Faith Lutheran Church GP Alberta

Welcome to Faith Lutheran Church, a congregation that is "To reach all people with the message of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ, ans serve one another in Christian love, in Grande Prairie and surrounding areas."

Faith Lutheran Church GP Alberta
Coming now forty days after the birth of our Lord, we see the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph. They obey the law of purification (see Leviticus 12:6–8), and Jesus is presented as the firstborn to be redeemed (Exodus 13:11–15). All of this echoes the faithfulness of those who went before (Hannah, for example) and heralds the faithfulness of Christ to those to come. In His faithfulness, we are presented to the Father with clean hearts. We keep this feast not only with the liturgical observance but also with faith that believes the promise, rejoices in Jesus’ fulfillment of the law, and trusts in His saving work.
When Jesus unrolled the scroll, the people might have been expecting words from His mouth, but what they got was the Word made flesh, the Word that endures forever. It did not take long before they found reason to wonder. “Is this not Joseph’s son?” The reality is that there are always those who look for reason to doubt or to reject but the Word is given to bring forth faith. The Word is given that by hearing we might believe, but wherever God’s Word is spoken it is also a scandal and offense to the way we see ourselves and our salvation. Jesus has come to address us with the Word of Life so that by hearing we may believe and by believing we may see that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The best appreciation for God’s Word is faith.
The miracle of water turned into wine is a surprising one. It is marked by the fact that this is the choicest of wines, that the sheer amount of wine was embarrassingly extravagant, and that the full benefit of this miracle was limited to the servants who did what Jesus said, Mary, and the disciples who were with Jesus. It is the mark of what is to come. Jesus’ whole ministry is one of goodness beyond compare, of extravagant mercy beyond what we deserve or even dare ask, and of grace hidden in ordinary things like words, water, bread, and wine. This is then a precursor of what is to come, the first of many manifestations of His mercy and the rich and overflowing provision of His grace to supply salvation to a world that otherwise knows no joy.
Today is the first of the bookends that mark the Epiphany season—the Baptism of Our Lord and His Transfiguration. In common is the command from God to “listen to Him.” We begin our journey of listening to the Lord, learning from those who went before, acknowledging the revelation of the Lamb of God in baptismal water, and looking to Him, the Word made flesh. In His Baptism, our Lord was not washed because He was unclean but because we are. The Father saw the prophetic words of Isaiah fulfilled in the water of the Jordan, and He claimed Jesus as His own Son and our appointed Redeemer. “You are Mine,” said the Lord to Jesus. Because He said those words to Jesus, they are now addressed to us—the people for whom Jesus was baptized.
What were you looking for a few days ago when we joined the crowds gathered for the annual celebration of Christmas? If you knew what you were looking for, did you find it? Of course, Christmas is all about the arrival of the Savior of the world, our Savior from sin and death. In His human birth, Jesus took on our flesh to provide the only sufficient atoning sacrifice for sin. By His holiness, His sacrifice was sufficient for the whole world of sin of all time, including your own. Did you find this forgiveness for all your sins and answers to all your troubles when you sang the Christmas songs? Or are you still searching? That’s okay, because for one more of the twelve days, it is still Christmas. It is not too late. In Joseph and Mary’s anxiety over their three-day search for their missing child, they couldn’t find Him in the crowds or among their relatives and friends. It was only as they returned to the temple, the place of God the Father’s promised earthly presence, that their worry was solved. You have come to the right place, the place of God’s promised presence for you—here, where His Word is faithfully preached, His Sacraments rightly administered, and His grace, love, and forgiveness are given and applied to you. So do not be anxious about your life. You are seeking the answers in the right place, in the kingdom of God and in His righteousness given to you this day in His mighty, saving Word.
Did you already forget Christmas? The department stores have begun selling the leftovers for a discount because “Christmas is over.” For the same reason, formerly decorated Christmas trees already line the streets as refuse for disposal. Even though Christmas songs speak joyously of “the twelve days of Christmas,” many, if not most, people seem to think of them as a countdown rather than an extended celebration. Remember? Today, December 29, is but the fifth day of the twelve! We are not done yet. Or did you forget? To “forget” is the opposite of the biblical word we hear today: “remember.” But in Scripture, to remember means much more than merely recalling a past event as something that has no real, lasting effect on today; rather, the opposite is true. For instance, God remembers His promises by acting to fulfill them in each believer. For us, to remember means to bring a past promise or act to take effect in the present. Today we hear how the newborn Jesus, as the firstborn of Mary, was presented in the temple according to God’s law, a command to remember the Lord’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. Every firstborn was to be a reminder that the Lord still delivers His people from the slavery of sin and death. So to remember that it is still Christmas is to believe that the Christ Child who came to free us comes now to each believer. Remember, that is, believe that Christ was born for you to save you. Remember, that is, believe that the forgiveness He won for us on the cross is actually given to us in the Sacrament of the Altar when, as He commanded, we do in remembrance of Him.
At Christmas, our lives and attention are often occupied not only with the smaller details of the season—the decorations, the gifts, the special menus, the schedule of events—but also with those details of greater importance: family, parents and grandparents, children and grandchildren, as well as those of more distant relationships. Greater than that, as Christians we center our celebration here in God’s presence to hear God’s Word, to attend to what is most important, which alone can give all the other details of life its most solid foundation. That Word puts everything else in its proper perspective, including our place and participation in the kingdom of God. The “big picture” includes God’s amazing creation from the beginning, as well as our part in mankind’s fall into sin and struggle with Satan and death. Then enters God’s great remedy: our salvation from sin and death through the redemption that is in God Himself, in the person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, our Lord. His incarnation and birth from the virgin Mary was a great miracle—God taking on our human flesh and blood. Greater, however, was His own sacrifice in our flesh, by which He has cast down Satan and his lies and raised up a new creation to new, eternal life. On this day, amid any and all distractions and details, the familiar hymn has it right: “How firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!” (LSB 728:1).
During the season of Advent, we have prepared to celebrate the birth of God’s Son, who was given the name Jesus—a Hebrew name that means “God saves.” However, in addition to His earthly name, Holy Scripture calls Jesus by various titles that describe something about His person or work. In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is given four titles—Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. These titles describes something about who Jesus is and what He did for our salvation. We long for peace in this world but fail to obtain it. Peace comes only through the gift of God in our Savior, Jesus Christ, come into the flesh for us at Christmas. He alone offers us true and lasting peace. Therefore, Jesus is given the title Prince of Peace. He rules over creation and gives us peace with God through His sacrifice for us, which also results in believers being at peace with one another.
The Advent season of preparing for the promised Savior to be born as one of us soon reaches its climax. Though in our homes and lives we may be wondering if we have done all we have needed to get ready for our own celebrations, we give thanks that at the center of our coming Christmas observations the Lord has prepared all we need. In this last Sunday of Advent and in the days ahead of anticipated Christmas joy, may we find peace in the preparations done freely for us out of grace, mercy, and perfect love centered on the Savior we soon welcome, who was born for us and all the world.
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