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| The Empty Tomb, by Norma Boeckler |
Jubilate, The Third Sunday of Easter, 2014
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Hymn # 536 Awake My Soul 3.28
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 # 36 Now Thank We 3.40
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 36 Now Thank We 3.40
God's Plan - Our Thanks
The Communion Hymn # 354 In the Cross 3.84
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 #231 We Now Implore 3.38
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 #231 We Now Implore 3.38
THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
Lord God, heavenly Father, who of Thy fatherly goodness dost suffer Thy children to come under Thy chastening rod here on earth, that we may be like unto Thine only-begotten Son in suffering and hereafter in glory: We beseech Thee, comfort us in temptations and afflictions by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not fall into despair, but that we may continually trust in Thy Son's promise, that our trials will endure but a little while, and will then be followed by eternal joy; that we thus, in patient hope, may overcome all evil, and at last obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
KJV 1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
KJV John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. 19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
God's Plan - Our Thanks
Mother's Day falls on the Sunday where "a little while" is said so many times in the lesson that Luther complained. Seven times - in this case.
Jesus was speaking about his crucifixion, resurrection appearances, and Ascension. Looking back, each one seemed to be a little while.
This is known as repetition used for emphasis.
Jesus used it to emphasize how quickly a moment passes, even if it seems to be a long period of time. That means we should treasure each good moment, because it only lasts a short time. Likewise, the sorrowful also only last a short time, just like the pain of labor. Sorrow is followed by joy.
That is how God planned it from the beginning. We can see that in the family unit as well.
Mothers have a special role in our lives. One way or another, they greatly influence everything we do. In some cases, mothers die young and that early loss is pivotal. Someone can turn to a vocation early in life because of that loss.
Some mothers are difficult, perhaps because they never had a good role model themselves. A daughter might react to that by looking at what made childhood painful and making it different for her own children.
We have entered an era where there are many mothers who love their careers instead, mothers who are completely negligent, and women who want nothing to do with being mothers.
In earlier times, people thought of families as essential to society and perhaps a way to show thanks to God for the gift of life. Why enjoy life and then refuse to have children, whether as men or women, simply to have more time, money, and possessions?
Given the principle that the time children spend with someone is the most influential time, it is so odd we have been convinced to substitute mother-time with day-care time. That makes strangers the most influential and parents the least influential.
I saw that in family court, where we visiting during a program of counseling. A man said to the court, "I gave you my daughter and you gave me back a delinquent." The man did not even take credit for his lack of supervision and assumed the all powerful state system had to do the fixing he never attempted.
God's plan is that children are raised by their fathers and mothers, sometimes necessarily with substitutes. Grandparents have often stepped in because of abandonment by one party or another, death, or other difficulties.
God made children to look up to their parents, with a different regard for fathers and for mothers. Although this has changed somewhat, mothers are still the most influential in time spent with children, in providing food, and in spiritual leadership.
As the graduation speaker pointed out yesterday, this mother-child relationship begins before birth in many profound ways, and continues in feeding, where the child actually programs the mother to feed him according to his needs - when breast-feeding.
This foundation continues throughout years of training. I have had a chance to teach people of all ages, in church and in colleges. No one is as receptive as one's own child. They are astonishing in their eagerness to learn as much as possible, to imitate as much as possible.
Mothers have a unique role in this area. Given the most time with the children, they get to do the most teaching. It is all over in just "a little while."
Potty training seems to take so long, but it is over soon. So are the messy, pukey, getting in trouble toddler years. When those years have passed, with the cuddling and kissing and I-love-yous, mothers often feel a great sorrow. It is a great happy but also work-intensive time.
Children learn about Jesus from their mothers. When Yale students asked Paul Holmer why he believed in Jesus, he said "Because my mother taught me." They expected a great philosophical essay, but he told the truth.
Bainton called the home a school for character, and it is. Luther took away the sanctity of the convent and monastery and praised the value of the Christian home instead. He wrote about the challenges of parenthood, and he saw how children were developed, especially by the work of their mothers.
Ideally, a child will be baptized and then trained at home in the basics of the Christian faith. I do not remember a time without church. It changed from Congregational to Disciples to Lutheran, but it was never a consideration to be without the Christian faith.
I grew up among public school teachers, most of them women because of my mother's work in grade school and junior high. They taught and graded all week long. On Sundays, they taught Sunday School. Why not? They were teachers. They never said, "I am tired of teaching." They pitched in and took it as an honor to do that work.
I was trapped. I was either in school or Sunday School or VBS. I remember vaguely this church or that where VBS was held, doing crafts, singing songs, participating in programs.
Someone said about teachers, "Their influence never ends, because it stretches out into infinity." That is especially true about the teaching that mothers do. They help establish the character of their children.
- What is right and wrong.
- How do we own up to errors and sins, and repent.
- How do we express love and forgiveness.
When I participate in hobbies, I smile because I am following my parents. My mother was quite the gardener and had a compost pile long before people discovered organic gardening. She published books and taught writing. She enjoyed photography too - but not cooking. I got cooking and baking from my father's side.
Examples
Both parents assumed education was the way to go. They became adults in the Great Depression and knew how little farmers were valued in the job market. Their leadership in education made the next steps easier to take - they were assumed.
If there is no forgiveness in a house full of children, there will be precious little chance for them to know what that word means. If they have no knowledge of the Christian faith, how will they learn it later? Not from mainline churches.
When I went to seminary, Greek was required in the LCA - before starting. Those without the proper college education in religion and Greek were not accepted. Hebrew was a good subject to study too - in seminary. Both languages were dropped. The last time I looked, seminary leaders in ELCA said their incoming students did not even know Luther's catechism. Of course I wondered, did the professors?
Heaven help the person who goes to seminary to learn about the Christian faith. That begins in the home and can be taught in detail by faithful pastors, but there are few of those clergy today.
We are the New Roman Empire, a world of paganism with islands of Christianity.
Whatever remains in America is from the influence of mothers in the past, and their continuing impact on their children and grandchildren. Whatever good will be accomplished will have to come from within Christian homes and faithful congregations. The big institutions have failed.
God's plan worked before and it will again. God never predicted a pendulum, but a downward spiral - in the pastoral epistles.
