the text goes on…. “The Lord possessed Me at the beginning of His work. I was there before the beginning of the earth… before the mountains had been shaped, or before the first of the dust of the earth.”
This One called Wisdom can be none other than the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus – our Advent King. That’s Who Proverbs is talking about. This Great Wisdom is Jesus the King who rode into Jerusalem, sitting on a colt, the foal of a donkey, while the little children sang, “Hosanna, Hosanna, in the Highest.” This one called, “Wisdom,” is the One who was nailed to a tree and bore your sins on the cross, died at the hands of evil men, and rose again on the third day.
Jesus is true God. Jesus is Wisdom. He is the one of Whom the writer to the Hebrews says, “In these last days God has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed as the heir of all things, through Whom He also created the world. He is the radiancy of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on High.”
Someone once said that “Wisdom comes with age.” That’s true in a Biblical sense too. Before the Son of God became man and was named “Jesus,” some 2000 years ago when the virgin Mary gave birth to Him in the little town of Bethlehem, He has been true God from all eternity. Often times the second person of the Trinity has been referred to as “the preincarnate Christ” when we want to talk about Him before He became man. Also, the Apostle John called Him, “the Word” when He said, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. By Him all things were made.” The Word, the preincarnate Christ, Wisdom “was there before the beginning of the earth…. Before the mountains had been shaped, or before the first of the dust of the earth.” Jesus is truly an aged sage… even the Ancient of Days. Through Him the entire universe was made. If wisdom comes with age, then surely Son of God who is eternal is the wisest of all.
It is to this Wisdom, this preicarnate Christ, this One through Whom all things were made, the One who became Man and died to redeem us… yes, Jesus Christ, it is to Him that you and I pray to this Advent. We sing to the all-wise Jesus Christ. We implore Him to stir up our hearts, to convict us with His Law, to lead us to repent of our wickedness. We implore Him to forgive us, renew us, and to sanctify us in true wisdom.
“O Come Thou Wisdom from on High, Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in His ways to go.”
In the Name of Wisdom. Amen.
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