# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S272 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 272 II. THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS The name of Christ, then, is most agreeable. The chastisement, or punishment, of our peace, that is, His chastisement is the remedy that brings peace to our conscience. Before Christ there is nothing but disorder. But He was chastised for the sake of our peace. Note the wonderful exchange [mirabilem mutuacionem]: One man sins, another pays the penalty; one deserves peace, the other has it. The one who should have peace has chastisement, while the one who should have chastisement has peace. … And with His stripes we are healed. See how delightfully the prophet sets Christ before us. It is a remarkable plaster. His stripes are our healing. The stripes should be ours and the healing in Christ. Hence this is what we must say to the Christian: “If you want to be healed, do not look at your own wounds, but fix your gaze on Christ.”31 Although we know we are speaking of wonders that transcend our ability to comprehend them, we have somehow grown used to speaking of Christ “suffering for us” and “dying for us.” What can it mean that He was born for us? It is probably easiest simply to let Luther teach us. Christ has a pure, innocent, holy birth. Man has an impure, sinful, damned birth, as David says in Psalm 51[:5]: “Behold, in sin am I fashioned in the womb, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” There is no remedy for this except through the pure birth of Christ. Now the birth of Christ cannot be distributed physically even as that would not be of any help either. For this reason it is distributed spiritually, by means of the word, to everyone, as the angel says, so that all who firmly believe that it is given to them in this manner shall not be harmed by their impure birth; this is the manner and means to become cleansed from the stain of the birth we have from miserable Adam. Christ willed to be born so that we might be born in different manner as he says in John 3[:3–6]. This happens through that faith, as James 1[:18] says: “He has born us of his own will 31 AE 17:224–225. Consider the following excerpt from W. H. Auden’s “For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio”: What a wonderful Christmas exchange! Luther concludes this section of his sermon: We’ll add one more point from Luther, then pause for discussion. Luther ends the paragraph quoted immediately above by mentioning good works. Such a faithful Christmas, such a “justifying Christmas” in which God gives us as our own all that His Son possesses and has accomplished for us, leaves us “full and rich.”34 How else should we celebrate such Christmas bounty than by following Christ’s example? Everything Christ did — including being born for us — was for our good. We, in turn, are to make sure everything we do is for the good of our neighbor. And so, Luther inserts into his sermon a recipe for a sweet and satisfying “Christmas cake”: [Christ said,] “This is my commandment that you love each other as I have loved you” [John 13:34]. You see here that he has loved us and that he has done all his works for us. The purpose is that we, in turn, do likewise, not to him—he is not in need of 32 AE 52:15. 33 AE 52:16. 34 AE 52:16. Luther adds that the fact that these poor happened to be shepherds can serve to remind us that everyone who receives such good news should be a shepherd to another, “pastur[ing]” him and taking care of him “in the darkness of this life.”44 The Second Matter, Part 2: Preachers and Hearers The preachers are to be angels, i.e., messengers of God, and they are to lead a heavenly life, dealing all the time with the word of God, so that they never preach human doctrines. It is a most unseemly thing, to be God’s messenger and not to promulgate his message. Angelus means “messenger” and here Luke calls him angelus domini, “messenger of God.”40 Concluding Thought Luther concludes his sermon with a reflection on the “Gloria in Excelsis” in Luke 2:14. An appropriate conclusion to this session would be to read — better still to sing — together Luther’s hymnic reflection on this text, “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” (LSB 358). AE 52:24. AE 52:24. AE 52:25. 43 AE 52:25. 2019 Convention Workbook [I]n the church, nothing other than the gospel shall be preached.37 Luther points out that neither nature nor human reason nor intelligence could have discovered such a teaching. He concludes, “Hence the gospel and its interpretation are an entirely supernatural sermon and light, setting forth only Christ.”38 He illustrates how this is brought out in Luke 2 by pointing out several features of the text: Luther’s first point: Luther’s second point: Luther’s third point: What is to be preached? Christ — born for you, born to be your Savior. This message and this alone comes down from heaven, shines as the glory of God and is delivered by His personal messenger. “If there were something else to preach, then the evangelical angel and the angelic evangelist would have touched on it.”39 37 AE 52:18. 38 AE 52:18. 39 AE 52:21. 14 | Justifying Christmas — Participant’s Guide Session 4: Gal. 4:4–5 Introduction Did you know that St. Paul also gives us a “Christmas story” in one of his epistles? Today, we turn to Luther’s “dear little epistle,” his Biblical fiancée, his “Katy von Bora”45 — Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Paul has said a great deal about the topic of justification chapter 4, and many of those texts will receive treatment in other “Justification Bible Studies” published by the Commission on Theology and Church Relations. A good example and a helpful introduction to the topic is Galatians 3:10–14, a passage that will come up again later in this study. The class is strongly encouraged to look at this passage while heading toward our text for this session. 1. What metaphor does Paul develop as he works his way to our text? (GAL. 4:1–3) Because of these similarities, we might be tempted to think that, in Galatians, Paul has in mind the same overarching plan of salvation that Luke discusses. That would not be entirely wrong, but it would miss the connection with the immediate context in Galatians, and it would miss the specific point that Paul is making about this point in time. 3. What point in time is it, according to the metaphor Paul has been developing? 4b “God sent forth his Son” In the first phrase, Paul sounded just a little bit like Luke. In this phrase, he sounds just a little bit like John, with John’s emphasis on the sending of the Son by the Father.46 The verb that Paul uses here, ἐξαποστέλλω (exapostellō), is a very common verb used for sending someone out on a mission. What makes the use of the verb special in this case is, first of all, the identities of the Sender and the One who is sent. Paul is speaking of the sending forth by God of His own Son. Secondly, notice what characteristics of this Son are highlighted. 4c “born of woman” The Text: Gal. 4:4-5 Read Gal. 4:4–5. Since we have the luxury of looking at this text in detail, we will organize the discussion around each major phrase. 4a “the fullness of time” Note the similarity between this phrase and Luke’s clauses in 1:57 (of Elizabeth) and in 2:6 (of Mary): The gospel is a heavenly treasure which refuses to tolerate another treasure alongside it; it cannot get along with another earthly guest in the heart.43 42 The answer to this would seem to be quite obvious after Part 1 of this study, and so it is. Luther begins his discussion of the second matter with a very direct and simple statement: 4. What is Paul emphasizing when he describes Christ as “born of woman”? “The pupils,” Luther writes, “are shepherds, poor folk out in the fields. Here Christ keeps the promise made in Matthew 11[:5]: ‘The poor have the gospel preached to them,’ and in Matthew 5[:3]: ‘Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’”42 It was not to the rich, the powerful or the learned that this message was first delivered. The gospel comes to the poor. 41 AE 52:17. 2. What does Paul mean by “elementary principles of the world”? (v. 3) It is not only the ordained messenger of God’s word who should adorn his preaching with a godly life, but everyone who wants to be messengers of this good news for and to the world should lead “heavenly lives.” And yet, for all messengers, the message always remains more significant than the messenger’s life.41 40 4. How would you now summarize “what we are to believe” on the basis of this part of Luke’s Christmas story? How is the birth of our Lord already part of His justifying work, not merely “setting the stage” for it? 35 13 The Second Matter: What One Is to Preach 3. Many people, even many Christians, feel disappointed “in Christmas” because the joy of the season fades so quickly. What does Luther suggest is the cause for such disappointing, ephemeral “holiday cheer,” and what remedy does he suggest? 36 W. H. Auden, Collected Poems, ed. Edward Mendelson (New York: Random House, 1976), 307. 6. This section of Luther’s sermon evokes the idea that life is the real Christmas pageant. What thoughts come to mind as you consider playing the role of “angel” for someone this year? And what about playing the role of “shepherd”? In his introduction, Luther also tells us that this text has something to teach us about who are to be this gospel’s preachers and who are to be its hearers. When Luther takes up directly the question of who are to be the preachers of this gospel, he writes, Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree, Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes — Some have got broken — and carrying them up to the attic. The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt, And the children got ready for school. There are enough Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week — Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot, Stayed up so late, attempted — quite unsuccessfully — To love all of our relatives, and in general Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed To do more than entertain it as an agreeable Possibility, once again we have sent Him away, Begging though to remain His disobedient servant, The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.36 To us, to us, born to us and given to us. Therefore see to it that you derive from the Gospel not only enjoyment of the story as such, for that does not last long. Nor should you derive from it only an example, for that does not hold up without faith. But see to it that you make his birth your own, and that you make an exchange with him, so that you rid yourself of your birth and receive, instead, his. This happens, if you have this faith. By this token you sit assuredly in the Virgin Mary’s lap and are her dear child. This faith you have to practice and to pray for as long as you live; you can never strengthen it enough. That is our foundation and our inheritance; on it the good works are built.33 Justifying Christmas — Participant’s Guide | 5. How does Luther’s explanation of what is to be preached support (from Scripture) our emphases on grace alone and faith alone? We could also ask the question this way: When God introduces His Son to the world, what does He tell the world about Him? What is He to do? What are we to do? it — but to our neighbor. That is his commandment; that is our obedience; and so faith brings about that Christ is ours, even as his love brings about that we are his. He loves, and we believe, and those are the ingredients of the cake. Again, our neighbor believes and is expecting our love. We, then, should love him, too, and not let him look and wait for us in vain. The one is the same as the other: Christ helps us, so we help our neighbor, and all are satisfied.35 through his word of truth, so that we begin to be his new creation.” In this manner Christ takes to himself our birth and absorbs it into his birth; he presents us with his birth so that we become pure and new in it, as if it were our own, so that every Christian might rejoice in this birth of Christ and glory in it no less than if he, too, like Christ, had been born bodily of Mary. Whoever does not believe this or has doubts about it, is not a Christian.32 We may be familiar with Luther’s language of the “wonderful exchange” (der wunderbarliche Wechsel) that takes place between Christ and the believer, but we probably think more of the connections to Good Friday and Easter than of those to Christmas, more of cross than of manger. Here, for just one example, are Luther’s comments on Is. 53:5: 44 AE 52:25. Justifying Christmas — Participant’s Guide | Galatians 4:4 τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου the fullness of time (to plērōma tou chronou) Luke 1:57 ἐπλήσθη ὁ χρόνος (eplēsthē ho chronos) Luke 2:6 ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι the days were fulfilled (eplēsthēsan hai hēmerai) 45 15 Discussion Questions In focusing on very specific “small” questions, we sometimes lose the grandeur of the “big thing” that is being said. Paul is saying — and on this everyone agrees — that God became man, that God’s own Son took upon Himself our human nature and was born of a human mother just as we are. the time was fulfilled AE 54:20. 16 | Justifying Christmas — Participant’s Guide 46 Cf. John 3:17, 34; 6:57; and 7:29.