Saint Paul's Lutheran Church of Irvine
13Dec/120

Advent 2, Wednesday, December 12th, 2012: “Advent Canticles: Benedictus” (Luke 1:67-80)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Isn’t it exciting to have a Christian tradition that leads us to spend MORE time in the Word of God instead of LESS time when we come to December?! I find it to be the perfect counter to the cultural stressors of our age; a world that tries so hard to take our eyes off what this season is all about. Again, it is Advent, the time to prepare for the Coming King! And we are assured that to be in His Word, the Holy Spirit will most definitely prepare our hearts to celebrate Christmas as it should be celebrated: in faith, in hope, and in love.
Tonight we continue our Wednesday-night sermon series on the Gospel canticles. This time, we proclaim based on The Benedictus, the prophetic words given to Zacharias recorded in St. Luke’s Gospel, chapter one, verses 67-80. I have just completed the sermon and I was absolutely inspired by this rich text. It is astoundingly full of giving us full assurance of God’s grace in our lives! It is a proclamation which instills confidence in why we Christians may say unhesitatingly that God is “Blessed” (the meaning of “Benedictus”)! This evening, I will elaborate on what the Word says as to why you can and do say this, pray this, sing this, and live this truth: God is blessed…behold what a amazing salvation He has given to you in Christ Jesus and we will also hear as to why this salvation is certain and true beyond a shadow of a doubt.
We need this Word because the adversary prowls around trying to divert your attention from the light of Christ and to focus on the darkness that surrounds us in this life. Instead through the Word of Christ, God’s light shines on us and we are blessed and led by the Spirit of God to say in all joy, “Benedictus! Blessed! is the Lord!”
Tonight we meet in the upstairs classroom at Crean Lutheran High School. The front door will be open (where we enter for Bible Study) and you may either take the stairs or the elevator to the second floor. Service will begin promptly at 7:00 pm. This is a service of the Word without the Sacrament (Vespers), so it is a shorter service, but you receive a full sermon…we will get into and be blessed by the Word of Christ! Please invite a friend…I would love to see you and meet anyone who is important in your life…they are important to us too!!!
Here is an excerpt from tonight’s sermon:

Part 2: But in the Benedictus it only gets better!

A. At verse 72, the Lord then adds these amazing words which explain WHY He is so gracious and so good to you.

Luke 1:72: “to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant.”

B. This is not just a random addition to the text.

1. One of the single-most important themes in God’s Holy Word is the word “covenant.”

 2. Have you ever wondered, “How can such a salvation as this be given to the likes of me! I am so far from God, so lost in my sin, so undeserving…how can this Gospel be true for me?!”

 3.  And the answer is here given: it is because the Lord made a covenant. It is easy to underestimate the meaning of this word. Some might try to simply use the word “promise” as a synonym. Not good enough. The Lord has bound Himself to those He makes covenant with. For the Lord to break His covenant is unthinkable, because if He did, He would cease to be God. He would rip Himself apart. He would destroy Himself. All of which is impossible – yes, there is a category of that which God cannot do; He cannot act contrary to Himself, He cannot sin, He cannot lie, He cannot do evil, etc. — He cannot, could never, ever break His covenant. He has bound Himself to you dear Christian. That is just a fact.

 C. So all of this is true for you…

1. He has visited you as a good pastor visits the one in need with all compassion.

2. He has redeemed you from sin and every evil by His blood which He gave freely as an act of obedience and love to the Father.

3. He has raised up a horn of salvation for you so that you would know that your salvation is stronger than anything else.

4. But one more thing – in case there would ever be any doubt – He has bound Himself to you; He has made a covenant and He loves you so much that He re-enacts this covenant every time you receive His body and blood in the Holy Sacrament to assure you that His Word is unbreakable…He has not forgotten and never will!

In Your Service and To Christ’s Glory,

 

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa

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