Advent Week 3: The Lowly Live on Earth Under the Protection of Heaven
This blog is part three of a four-part Advent series.
In this third installment of our Advent series on a Christmas sermon[1] Martin Luther preached during his exile in Wartburg, Germany, he continues the theme of the simplicity of the gospel message. Played out against the backdrop of the political intrigue and human longing of those who awaited the coming of the Messiah, the Christmas story, for Luther, provided the perfect illustration of how salvation comes through simple faith and trust, rather than through outer works of performative righteousness or the purchase of indulgences.
His messages during this time of religious upheaval served to encourage the awakening laity and nascent Protestant reformers who were facing persecution and uncertainty, reinforcing their commitment to the new theological themes. By focusing on Scripture and particularly on the newfound simplicity of the otherwise lofty doctrine of the incarnation, Luther was educating the simple folks about how to understand and interpret the Bible for themselves, which was revolutionary at the time.
A Sermon by Martin Luther, from his Wartburg Church Postil, 1521–1522
. . . First of all then the gospel must be heard, and the appearance and the voice of the angel must be believed. Had the shepherds not heard from the angel that Christ lay there, they might have seen him ten thousand times without ever knowing that the child was Christ. . . . Here then we have these two, the faith and the gospel, that these and nothing else are to be preached throughout Christendom.
Let us now see who are to be the preachers and who the learners. The preachers are to be angels, that is, God’s messengers, who are to lead a heavenly life, are to be constantly engaged with God’s Word so that they under no circumstances preach the doctrine of men. It is a most incongruous thing to be God’s messenger and not to further God’s message. Angelus means a messenger and Luke calls him God’s messenger (Angelus Domini). The message also is of more importance than the messenger’s life. If he leads a wicked life he only injures himself. But if he brings a false message in the place of God’s message, he leads astray and injures every one that hears him, and causes idolatry among the people in that they accept lies for the truth, honor men instead of God, and pray to the devil instead of to God. . . .
The learners are shepherds, poor people out in the fields. Here Jesus lived out what he says in Math. 11: 5, “And the poor have good tidings preached to them,” and Math. 5: 8, “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here are no learned, no rich, no mighty ones–for such people do not as a rule accept the gospel. The gospel is a heavenly treasure, which will not tolerate any other treasure and will not agree with any earthly guest in the heart. Therefore, whoever loves the one must let go the other, as Christ says in Math. 6:24: “You cannot serve God and mammon.” This is shown by the shepherds in that they were in the field under the canopy of heaven, and not in houses, showing that they do not hold fast and cling to temporal things; and besides they are in the fields by night, despised by and unknown to the world which sleeps in the night, and which, by day, delights so to walk that it may be noticed. But the poor shepherds go about their work at night. They represent all the lowly who live on earth, often despised and unnoticed but who dwell only under the protection of heaven; they eagerly desire the Gospel.
That there were shepherds [plural] means that no one is to hear the gospel for himself alone, but everyone is to tell it to others who are not acquainted with it. For he who believes for himself has enough and should endeavor to bring others to such faith and knowledge, so that one may be a shepherd of the other, to wait upon and lead him into the pasture of the gospel in this world during the night time of this earthly life. At first the shepherds were sore afraid because of the angel; for human nature is shocked when it first hears in the gospel that all our works are nothing and are condemned before God. It does not easily give up its prejudices and presumptions.
Now let everyone examine himself in the light of the gospel and see how far he is from Christ, what is the character of his faith and love. There are many who are enkindled with dreamy devotion, when they hear of such poverty of Christ, are almost angry with the citizens of Bethlehem, denounce their blindness and ingratitude, and think, if they had been there, they would have shown the Lord and his mother a more becoming service, and would not have permitted them to be treated so miserably. But they do not look by their side to see how many of their fellow men need their help, and which they let go on in their misery unaided. Who is there upon earth that has no poor, miserable, sick, erring ones, or sinful people around him? Why does he not exercise his love to those? Why does he not do to them as Christ has done to him?