WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.200 --> 00:00:06.400 Grace mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our 2 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:12.500 Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The basis for this morning's 3 00:00:12.500 --> 00:00:19.300 meditation recorded again in 2nd Peter 3 particularly verses 8 and 9 and I'll 4 00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:26.200 read those again. But do not overlook this one fact beloved that with 5 00:00:26.200 --> 00:00:32.500 the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one 6 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:33.000 day. 7 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:39.900 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness but 8 00:00:39.900 --> 00:00:44.900 is patient toward you not wishing that any should perish but that all 9 00:00:44.900 --> 00:00:47.100 should reach repentance. 10 00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:48.900 This is the text. 11 00:00:50.700 --> 00:00:54.800 I wish you a warm and peace filled Advent. 12 00:00:54.800 --> 00:01:00.900 This is a season of the church year where we consider time itself. 13 00:01:01.900 --> 00:01:07.400 We look at Old Testament prophecies, Adam and Eve, Abraham, David the 14 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:12.700 words of the prophets Isaiah and Zechariah and all who point to the 15 00:01:12.700 --> 00:01:17.400 coming of Christ. Special attention was given last Sunday 16 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:22.900 when did Isaiah 40 God speaks benevolently to his children Comfort ye 17 00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:23.700 Comfort 18 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:28.800 ye my people saith your God speaking comfortably to Jerusalem and cry to 19 00:01:28.800 --> 00:01:34.000 her that her warfare is accomplished. That her iniquity is pardoned for 20 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:37.900 she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The 21 00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:41.600 voice of him that crying in the wilderness prepare 22 00:01:41.600 --> 00:01:46.700 ye the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert off highway for our 23 00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:52.300 God every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be 24 00:01:52.300 --> 00:01:57.200 made low and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places 25 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:01.600 plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. 26 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:07.000 And All Flesh will see it together for the mouth of the Lord has 27 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:07.900 spoken it. 28 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:13.700 The loving words of God pronounces this time of slavery in Babylon is coming 29 00:02:13.700 --> 00:02:15.000 to an end. 30 00:02:16.200 --> 00:02:22.600 But even more so this highlights the theme of the Apostle Peter. Isaiah 31 00:02:22.600 --> 00:02:28.100 illustrates the fulfillment accomplished in the Lord's eternal time in 32 00:02:28.100 --> 00:02:34.100 a way of his choosing. All of which culminates in an even greater 33 00:02:34.100 --> 00:02:41.300 redemption. Freedom for all people. Freedom from a far greater slavery 34 00:02:41.300 --> 00:02:49.700 then the Babylonian Empire. In God's time freedom comes to all. Isaiah 40 35 00:02:49.700 --> 00:02:56.700 points to John the Baptist who reveals Christ all in God's time and in 36 00:02:56.700 --> 00:02:57.600 his way. 37 00:02:58.600 --> 00:03:03.900 As we read the great promise and Advent and hear of boundless, hope 38 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:11.000 time gives way to the coming of Christmas. In Advent 39 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:14.600 there is a pointing the fulfillment of God's promise the coming of the 40 00:03:14.600 --> 00:03:20.000 Christ child and the second coming of Jesus in glory. In Advent 41 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:23.900 we hear prophecies of Christ his life and ministry. We hear of God's 42 00:03:23.900 --> 00:03:28.900 coming promise fulfilled under his son Jesus and we are comforted by 43 00:03:28.900 --> 00:03:32.500 his death for the redemption of humanity. 44 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:35.900 We're comforted by the resurrection of the dead and the life for the 45 00:03:35.900 --> 00:03:38.500 world to come. In Advent 46 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:46.000 we look to Christ in the future his soon return. In his time the Lord 47 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:47.800 God ... else returns. 48 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:50.300 So under all that I repeat again. 49 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:55.100 I wish you a warm and peace filled Advent. 50 00:03:55.100 --> 00:03:57.600 This text of St. 51 00:03:57.600 --> 00:04:02.600 Peter has a wonderful turn. Although written in response to those not 52 00:04:02.600 --> 00:04:07.800 happy with God's timeline it carries an additional unexpected twist 53 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:10.700 we're asked to look at time. 54 00:04:10.700 --> 00:04:18.300 See how precious time is and how the Lord God though above time itself 55 00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:23.800 enters into it and rescues his people he loves so much. 56 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:32.200 Allow me to illustrate an example of this from history, your history, my 57 00:04:32.200 --> 00:04:32.400 history. 58 00:04:32.400 --> 00:04:38.600 This is an important day in our country, December 7th, and I'm 59 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:40.000 referring to December 7th. 60 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:42.000 1941. 61 00:04:43.100 --> 00:04:48.800 79 years ago the world was in a different place. 79 years ago, 62 00:04:49.300 --> 00:04:55.200 on December 7th, our nation was rocked by a surprise attack and placed us in the midst of 63 00:04:55.200 --> 00:05:00.000 a violent war. The most violent War of the twentieth century. 64 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:06.100 This is not a war for land or riches or containment of a renegade 65 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:07.000 dictator. 66 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:14.100 It was a struggle of right versus wrong good versus evil. 67 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:19.200 It was a struggle where the conclusion was that either freedom or 68 00:05:19.200 --> 00:05:26.700 enslavement or just as likely annihilatio. World War II cost the lives 69 00:05:26.700 --> 00:05:32.200 of tens of millions of people. This war was so tumultuous that nations 70 00:05:32.200 --> 00:05:37.700 were defeated, kingdoms destroyed, maps of Europe, Asia and Africa 71 00:05:37.700 --> 00:05:39.200 were redrawn. 72 00:05:40.400 --> 00:05:45.300 79 years ago Great Britain stood alone in Europe against the Nazi war 73 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:49.400 machine. France was defeated and her army is scattered. 74 00:05:49.400 --> 00:05:55.600 The British army was evacuated off of Dunkirk the skies over Britain 75 00:05:55.600 --> 00:06:01.100 79 years ago were filled with aircraft of both sides fighting it out 76 00:06:01.100 --> 00:06:02.900 for over a year-and-a-half. 77 00:06:02.900 --> 00:06:09.200 She was in one of the most desperate air battles of history called the 78 00:06:09.200 --> 00:06:09.900 Battle of Britain. 79 00:06:09.900 --> 00:06:19.100 It was not certain who would win, Britannia barely holding. 6 months 80 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:25.400 before Pearl Harbor, 79 years ago, in June 1941 the forces of Nazi 81 00:06:25.400 --> 00:06:30.900 Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. 82 00:06:30.900 --> 00:06:37.100 In December of 1941 Stalin and his forces were reeling back. 83 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:43.600 They were against the ropes. Massive pitched battles against Nazi 84 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:44.100 armor. 85 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:49.800 The Soviet Union was trading hundreds of miles of her precious Earth 86 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:55.600 and thousands and thousands of soldiers for this precious thing called 87 00:06:55.600 --> 00:07:03.200 time. In order to rebuild and resupply her armies. 79 years ago 88 00:07:03.200 --> 00:07:08.900 the United States hearing the drumbeats of war was still a reluctant 89 00:07:08.900 --> 00:07:14.200 Global Good Neighbor. Our national wheel was to play in relative safety 90 00:07:14.200 --> 00:07:18.900 of isolationism. America knew time 91 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:25.700 was running out for it to stand against evil. And so on this day 92 00:07:25.700 --> 00:07:33.100 December 7th 1941 the attack by the Empire of Japan upon the United 93 00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:37.600 States occurred. An unprovoked attack against our Naval Base at Pearl 94 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:42.600 Harbor and in the Philippines. There was a ship moored off of Ford 95 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:50.000 Island the USS California. At 0755 General quarters sounded the 96 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:53.700 sailors immediately begin closing hatches and bulkhead doors. 97 00:07:53.700 --> 00:07:58.200 The attack happened so quickly, they're unable to get all the hatches 98 00:07:58.200 --> 00:08:02.000 and doors closed and the first torpedo hit. 99 00:08:02.700 --> 00:08:06.700 The California didn't have a ship moored next to her. 100 00:08:06.700 --> 00:08:13.500 Her machine guns begin firing on the torpedo bombers at 0803. 8 minutes 101 00:08:13.500 --> 00:08:21.900 after the attack. At 0805 the first torpedo hit the California the second came 102 00:08:21.900 --> 00:08:23.100 moments later. 103 00:08:23.100 --> 00:08:28.100 Although her crew initiated counter flooding to prevent a capsize a 104 00:08:28.100 --> 00:08:32.299 gaping hole caused the California to start listing heavily to port. 105 00:08:32.299 --> 00:08:37.500 Soon the compartment where the ammunition was stored was flooded and 106 00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:42.500 could not be accessed. The California briefly lost power when salt 107 00:08:42.500 --> 00:08:46.000 water rushing in the gaping holes got into the fuel tank. 108 00:08:46.700 --> 00:08:51.000 However, power was restored in time to fight fires that had broken out 109 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:51.700 on board. 110 00:08:51.700 --> 00:08:55.600 Her crew is briefly ordered to abandon ship because of the fires. 111 00:08:56.700 --> 00:09:00.500 But they were able to get the fires under control and they canceled 112 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:04.300 the order to abandon ship. A number of explosives fell near that ship 113 00:09:04.300 --> 00:09:10.200 causing little damage. But a 551 pound bomb landed on her starboard 114 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:16.200 deck killing 50 Sailors. In total 102 Sailors died aboard the USS, 115 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:18.700 California and 62 more were wounded. 116 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:24.900 At the epicenter of the attack on Pearl Harbor was a man going about 117 00:09:24.900 --> 00:09:31.200 the duties of ministering to sailors. He was a Minnesota-born a pastor of 118 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:33.100 a Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. 119 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:38.000 A graduate of this institute, Concordia Seminary St. 120 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:38.600 Louis. 121 00:09:38.600 --> 00:09:43.800 He was in the right place at the right time. Raymond 122 00:09:43.800 --> 00:09:47.200 Hohenstein was conducting worship services on the forecastle, 123 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:51.700 that is the front part of the battleship, California. On that a typical 124 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:54.700 Sunday morning on December 7th, 1941. 125 00:09:54.700 --> 00:10:00.100 Hohenstein help rescue men from a flooding compartment under number 2 126 00:10:00.100 --> 00:10:03.800 turret that big massive circular thing where those huge cannons sit. 127 00:10:03.800 --> 00:10:10.300 Chaplain Ray eventually was overcome by smoke and fumes, later Hohenstein suffered shrapnel 128 00:10:10.300 --> 00:10:11.800 burns on the Quarterdeck. 129 00:10:12.900 --> 00:10:17.400 Hohenstein became the first living chaplain in the United States 130 00:10:17.400 --> 00:10:19.800 Navy to receive the Purple Heart. 131 00:10:19.800 --> 00:10:24.600 One of our own a graduate of Concordia Seminary St. 132 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:29.100 Louis, Missouri. In the middle of a disastrous mess and confusion of a 133 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:34.100 sinking ship Chaplain Hohenstein represented Our Savior and a rescuer 134 00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:38.200 by caring for and giving aid to a number of sailors trapped and 135 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:41.000 certainly near-death. The USS 136 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:47.900 California was sunk, 102 Sailors lost. But the California was later 137 00:10:47.900 --> 00:10:51.900 raised from the bottom off of Ford Island and by 1944 was again and 138 00:10:51.900 --> 00:10:56.500 action against the forces of the Empire of Japan in the Marianas. On 139 00:10:56.500 --> 00:11:02.700 that ship on that dreadful day many lives were saved because afPastor 140 00:11:02.700 --> 00:11:05.600 was in the right place at the right time. 141 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:11.200 He was providing confession and absolution and caring for his sheep 142 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:13.900 as a Shepherd is want to do. 143 00:11:15.500 --> 00:11:19.700 The Apostle Peter tells us that God's understanding of time is rooted 144 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:26.400 in the deep love that he has for those whom he created, all mankind, all 145 00:11:26.400 --> 00:11:30.400 humanity. In the solid Declaration of the Book of Concord the 146 00:11:30.400 --> 00:11:34.100 confessional writers understood 2nd Peter chapter 3 in this way. 147 00:11:34.100 --> 00:11:39.400 God is not the cause of sin nor is he the cause of the punishment the 148 00:11:39.400 --> 00:11:44.500 damnation. The only cause of man's damnation is sin for the wages of sin 149 00:11:44.500 --> 00:11:50.200 is death, Romans chapter 6. And as God does not will sin and has no 150 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:51.000 pleasure in sin. 151 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:56.800 So he also does not will the death of a sinner and has no pleasure in 152 00:11:56.800 --> 00:11:57.300 his damnation. 153 00:11:57.300 --> 00:12:03.500 He does not will that any should perish but that all should reach 154 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:09.000 repentance, 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 9. 155 00:12:10.900 --> 00:12:13.100 I want to talk to the students if you don't mind. 156 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:17.700 Students, you do not yet fully know the impact 157 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:23.100 you're going to accomplish in God's time. Someone within the sound of 158 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:26.000 my voice is another future Raymond Hohenstein. 159 00:12:27.300 --> 00:12:31.300 How many souls for the Holy Spirit will you save from eternal hell? 160 00:12:31.300 --> 00:12:34.000 What amazing good and great things 161 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:37.900 will you accomplish in God's magnificent timeline being at the right 162 00:12:37.900 --> 00:12:44.800 place at the right time. Teaching, training, counseling, distributing the 163 00:12:44.800 --> 00:12:48.800 sacrament being with someone that's you place their hand from yours 164 00:12:48.800 --> 00:12:53.500 into the loving embrace of the Savior on their last day on Earth to 165 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:56.300 life eternal. Where we stand now 166 00:12:57.500 --> 00:13:02.500 God is not telling us what your future will be but it's going to be 167 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:11.300 magnificent and wonderful and well worth the effort. This sermon is not a 168 00:13:11.300 --> 00:13:14.300 class on horology the exploration of time. 169 00:13:14.300 --> 00:13:18.000 We're not here to come up with intelligent date and time of the second 170 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:18.100 coming. 171 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:23.300 Nor are we a peanut gallery making cat calls and criticisms at our 172 00:13:23.300 --> 00:13:24.100 Savior and King 173 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:27.900 for not moving in the time and speed of our desires. 174 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:35.400 This is about God's love for all humanity and his involvement in time 175 00:13:35.400 --> 00:13:41.700 for his pleasure and purpose for the Salvation of all. This is about 176 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:43.100 love. 177 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:50.100 This is about God's love. The dying of Jesus on the cross for the 178 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:52.500 redemption of humanity. 179 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:57.600 This is about your sins forgiven no matter how miserable a sinner you 180 00:13:57.600 --> 00:13:58.000 are. 181 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:02.500 This is about God doing all the work and you receiving all the 182 00:14:02.500 --> 00:14:06.800 treasures of Heaven. Luther wrote about 2nd Peter chapter 3 in this 183 00:14:06.800 --> 00:14:07.100 way. 184 00:14:07.900 --> 00:14:13.000 Before God there is no reckoning of time. A Thousand Years must be as it 185 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:14.800 were a day in his eyes. 186 00:14:14.800 --> 00:14:20.100 That is why the first human being Adam is just as near to him 187 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:25.200 as he who will be born last before the last day. 188 00:14:26.400 --> 00:14:30.800 2nd Peter chapter 2 verse 3 is about the unfathomable depths of the 189 00:14:30.800 --> 00:14:39.100 Lord God who loves you so deeply. Who cares for you and all humanity. 190 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:45.900 Who loves you and he wants to see you he wants to love you and he 191 00:14:45.900 --> 00:14:47.100 wants to be a part of your life. 192 00:14:47.100 --> 00:14:52.200 He's there and help you navigate to sadness and pain and for you to 193 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:59.100 see the demonstration of his will. So in this season in his time 194 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:05.500 I wish you a warm and peaceful Advent. The season of the church year where we 195 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:10.100 consider time itself. That we ask this in this holy and precious name 196 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:11.600 Jesus Christ Our Lord. 197 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:12.900 Amen.