It's the 4th Sunday of Advent, and we still don't have a clear Christmas message. The cover of the bulletin looks like it, and I had thought we would have been covering the Annunciation, that is, the announcement that the Virgin Mary was going to have a child. Never mind, that would put us--let's see, 9 months back from now--putting us back toward the end of March. Because, of course, that's when he would have been conceived. Nine months before He was born. And March would be a long way from Christmas. It would actually have us getting ready for summer. Never mind all that, at least we would have readings that would draw our attention to the baby.

Instead, we have John the Baptist paving the way for Jesus to begin His public ministry. Why do we want the Baby so badly, anyway? He can't do anything when He is just a baby. Rather, just go along for the ride and listen to what the Lord has to say to you today.

Look. You can't do too much about it. These are our readings. Besides, Wednesday we will have the children's Christmas program. Following that, Christmas Eve, and then the next day, The Festival of our Lord's Nativity, otherwise known as "Christmas Day." It's coming. Be patient. In the meantime, trust the Lord to give you some good stuff in this Advent sermon. He's established Himself as caring about you. He's never abandoned you. He constantly pursues you, even if you try to turn away. Trust Him, then, even in what He has for you today.

Sit back, and let Him give you what He has come to give you. As your pastor, I don't want you to miss it. Sometimes, we get so distracted. These guys who were talking to John were. They were all gaga about John but were going to miss the whole point. They were in danger of missing out on the real stuff. Listen to what John says, "Among you stands one you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." What John is saying is this, "You think I'm something? You ain't seen nothing yet! The best thing you could ever imagine is just about to become public."

We can be like those guys who were so fascinated with John and were in danger of missing out on the really big news. Christmas is big news, no doubt, but do we get what it all means? The effects of it carry on throughout the year, and we regularly are given its benefits.

This is really good news. I know I've said the good news this way many times, but can a person hear good news too many times? Can you hear, "I love you," from someone you want to love you, too many times? I don't think so. So, I can tell you the great news you get today, all over again, without fear of sounding repetitious.

Consider what has happened to you already today in the Divine Service. You have heard God speak to you. He didn't just speak gibberish or simply your name. That would be awesome, if He did just that. But He has spoken words of forgiveness to you. You brought to Him your sins. You recognized that you are riddled with them, that everything you do is tainted by them, that--like all of us--you are reluctant to admit how deep they go, but you brought all of this to Him, and He brought to you the forgiveness your soul seeks. He didn't just assure you that you are forgiven. He actually spoke the words of forgiveness to you, forgiving you all over again, for all the sins you have done this week and previously.

He links it to that glorious day when He first forgave you. That was the day He wrapped you up in His arms, and covered you with the righteousness of His Son. He called you by your own name that time. Like John had been doing, He baptized you with water, but He also gave you the Holy Spirit. It's not like the Holy Spirit is your own property, but as you are here now, He gives you the Holy Spirit further. This is what is happening, but we're likely to settle for less, and that the Lord's concern. That's why He speaks today.

Throughout the Divine Service, He keeps speaking and delivering His thoughts and gifts to you, even now. But it comes to a peak, when He gives you the very body and blood that was forming in the womb of the Virgin Mary as you eat bread and drink wine. With that, flesh infused with life since this is the Lord of life, blood that has always been understood to be the life of the creature, He gives life and forgiveness. God makes contact with you.

This is how He gives you what was gained on the cross, and all that is given to us, and yet we don't recognize what we have. In fact, we will take this and distort it. Instead of seeing this as how God gives us forgiveness, we will use it to for our own selfish and faithless purposes. Such as, we use it to try to gain His favor. Almost like saying, "O.K. look God, it's Sunday morning and look, I'm in church." As though we gain points by coming to church, rather than seeing this is where He comes to bless us.

Another distortion of worship, is when we figure, "If I sin, I know God will forgive me, so I guess I'm free to sin." What a horrible distortion of forgiveness. This is not seeking mercy but permission.

But we humans always do this. We're always tempted to take something wonderful and corrupt it. We'll take our families, and turn them into something for our own gain. We'll use our membership in church to improve or at least, try to improve our social standing. We'll take the Lord's declaration that we are His children, and use that to justify us expecting easy street. "Well, if we are His children, then He loves us and He will give us what we think we need."

A pastor faces the same temptations simply because he is also human, but even more temptations, because of the possibility of being worshiped by the people he is supposed to be leading in worship, the ones he is supposed to be teaching about the sinfulness of man and the grace and mercy of God. I'm not going to speak too much about pastors, but you see it happen. I remember hearing about a man in the first half of the Christians Church's history who when he was being called to be a pastor ran from it, because of exactly this temptation. To take such a glorious thing, such a privilege, as delivering God's gifts to God's people and turning it into self-gain is reprehensible, but always present.

That's what almost happened to John. A delegation was sent to John. He had become very popular. The timing was ripe for the Messiah, and as he baptized he was preparing the people for the Messiah. He drew large crowds. The next step could have been to declare himself to be it. That's the opportunity presented to him that day.

The delegation of priests and Levites were ready to stand behind him. In fact, they wanted him to be it, or at least, declare himself the Messiah. Our text opens with the words, "This is the testimony of John." The word for testimony is a word you have heard before. It's the same word where we get the word, "Martyr." The word is marturia. You recall that a martyr is someone who dies for his faith. John doesn't die, but look at what he gives up by being honest.

Think about the temptation for him. No more camel skins and locusts. No more living in a cave. This could be the opportunity He was looking for. He was popular now, but what would it be like if he were to accept the offer they were making? People were listening to him now, but even more would if he had the blessing of the leadership. Hey, this might even be God offering this position so he could reach more people. Ehh? Ehh? This is the opportunity of a lifetime. What do you think, John? To have this kind of power! The temptation has to be absolutely intoxicating for someone who works with people.

It wouldn't be long before the same temptation was going to play itself out with the real messiah. Satan takes Jesus to the highest mountain, shows him the glory of all the kingdoms of the world, all the people in them, and offers it to Him. This can all be yours if you just fall down and worship me. Wow! No suffering, no abandonment. All these souls will be mine, for this one little thing. Of course, He knew better.

And back to John, "I could have the ears of all these people. This could be the Lord Himself setting this up. If I am to prepare the way for the Messiah, what could be better than this?" And then out from his mouth, "No, I'm not the Messiah, but we could work something out. You know, He's coming and I'm the one the Lord sent to get things ready.

But John smelled the rat. They weren't interested in what John had to say. It wasn't even the leaders themselves who spoke to him. It was a delegation. If these leaders were interested in what John had to say, they would have come themselves. They would have heard him preach themselves. They would have allowed themselves to be baptized.

No, it wasn't worth it. Sacrificing truth for the sake of improving his position, was not going to improve his position. It would compromise it. Doing the wrong thing, for what could seem to be pious motives, was not the right thing.

Do we see ourselves tempted to do that? For the sake of preservation; for the sake of gain, for the sake of peace, we'll do what we know is not right. We will also neglect to do what we know is right. The Lord knows how we struggle. He knows what we are. This is why He sent His Son. John shows us the right thing to do, but when we find ourselves in the heat of the struggle to do what is right, help won't come by looking at John. Rather, helps come by looking at Jesus, and not just Jesus doing the right thing, but rather at Jesus on the cross. There, we will see it is true-our Lord is there. He will bless us, even if it's not what we want.

Was John blessed? Sure, not much after this, he was imprisoned and then beheaded. Is this a blessing? Not in our eyes, but John had the privilege of knowing he did not compromise, and that is what was going on that day. He was being pressured to compromise.

The delegation is now getting frustrated. Alright then, who are you? We don't know what you are doing; we don't know who you are. Give us something we can take back. Their patience is starting to wear thin. And then John gives them a quote straight out of Isaiah, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'"

"You think I'm something? The One who is coming after me, that is, as I go forward, making the announcement about His arrival, He is what you seek. You think my following is impressive? You think my preaching is impressive? Wait until He comes. I'm a prophet and more than that, because I am announcing His arrival. As a prophet, I'm like a king's herald, but this One is a prophet of all prophets. This is the one announced in the hearing of Adam and Eve. This is the One that leaves the great prophet Moses in the dust. This is none other than the Lord Himself.

"Yeah, I'm baptizing. I baptize with water. He is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit. He does this because He is God incarnate. I can't send the Holy Spirit. I'm only the voice. I'm only the hands. He is the real deal. He can send the Holy Spirit because this is His Spirit."

And now back to us, back to the 21st century, back to west central Minnesota, back to Zion Lutheran. He's coming. Are you ready? We're not getting ready for the birth. We're getting ready for His return. Are you ready? We're getting ready for the coming wrath against sin. Are you covered in His righteousness? Have you recognized your own sin? Do you see why He has come? This is what John was doing, as the Lord preached through him. This is what is happening now, as the Lord speaks to you. John could only prepare, Jesus can cleanse, because He is more than a prophet. He is the holy God Himself and He is here for you.

AMEN