A Righteous Branch

TEXT: Our Text today is the Old Testament Lesson appointed for the FIRST Sunday in ADVENT, Jeremiah 23:5-8.

5"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Happy New Year! Not only are the days coming, but the days are here. The LORD has indeed raised up a righteous branch for David—and for you. He is reigning and dealing wisely as king of His church, where He is executing justice and righteousness in the promised land that is His kingdom of heaven.

This is what Advent is all about, the coming days of Jesus, a righteous branch—THE Righteous Branch—Who is the LORD, who is even righteousness Himself, come in the flesh to save us.

While the world jumps the gun on Christmas, we who live with Christ by faith in the kingdom of heaven are already celebrating a new year on the church calendar, indeed a new year in the days of the coming of our Lord.

But let's back up a bit and ask a question. Why--when the New Testament has replaced the Old and the Day of the Lord is upon us--why do we bother with the words of an Old Testament prophet? The answer lies in the refrain to the Advent hymn we just sang as the Hymn of the Day. "Hosanna to the Lord, for He fulfills God's Word!"

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the One who has come to fulfill His Father's Word of salvation. The Word of salvation is the Word God has spoken with His Son since before the foundation of the world, the Word of promise spoken to Adam and Eve as they cowered in sin and shame in the Garden. The Word spoken by the Law and Prophets is fulfilled in Christ Jesus, the Word made flesh, who Himself has said it is these Old Testament Scriptures "that bear witness about me."

And so we sing the song of Advent, "Hosanna"—save us now." 5"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

This Righteous Branch, is Himself the Tree of Life, from whom we all like Adam have turned away in favor of the knowledge of good and evil.

This Righteous Branch is the One who took that sin upon Himself and bore its curse upon the tree of Calvary.

This Righteous Branch is now the One who has been raised to bear fruit beyond measure where He reigns as king, dealing wisely with the world and its people through preaching and His Word in His holy Christian Church. In this Church He is executing justice and righteousness even as He once executed justice and righteousness on a cross outside of Jerusalem in the flesh of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

This Righteous Branch is now the One, who having been raised from the dead, has also ascended to the right hand of the Father from whence He comes to judge the living and the dead according to His justice and righteousness in the land of His choosing.

While we wait for His coming again in all His glory on the Last Day, He is preparing us for that Last Day by coming to us now in the Word and Sacrament of His Church to judge us now. This judging of the living and the dead is what Jesus established His church and sent out His disciples and ministers of the Word to do according to Matthew 18—execute His justice and righteousness. "tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. . . . where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

So in His Church Christ is continuing to fulfill the OT Scriptures.

6In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'

This is the name in which we have been gathered here at Trinity, Layton. The Lord our is our righteousness. He has placed His name upon us in Holy Baptism. He continues to come to us and execute His righteousness and justice to us in preaching and His Word and even in His own flesh and blood in Holy Communion. In these things we are saved and dwell securely with Him and Him with us.

7"Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they shall no longer say, 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' 8but 'As the LORD lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own land."

Indeed these days are already here. This land is the kingdom of heaven, and our Lord has brought you up to dwell in it forever by forgiving you all your sins--in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.