The Second Sunday in Advent, 2017
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
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 Romans 15:4-13
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 Romans 15:4-13
The Gospel Luke 21:25-36
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #71 Watchman Tell Us
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #71 Watchman Tell Us
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 # 647 O Little Town of Bethlehem
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 # 647 O Little Town of Bethlehem
Second Sunday In Advent
Lord God, heavenly Father, who by Thy Son hast revealed to us that heaven and earth shall pass away, that our bodies shall rise again, and that we all shall appear before the judgment seat: We beseech Thee, keep us by Thy Holy Spirit in Thy word; establish us in the true faith, graciously defend us from sin and preserve us in all temptations, that our hearts may not be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, but that we may ever watch and pray and, trusting fully in Thy grace, await with joy the glorious coming of Thy Son, and at last obtain eternal 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.
KJV Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. 13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
KJV Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. 29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Patience and Comfort
KJV Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
As Luther wrote about this topic, there are sheep and wolves. If a wolf harms a sheep, we should not punish the sheep but helps its healing and strengthen it.
Many times the wolf is the minister, who blows in and must have his way. There are books that encourage him to be like that because the famous "big successes" behave that way. Often they leave wreckage behind for someone else to try to mend.
Paul was always anxious for those who were easily harmed by the ones who considered themselves spiritual masters. Nothing is more powerful than religion, and religion united with evil is especially potent (W. Rauschenbusch).
The Scriptures are revealed to us, written for us, for our comfort and patience, so we get through difficulties without losing faith.
There are many difficulties that people face. Some are economic. Others are medical. And others concern emotional crises often created by other forces at work. At the moment, these hurtful experiences are overwhelming.
I can use several from the classroom. One was in the hurricane in Houston and still does not have a working house. They live there, but the place is still a wreck. The student, a mother, wants to continue her work and yet the hurricane damage is her life 24 hours a day.
In another case, a woman is having a medical crisis from pregnancy. She is so sick that she cannot do her work on time. This is the worst case I have seen. It is easy to say in each case, calm down, do the work each day. It will all get done. Manage your time. Set goals. I know all the pep talks, normally delivered by people who only give pep talks and are only known for pep talks.
If a football player suffers a broken leg from a play, no one says, "Walk it off." Instead they tend to it with nurses, doctors, x-rays, treats, perhaps surgery and a time of healing.
As Luther observed, emotional harm is the most difficult, because there are physical causes and remedies for bodily illness. There is more sympathy for something we can see or identify with.
However, emotional turmoil can be caused by a great number of factors, which include past emotional injuries, a family history, pressures from the outside. For example some students will feel overwhelmed by studies because they are so new, relatively difficult, and without emotional support in the family.
I see people failing late in a course when they could devote a week to catching up and not waste the semester. But if they think it is hopeless and stay away, it is hopeless.
Although Frankl is not my favorite philosopher, since he was an atheist, he had a good point in Man's Search for Meaning. We all look for meaning or purpose in life. When that is taken away, various circumstances are overwhelming, no matter what.
The humanists have people look for meaning within themselves and often emphasize a materialistic outcome as good. However, God clearly works His greatest miracles through those people who suffer the most and have no outward success.
England locked up John Bunyan for not belonging to their Episcopalian club. He was an outsider and had to be silenced. Dangerous criminals went in and out of prison, but he stayed in. As a result he wrote books for the spiritually hungry and authored the greatest Christian book in the English language, outside of the KJV.
Strange things developed. For example, he converted his jailkeeper. As a result, the jailkeeper let Bunyan leave the prison to visit church members and his family. Once the inspectors came to the jail to see Bunyan, who was out on his errors. The jailkeeper feared death, but when they went to his cell in that tiny prison, he was there.
Of all the great and powerful men of the age, Bunyan was the greatest in his spiritual influence, even though he was a nobody at the time. His purpose developed from the circumstances God gave him, and God glorified his work, done in faith and humility. His spirit invited help from others and they had respect for him. Nevertheless, it is clear from his work that he suffered greatly from this solitary life and deprivation of normal company and family.
Was he overly sensitive? Was Luther. Paul? Each one suffered terribly but used those experiences to comfort others with the Gospel and show them the way of peace.
Just a little bit of reading will show that the great and and wise thought of Paul, Lutheran, and Bunyan as crazy. I bought a giant book on Luther's era, and the author said, "I won't even discuss Luther because he was too emotional." So these men are dismissed or ignored today.
Jesus showed a two-fold attitude toward the sheep and the wolves. Toward those who get lost and need help, he gave the Parable of the Lost Sheep, showing how tenderly he goes to the lost sinner and reclaims him, not beating him for being misled but rejoicing in recovering him for the flock.
Likewise in John 10, He is the Good Shepherd who guides the sheep to pasture and fresh water, walking ahead of them - as He did carrying His cross - and calling them by name.
But the wolves are the object of Jesus' scorn and wrath. They are the false teachers who rend and scatter the flock, who rejoice in the terror they cause. One of them, the object of many expensive pilgrimages, said "Dead bodies will be piled up when I am done." I predicted that attitude years in advance. The more he revealed himself, the more he destroyed his own wealthy lifestyle.
The wrath of Christ is saved for those who lead others into unbelief. Meanwhile, He does whatever is possible to reclaim the lost. That is why the Gospel is His tool to comfort us and give us patience in trials.
Some people will say, "I could never face those problems," but God gives us strength and resilience through the Gospel of peace. Everything in the Bible is aimed toward giving us the Gospel of forgiveness through faith and keeping us on the True Vine or in the Flock until we complete our journey.
Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
This kind of encouragement helped the early Christians realize that when they were driven out of the city by persecution, they were taking the Gospel elsewhere. That continued until the Roman Empire officially recognized the Christian Faith, a relative short time after the resurrection of Christ.
As Luther said, the great and holy Roman Empire and its religious ceremonies were knocked into the trash by Christ.
