Advent 4

John 3:16
This 4th Sunday of Advent, the final Sunday before the celebration of our Lord’s birth, and we come to one of the most familiar and well-loved passages in all of Scripture – John 3:16. Martin Luther called it “the Gospel in miniature,” a summary of what God’s saving plan in Jesus is all about. Dig into what it means and why it matters for your life, you will not only understand what’s behind the entire biblical story, but you will also have a solid foundation upon which to build your life.
The Bible says the Gospel is “the righteousness of God.” The Good News is that the righteousness that belongs to God is given to us in Jesus Christ. So, what does that mean for us? The word righteous is, to “be morally justifiable, to be right and without fault.”
The Augsburg Confession IV:2-3 states: “Justification is the article on which the church stands or falls.” Simply put, “People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favour and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. By his death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in his sight.”
The apostle Paul used a clothing image to describe justification, stating that all who are baptised into Christ have put on Christ as a righteous robe. Just as robes worn by the Old Testament priests and today’s pastors covered their bodies and daily clothes, so also our flesh and its sinfulness is covered by Christ. So, when God looks upon us in Christ, he does not see our sins and failures, but rather righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. He sees the blood of Jesus that covers all of our sins, and us as his dear children and heirs of his kingdom. Faith in us, granted by the Holy Spirit clings to the promises of God, especially that which is given in our baptism: “You are my beloved child with whom I am well pleased.”
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for sending your Son to our world, to be born among us, to die on a cross and to make us right with you. Amen.

Pastor Darryl

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash