Quinquagesima Sunday, 2014
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Hymn #27 O Bless the Lord 4:21
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 305:1-5 Soul Adorn Thyself 4:23
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 305:1-5 Soul Adorn Thyself 4:23
Where Is Love?
The Hymn # 305:6-9 Soul, Adorn Thyself 4:23
The Hymn # 305:6-9 Soul, Adorn Thyself 4:23
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4:24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4:24
The Epistle. 1 Corinthians 13
THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
The Gospel. St. Luke 18. 31.
THEN Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David. have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood. and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Quinquagesima Sunday
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst manifest Thyself, with the Holy Ghost, in the fullness of grace at the baptism of Thy dear Son, and with Thy voice didst direct us to Him who hath borne our sins, that we might receive grace and the remission of sins: Keep us, we beseech Thee, in the true faith; and inasmuch as we have been baptized in accordance with Thy command, and the example of Thy dear Son, we pray Thee to strengthen our faith by Thy Holy Spirit, and lead us to everlasting life and salvation, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Where Is Love?
One of the signs of madness is to search for something in the wrong place and to continue to obsess about it.
Everyone is in favor of love. No one is against it.
Rather than work through each verse of the love chapter in 1 Corinthians, I am going to point out where love comes from. As most people realize, Paul was pointing out to the Corinthians that they boasted of all their spiritual gifts, but were lacking in love. He did that with a great rhetorical flourish. He identified all the marks of love, leaving it unsaid that they were missing that in Corinth, no matter what they boasted.
According to the finest minds at Fuller Seminary, a lovey church will grow because everyone wants love. Everyone is drawn to love.
The LCA did a study of growing churches and found that the growing ones were known as "nurturing congregations." I knew one staffer who was at a designated nurturing church. After the study, he said, "We lost it."
The Synodical Conference congregations were once known for being relatively strong, but they decided they needed to be more loving. In fact, Fuller taught all their leaders that being loving was the key.
This is all very basic and a sign of our present madness and blindness that no one knows where love is, to quote Oliver from the musical.
Love Is the Fruit of the Gospel
Although it is a favorite word, genuine love is not as popular as the term itself. TV has made love, love, love popular, but I have also heard love, love, love, love, love. In relationships, there is a greater quest for love but not the achievement of love.
Love grows from faith in Christ and the forgiveness of sins. Galatians 5 identifies love as the fruit of the Spirit - one of nine listed. But love is listed first.
Another way of saying this is - When love is lacking, there must be a lack of faith in the Gospel.
Fruit means the result of the Spirit. We have messed up the agricultural meaning, as I pointed out to a religion class. Fruit is far more than apples and oranges. Most plants (even grass) flower and fruit. That is - they form a flower to produce a seed. The formation of the seed is called fruiting, whether it is grass, wheat, corn, or strawberries. The food value feeds us and also helps spread the plant.
Luther often challenged his audience to consider their repentance and faith if they felt cold and lacking in love. He did not have programs and exercises for them to perform.
First We Love the Word of God
Obeying the First Table of the Ten Commandments comes from abiding in Christ through worship and desiring sound doctrine. It is not shocking to find that so many are confused today. They wander around looking for something to please them rather than seeking what is faithful to God's Word.
There is no excuse, because most have easy access to the Scriptures. Every single person is responsible to know the Word of God and trust that God speaks directly to us through His revealed Word. That is the voice of the Holy Spirit - never-changing.
Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice." Those who trust in the Savior follow Him, and Him alone. I know this is an age where someone is supposed to impress the crowds with being a guru, a shaman (medicine man), charismatic enough to make the cover of Time, Newsweek, or the Milwaukee Journal.
Sheep are smarter than a lot of people, sorry to say. Sheep follow the voice of their shepherd and run from others. If there is no choice available, everyone has a Bible as the guide, the ruling norm. No book judges the Bible, because the Bible judges all the books of man.
Holy Spirit - Always at Work in the Word
Since love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, love is only going to come from the Word of God.
I enjoy teaching non-Lutherans about the Spirit, because they are eager to hear about it, while the "conservative" Lutheran pastors are in constant rebellion against this basic teaching of the Bible.
Two parts of this are essential to know and to guard. Jesus said - Guard the Word.
A. The Spirit always works in the Word.
B. The Spirit never works apart from the Word.
Lutherans have neglected A. Pentecostals are weak on B - but I hear they are abandoning their use of tongue-speaking as a required sacrament.
Both parts are essential, because the Christian Church is built upon one foundation alone - Christ, who comes to us through the Word. He does not rely on relationships, friendship programs, social programs, entertainment, youth programs, or snacks. If some pastor says, "We built up our church through baseball tournaments," (that's a quote) - then run away...screaming.
An abundance of the Word is an abundance of the Spirit - the Gospel. Taking away from the Word, by hiding the Sacraments, by turning the sermon into a coaching session - that is robbing people of the Spirit, the Gospel, faith, and love.
Spirit, Jesus, Gospel, Faith
The Bible is a sermon about Christ, as Luther often stated. The Spirit brings the Savior to us, showing us God's mercy and love in the forgiveness proclaimed by the cross. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world, no one needs to doubt this forgiveness.
Our problem with doubt is reflected in doubting God's complete forgiveness. Faith in Jesus means trusting this is completely true, not partially true. This Gospel does not mean forgiveness for minor sins only, for sins we can conquer (which is impossible) but for all sins forever. Nevertheless, we remain sinners until we die and need the daily forgiveness that comes from the Spirit at work in the Gospel.
Love does not grow where people harbor resentment and strive to get even. Every time something minor bothers us, we should ask, "Do I want the same things that I do be overlooked?" If the answer is yes, then it should be overlooked. If we fool ourselves into thinking we have no sin, then we need repentance.
Luther said the surest sign of repentance is not harboring resentment. It is far better to excuse and to cover for the slights of the moment, which are often unintended.
Why Are Things So Bad Everywhere in the Church?
Someone wondered where the Lutherans pastors will come from in the future. I know hundreds through various contacts and Facebook. Many are ex-pastors or wish they could be. Their own clergy have treated them like dirt.
Everyone wants to elect new leaders, who are just like the old leaders. The problem is lack of faith, not the right political candidate.
There is a great love for power and luxury, but not for the Word. Nothing is done according to the Scriptures, but according to business, money, and the fads of the day. A choir tour (MLC) notes that they will have an organ at only two churches on the tour. That is just one fad - entertainment instead of worship, tickling the ears instead of the Means of Grace.
If someone wants to address this problem, the unbelieving and corrupt clergy arise as one and begin to cast their stones, picking and choosing the best and most painful ones.
Best Book on Faith
The best book on faith is the Gospel of John. He also writes often about love - God's love, the love of the Savior for His sheep, love of the Word.
Since John's Gospel emphasizes faith in Christ so often and presents Christ in such an appealing way, there is no better book to strengthen faith and to produce the fruit of the Spirit, love. Because the Gospel is the energy of God, it will bear fruit.
