Happy New Year! Yes, that's right, a new Church Year. It begins with this holy season of Advent in which we look forward to the coming of our Lord. He came once in the flesh when He was conceived in the Virgin's womb. And He comes now in His church by His Word and Sacraments. He will come again in glory on the Last Day to call His church home to Him. But in what manner does the Son of God come to us? How does He do it? What does it look like? And why is it different than the kings and princes and royalty of this world? You know that when someone famous comes, there is always a big show. When the King and Queen of England make a royal procession, there are red carpets and horse-drawn carriages and diamonds and jewels and glitter and pomp and circumstance. When the President of the United States comes, there is a motorcade. Police sirens flashing and tinted Suburbans all in a line. Helicopters zooming overhead and snipers on the rooftops. You know when the King and Queen are making an entrance. You know when the President shows up. But how does Jesus show up? In the days of the Israelites, kings rode in on donkeys. Until the time of the Romans. Because Romans brought horses. Now, kings can ride into the city on a great white stallion, decked out with gold and glitter. So how does Jesus do it? On a donkey! How does the Lord of the Universe come into the Holy City of Jerusalem? The same way He always shows up: humbly. In great humility and lowliness. In a way that the world takes a passing glance at and then turns its attention to more exciting things.
Consider our Lord's many advents, His many comings. He first came to us in the womb of a virgin. A poor nobody girl who happens to be in the family tree of King David. Then He is born and laid in a manger, an animal's feed trough. In a barn. There's not much royalty in that. He who is at the right hand of the Father ruling all things, sleeps in swaddling clothes on a pile of hay. Then He comes to the Jordan. Does He announce Himself? Is there a parade? Are there trumpets and a fanfare? No. Just Jesus getting in the water with the rest of the sinners, acting as if He too is a sinner. Taking the place of sinners. Then He comes to Jerusalem. On a donkey. Not a Roman horse. No big charger gilt with finery. Nope. Just a donkey. No army marching in front. Just a crowd of disciples shouting the pilgrimage liturgy: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” He comes humbly into Jerusalem, just as the prophet said, “See, daughter of Zion? Your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, riding on a donkey.” And He rides in humbly so that He might be completely humbled all the way to death on the cross at the hands of sinful men who think much of themselves. Why does Jesus do things this way? Why doesn't He tramp around swinging His weight and royalty as the Son of God everywhere He goes? The answer is in the Old Testament Lesson: because Jesus comes, has His advent, to be our righteousness. If Jesus wants to show the world how righteous He is, He could do all those things we associate with kings and presidents. But He doesn't come for Himself. He comes for you. He is YOUR righteousness by coming not to draw attention to Himself but to draw your sins to Himself and carry them to Calvary. Jesus has His advent in humility so that you will be raised up, free of your sins. Because He is YOUR righteousness.
Now, having conquered sin and death, having risen from the dead, having ascended to the right hand of the Father, how does Jesus come to you today? In glory and shininess? No. He comes the same way. Humble and righteous, bringing salvation with Him. What's more humble than water? Water doesn't look spectacular and amazing. It looks like...water! But by water and the Word Jesus comes to us, gives us His Spirit, marks us as the Father's own possession. By water combined with God's Word, Jesus has an Advent to you at the font and you are rescued from sin and death. How about bread and wine? Bread and wine are hardly impressive! They aren't fancy and they don't have a big “wow!” factor. Yet again, with Christ's own words, the bread and wine bring us Jesus Himself. Not a donkey this time, but even more lowly, grain and grapes give us our Savior. The Lord comes to us in His body and blood to strengthen and sustain us, to forgive us and renew us and to save us. That's why we sing “Hosanna!” right before Holy Communion: because, just like the disciples on Palm Sunday, there is a liturgy, a word of God to be sung when Jesus arrives, to show why we want Him, why we should receive Him. Hosanna! “Save now!” We sing it because He comes to save us. And then there's the preaching and teaching of the Gospel and Holy Absolution. Words. A preacher. What could be a more humble way for Jesus to come to us than through the ministry of a frail and feeble man. A man who makes mistakes. A man who has no confidence other than to speak what Christ gives Him to speak. There's nothing more amazingly strange than that the Lord should entrust His Word to frail and sinful men. Yet through that man, your called and ordained pastor, the Lord Himself speaks forgiveness which cannot be contradicted or overturned by the devil or the world or your flesh. Christ comes to us. Lowly and humble and having salvation. To the world, the means look ridiculous. Bread, wine, water, words. But to you, there is nothing more certain, more sure, than that Jesus comes through those gifts and gives you life everlasting.
Jesus has His first advent in the flesh, born of the Virgin to die on the cross for you. He has many advents now, in His church, coming to you in the flesh through His Word and sacraments. These all point to and prepare us for His final coming in the flesh in glory. The Day will come when the Lord Jesus will appear in the heavens like lightning, coming on the clouds of heaven, with angels and trumpets and the whole heavenly host. And on that day, it will be a terror for all those who refused to receive Jesus in the flesh in this life. All those who looked for Jesus somewhere other than in His church, where His Gospel is preached and Sacraments administered, will suffer terror and fear beyond measure. Those who looked for a super-awesome-mighty Jesus in this life, will have exactly what they wanted: A super-awesome-mighty Jesus who is their Judge. Those who thought they had no sins and therefore no need of a Savior, those who despised God and His Word and lived however they wanted, those who wanted to live a royal life apart from the Son of God, those who wanted to be treated like royalty while treating others like peasants—on that Last Day, they will know. They will see. They will receive. And they will weep.
But not YOU, dear Christians. For you have been prepared for your Lord's Second Advent. You've heard the Good News that when Jesus first showed up in the flesh it was “glad tidings to all people” starting with a band of smelly shepherds. You have heard that Jesus has taken your place in all things, in the river with sinners, on the cross with your sins, to the right hand of the Father with your life. Not only that but you have received Jesus in his advents in this life. You are baptized, washed and prepared for your Bridegroom as His holy bride. You are absolved, the judgment of God against your sins set aside on account of Jesus. You are fed with a holy food, with Jesus' own body and blood which means that whatever Jesus has is now yours and you are His. So when that Last Day comes, when Jesus arrives in glory, you will not be afraid. You will lift up your head in joy! You will sing the liturgy that day! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Oh, what a great and wonderful day that will be! What a day to long for, when our Lord comes back, this time not in humility but in glory, a glory which shines for our salvation because He once came and now comes humbly to save us.
Dearly beloved in Christ, Jesus has come. He was conceived in the flesh of Mary and born from her womb and baptized as a sinner and judged on the cross as a sinner. All that for you. Now He has ascended to the right hand of God. He comes to us now, in many advents in His church. At the font, at the altar, from pulpit and lectern. Jesus comes for you. And He will come again in glory, this time not in humility yet still bearing the scars of His suffering, so that when he arrives, you will know that He is here on that day also for you. Whenever Jesus comes, He comes for you. Let that be your great hope and comfort in this holy Advent season and all the days of your life. Happy New (Church) Year! Amen.