Malachi 4:2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

1. Because of God's promises, we have all the reason in the world to _________________, but when we look at that world, we are overwhelmed by ______________.

2. God promises us that beyond this night of injustice, sin, and frustration the __________ will rise and ____________all of that.

3. Jesus enters our __________________ so that we can enter His ____________.

Scripture Readings
Malachi 4:1-6
Romans 15:4-13
Matthew 3:1-12

Take It With You!

Here we will offer thoughts and meditations on the message to help us as we contemplate and discuss and wrestle with what we are hearing.

This is how St. Christopher is pictured in the water, holding onto a tree branch that God has put within his reach whereby to steady himself. Without this support he would not have been able to go through the deep and wide body of water with his load. Likewise, I would have been unable to survive the world's threatening, fuming fury and tyranny, in addition to the devil's cunning and fiery arrows, if Christ had not stood by me...

So, also, now when the burden becomes too great for Christendom of for us individually, Christ comes to our aid with his counsel, speaking his word into our hearts: Be of good cheer, cling to me, let the world rage and fume, let them rebuke you as a heretic and condemn you; if they oppose you they also oppose me. Through the prophet he states (Zech. 2:8): "For he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye." ...

So Christ bears also this name, and is called "Counselor" because he will stand by and comfort us in all circumstances, when the world shames, mocks, and persecutes us; or when the devil terrifies us with his fiery darts in tour hearts because of our sins, or through our accusers, under the pretense of the name of God, and seek to divert us from confession of the truth. In such and similar straits I find counsel and comfort in the Scripture, cling to it, and never let it go. If I do that, then neither my sins, nor the tyrannical scandal mongers of this world, nor evil thoughts and fiery darts of the devil will cause me to be afraid, even less to despair and be overcome.

Martin Luther, Sermon on the Festival of Christ's Nativity.