Dear Christian friends:

Why's the Christmas tree still up? December 25th is Christmas of Jews, January 6th, Epiphany, Christmas of the Gentiles. We are Gentiles and so Epiphany ought to be very precious to us. Today we praise God because He called also the Gentiles to come to Jesus. When old Simeon held the baby Jesus in his arms in the temple he said: "Lord now let your servant depart (die) in peace, because my eyes have seen your Savior which You have prepared for all people a Light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of your people, Israel."

Therefore, today we think about the work by which more and more Gentiles may be led to Jesus, the Savior. I mean Mission Work. Therefore with our text and the help of God's Holy Spirit let us consider:

I wish to show you why Mission Work is a duty for all Christians and why this Work is especially our duty today. The first Gentiles were led to the Savior in a wonderful way: The Star in the East. But the Star alone was not enough. It did not lead them directly to Bethlehem; but to Jerusalem. There they had to ask God's priests and teachers where the Christ should be born.

God had good reasons for this: He could have led them to Bethlehem, bypassing Jerusalem, but He wanted the priests and scribes and the King and all Jerusalem to know that now the old prophecy about the promised Savior was fulfilled.

Perhaps another reason was this; God wanted to impress on our hearts that He uses His Church to lead men to Jesus. God did use angels to lead the shepherds to Bethlehem and here He used the Star to lead the wise men part of the way.

God could do all his preaching and mission work by angels if he wanted, but He has not decided to use that method. He has decided to use His church, his dear friends, men and women like you and I. Oh what a wonderful duty and responsibility. The angels were highly honored and glad to announce the baby Jesus to the shepherds. You and I ought to feel even more honored and glad in that work: the angels are holy and worthy of such honorable and holy work, but you and I are sinners, really not worthy of such honorable and holy work.

So we see God's great kindness to us in forgiving us and sending us to do such holy work as angels like to do. But often we Christians forget that Mission work is a greatly honorable and joyous work and therefore we are not very eager to do it.

And so we often make excuses saying: "I have no time to visit and tell of Jesus." Others say: "Let the pastor do it, he knows how, I don't." Some say: "Foreign missions are too expensive: we can't afford it. We need to use all of our money for ourselves at the home church." These are the old, old excuses.

But you know that angels would not make excuses like that. They love God and are eager and quick to obey and serve Him and they love sinners and are glad to bring them the good news of forgiveness and peace with God through His Son, Jesus. They know the great honor and joy in mission work and they are sad and weep to see that you and I forget and do not be more quick and eager and happy in doing it.

And even if Jesus had not commanded us to do mission work we ought to be glad to do it because we love other men. If you saw a man hungry and refused to feed him, I would say you do not love him: you are bad because you refuse to help the needy. So we see men without Jesus in need serving Satan and sin instead of God. If we love them, we hurry to tell them. Use story here!

Especially today: Sometimes Christians are very poor and can't do mission work even if they wanted. They are not happy because they have no way or no money. But is that our problem today? Are we that poor? No, we are citizens of the richest country in the world. God has blessed the Christians of America. He is weekly giving us many worldly things: Good incomes, lots of leisure time only 40 hour work week. No other nation in the world has it so good. God is trying to tell us to be thankful and do His mission work. Then we will have a wonderful organization in our Synod.

Like a fine machine, but as all machines it needs gas and oil and grease to run: Your prayers, volunteer help, your sons and daughters for man-power and your money support. What good is a beautiful machine without gas? What good is a college without students? No sons of deaf yet in our ministry, when? O'Donnel's son is going into Catholic ministry for the deaf. Why not the talented sons of our Lutheran deaf?

Oh may God forgive us our carelessness and indifference for Jesus's sake. May He by His Word and Spirit give us glad, eager hearts like the angels and the Star to quickly announce Jesus to men in need.

Amen.