New Years Day 2008 * Pastor Leyrer

The format for worship this day consisted of brief messages on each of the three appointed Scripture lessons for New Years Day (the readings are actually for the coinciding minor church festival dedicated to the naming of Jesus) . A hymn was then sung in response to each meditation

Lesson 1: Numbers 6:22-27

These are familiar words to us. And they are comforting words.

We hear them at the end of the service most of the times we gather for worship. These are the parting words from God we leave with to go home. And when we hear them – or perhaps, better, when we receive them – we respond by singing “Amen” three times. Which means: “Yes; so be it.”

We call these words the “Aaronic” blessing (or “benediction”) because as we just heard God instructed Moses to instruct Aaron and his sons, who served as the religious leaders of the day, to proclaim these words of blessing upon God’s people. As the people were wandering in the wilderness they needed to be reminded of what it is that held them together. What held them together was their place under the blessing and name of God.

The other blessing/benediction we use in church (usually we chant it) comes from the inspired pen of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. For this reason we commonly refer to it as the “Pauline” blessing. That’s the one that goes: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

In the Pauline blessing the Triune God is clearly evident. In the three phrases of the Aaronic blessing the Triune God is there as well, just a little less noticeably. Most importantly, as we are told in this lesson, through understanding this blessing and appropriating what it means through faith, God puts his name on us and we take our place in His family.

Let’s briefly break this blessing down, because it is under the continued blessing of our Triune God that we move into a new year.

The Lord bless you and keep you. This reminds us that God our Heavenly Father takes care of us. All those promises of Scripture of God’s providence come to mind. We think of Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount on how the God who cares for the birds of the air and so splendidly clothes the grass of the field will certainly also take care of us, the crown of His creation. Or Jesus’ words that the very hairs on our head are numbered and not one falls to the ground without God’s permission. So we are a blessed and kept people.

The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. This reminds us of how God has smiled upon us and provided us with His grace through His Son, Jesus Christ. Paul put it this way: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” We who know the Gospel message are rich indeed.

For some of us, 2008 may be our last year on earth. Or if Jesus comes again, the same can be said for all of us. We don’t know. But we do know where we will be for all eternity. Because God has been gracious to us in Jesus Christ.

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. This reminds us that God the Holy Spirit has allowed us to understand the truth of God’s Word. As a result we are at peace with God.

The Lord has turned his face toward us. Or as we usually say it, he looks with favor upon us. There is an interesting word picture here. In olden days if a person had an audience with the king and, after listening, the king turned his face away from the person, the session was over. Even today if we are talking to someone and they turn their face away from us, we get the idea that they really don’t want to have anything to do with us. “So and so wouldn’t even look at me” we’ll say.

But thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit, God turns his face toward us. We are his children and he is vitally interested in our lives. He looks with favor on us. And that brings us peace.

Bottom line of this first lesson: We are blessed by God because we bear His name. And we carry the name and the blessing of the Triune God into the New Year.

Hymn 263 – All Glory Be to God on High

Lesson 2: Philippians 2:9-13

If you listened closely you noted that there were two “therefores” in this lesson. As you know, anytime we hear that word we are drawing a conclusion from what has just been said.

The first “therefore” takes us back to verses that precede this lesson. These verses talk about the depth of humility that Jesus subjected himself to in order to redeem us. In theological terms, we refer to this as Jesus’ “state of humiliation.” What that simply means is that even though Jesus is God, he set aside His divine power and glory to live and die in a lowly way. The passage from Paul mentioned earlier again comes to mind: Though he was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor. And eventually He died on a cross.

If the story stopped there, Jesus would be nothing more than another dead idealist. But the story doesn’t stop at the cross. The cross gives way to the crown. That’s where the therefore comes in…

Because Jesus successfully completed his mission (if you will) and because Jesus successfully carried out the plan of salvation devised by God (Gospel message) therefore God exalted him. In other words, with the mission accomplished Jesus returns home.

In our creeds we confess that the grave could not contain Jesus, but that He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, now sits on the right hand of God and will come again. And when He comes again every knee will bow. Those who rejected him then and those who reject him now will understand that Jesus is not a dead idealist, but the living Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

All of that activity is included in the verses of this lesson. Which leads us to the second “therefore.” This “therefore” deals not with Jesus, but with us.

Therefore – because we know this and look forward to Christ’s return – it is incumbent upon us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” Obviously this doesn’t mean working out our personal eternal salvation, because that has already been done once and for all for us by Jesus. What’s going on here is a call to committed Christian living in view of what Christ has done for us. It’s a call to continue working on our life of Christian sanctification and Christian discipleship.

Why is this important? A couple of reasons come to mind. The first seems almost selfish. A deeper discipleship means a more peaceful and contented and satisfying life. And that is what everybody wants, right? Just as we find great satisfaction in pleasing someone who has been kind to us, so we find great pleasure and contentment in living for our Lord. As we grow closer to Him we find that even when things aren’t so great on the outside, life is better on the inside. A strong spiritual life does not guarantee peace from trouble, but peace in the midst of trouble.

A second related reason is because living our lives for our Lord brings Him honor and glory before a watching world. The world looks for satisfaction and contentment and value and meaning in lots of different areas. But there is only one source that brings lasting peace and happiness. That is Jesus. And when people see that in us, it just may be that they’ll be led to look at Him.

So among the New Year resolutions we make for 2008, Paul encourages us not to forget deepening our spiritual lives. Because in the end, nothing else matters.

Hymn 344 – At the Name of Jesus

Lesson 3: Luke 2:21

There is a lot of information packed into this single verse. Two things in particular we should note.

It is the eighth day of baby Jesus’ life. According to Jewish custom and God’s Old Testament command, the child is brought to be circumcised. This was the first command of God Jesus kept as the substitute for mankind, and it would be followed by a lifetime of perfect obedience to every other command God has given to us in His Word. Jesus’ “active obedience” begins with this event. It would end with Jesus “passive obedience” on the cross 33 years later. But it all starts in motion today. That is the first thing we should note.

Secondly, we note that Jesus is given his proper name. Many parents spend not a little time considering what to name their firstborn child. But not Mary and Joseph. Joseph had been given specific instructions early on through an angel in a dream as to what this child was to be named. So they named him Jesus. Not because the letters roll nicely off the tongue. But because of what the name itself means: Savior. “Because he will save his people from their sins,” the angel had declared.

But you know what? This wasn’t the end of the marvelously descriptive names we have for Jesus. The Bible is full of additional ones. Do you know how many other names and descriptions for Jesus we can find in the Bible? Lots of books and devotional material have been written on this subject. They routinely place the number in three figures. One source on the internet put the number at 700 (but they didn’t provide verification of what the 700 were).

If you were here for the Christmas Eve children’s service you heard our lower grade students sing the song “Jesus, Name above All Names.” Within the three short verses of that song over 20 familiar and descriptive names and titles are given.

Jesus, name above all names, Beautiful Savior, Glorious Lord

Immanuel, God is with us, Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.

Jesus, Loving Shepherd, Vine of the branches, Son of God

Prince of peace, Wonderful Counselor, Lord of the Universe, Light of the world.

Jesus, way of salvation, King of kings, Lord of lords,

The way, the Truth and the Life, Mighty Creator, my Savior and friend.

The point is that the name Jesus with all its descriptiveness and comfort is just a starting point. Pondering the additional names of Jesus – each one which describes some marvelous facet of his relationship to us – is a great spiritual exercise.

But perhaps the one name of Jesus we will do well to remember as we enter 2008 is that marvelous Christmas designation given to us by Isaiah the Prophet. Jesus is Immanuel – God with us.

So we enter this New Year confident that we go forward each and every day with Jesus our Savior who is Immanuel, always with us.

Hymn 76 – Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love