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“The Twelve Blessings of Christmas: Kindness and Goodness
Colossians 3:12-17

 

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas

First Sunday after Christmas—December 28, 2014

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Our sermon series for the Advent and Christmas seasons this year is on “The Twelve Blessings of Christmas.”  The first nine of these blessings are from St. Paul’s list in Galatians of the fruits of the Spirit:  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  This morning we consider the fruits of kindness and goodness.

In old English, the word “good” was originally spelled “g-o-d,” God.  There’s a lot of theological truth and deep insight packed into the fact that “good” and “God” were originally the same word.

Both linguistically and theologically, to be good literally means to be and to act like God.  This is a test that all of us fail, as St. Paul says in Romans, “There is no one who does good, not even one. . .  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 

“Therefore, you must be perfect,” Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  But, we must all confess that none of us in our lives has lived up to the perfect goodness which God requires.  As Jesus also said, “No one is good except God alone.”

Every other religion in the world also preaches this same bad news, that we have sinned and fallen short.  But, the only remedy that every other religion in the world has to offer is more bad news, in the form of rules and regulations that are supposed to whip you into shape, coerce you into being good. 

But, that really misses the point.  Because, even if you do outwardly live what seems to be a “good” life, if it is motivated by coercion, or an attempt to earn God’s favor, it really isn’t good at all in the sight of God.  That’s what Isaiah means when he says, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”  Even outwardly good and righteous acts are but filthy rags in God’s sight, if they are motivated by coercion, or an attempt to earn God’s favor.

Christianity is radically different, and unique among religions of the world.  Because, Christianity isn’t about rules and regulations.  The goal of Christianity isn’t coercing people into superficial, shallow, merely outward goodness.

Every other religion in the world is a religion of works: if you do enough good things on the outside, you’ll eventually earn your way to being good on the inside.  But, Christianity is a religion of grace: first God by his grace makes you good on the inside, and then in response you naturally want to do good things on the outside.  Jesus put it this way, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart.”

How does God make you good on the inside?  Martin Luther says it beautifully in the Small Catechism: “[He] has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death.” 

God in his grace freely grants you the forgiveness earned for you by his Son, as St. Paul says in Philippians, “Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”  Through faith in Christ you are declared truly righteousness, good in God’s sight.

We could translate goodness as God-ness. In the Christmas story there are four examples of such God-ness.  We read of John the Baptist’s parents Elizabeth and Zechariah, “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God.” And of Jesus’ stepfather, “Joseph her husband was a righteous man.” And of Jesus’ mother, “You have found favor with God.”  They were full of goodness because they were full of God-ness, faith in God and his promised Messiah.

The Apostle Peter says that through faith in Christ we become, “partakers of the divine nature.”  By the grace of God you have been changed and made godly on the inside, as the Lord says in Ezekiel, “I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you.”  In response, you naturally want to do good and godly things on the outside, as Luther continues in the Small Catechism, “That I may be his own and live under him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”

This quality of goodness, or God-ness, which God grants you by his grace is like a many faceted diamond, which displays itself in your life in many different ways.  One of the ways this God-ness will show itself in your life is in kindness.  Kindness is love in action, goodness at work.

“Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.”  The goodness, God-ness in Elizabeth’s and Zechariah’s hearts showed itself in their loving kindness toward Mary, taking their cousin into their home for three months. 

“Joseph did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”  The goodness, God-ness in Joseph’s heart showed itself in his loving kindness toward Mary and her Son, taking her home as his wife and serving as a father to her Son.

“The angel said to Mary, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. . .  ’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’”  The goodness, God-ness in Mary’s heart showed itself in her ultimate loving kindness toward the Son of God, bearing him in her womb.

In today’s Epistle Reading from Colossians, St. Paul beautifully describes how, in response to God’s kindness and goodness toward you, you will show kindness and goodness, God-ness, in your own life:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Amen.

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