“Behold, Your King is Coming to You” Advent 1 Matthew 21:1-11
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Introduction: A Royal Event
While at Cambridge, I saw Queen Elizabeth. Crowds flocked to catch a glimpse of her. It is fascinating to see how the British regard their royalty. The press is speculating that Prince William will have the most extravagant wedding ever. And can’t even imagine what the coronation ceremony for the next monarch will be like, probably a public spectacle unlike any other.
I. A. Jesus’ royal entrance was public
Our gospel reading from Matthew tells of a royal public spectacle; Different from the crowning of a British monarch, but still involving a bit of pomp and circumstance. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. A huge crowd lays cloaks on the road before him along with branches they’ve torn from trees. They shout praises. The event shook the city. It was an incredible act, recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. But, we know the rest of the story – A week later, the holy city of Jerusalem ended up murdering its Messiah as it had murdered its prophets who foretold of one who would come to bring salvation. From acclamation and acceptance to condemnation and rejection in the span of a week. Why did this happen?
It is significant that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is public. It would have been possible for Jesus to arrive without drawing attention to himself. But He did not come to slip quietly into the city.
What’s happened to the secretive Jesus? Remember him? Throughout the Gospels Jesus heals somebody then says, “Shhh! Don’t tell anybody.”
Here in Matthew 21, The crowd is screaming, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” But Jesus does not tell the crowd to pipe down.
Hosanna by the way means “Save us now! Indeed, Jesus is now there to save them. The time to be quiet is over. The hour of salvation has come.
B. It was provocative
Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was also provocative. Jesus didn’t normally ride around on donkeys. In the Old Testament, the royal heir rode a donkey. Jesus was presenting himself as the Son of David. His arrival is deliberately dramatic, designed to draw attention and provoke people to think about his claim to be the messiah. It is a challenge for the people to recognize their king, but Jerusalem does not rejoice. Rather, the event shook the city.
C. It was humble
Jesus did not fit their expectation of what a king should be like, because above all, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was humble.
Many expected the Messiah king to come in power and destroy political enemies, but as R.T. France writes: “This meek and peaceful donkey rider is not a potential leader of an anti-Roman insurrection.”
As King, Jesus is victorious, yet meek. He rides a donkey rather than a war horse. His kingdom is one of peace rather than coercion. Mounted on the son of the pack animal, Jesus comes as the meek suffering servant who will take away our weakness and bear out diseases. The messiah king of Israel will rule by virtue of his humble suffering and death. Jesus chose to portray himself in this way as he approached the city. This prepares us for a kingship that will be established without violence and through submitting to the will of enemies.
Jesus says in Matthew 20. “You want to be great? You must become a servant. You want to be first? You must be a slave. The son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
These words cause us to examine ourselves. What is your expectation of what Jesus should be like? It is no secret who Jesus is. Nor is it a secret what his kingdom is like. Do you worship and follow the humble suffering servant? Jesus challenges us to recognize him as king on His terms, a king hidden in the suffering of the cross. Our king chose the path of rejection and pain. Too often, we choose our own path; establish our own kingdom - one of comfort and ease. We fashion the Christian life in our own image. We want God to be our cosmic Sugar Daddy, giving us whatever we want. We ignore God when it is uncomfortable - when we are out of our comfort zone. We are called to serve our neighbors, our friends, our family, but we serve ourselves. We collect possessions and hoard our time. You and I find security, meaning and significance in ourselves, in the kingdoms that we have created for ourselves, and in our processions rather than in Christ alone.
But we are not left on our own. As Richard Lenski writes, “Jesus is a king like none other. His kingdom not of this world. The subjects of other kings come humbly to their king, this king comes humbly to his subjects. Other kings take all that they have from their people. This king gives all that he has to his people
Luther says “Christ is a peculiar king; you do not seek him, he seeks you. You do not find him. He finds you, for the preachers come from him not from you, their preaching comes from him not from you, your faith comes from him not from you, and all that your faith works in you comes from him, not from you.
III. Jesus, our Messiah King, makes his entrance among us now.
Behold, Your king is coming to you. As Jesus rode publicly, provocatively and humbly into Jerusalem. He comes to us this way even now.
A. His coming is public through Word and Worship
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem did the people know that they were shouting a messianic enthronement psalm? Who knows what they had in mind. But it shows the power of God’s Word. That is why we sing God’s words back to him in the liturgy. Even though we pray the liturgy week after week, we will never exhaust the depth of God’s own word sung and spoken back to him. Those pilgrims in Jerusalem sung the Word of God – “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” - as they threw down their coats and tore down branches to line the path of Christ their coming King, who was coming to lay down his own body and shed his own blood on the cross for the forgiveness of their sins.
We, pilgrims in this particular place, sing the same word of God in our Service of the Sacrament Look at pg __ in your service folder. “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” - We sing as our king comes to us, in a way that no less real then when he entered Jerusalem on a donkey. Christ comes to us through His Word and He comes us physically, even now, in his body and his blood.
Jesus, whose name means “The Lord is Salvation”, brought salvation by his suffering and death on the cross. We cry, “Hosanna!” meaning “Save us now!” And he does save us. Look at page ___. “Drink of it all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.” Our sins are forgiven because our Lord came humbly as a child into this world, rode humbly into Jerusalem and continues to come to us in an ordinary and humble fashion. Through the ordinary words of an imperfect human and through the ordinary and humble means of bread and wine. To some, it is a shock and an offense to reason to claim that the God of the universe should reveal himself in such a mundane and ordinary way.
B. His coming is provocative, defying human reason
C. His coming is humble, in ordinary, simple means of Bread and Wine
I’m sure that it was a shock and an offense to reason that a king should come born in a manger, born to humble ordinary people; or that the king should come riding a donkey - a simple, ordinary beast of burden.
This is no offense or shock, but rather this is the greatest comfort. Behold, your king comes to you now, humble and in a simple, ordinary way.
Our king defies expectations. Pain and suffering are bad, right? What king would suffer and die to bring salvation? Ours. Jesus came to earth as a human and bore the burden that we bear every day. He endured temptation. He endured the daily grind and pressures of life. He dealt with rejection and pain and sorrow. He felt all the normal ordinary human emotions.
We all have heavy burdens. But our King who rode a beast of burden, and who bore all our burdens upon the cross promises rest. Behold, your king is coming to you, right now as I speak, offering you blessings of life, salvation and peace. Amen.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
“Rescued from the Dominion of Darkness” - Colossians 1:13-20
“Rescued from the Dominion of Darkness” - Colossians 1:13-20
11.21.10 – Sunday of the Fulfillment
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
A couple weeks ago we “fell back” an hour for daylight saving time. Instead of the sun setting around 6 o’clock, now it sets around 5. We’ve lost almost a half an hour of daylight since setting our clocks back and we’ll lose another half hour of daylight until we hit December 21st, the shortest day of the year.
I’ve never been fond of the dark. Darkness has a certain power, and not necessarily for good. You can get lost in the dark. You are vulnerable and can’t see danger coming. Even physically, humans need light. In those places in the world where it is dark a lot, like in the extreme north, people have to be on guard against depression. Physical darkness has a certain power.
Spiritual darkness indeed has power too. In the world and in our lives, spiritual darkness can seem very powerful, almost as if it controls us and rules us. We know that there is a king of darkness and that he is very powerful. But even though we feel the power of darkness, our reading from Colossians has an incredible promise for us.
In Colossians 1:13, the apostle Paul mentions the “domain of darkness.” That is a very fitting description for Satan’s realm. Satan likes to keep his work hidden and secretive. He deals in deception and fear. Sin would not be so tempting if it was out in the open and exposed to the light. It would look downright hideous, so he likes to keep it under wraps. And in this Spiritual domain of darkness, we are vulnerable to either being trapped by what we can’t see or terrified because we know that something out there is lurking.
All of us, at one point, were part of this domain of darkness, and even now, Sin and Satan still pull at us.
-Sin and Satan pull us with deception. Satan wants us to believe the lie that sin isn’t dangerous. An entire industry is built on gossiping about people, saying mean and hurtful things about others. Rather than speaking about our neighbor in the best possible way, it’s our national pastime to drag her through the mud every change we get. Maybe you hold a grudge against someone and harbor bitterness against her. And think, “What’s the harm?”
Also, our entire economy seems to be fueled by people on desiring what their neighbor has; wanting the next latest and greatest thing to come down the line rather than being content with what God has provided. We ask ourselves, “What’s wrong with wanting nice new things? What’s dangerous about wanting more money, a nicer car, a better house, a bigger TV?”
-Sin and Satan also pull us with temptation, just as with Adam and Eve in the garden; Satan still gets us to ask the question, “Is it really wrong?” Is morality determined by my own personal preference and by society? Or is it determined by God’s Word? Billions of dollars are generated by marking and selling sex via TV and computer to people in the privacy of their own home. Because it’s there, does it make it right? Living together or having sex outside of God’s plan for marriage is accepted by many and we are tempted to think, “Is it really wrong?”
-Sin and Satan also pull us with fear. Maybe you beat yourself up, over sin and the experience of sin past and present. Maybe you think that there is no way that God will forgive you for things you’ve done or accept you because of things you’ve experienced. Maybe you’ve hurt people with your actions. Maybe you have abused drugs and alcohol. Maybe you’ve committed sexual sins. Maybe you’ve destroyed a relationship. Maybe you’ve been destroyed through a relationship. Maybe you’ve had an abortion or pressured someone to get one. Maybe you’ve been the victim of physical or emotional abuse. And because of this, whatever it is, you think: “Forgiveness and acceptance is not for me.”
Maybe you’re just scared. Terrified of being alone, of dying. Paralyzed with fear of the unknown, of things that could happen to you or your family. The pull of sin and Satan can deceive us and lead us into deep discouragement and despair. We turn inward and wonder “What’s wrong with me?” We can get to the point of almost losing hope and losing faith, ready to throw in the towel and to give up trying to live for Christ.
But hold on; let’s go back to Colossians 1:13. What does it say? God has rescued us and placed us under the authority of his Son. We are not under the authority of Sin and Satan’s domain of darkness. For us as Christians, there has been a regime change. There is a new guy in charge; we are under the rule of the Son. He is our king.
Notice that the following actions are in the past tense. ‘The Father has delivered us (past tense) from the domain of darkness and transferred us (past tense) to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” God has rescued you. It’s already happened!
It happened because of a specific historical event: redemption by the death of God’s beloved Son. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for ALL our sins and bought us back from Satan’s dominion of darkness.
-Those sins that we toyed with because we thought that they couldn’t hurt us all that much - gossiping about others, harboring bitterness toward others, craving money and possessions; those sins have been forgiven.
-Those sins we tried to rationalize away – lust of the eyes through pornography, lust of the flesh, through sexual sins; those sins have been forgiven.
-Even those sins we knew were wrong and know are deadly and even now are tormenting us with guilt- drug and alcohol abuse, adultery, murder, lies, hurtful behavior; these sins too have been forgiven.
-Also, sins of fear and doubt because of the unknown, because of experiences of abuse and pain; yes, these sins have been forgiven as well.
We have been redeemed! The price the Jesus paid was sufficient and our rescue from the domain of darkness was complete because of who Jesus is.
The Son has the authority to break the power of darkness – Now and forever. Verse 15 says that the Son is the image of the invisible God. Sometimes God may seem far away, but God doesn’t wish to keep us in the dark about his identity or his actions. When we see Christ, we see God. And in Christ, we see that God’s actions are always gracious and loving and forgiving, bringing light to those who sit in darkness.
Verse 16 says that The Son made all things; because of this, Son’s ability to rule has no limit. The Son, not Satan, is the rightful king of the universe. Satan is not equal in power to God. A few weeks ago for Reformation Day, we sang the hymn Luther wrote: “Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpower us. This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him.” What word is that that shatters the darkness? Jesus! The name above all names, “for at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, those on heaven and those on earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the Lord of God the Father!” When the Son returns, we will see Him on the throne and Satan cast down.
Verse 17 says that the Son sustains all things. He’s got the whole world in His hands. There is nowhere that His power does not reach. It shines into every dark corner where Satan might lurk. We have nothing to fear – not Satan’s worst in this life, nor hell in eternity.
Jesus rose from the dead and was the firstborn, the cause, of those who rise from the dead. When Jesus returns in bright glory, we too will rise! Jesus is God himself, all the fullness of God dwells in Him. He is 100% God and 100% man, he is therefore the mediator between God and man. Even when you and I don’t feel peaceful, Jesus has established peace between us and the Father – by taking all the hatred and evil of our sins in his own body on the cross.
So when you feel the pull and power of darkness – and every Christian feels it – hold fast to God’s promise. What is that promise? We are no longer under condemnation, we are not slaves to danger and fear because have been buried with Christ by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the death by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. God has rescued us out of the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the reign of His Son. One day, that reign will come in glory and we will be united with Christ in His resurrection. In these dark days, this gives us reason to rejoice, for His is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
11.21.10 – Sunday of the Fulfillment
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
A couple weeks ago we “fell back” an hour for daylight saving time. Instead of the sun setting around 6 o’clock, now it sets around 5. We’ve lost almost a half an hour of daylight since setting our clocks back and we’ll lose another half hour of daylight until we hit December 21st, the shortest day of the year.
I’ve never been fond of the dark. Darkness has a certain power, and not necessarily for good. You can get lost in the dark. You are vulnerable and can’t see danger coming. Even physically, humans need light. In those places in the world where it is dark a lot, like in the extreme north, people have to be on guard against depression. Physical darkness has a certain power.
Spiritual darkness indeed has power too. In the world and in our lives, spiritual darkness can seem very powerful, almost as if it controls us and rules us. We know that there is a king of darkness and that he is very powerful. But even though we feel the power of darkness, our reading from Colossians has an incredible promise for us.
In Colossians 1:13, the apostle Paul mentions the “domain of darkness.” That is a very fitting description for Satan’s realm. Satan likes to keep his work hidden and secretive. He deals in deception and fear. Sin would not be so tempting if it was out in the open and exposed to the light. It would look downright hideous, so he likes to keep it under wraps. And in this Spiritual domain of darkness, we are vulnerable to either being trapped by what we can’t see or terrified because we know that something out there is lurking.
All of us, at one point, were part of this domain of darkness, and even now, Sin and Satan still pull at us.
-Sin and Satan pull us with deception. Satan wants us to believe the lie that sin isn’t dangerous. An entire industry is built on gossiping about people, saying mean and hurtful things about others. Rather than speaking about our neighbor in the best possible way, it’s our national pastime to drag her through the mud every change we get. Maybe you hold a grudge against someone and harbor bitterness against her. And think, “What’s the harm?”
Also, our entire economy seems to be fueled by people on desiring what their neighbor has; wanting the next latest and greatest thing to come down the line rather than being content with what God has provided. We ask ourselves, “What’s wrong with wanting nice new things? What’s dangerous about wanting more money, a nicer car, a better house, a bigger TV?”
-Sin and Satan also pull us with temptation, just as with Adam and Eve in the garden; Satan still gets us to ask the question, “Is it really wrong?” Is morality determined by my own personal preference and by society? Or is it determined by God’s Word? Billions of dollars are generated by marking and selling sex via TV and computer to people in the privacy of their own home. Because it’s there, does it make it right? Living together or having sex outside of God’s plan for marriage is accepted by many and we are tempted to think, “Is it really wrong?”
-Sin and Satan also pull us with fear. Maybe you beat yourself up, over sin and the experience of sin past and present. Maybe you think that there is no way that God will forgive you for things you’ve done or accept you because of things you’ve experienced. Maybe you’ve hurt people with your actions. Maybe you have abused drugs and alcohol. Maybe you’ve committed sexual sins. Maybe you’ve destroyed a relationship. Maybe you’ve been destroyed through a relationship. Maybe you’ve had an abortion or pressured someone to get one. Maybe you’ve been the victim of physical or emotional abuse. And because of this, whatever it is, you think: “Forgiveness and acceptance is not for me.”
Maybe you’re just scared. Terrified of being alone, of dying. Paralyzed with fear of the unknown, of things that could happen to you or your family. The pull of sin and Satan can deceive us and lead us into deep discouragement and despair. We turn inward and wonder “What’s wrong with me?” We can get to the point of almost losing hope and losing faith, ready to throw in the towel and to give up trying to live for Christ.
But hold on; let’s go back to Colossians 1:13. What does it say? God has rescued us and placed us under the authority of his Son. We are not under the authority of Sin and Satan’s domain of darkness. For us as Christians, there has been a regime change. There is a new guy in charge; we are under the rule of the Son. He is our king.
Notice that the following actions are in the past tense. ‘The Father has delivered us (past tense) from the domain of darkness and transferred us (past tense) to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” God has rescued you. It’s already happened!
It happened because of a specific historical event: redemption by the death of God’s beloved Son. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for ALL our sins and bought us back from Satan’s dominion of darkness.
-Those sins that we toyed with because we thought that they couldn’t hurt us all that much - gossiping about others, harboring bitterness toward others, craving money and possessions; those sins have been forgiven.
-Those sins we tried to rationalize away – lust of the eyes through pornography, lust of the flesh, through sexual sins; those sins have been forgiven.
-Even those sins we knew were wrong and know are deadly and even now are tormenting us with guilt- drug and alcohol abuse, adultery, murder, lies, hurtful behavior; these sins too have been forgiven.
-Also, sins of fear and doubt because of the unknown, because of experiences of abuse and pain; yes, these sins have been forgiven as well.
We have been redeemed! The price the Jesus paid was sufficient and our rescue from the domain of darkness was complete because of who Jesus is.
The Son has the authority to break the power of darkness – Now and forever. Verse 15 says that the Son is the image of the invisible God. Sometimes God may seem far away, but God doesn’t wish to keep us in the dark about his identity or his actions. When we see Christ, we see God. And in Christ, we see that God’s actions are always gracious and loving and forgiving, bringing light to those who sit in darkness.
Verse 16 says that The Son made all things; because of this, Son’s ability to rule has no limit. The Son, not Satan, is the rightful king of the universe. Satan is not equal in power to God. A few weeks ago for Reformation Day, we sang the hymn Luther wrote: “Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpower us. This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him.” What word is that that shatters the darkness? Jesus! The name above all names, “for at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, those on heaven and those on earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the Lord of God the Father!” When the Son returns, we will see Him on the throne and Satan cast down.
Verse 17 says that the Son sustains all things. He’s got the whole world in His hands. There is nowhere that His power does not reach. It shines into every dark corner where Satan might lurk. We have nothing to fear – not Satan’s worst in this life, nor hell in eternity.
Jesus rose from the dead and was the firstborn, the cause, of those who rise from the dead. When Jesus returns in bright glory, we too will rise! Jesus is God himself, all the fullness of God dwells in Him. He is 100% God and 100% man, he is therefore the mediator between God and man. Even when you and I don’t feel peaceful, Jesus has established peace between us and the Father – by taking all the hatred and evil of our sins in his own body on the cross.
So when you feel the pull and power of darkness – and every Christian feels it – hold fast to God’s promise. What is that promise? We are no longer under condemnation, we are not slaves to danger and fear because have been buried with Christ by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the death by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. God has rescued us out of the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the reign of His Son. One day, that reign will come in glory and we will be united with Christ in His resurrection. In these dark days, this gives us reason to rejoice, for His is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
found this about my family
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=brower3231&id=I10771
ID: I10771
Name: Heinrich Habach
Given Name: Heinrich
Surname: Habach
Name: Heinrich Habach
Given Name: Heinrich Habach
Name: Heinrich Harbaugh
Given Name: Heinrich Harbaugh
Name: Henry Habach
Given Name: Henry Habach
Name: Henry Heorbach
Given Name: Henry Heorbach
Sex: M
Birth:
_UID: 4C73D999-E6A1-43DE-BCBA-91DCA9B3EFB5
RIN: MH:IF11670 BET 1755 AND 1764
Death:
_UID: 14374042-28FE-4A2F-B917-5BF551F25445
RIN: MH:IF72265
RIN: MH:I10779
_UID: 1A034A6F-AA59-4274-83BD-056E68933EAA
Note:
He was a Lutheran, and because he seems to have never used the Dutch form Hendrik for his given name, I can assume that any sojourn in Holland was short. He attended a German-language Lutheran church (I so assume because of the early identification of the church with a German name, Gute Hoffnung), overwhelming evidence must assert that he was from a German-speaking country. I cannot ascertain what part of the German-speaking lands he came from.
Whether Henry Harbaugh is related to the Harbaughs of the
"Harbaugh History" by Cora Bell HARBAUGH Cooprider that are not his descendants of himself or other Harbaughs who lived in Fayette County, PA at the time is highly uncertain. I know nothing yet of any ancestors who lived in Germany, Switzerland, or the (then) Germanophone Alsace-Lorraine region of France (family origin is likely in one of those places).
If HABACH is his original surname, then it was pronounced in German as "HAH-bakh", the KH representing a sound that does not exist in English. The strongly accented HAH could have been heard pronounced as "HAR", and the very audible "KH" could have come off as a K or been silent. Apparently it went silent and was spelled Harbaugh".
Several alternative spellings are possible for Harbaugh, but this family chose HARBAUGH
From a transcription of the 1800 US Census in Bullskin Twp., Fayette Co., PA
501 19 HEORBACH Henry 2 . . 1 . . . 1 . . . . .
This name was, of course, suited to sundry variations.
Note: two males under 10, one male between the ages of 26 and 45, and one female between the ages of 16 and 25. It is safely said that Henry was thus born between the
years 1754 and 1774, likely on the late side, and that Elizabeth was born between the years 1775 and 1784, likely on the early side. This household looks like a young couple, in view of the absence of any children over 10.
Here's a likely older brother:
501 18 HEORBACH John 5 1 . 1 . . . . 1 . . . .
Interpretation:
Five sons under 10, one son between 10 and 16, one adult male aged 26 to 45, wife between ages 26 and 45.
Here's a likely father of these two men:
501 17 HEORBACH Frances . . 1 . 1 . . . . 1 . . .
One son between the ages of 16 and 26, one man past age 45, wife past 45.
It is possible that "Frances" is a misrecording of "Francis" -- or "Franz", the German equivalent of "Francis". Nothing here is definitive.
..........
Rupp, in "About 30,000 Names" lists a "Heinrich Herbach" as arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1764, a "Johann Peter Harbach" as arriving in Philadelphia PA in 1772, and a "Michael Harbach" arriving in Philadelphia PA in 1773.
Strassburger, in "Pennsylvania German Pioneers", has a "Jacob Herbach" arriving in Philadelphia PA in 1741, and a Jacob Harbach arriving in Philadelphia in 1764. Those two are almost certainly different persons.
No other similar names, except involving a "Harback" arriving in Georgia at a similar time, is to be found, and the immigration list is extensive and alphabetic. Linguistic evidence suggests that if "HERBACH" is the correct spelling, then it was pronounced "hair-bakh" and slowly became "Harbaw" in pronunciation, as the obvious misspelling HEORBACH (which is bad German, bad English, bad Dutch, and bad anything else) seems to indicate. Paucity of alternatives on immigration lists suggests that the only alternative is to find someone who immigrated illegally, as by jumping ship.
In view of the absence of other evidence, my best guess is that Heinrich Herbach (known under several aliases -- all honorable, so far as I can tell) emigrated to the New World from Germany through Rotterdam and Philadelphia in 1764. Other Herbachs and Harbachs could be related -- but NOBODY seems to have reached America with the surname Harbaugh already formalized in writing.
It is possible that he immigrated as a child and even as an infant, so I have thus chosen to assert that he was born in or before 1764. Frequent changes of the rendering of his name are more typical of a recent immigrant with whose surname gives difficulties of pronunciation and spelling within the community within which he lives. Many French, German, English, and Spanish or Portuguese surnames were changed dramatically within the Dutch colony of New Holland; the lore of name changes of persons immigrating to most northern and western cities in the United States around AD 1900 shows the tendency to a powerful extent. Given names changed first; that is, Heinrich > Henry.
Once in America, Herbachs, Habachs, and Harbachs often became Harbaughs and who knows what else. Maybe even "Harvey" and of course "Harback". In his case the Anglicization went through "Heorbach", and as English speakers had trouble with the final sound that does not exist in English, the final "ch" was muted but transformed into the infamous silent final "gh" ot English.
NOTE TO RESEARCHERS:
Whatever you do, please cite my reasoning on the frequent name changes, which often seem like trial and error, in adaptation of an Anglophone environment. It is not from any book, so cite me to give credit -- or discredit -- where due. Because of the great ambiguity of his name at any given time, one can assume that his given name began as something unquestionably German over a few decades.
Addendum, 2 Dec 2006: a Francis Harbaugh, then between the ages of 70 and 80, appears in Union Twp., Fayette County, PA in the 1830 US Census, but not in 1840. This is consistent with "Frances Heorbach" being in the age group "45+" in 1810. No other persons with such a name are known to have been living in Fayette County between 1830 and 1870.
Change Date: 6 OCT 2008
Marriage 1 Elisabeth b: BET 1774 AND 1784
Children
Abraham Harbaugh b: ABT 1801 in Saltlick Twp., Fayette, Pennsylvania c: in Gute Hoffnung Lutheran Church, Saltlick Twp., Fayette, Pennsylvania
ID: I10771
Name: Heinrich Habach
Given Name: Heinrich
Surname: Habach
Name: Heinrich Habach
Given Name: Heinrich Habach
Name: Heinrich Harbaugh
Given Name: Heinrich Harbaugh
Name: Henry Habach
Given Name: Henry Habach
Name: Henry Heorbach
Given Name: Henry Heorbach
Sex: M
Birth:
_UID: 4C73D999-E6A1-43DE-BCBA-91DCA9B3EFB5
RIN: MH:IF11670 BET 1755 AND 1764
Death:
_UID: 14374042-28FE-4A2F-B917-5BF551F25445
RIN: MH:IF72265
RIN: MH:I10779
_UID: 1A034A6F-AA59-4274-83BD-056E68933EAA
Note:
He was a Lutheran, and because he seems to have never used the Dutch form Hendrik for his given name, I can assume that any sojourn in Holland was short. He attended a German-language Lutheran church (I so assume because of the early identification of the church with a German name, Gute Hoffnung), overwhelming evidence must assert that he was from a German-speaking country. I cannot ascertain what part of the German-speaking lands he came from.
Whether Henry Harbaugh is related to the Harbaughs of the
"Harbaugh History" by Cora Bell HARBAUGH Cooprider that are not his descendants of himself or other Harbaughs who lived in Fayette County, PA at the time is highly uncertain. I know nothing yet of any ancestors who lived in Germany, Switzerland, or the (then) Germanophone Alsace-Lorraine region of France (family origin is likely in one of those places).
If HABACH is his original surname, then it was pronounced in German as "HAH-bakh", the KH representing a sound that does not exist in English. The strongly accented HAH could have been heard pronounced as "HAR", and the very audible "KH" could have come off as a K or been silent. Apparently it went silent and was spelled Harbaugh".
Several alternative spellings are possible for Harbaugh, but this family chose HARBAUGH
From a transcription of the 1800 US Census in Bullskin Twp., Fayette Co., PA
501 19 HEORBACH Henry 2 . . 1 . . . 1 . . . . .
This name was, of course, suited to sundry variations.
Note: two males under 10, one male between the ages of 26 and 45, and one female between the ages of 16 and 25. It is safely said that Henry was thus born between the
years 1754 and 1774, likely on the late side, and that Elizabeth was born between the years 1775 and 1784, likely on the early side. This household looks like a young couple, in view of the absence of any children over 10.
Here's a likely older brother:
501 18 HEORBACH John 5 1 . 1 . . . . 1 . . . .
Interpretation:
Five sons under 10, one son between 10 and 16, one adult male aged 26 to 45, wife between ages 26 and 45.
Here's a likely father of these two men:
501 17 HEORBACH Frances . . 1 . 1 . . . . 1 . . .
One son between the ages of 16 and 26, one man past age 45, wife past 45.
It is possible that "Frances" is a misrecording of "Francis" -- or "Franz", the German equivalent of "Francis". Nothing here is definitive.
..........
Rupp, in "About 30,000 Names" lists a "Heinrich Herbach" as arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1764, a "Johann Peter Harbach" as arriving in Philadelphia PA in 1772, and a "Michael Harbach" arriving in Philadelphia PA in 1773.
Strassburger, in "Pennsylvania German Pioneers", has a "Jacob Herbach" arriving in Philadelphia PA in 1741, and a Jacob Harbach arriving in Philadelphia in 1764. Those two are almost certainly different persons.
No other similar names, except involving a "Harback" arriving in Georgia at a similar time, is to be found, and the immigration list is extensive and alphabetic. Linguistic evidence suggests that if "HERBACH" is the correct spelling, then it was pronounced "hair-bakh" and slowly became "Harbaw" in pronunciation, as the obvious misspelling HEORBACH (which is bad German, bad English, bad Dutch, and bad anything else) seems to indicate. Paucity of alternatives on immigration lists suggests that the only alternative is to find someone who immigrated illegally, as by jumping ship.
In view of the absence of other evidence, my best guess is that Heinrich Herbach (known under several aliases -- all honorable, so far as I can tell) emigrated to the New World from Germany through Rotterdam and Philadelphia in 1764. Other Herbachs and Harbachs could be related -- but NOBODY seems to have reached America with the surname Harbaugh already formalized in writing.
It is possible that he immigrated as a child and even as an infant, so I have thus chosen to assert that he was born in or before 1764. Frequent changes of the rendering of his name are more typical of a recent immigrant with whose surname gives difficulties of pronunciation and spelling within the community within which he lives. Many French, German, English, and Spanish or Portuguese surnames were changed dramatically within the Dutch colony of New Holland; the lore of name changes of persons immigrating to most northern and western cities in the United States around AD 1900 shows the tendency to a powerful extent. Given names changed first; that is, Heinrich > Henry.
Once in America, Herbachs, Habachs, and Harbachs often became Harbaughs and who knows what else. Maybe even "Harvey" and of course "Harback". In his case the Anglicization went through "Heorbach", and as English speakers had trouble with the final sound that does not exist in English, the final "ch" was muted but transformed into the infamous silent final "gh" ot English.
NOTE TO RESEARCHERS:
Whatever you do, please cite my reasoning on the frequent name changes, which often seem like trial and error, in adaptation of an Anglophone environment. It is not from any book, so cite me to give credit -- or discredit -- where due. Because of the great ambiguity of his name at any given time, one can assume that his given name began as something unquestionably German over a few decades.
Addendum, 2 Dec 2006: a Francis Harbaugh, then between the ages of 70 and 80, appears in Union Twp., Fayette County, PA in the 1830 US Census, but not in 1840. This is consistent with "Frances Heorbach" being in the age group "45+" in 1810. No other persons with such a name are known to have been living in Fayette County between 1830 and 1870.
Change Date: 6 OCT 2008
Marriage 1 Elisabeth b: BET 1774 AND 1784
Children
Abraham Harbaugh b: ABT 1801 in Saltlick Twp., Fayette, Pennsylvania c: in Gute Hoffnung Lutheran Church, Saltlick Twp., Fayette, Pennsylvania
Sunday, November 7, 2010
All saints
All Saints Day (Observed) A Victorious Heavenly Family Reunion Rev 7:9-17
Anybody catch that victory celebration downtown at the Civic Center this week? I wasn't there personally, but caught it via television. I can’t imagine being there in the middle of that crowd, but it looked like a great time.
Our reading from Revelation paints a picture similar to that Giants’ World Series celebration. There are no people hanging off the light poles, but the Apostle John indeed gives us a little slice of heaven. He describes his vision of a great multitude of people which no one could number. This is our future. You and I are in the middle of this crowd. And unlike the celebration here in San Francisco, at the heavenly celebration you won’t need to jockey for position, suffer from dehydration, or wait anxiously in line to use the restroom. John tells of a magnificent, victorious, heavenly family reunion. All baptized believers past, present and future are in attendance. Imagine the family photo!
An innumerable crowd. Kind of reminds you of that promise God gave to Abraham, that his descendants would be like the sand on the seashore. But we are not a part of this celebration because of our ethnic connection to Abraham but rather because of faith, on account of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God upon the cross. The precious blood of the Lamb bought you and I and has made it possible for us to celebrate with baptized believers, from every tongue, tribe, and nation. Every skin tone and language will be represented. And though we may look different and sound different, we will all be united by the sacrifice of Christ, standing before the throne, worshipping the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. You can take comfort that this "Lamb who sits on the throne" does not hold his position by means of electoral or popular vote. He rules because He is God not because he was appointed by the populous.
What a great celebration that will be. All the saints, the ones made holy by Christ, will be there. My great Grandpa Orlo and my great, great, great great grandpa Henry, also Martin Luther, the Apostle Paul, Peter, James and John, Abraham, David. You name the saint and they are in attendance.
Also, those saints who have died more recently: Bill Silvera, Brigitte Wiel, Irene Kruger, and just this past Wednesday Rosemarie Arenz. They too will be clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. Remember Palm branches in the Bible? Palm Sunday! They were used in Jesus’ victory parade before he laid down his life upon the cross. Palm branches are a sign of victory - like wearing the orange and black around here now of days – an indication that the battle has been won. In life everlasting, the home team wears white – robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. Christ’s blood cleanses and washes us.
What do we need to be washed and cleansed from? The sin that so easily entangles as it says in Hebrews 12. Let’s leave this heavenly image for a second and descend back to earth. In the book of Revelation, we are given an heavenly vision, but our lives seem very right here and right now. Very earthy, some times too much so. What do we, now, have in common with this heavenly vision? Our earthly family picture is often not as pretty as the heavenly family photo. We bicker and fight. We have hurt feelings and we hurt feelings. We hear harsh words and we speak harsh words. We think evil thoughts. We suffer broken relationships, broken hearts. We have lost loved ones. The experience of sin in our lives can point us toward losing hope or losing faith.
Acts 14:22 says “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Pastor and professor Dr Louis Brighton says “Some tribulations and sufferings will be so piercing and poignant that the very faith and foundation of the believer’s hope will be severely tried, almost to the point of despair and defeat. For that Christian at that moment, his sufferings and trials are his great tribulation and every Christian will experience tribulation.”
Often tribulations, and the tears that result, are a part of our experience as the faithful people of God while on this earth.
-we shed tears over our own sins and over the sins of others
- we shed tears over the ruin and sufferings experienced by others
- we shed tears over our own afflictions
- we shed tears when we are confronted with God’s anger
- we shed tears when we are alone and in sorrow
“In this life, the shedding of tears is as much – at times even more- our experience as Christians as are joy and laughter. It is our nature as the people of God to weep and lament, but it is the gift of God’s grace to turn our weeping and sorrow into joy. This picture of eternal glory in Rev 7:14 (quote) is for our comfort and for the comfort of all Christians of all times as we experience whatever tribulations test our faith”. It is a complete and final fulfillment of this God's promise.
“We Christian's do not have immunity from severe suffering, rather in our ‘tribulations’ we experience such sufferings and fears and threats to life and faith that the depth of our very souls will be scorched in fiery trial. We must acknowledge that loss of faith and damnation to hell are real possibilities.” But the Word of God can strengthen our faith so that, despite such a fiery trial, our faith will hold out, and we will come through victorious, perhaps even stronger.”
So we cry, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!” as we cling to our baptism and to the Word of God. But also, we know that our heads are not in the clouds and our minds are not on the sweet by and by, but rather we are in the here and now and you are in a particular place, the right place, mind you. God’s place. In life everlasting, we will serve God in His temple. Now, we worship Him in His holy house here on earth.
In life everlasting, God will tabernacle with us, sheltering us with His presence, dwelling with us. We also know that in the person of Jesus, Heaven and earth meet - God became man, dwelling with us in human flesh. He also comes to us now in the flesh, in His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.
You see, the church is not just a place to sing some songs and see friends and have some words spoken at you. Here, right now, is where heaven and earth meet. No less. Accept nothing less. There are a lot better clubs you can join if that what you're looking for. But in this place, the Word you hear is the Word of Christ, His gospel for the forgiveness of your sins. You are forgiven! And the people next to you, to your right and to your left, in front of you and behind you are holy saints, sealed by the Spirit in the living waters of Baptism. They are no mere mortals, but were created by God for eternity.
And those songs we sing. It’s not just our voices singing but the whole heavenly host joins in. Angels and Archangels. David, Abraham, Paul Peter James and John, Bill, Irene, Brigitte Rose Marie and all Christians throughout the ages. We join our voices together.
One day we will all be joined together - one big happy family. The troubles of this life will be but a shadow, tears and pain a distant memory. Savor this slice of heaven. In fact, come to the altar and have a taste. The heavenly feast awaits. You are invited to the feast. Enjoy the victory celebration. Amen
Anybody catch that victory celebration downtown at the Civic Center this week? I wasn't there personally, but caught it via television. I can’t imagine being there in the middle of that crowd, but it looked like a great time.
Our reading from Revelation paints a picture similar to that Giants’ World Series celebration. There are no people hanging off the light poles, but the Apostle John indeed gives us a little slice of heaven. He describes his vision of a great multitude of people which no one could number. This is our future. You and I are in the middle of this crowd. And unlike the celebration here in San Francisco, at the heavenly celebration you won’t need to jockey for position, suffer from dehydration, or wait anxiously in line to use the restroom. John tells of a magnificent, victorious, heavenly family reunion. All baptized believers past, present and future are in attendance. Imagine the family photo!
An innumerable crowd. Kind of reminds you of that promise God gave to Abraham, that his descendants would be like the sand on the seashore. But we are not a part of this celebration because of our ethnic connection to Abraham but rather because of faith, on account of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God upon the cross. The precious blood of the Lamb bought you and I and has made it possible for us to celebrate with baptized believers, from every tongue, tribe, and nation. Every skin tone and language will be represented. And though we may look different and sound different, we will all be united by the sacrifice of Christ, standing before the throne, worshipping the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. You can take comfort that this "Lamb who sits on the throne" does not hold his position by means of electoral or popular vote. He rules because He is God not because he was appointed by the populous.
What a great celebration that will be. All the saints, the ones made holy by Christ, will be there. My great Grandpa Orlo and my great, great, great great grandpa Henry, also Martin Luther, the Apostle Paul, Peter, James and John, Abraham, David. You name the saint and they are in attendance.
Also, those saints who have died more recently: Bill Silvera, Brigitte Wiel, Irene Kruger, and just this past Wednesday Rosemarie Arenz. They too will be clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. Remember Palm branches in the Bible? Palm Sunday! They were used in Jesus’ victory parade before he laid down his life upon the cross. Palm branches are a sign of victory - like wearing the orange and black around here now of days – an indication that the battle has been won. In life everlasting, the home team wears white – robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. Christ’s blood cleanses and washes us.
What do we need to be washed and cleansed from? The sin that so easily entangles as it says in Hebrews 12. Let’s leave this heavenly image for a second and descend back to earth. In the book of Revelation, we are given an heavenly vision, but our lives seem very right here and right now. Very earthy, some times too much so. What do we, now, have in common with this heavenly vision? Our earthly family picture is often not as pretty as the heavenly family photo. We bicker and fight. We have hurt feelings and we hurt feelings. We hear harsh words and we speak harsh words. We think evil thoughts. We suffer broken relationships, broken hearts. We have lost loved ones. The experience of sin in our lives can point us toward losing hope or losing faith.
Acts 14:22 says “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Pastor and professor Dr Louis Brighton says “Some tribulations and sufferings will be so piercing and poignant that the very faith and foundation of the believer’s hope will be severely tried, almost to the point of despair and defeat. For that Christian at that moment, his sufferings and trials are his great tribulation and every Christian will experience tribulation.”
Often tribulations, and the tears that result, are a part of our experience as the faithful people of God while on this earth.
-we shed tears over our own sins and over the sins of others
- we shed tears over the ruin and sufferings experienced by others
- we shed tears over our own afflictions
- we shed tears when we are confronted with God’s anger
- we shed tears when we are alone and in sorrow
“In this life, the shedding of tears is as much – at times even more- our experience as Christians as are joy and laughter. It is our nature as the people of God to weep and lament, but it is the gift of God’s grace to turn our weeping and sorrow into joy. This picture of eternal glory in Rev 7:14 (quote) is for our comfort and for the comfort of all Christians of all times as we experience whatever tribulations test our faith”. It is a complete and final fulfillment of this God's promise.
“We Christian's do not have immunity from severe suffering, rather in our ‘tribulations’ we experience such sufferings and fears and threats to life and faith that the depth of our very souls will be scorched in fiery trial. We must acknowledge that loss of faith and damnation to hell are real possibilities.” But the Word of God can strengthen our faith so that, despite such a fiery trial, our faith will hold out, and we will come through victorious, perhaps even stronger.”
So we cry, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!” as we cling to our baptism and to the Word of God. But also, we know that our heads are not in the clouds and our minds are not on the sweet by and by, but rather we are in the here and now and you are in a particular place, the right place, mind you. God’s place. In life everlasting, we will serve God in His temple. Now, we worship Him in His holy house here on earth.
In life everlasting, God will tabernacle with us, sheltering us with His presence, dwelling with us. We also know that in the person of Jesus, Heaven and earth meet - God became man, dwelling with us in human flesh. He also comes to us now in the flesh, in His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.
You see, the church is not just a place to sing some songs and see friends and have some words spoken at you. Here, right now, is where heaven and earth meet. No less. Accept nothing less. There are a lot better clubs you can join if that what you're looking for. But in this place, the Word you hear is the Word of Christ, His gospel for the forgiveness of your sins. You are forgiven! And the people next to you, to your right and to your left, in front of you and behind you are holy saints, sealed by the Spirit in the living waters of Baptism. They are no mere mortals, but were created by God for eternity.
And those songs we sing. It’s not just our voices singing but the whole heavenly host joins in. Angels and Archangels. David, Abraham, Paul Peter James and John, Bill, Irene, Brigitte Rose Marie and all Christians throughout the ages. We join our voices together.
One day we will all be joined together - one big happy family. The troubles of this life will be but a shadow, tears and pain a distant memory. Savor this slice of heaven. In fact, come to the altar and have a taste. The heavenly feast awaits. You are invited to the feast. Enjoy the victory celebration. Amen
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