Sermons 2025

Text: Isaiah 7:10-17

Theme: Here’s your sign!

Outline
1.    Ahaz’ Sign
2.    Our Sign

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My dear beloved flock, the text for our mediation today is the Old Testament Lesson of Isaiah chapter seven verses ten through seventeen.

Beloved Lambs, I pray that you are doing well as we get nearer and nearer to the celebration of Christmas. We see a sign of that every year with the Advent Candels. How many are lit. 1…2…3…4…we count closer and closer to Christmas and the Birth of our Lord,. In just a few short days, we light the final candle which means…Christmas is here! Yay! In our text for today, Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask for a sign that is unique to him. Ahaz refuses to obey the Lord so Isaiah says that the Lord Himself will give a sign.  That sign is one of the most famous signs ever of a virgin having a child. Yet, what type of sign is it for Ahaz and what type of sign is it for us today? Ponder those questions as you hear the rest of the sermon. You may go back to your seats and those who love you.

1.    Ahaz’ Sign

Our text begins with Isaiah coming to king Ahaz as he is inspecting the waterways of Jerusalem in preparation for defense and warfare. The kingdom of Judah is under attack from the Kings of Assyria and Syria. Isaiah comes to Ahaz at this time of worry and preparation with a promise from the Lord. To strengthen the faith of Ahaz in this time of doubt, Isaiah declares, ask for whatever you want from the Lord. Isaiah gives Ahaz a blank check from the Lord Himself. Ask for anything you desire to assure Ahaz that God will fulfill His promise of saving Jerusalem from all of her enemies.

Ahaz, in seeming piety, says, “I will not ask.” By this statement, Ahaz shows his rejection of the Lord and His prophet. Clearly, Ahaz had no regard for the Lord, for his prophet, or for the promises of protection made here on the road to the Washerman’s Field. What makes the response of Ahaz so vile is that he pretends to be God-fearing. When God offered such a sign, it was an insult to refuse. Worse than an insult, it was arrogant for this king of Judah to tell the Lord that he did not need or want God’s promises.

This king who here refused the Lord’s sign instead seeks help from a physical worldly power, Assyria. The rejection by Ahaz was symptomatic of the unbelief throughout the kingdom of Judah. They did not believe that the Lord could save them. They trusted rather in their own powers and might. Their unbelief, like all unbelief, could have only one outcome—the judgment of the Lord. That is why Isaiah says, “The Lord is going to provide a sign anyways, here is your sign whether you want it or not.”

2.    Our Sign

What is our sign? How often have we acted like Ahaz in not following the things that God commands. We do not put our trust in God and in His power. We seek out worldly powers and authorities thinking that they will save us. We fall into this sin every four years, if not more, elect this or that politician, they will save us and undo all of the evil of the previous ones. God invites and commands us to pray yet we say, “No I cannot bore God with that small matter, I can handle it on my own. I got this God” We reject God’s good and gracious invitation; we fail trust in Him above all things. Thus, we fall into sin. We reject our God, the gracious invitation He gives to us. We then fall deeper under the judgement of God. What’s our sign? Sinner in thought, word, and deed. 

Thus why Isaiah gives the sign that he does. What is that sign? The virgin will conceive and bear a son and name him Immanuel, God with us. For Ahaz this is a sign of judgement. God will be with His people and redeem them but not through a proud and powerful king, but through a humble and lowly virgin. When this child is born, the power and prestige of the house of David will be no more. The kings that Ahaz’ fears so badly are completely destroyed in only a few years’ time as their wordly power waxes and wanes.

Thanks be to God that Isaiah uses this sign as one of judgement for Ahaz but also as one of redemption for His people and their salvation from their sins of rebellion and distrust. 
Throughout her history, the church has always treasured this sign. It is a treasure because it finds its future fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Matthew makes it especially clear in his Gospel that this sign is fulfilled when the Virgin Mary becomes pregnant with our Lord in order to save us from our sins. Jesus is God himself with us and for us. The Creator of all things, becomes flesh and blood, enters human history to redeem humanity and all of creation. So Isaiah sees it.

This child is the God-man, “true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary” (Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed). What a miraculous sign! The one who came to be with us—Jesus—also promised to be with us even after he ascended: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).  Jesus is Immanuel God with us by His very nature of becoming man for us. As we sing in O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, “Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.” He does outstretch His arm upon the wood of the cross to save you and me from sin, death, and the power of the devil. By His suffering, bleeding, and dying upon the cross, He does what only God can do, bearing all of our sins in His holy Flesh, to restore all of sinful humanity with God once again, now and forever. 

Here’s your sign. For Ahaz a sign of judgement and condemnation of the house of David. For you, a sign of mercy and grace. Through Immanuel God with us, Your sign of Sinner is changed to Saint. Here is the sign, God with you in the flesh. Christ and Him Crucified, defeating not just kings and earthly powers but all of your enemies completely and totally that you may have peace with God forever by His wonderous work, until that day when we see Jesus, our Immanuel in power and glory forever and ever.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
 

Text: James 5:7-11 

Theme: Patiently Active 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

My dear beloved flock, the text for our meditation today is the Epistle lesson of James chapter five verses seven through eleven. 

Beloved children, I pray that you are doing well today. How many days do we have until Christmas? Are you excited waiting for all the gifts, presents, and great food that you will have as we celebrate Jesus’ birth. It cannot come soon enough. You are excited that you have a whole bunch of energy. The same is true of us in this world. A famous poet Jon Milton, wrote a poem that ends with the phrase, “They also serve who only stand and wait.” This is a great illustration of what James is stating in our text for today, how we as Christians must be patient as we wait for our Lord’s Second coming and not be lazy or bored as we wait. How do we wait patiently? How does Jesus’ first coming give us joy as we wait for His second coming? Ponder those questions as you hear the rest of the sermon. You may go back to your seats and those who love you. 

1. Impatience 

Christ is coming soon! That is what He Himself has promised in the New Testament. There are two reactions that we could have to this great news. 

The first is that we can become so excited and zeal that we become impatient. Too often, we do not like to be patient as we wait for something to happen. As we heard from the kids, they are excited waiting for Christmas. They are counting down the days until it comes. It cannot get here soon enough. When we look forward to the joys of Christmas, the excitement of getting together with family and friends, of opening presents lying in wrapping beneath the tree; we become impatient for the day to finally be here. 

We are excited that we wear ourselves out. We are ready for all of the hussel and bussel to be done with. All of the cleaning, all of the shopping, dealing with all of the crowds fighting for the best presents. We are ready for it all to be over with. Christmas gets here, all fhe presents have been opened, all the food has been eaten, the guests have left, what do you do? You probable get into your pj’s and just go blah….all of our energy has been spent so that when the day is done, we have no energy left. 

That is when the Devil attacks. He tempts us with the idea that there is nothing for us to do. He says, “It’s been so long. Jesus walked the earth over two thousand years ago. Soon? It sure does not seem like it.” He tempts our sinful nature into laziness, thinking that we can live however we want to because since it has been so long, Jesus’ apparent delay means that our sinful nature has free reign. 

2. Patient Work

 Yet, what does Saint James say? James says that we should take on the personality of a farmer. A farmer has to be patiently excited and always active. The farmer plants the seed into the ground, but then what? Does he just sit around, twiddling his thumbs, waiting for something to happen? 

No, there is much work to be done as he tends and cares for the soil and seed, while waiting patiently for God to act. The farmer knows that he cannot cause the seed to sprout on his own. He must be patient while waiting for the blessings of God, the spring and fall rains to come. The farmer cannot even cooperate with God in causing it to rain, but must simply, pray, wait and trust. Truly, the farmer is an excellent example of one who trusts in God year after year. That may be the hardest kind of service. To wait patiently, without growing either bored or angry or impatient. 

To do so is to conform to God’s gracious, invisible plan. The farmer has to trust the promises of God, that what happened last year will happen again this year. The farmer waits, but anticipates with joy the future blessings that will come. That is what we do as well. 

We have that same patience, excitement, and joy. Eternal joy is ours because of what Jesus has done for us. Because of what Jesus did in His first advent, taking on our flesh in the Incarnation, living a perfect life in our place so that we could have peace with God. Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, bled to redeem us, and rose from the dead, we have the forgiveness of our sins. We have victory over sin, over death, and over the power of the devil. This is a present reality and joy. 

It fills all of our days with comfort and peace, knowing that we have been giving the victory over every foe because of Jesus. There is nothing that can take that away from us. Knowing what our Lord has done for us, knowing that the victory is won for us, and that He is coming soon. This promise gives us the strength that we need to wait patiently for His return. We do so not just sitting around, but actively doing the work He has given us to do within the vocations and places He has put us in our lives, that through us, more people may know the joy of Jesus’ advent, and come to saving faith in Him. May we always be strengthened as we celebrate this Advent season with Joy, being patiently active as we hold onto the promises that God has given to us in Christ Jesus. 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard, and keep, your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. Amen.

SERMON OUTLINE 

Introduction: Lights and candles used for Advent prepare us for the coming of Christ. 

I. The tradition of holiday lights originated in Europe and was brought to America. 

a. Candles on the Christmas tree arose in Germany to mimic the stars over the nativity stable. 

b. The use of electric holiday lights arose in America to extend the use of lights. 

II. Holiday light decorations remind Christians of the restoration of righteousness.

 a. Darkness symbolizes sin that separates us from God. 

b. Light signifies righteousness to live before God’s glory. 

III. Lights point us to Christ’s first advent. 

a. Zechariah announced the light that the Messiah would bring. 

b. Jesus’ birth was heralded by the light of a star and the appearance of angels. 

c. John’s Gospel describes the light that Christ brings to a dark world. 

d. By grace through faith, we now receive Christ’s light of righteousness and glory.

 IV. Lights point us to Christ’s second advent. 

a. Jesus’ return will inaugurate a righteous realm in which believers will dwell forever. 

b. The final chapters of the Bible use the symbolism of light to communicate God’s righteous and glorious presence with us forever. 

c. We look forward to the final advent in which Jesus will disperse the darkness of sin forever. 

SERMON INTRODUCTION 

We prepare for Christmas with many blinding and bright decorations, including candles and electric lights. We see lights everywhere during this season. Some strings of lights cover the wide spectrum of colors; others are simple clear white. We decorate our homes with lights both inside and outside. Some neighborhoods even have competitions to see which household can put on the best exterior light display. Communities string lights on their streets and poles. Businesses and shopping malls decorate buildings with dazzling displays of holiday lights. Amusement parks like Disney World, Bentleyville, and Silver Dollar City put up millions of lights to amaze their visitors. 

Here in our church sanctuary, we see lights blazing constantly. During this season, we display the Advent wreath, which holds five candles that we progressively light as we approach Christmas. Our Christmas tree, as you can see, has been wrapped with strings of electric lights that shine like a galaxy of stars. We have the eternal flame that constantly burns bright to remind us of God’s constant present with us. We have three candles to remind us of the praise and blessings that we receive from, give back in thanksgiving to, the Holy Trinity. On Christmas Eve, many churches hold a candlelight service in which the flame is spread from the Christ candle on the altar to the small candles held in the hands of all the gathered worshipers. This signifies that the coming of Christ brings the light of righteousness to all who believe. 

Why do we decorate this Advent with lights? Is it only for sentimental value? Or is there a deeper significance? 

To answer these questions, we will consider when lights were first used for Advent and Christmas and what their original meaning and purpose were. 

I. The tradition of holiday lights originated in Europe and was brought to America.

 Last week, we learned that the use of Christmas trees began in Germany in the Middle Ages. The practice of attaching candles to Christmas trees began in the 1500s. In fact, tradition says Martin Luther was the first to do this. One cold December night, as he traveled through the woods, Luther looked up to see the stars shining through the branches of the fir trees overhead. He decided to simulate this vision in his home for his children by tying candles to the branches of a Christmas tree. This would mimic the scene of stars shining over the stable at Christ’s birth. 

This practice caught on, and as it became more common, candles were attached to the tree branches by pins, then by holders, then by lanterns. These lights reminded Christians of the lights that accompanied Christ’s birth, including the Bethlehem star and the angels who lit up the night sky with the glory of God. 

They reminded people that Christ is the light of the world. Eventually, German immigrants in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries brought this tradition to America. Over time, the practice of decorating evergreen trees with lights was adopted by other ethnic communities in the United States. Of course, Americans are known for innovation, and that includes the development of Christmas lights. After the invention of the electric light bulb by Thomas Edison in 1880, it wasn’t long until his company developed a string of incandescent lamps to be used for Christmas decorations. At first, one electrical string held eight bulbs, each the size of a walnut. But these lamps were expensive. By the 1930s, strings of lights became more affordable, and by the 1950s, they became standard decorations on the interior and exterior of American homes. Today, over 150 million sets of holiday lights are sold in the United States each year, lighting more than 80 million homes and consuming a whopping 6.6 billion kilowatt hours each December. In 2015, that was more than the country of El Salvador used the entire year, according to IGS Energy. 

II. Holiday light decorations remind Christians of the restoration of righteousness.

 Christmas lights are beautiful. But for Christians, they hold a much deeper meaning. In the Bible, darkness is the symbol for sin and light is the symbol for righteousness. So, lights at Advent and Christmas point us to the purpose of Christ’s advent: to remove sin and restore us to righteousness. 

The fall into sin brought spiritual darkness to humanity. People lived in the darkness of evil and deception. God promised a light to break the darkness of sin. That light would appear with the advent of the Messiah. 

The prophet Isaiah foretold the luminous impact the coming of Christ would have: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2). 

The prophet went on to announce this light breaking in through the birth of a child, the Son of God: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). 

III. Lights point us to Christ’s first advent.

 Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in the coming of Christ into the world. Jesus’ birth was signaled by the light of a special star that guided the Wise Men (Matthew 2:1–2, 9–10); this brilliant astronomical beacon led them to the newborn King. His birth was also heralded by the luminous glory of the Lord that shone around the shepherds (Luke 2:9). Even before His birth, John the Baptists father, Zechariah, declared , “Because of the tender mercy of our God, . . . the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78–79). 

John’s Gospel doesn’t narrate the events of Jesus’ birth, but it does describe the impact of that birth. John writes, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9). Jesus came to enlighten everyone with His own righteousness and glory. Later Jesus announced, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). 

By grace through faith, we who were once in the darkness of sin now receive Christ’s light of righteousness and glory. The apostle Paul declared, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

The candles of the Advent wreath and the lights on the Christmas tree celebrate the first coming of Christ, “who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). 

IV. Lights point us to Christ’s second advent. 

These lights also point us to the second coming of Christ. Jesus’ return will inaugurate a new creation in which the darkness of sin ends and the light of righteousness endures forever. We who are made righteous through faith in Christ will abide in that eternal righteous realm forever. 

CONCLUSION Light decorations are visible everywhere during this season, from candles to LEDs. They convey a powerful message: the light of Christ’s righteousness has come to disperse the darkness of sin. That’s what Advent is all about—the eternal glory that Jesus won for us at His first coming by His Death and Resurrection from the dead, as we look forward to experiencing that glory fully at His second coming. Every time you look at Advent and Christmas decorations shining brightly, remember their message: Jesus has come and will come again to bring you the light of His righteousness and glory!! 

In Jesus’ name. Amen.