Midweek Advent One – Pr. Anderson sermon
Hosea 14:4-8, Revelation 22:1-5 “Evergreens – Eternal Life through Christ”
December 3, 2025 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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A great and mighty wonder, A full and holy cure: The Virgin bears the Infant With virgin honor pure! Repeat the hymn again: “To God on high be glory And peace on earth to men!” And idol forms shall perish, And error shall decay, And Christ shall wield His scepter, Our Lord and God for aye. Repeat the hymn again: “To God on high be glory And peace on earth to men!” (ELH #113 v. 1&5)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
Here in Oregon, the state tree is a tree you know well as it is a tree of the season. Our state tree is the Douglas Fir. In our area, especially as we head over to Medford, we know well the landscape of the tall pines that line the mountains. These trees range in size. We see some that are small and skinny, and we see others nice and filled out. Going a little bit to the south into northern California and you find another kind of pine that is larger yet. Go to southern California and we really see the glories of creation with what can be thought of as a simple kind of tree. As every heart prepares during the season of Advent, we begin by viewing the imagery of the tree around us. In its size we see how vast God cares for us with His outstretched arms. And in its height, we witness how God not only takes care of us in this life, we see how God gives us eternal life through Christ.
This is a great view as we take in our landscape and see those trees that look to touch the sky. Now, viewing the eternal God with this image of the height of the trees, to prepare our hearts, we look at His omnipresence. Our God exists outside of time and space. As we look out at the view, this should always provide us with great comfort. He is here with us, especially now as we have gathered together in His Name. God reveals His goodness, but this knowledge of Him being present everywhere reveals our sins. The prophet Hosea reveals this as he prophecies, “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.” God is pointing out what is going to happen for the small group who will remain faithful as the might of Assyria was about to crash down on the northern kingdom of Israel.
As God reveals His divine mercy, He reveals it is an undeserved mercy and His anger burns against those who don’t believe in Him and follow His commands. For years and years, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were most importantly forgetting the greatest command of God. It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples around you—for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth (Deuteronomy 6:13-15). It is through the breaking of this command that many sins spring forth and God, keeping His Word, kindles His righteous anger. For most, this reaction from God is one to be accused as a God of hate. Yet, God’s love and mercy is there as He says, “I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon.” God wants to care and shepherd His people. He created them and wants to be with them forever.
As we look at forever and in reality, we can’t fathom what that looks like, the devil likes to tempt us with the thought that forever is just that, it is forever away. Through his temptations, it is easy to get lost in the here and now instead of in God’s gracious Advent. The moment we are in the delights of the here and now, and we have forgotten God’s first and most cared for command with something becoming the new god we serve, righteously deserving God’s perfect anger for not loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. Filling our heart, soul, and mind, with something else, and forever with our Lord of love drifts away. The Lord goes and corrects. “O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit.” We can’t replace God as He is our evergreen cypress, a great enormous tree that not only shelters us, but gives us the very works we do.
For the remnant, God would reveal to them how true He is to His Word, as they were remaining in His branches. For their fruit to come, it would have to come through the very work of God Himself. In His Advent, a perfect life with perfect works was accomplished. The evergreen cypress with its good fruit, now points to an even greater tree. A tree that lived on earth once before. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The work of the Lamb completed, as this Lamb was once slain, will bring His people into a glorious city. Paradise, pictured as the new Eden and this is only fitting with our God who lives forever. A perfect demonstration and description of His great power and what is to come. What once started off as perfect and plunged into chaos, is brought back to perfection once again. A perfection that will last forever, an eternal life through Christ.
Your eternal life through Christ can only be yours because of His gracious suffering for your sins. Through the cross you see the One True God, a God of mercy and might. The Father who takes the anger you deserve and places it fully on His Son. And found in this Lamb once slain, you find healing. Healing you have here and now with the forgiveness of your sins and healing you will have forever. As, the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. The ultimate curse of death that was to keep you away from your Lord forever is taken away. Now when the advent of your death arrives, you are healed of all your pains, your trials taken away. God truly restores you and turns His righteous anger away. With great thanks, you worship the Lamb on the throne who has freely given to you this new life!
This new life was present at the beginning with the tree of life for man to eat. The Lord wanting to spend forever with His most prized possession. With the fall and with man trying to replace Him with something false, He remained merciful and faithful. He gave the world the Way of Salvation. The Way that perfectly kept the Father and His will at the forefront of what He did. What you wish to do and know it hasn’t always happened. And because of His great love, you get to see it, hear it, and taste it. Through Christ and who’s advent you wait, you will be able to eat of the tree which lasts forever. Eternal life is there for His people. In that great day, the day you see in your view of the pines, they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. The gracious face and name you reflect on in this season. A season of penitence, a season of hope and comfort.
As the world searches for comfort in places it cannot be found, you know where your true comfort and hope is found. You hear it in the Words of your true God, who prepares your hearts as you know you can’t prepare them yourselves. He gives you His fruit from His evergreen cypress tree. The trees in your landscape, these tall pines point to your forever. Your eternal life given to you as a free gift through the work of Christ. As you continue to have your hearts prepared during this Advent season, the text for today gives you this nice taste for next week. It first, connects you to the past and the future with the river and the tree revealing the end will be like the beginning, but better. And once you see that gracious tree of healing, the text ends with the brightness of the Lamb once slain. Your forever, where They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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