Bloghardt's Reflector

Righteousness raining down from above.  Puddles and puddles of forgiveness everywhere.  Salvation coming forth from the earth.  

Life spouting up in the most unlikely places - from the womb of an old woman named Elizabeth and then on Christmas from the womb of a young Virgin named Mary.

Now, Elizabeth had been barren until the angel Gabriel delivered the news to her husband Zacharias that she had conceived and would soon bear a son.  

John the Baptist is the one growing in Elizabeth’s womb.  Elizabeth had been barren, and probably had given up on having a child many years ago.  The Lord had other plans.  

And John can’t even wait until he’s born to carry out his task of being the prophet who points to Jesus.  He leaps when Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting.  Leaping, because the Savior was near, in her womb.

“Blessed are you amongst women!  Blessed is the fruit of your womb,” sings Elizabeth.  Some translations say that Elizabeth exclaimed, but the verb used by Elizabeth is the same word in Greek is used for the chanting that goes on church.  

Can you get any more Christmasy than that?  She chanted her greeting to her cousin!  How could she not?  The mother of her Lord was standing before her.

Mary.  The Virgin is the mother of the Lord, the mother of the Son of God.  Contemplate that.  In her womb is God Himself.  

Everyone in creation wants to find God.  They seek Him.  They look for him.  They deny Him rather than face Him.

But, we can’t go to God.  God comes to you.  You couldn’t do what He requires of you, so He’ll do it Himself for you and in your place.  All the Law, He will fulfill for you.  

Then, He will take on your sins, take on your failures, take on even death itself for you and in your place.

That’s God in the womb of the Virgin.  That’s God suffering during Holy Week.  That’s God hanging dead on the Cross on Good Friday.  It’s God Himself who rises from the dead on Easter morning.

Righteous is going to be born.  Salvation is ready to sprout.  God Himself is cooking in the Virgin’s belly.  

Can it be true?  Can we really say that our salvation is solely in the the Babe of Bethlehem?  

Yes.  No doubt.  Believe.  John points you there with His leap, Elizabeth chants you there with her song.  Now that’s Rorate Coeli!

But, lest we think that it’s raining eternal life because of something inside of us, the Virgin sings. 

 We sing her song every Vespers and Evening prayer service - a gentle reminder that God is the One who saves us despite us.

“My soul makes big the Lord.  My soul rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked at the humble estate of His servant.  For behold from now on all generations will call me blessed.”

Why is Mary blessed?  The same reason you are blessed!  The Savior is in her womb.  Mary’s Lord is her Son.  Your Lord is her Son too.  He’s born to rescue her from her sins, from her faults.  He’s born to rescue us too.

The Mighty One has done great things for Mary.  All she has to do is tap her growing belly. That’s an amazing thing!

He has done great things for you too!  All you have to do is hear the Word today.  Forgiveness.  Holiness.  Salvation.  The Cross is all delivered to you this morning.   

“Holy is His Name.” Mary responds. “His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with His arm;  He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.”

So, make the most of the bit that is left in Advent.  Leave behind looking inside yourself for salvation.  Stop looking at what you have done right and haven’t done wrong.  No more pushing yourself forward, exalting in what you have and haven’t done.  

No, look at the skies.  It’s clouding up.  Heaven itself is about to pour down salvation on you.

Which leaves us with nothing but to play in His salvation like children play in the rain.  

Let His forgiveness fill your hands as you splash it on your neighbor.  Be drowned in eternal life! This Rorate Coeli!

“For God has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His offspring forever.” 

Our God is coming.  He’s already in the Virgin’s belly.  In Him, we will be saved.  We will be forgiven.  We will have eternal life.  It’s going to flow like rain down on our forehead.

This is the Christian faith, dear friends.  And it’s on display for all creation to see this week.  Every bit of red, every bit of white, the hats, the trees, the garland - all of it proclaim that Christ is coming.

God has given you one more Christmas to take it all in.  Don’t miss the opportunity to greet everyone with a “Merry Christmas!”  For Christ is coming.  Jesus is coming to save us.

It’s not that you might be saved, it’s not that they might be saved, if things go well or they change.

No maybe about it, each person you wish a Merry Christmas to, each time you point to the Christmas tree this week, even each time it rains, all these are another reminder just how much God has flooded our little piece of rock with salvation.

Leave your sadness behind.  Leave your despair too.  God Himself is coming.  Don’t fear any more about what you have done.  He’s forgiven it all.  Washed it all away in your Baptism.  

Come be forgiven again at His Supper.  Receive Mary’s Boy’s body and blood given for your forgiveness.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere I go.  It’s already started raining forgiveness.  From God to you in Christ.  From His Cross to your neighbor.  

“Shower, O heavens, from above and let the crowds rain down righteousness, let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout.”(Isa 45:8)

Like I said, I’m dreaming of a wet Christmas this year.  Salvation is in the forecast.  High Probability of forgiveness.  And the most important alert of all: The Virgin is going to sprout our Savior.  Just wait.  He’s coming.  In the name of Jesus. Amen.