LESSON: JAMES 1:12-15

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair. 2 Corinthians 4:8

When God has given us a fine, strong faith so that we go forth in firm confidence, and are quite sure and certain that we have a gracious God on whom we can fully rely, we are in paradise. But when God suffers our heart to slip away from us, so that we come to think that God wants to tear the Lord Jesus from our hearts, and our conscience feels that we have lost Him, and then flounders and loses courage, so that our confidence sinks, the result is wretched distress.

Even if our conscience cannot recall any particular sins it is still in such wretched condition that it thinks, “Who knows if God really wants me?” just as Mary begins to have her doubts (Luke 2:41-51), so that she no longer knows whether God still wants her as a mother. When the heart receives such blows it is inclined to say, “It is true that hitherto God has given you a fine faith; but perhaps He wants to take your faith from you and no longer have you.” It requires a strong faith to withstand such knocks, and there are not many whom God assails in this way. But we must prepare ourselves so that we do not despair if this should happen to us.

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PRAYER: Heavenly Father, strengthen our faith through your Word and Sacraments, that we may successfully overcome all trials and temptations we may meet in life, and stand firm and steadfast in the confidence that we are always more than conquerors in and through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 2:41-52

When they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, you father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” Luke 2:48

Although the holy mother Mary who was blessed (Luke 1:42) and highly-favored with all kinds of grace (Luke 1:28) without a doubt found the greatest of happiness and joy in her child, the Lord still governed her in such a way that she should not have her paradise in Him and reserve it for her future life, as He does also in the case of others. And so on earth she also had to suffer her share of misfortune, pain, and sorrow.

The first distress that came upon her was that she had to give birth at Bethlehem, a strange place, in which there was no room for herself and her child except in a stable. Soon after this, when the time of her purification was past (Luke 2:22), she had to flee with her child into a foreign country, into Egypt, a small comfort for her under the circumstances. She probably experienced many blows of the same kind which have not been recorded.

Here, too, the Lord laid a similar misfortune upon her when her Son stole off into the temple and she had to search for Him for so long without finding Him. This gave her a terrible shock and grieved her so much that she exclaimed: “Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” We can well imagine that her heart was ready to admit, “The child is mine alone, as I well know. God gave Him to me with instructions that I should look after Him. How has it come to pass that I have lost Him? It is my fault for failing to look after Him well enough.”

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PRAYER: O Lord, you have clearly told us in your Word that you chasten all whom you love for the betterment and well-being. You did not even spare your handmaiden, Mary. Let us not despair when your chastening comes upon us, but open the eyes of our faith so that we may also readily see “the way of escape” [1 Corinthians 10:13] that we may be able to bear it. Amen.

LESSON: PSALM 97

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

When the Sacrament is used properly, the conscience is not tormented, but comforted and lightened by the joy of faith. For God did not give us the Sacrament as a poison or an instrument of torture, so that one should be terrified by it. This is what happened to us when we were taught the very unskilled doctrine that in the mass we offered our own piety as a sacrifice to God, and lost the real meaning of the Sacrament, namely, that it contained for us words of comfort and salvation, to strengthen our conscience, to refresh us, to make us joyful and to free us from all misfortunes.

This is how one should regard the Sacrament, a source of the sweetest grace, consolation, and life. It is poison and death for those who rush into it in a brazen manner, without feeling any kind of weakness, shortcoming, or need which should impel them to seek the Sacrament, and who act as though they were previously quite pure and pious The Sacrament is for those who recognize their shortcomings and failings, who know in themselves that they are far from perfect piety, but who have the keen desire to improve.

So much depends here on the recognition of our real condition and our real needs, for we are all subject to weaknesses and are sinners, but we do not all confess this. This is enough about preparation for the Sacrament and strengthening our faith through the words of the Sacrament, that we here receive Christ’s body and blood, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins. Through these words the benefit, fruit, and practice of the Sacrament are adequately indicated and expressed, as far as we are to make use of it for ourselves.

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PRAYER: Heavenly Father, refresh us, strengthen us in body and soul, and make us really joyful Christians in the use of your Holy Supper, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 2:1-12

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1

The admonition to “arise” is without doubt spoken to one who has not arisen, that is, to one who is lying asleep, or is dead. I think St. Paul had this passage in mind when he said in Ephesians, “It is said, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.’” Ephesians 5:14.

Without doubt Christ is the “light” of which Isaiah speaks here, the light which through the Gospel shines forth throughout the whole world and gives light to all men who arise and desire Him.

But who are these sleepers and dead men? Without a doubt they are all those who are in subjection under the Law, for they are all dead through sin. They also include those who are dead, who disregard the Law and live a free life without the restraints of the Law.

The work-righteous are the sleepers who do not feel any shortcomings at all. Neither of these two groups pays much attention to the Gospel. They keep on in their sleep and a life which is nothing but death. The Spirit must awaken them so that they see and recognize the light.

There is a third group who feel the Law biting their conscience; they also long for grace and sigh for the Gospel; they also see to it that the Gospel comes and is given to men; they proclaim it, like Isaiah, to awake the sleepers and those who are dead so that they may accept the light.

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PRAYER: Shine in our hearts, O Lord, with true Epiphany light, that we, through this light, may at all times be a true light in this world to all our fellowmen. Amen.

LESSON: HEBREWS 9:11-14

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Concentrate on the great treasure in the Sacrament, the forgiveness of sins, and have nothing to do with the tomfoolery of the schools of theology and their preoccupation with all kinds of curious questions in efforts to explain how Christ’s body is in the Sacrament and how He hides Himself under such a restricted form.

You must prepare yourself so that the words of the Sacrament really have their intended effect upon you. This takes place when you feel the bite of sin and your conscience troubles you with temptation from your flesh, the world, and the devil. You may be subject to bouts of anger and impatience; covetousness and the cares of this life may assail you. Offenses continually cross your path and at times you even fall in a rather gross manner, doing harm to the welfare of your soul.

You also experience how you are nothing more than a poor, wretched, human being whom death terrifies; you become despondent and all joy disappears. On such occasions it is high time for you to come before God with an open confession of your needs saying, “Dear Lord, you have instituted the Sacrament of your body and blood and left it to us as testament in which we may find the forgiveness of sins. I know full well that I need this Sacrament. I have fallen into sin, and I have my fears; there are even times when hopes are rather dim. I am not at all bold in the confession of your Word, and there are always so many besetting weaknesses. So I now approach your throne of grace in the Sacrament looking for healing, consolation, and strengthening.”

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PRAYER: You have given us many invitations to come to you in all our needs, dear heavenly Father. Strengthen us especially when we turn to you in repentance, and seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of the body and blood of your Son our Savior. Amen.

LESSON: HEBREWS 10:19‒25

The blood of Jesus His [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

We must take hold of Christ’s words in the Sacrament and be quite sure that we understand them. For the whole power and might of the Sacrament depends on these words. We must all know them, understand them, and cling to them in firm faith so that we may defend ourselves with them and, when the need arises, repulse our enemies with them. Hence, if you want to partake of the Sacrament, heed these words and be quite sure that they contain the treasure on which you are to take your stand and place your reliance, for they are spoken to you individually.

Jesus speaks of His body which is given and His blood which is shed (Matthew 26:26, 28). Why does He speak in this way? That you should do nothing but eat and drink here? No! Note very carefully how He adds: “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). This is the point which really concerns you. Everything else that is done and spoken in this connection is calculated to emphasize the central fact that your sins are forgiven you in this Sacrament.

If the Sacrament is to serve you in regard to the forgiveness of sins, it must also help to conquer death. For where sin is wiped out, death is also wiped out, and hell as well. Where these three foes are vanquished, all our misfortunes are removed, and nothing but salvation and eternal blessedness remains for us.

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PRAYER: O Lord, may Your body and blood given and shed for us on the cross, and now offered to us in the holy Sacrament, always be a pledge and seal of the forgiveness of sins, for Your name’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23‒25

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:16

Christ’s words of institution in the Lord’s Supper cannot be denied by man or the devil. On these words we must take our stand. No matter what explanations are added to them, we have here a clear word of God which declares that the bread is Christ’s body given for us, and the cup His blood shed for us. We are also told to celebrate the Sacrament in remembrance of Christ.

There was a time when the clergy forbade the laity to interpret the Word of God, and even denied them the right and ability to do so. But the laity have the same God and the same Word of God as the clergy. When it comes to the things that are to be believed, the layman has only one course to follow—to take his stand on the clear Word of God, to defend his faith with the clear Word of God, and to refute all doctrine that is contrary to God’s Word with the clear Word of God. Every layman has the right to interpret the Word of God for himself, and to hold fast to the clear Word of God against all gainsayers.

In the words of institution, the evangelist says that Jesus took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to His disciples saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27‒28). So we say: Unless we can be taught that drinking here means something quite different from what it has meant everywhere else in the world, we stick to the opinion that all should drink of the cup in the Sacrament, just as all should eat of the bread.

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PRAYER: We thank You, O God, for the clarity with which You have revealed Your plan of salvation to us and also for the simple language in which You have taught us that the Holy Supper is one of Your chief means of grace. Continue to bless us and strengthen our faith through Your means of grace, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: ROMANS 5:15-17

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

He who does not have the faith which believes that Christ with His every blessing is his very own, does not have true faith, and is not a Christian. His heart also cannot be truly joyful and happy. For true faith will make Christians joyful and happy, sure and blessed, as God’s dear children in whom the Holy Spirit also dwells. What a lovely, bright and precious garment this is, to which is attached the most costly adornment, jewels, and gems, every kind of virtue, grace, wisdom, truth, righteousness, and whatever else there is in Christ. Little wonder that Paul exclaims, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15

St. Peter joins him when he speaks of “his precious and very great promises.” 2 Peter 1:4. This is Joseph’s many-colored robe which his father made for him in preference to all his other children (Genesis 37:3), for Christ alone is full of grace and truth. This is likewise the special garment of the high priest Aaron in which he served God and on which we could say a great deal.

Just as we put on Christ and receive Him as our own, so He also puts us on and receives us to Himself with all that is ours, as though we were His own possession. He finds nothing good in us because we are full of sins. These He takes upon Himself and drives them from us.

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PRAYER: O Lord, bless us richly in and through your Word, that our hearts may be filled with real joy and happiness and become the dwelling of your Holy Spirit, for Christ our Savior’s sake. Amen.