The Nativity of Christ and the Work of the Brothers of John: Confession, Vocation, Liturgy and New Media, by Pr. Rossow

Each of the characters of the nativity bring to mind the work of the Brothers of John the Steadfast and reflecting devotionally on each of them will help us focus this Holy night on the gracious brother of a not so steadfast mankind, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Abraham, David, Jechoniah and Joseph – Confessing the True Faith

Matthew begins the Gospel of Jesus with a genealogy that flows from notorious Abraham through messianic David to faceless Jechoniah (father of Joseph) and down to Joseph himself, the husband of Mary. We certainly see the Brothers of John the Steadfast and our work in these characters. The Brothers of John the Steadfast are committed to the true confession of the faith. We are committed to handing on what we have received from God just as Abraham, David and Jechoniah faithfully handed down the promise of a Messiah to successive generations.

Joseph – Learning to be the Spiritual Head of the Household

After the genealogy comes the vocational wrestling of Joseph, the eventual husband of Mary. The Brothers of John the Steadfast are committed to making stronger spiritual heads of households. On his own strength, Joseph rejected his vocation with Mary but by the revelation of God’s word to him, he found strength to take her as his wife and be a father to the baby she would bear. It is not easy in today’s world to be the spiritual head of the household. BJS works to support this godly vocation.

The Shepherds – A Scrappy Bunch with a Liturgical Revelation of New Media

If there was a single individual or group that most clearly portrays the Brothers of John the Steadfast it is probably the scrappy bunch of shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. One gets the impression that if those shepherds had laptops or Blackberries they would have some wonderful posts for the BJS “No Pietists Allowed” page. Even more true to the work of BJS, illustrated by the shepherds, is the liturgical revelation in a new media that the they received. The Brothers are committed to promoting the same liturgical beauty and truth captured in the “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” that the shepherds received that night in the fields. Talk about your new media! Never before were the farmers’ fields filled with such a new and wonderful media – the voices of angels. May God bless the Brothers of John as they continue to support such new media like Issues, Etc. as it brings the truth and beauty of the Gospel to farmers fields, laborers shops, and businessmen’s cubicles still today.

The Wisemen – The Contributors to this Sight Continue in Sagacity

If we look ahead to the Epiphany we see the sages come to worship Christ. We give thanks to God for the wise men and women of today who grace this website with their posts and their comments. In all of our zealous polity commentary, waxing on worship, rejecting the Emergence, and the like, may we always remember that our intellects are gifts of God to be used in service of the Gospel of the Christ child.

Mother Mary – Beginning a New Chapter in BJS History: The Sisters of Katie Luther

Last and not least is the one blessed among women, is Mary the mother of our Lord. She too reminds us of the Brothers efforts to promote godly vocation. She humbly replied to the Gospel promise “Let it be to me as you have said.” At BJS we want to support not only the head of households vocation but also the helpmates. We have long said that we are going to start a parallel group – “The Sisters of Katie Luther.” That time has come. Next week we will have an important announcement about this new group.

For now, let us take a couple days rest from this difficult work of the Brothers and the Sisters. It is exhausting work to keep the Gospel pure in these end times. But the service of God to us tonight and tomorrow shall bring renewed strength. The Nativity of our God is the beginning of a thirty year war against Satan that would end with the most encouraging three words for the warriors of the Knights of John the Steadfast – “It is finished!” It is tiring work, but we know that the battle is won and in it’s moniker, the cross, there is overflowing strength for our vocations as preachers and hearers.

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