Jubilate, The Third Sunday after Easter, 2018
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Note - the hymn lyrics are linked on the hymn number, the tune linked on the hymn's name.
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 #
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #
A Little While - Patience Required
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
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
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.
A Little While - Patience Required
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.
I put "a little while" in blue to show everyone that the same phrase is used seven times in this lesson. Even Luther complained a bit about so many repetitions.
But since we know the Spirit is so concise in the Scriptures, every verse has meaning. We should not rush through passages to get to our favorite verses, but ask ourselves why something is an obvious snag or irritation to us. Sometimes it is a hard saying, such as Jesus ignoring the Canaanite woman and sounding downright rude to her - not taking bread from the children to give to the dogs.
This passage guarantees that the reader or listener will remember one phrase, no matter which language is being used.
So we should remember the parental question we heard so often? Not - "Are you out of your mind?" But "What did I tell you?"
How many times did we hear that? "What did I tell you?" And we were forced to repeat what was said.
Often the answer to that question was - "Be patient. Wait."
In fact, when our granddaughter was very young, she gestured with her hand and said to me, "You have to wait." It gave me the impression she had heard that more than once.
The one thing that makes children so much fun and so exhausting is that they are so impatient and full of energy.
Jesus was preparing His disciples for the Passion, when He would be betrayed, arrested, tried, tortured, and crucified. We can see from all four Gospels that this period is about 25%, more or less, of each Gospel, clearly the most important part.
Therefore, one quarter of each Gospel covers one week of events, while three quarters is about a three year public ministry, many miracles, sayings, and sermons.
So this passage shows us how Jesus taught His disciples about patience under trial, although we are tempted to think the lesson did not sink in. Compared to the disciples, who stayed together when their lives were threatened, we are jumpy two-year olds. We do not have armored soldiers threatening us at every moment.
A Little While, A Little While
Soon after these closing messages - a little while - they will not see Jesus. That is His arrest and crucifixion. But a short time, they will see Him again.
In the text it is only one Word - μικρον. Micron in English, one millionth of a meter.
This is quite a lesson for us. Whatever is happening at the moment, it is just for a little while. That sound teach us to be thankful for all the blessings we are enjoying for the moment, because everything changes so fast, especially when seen from the slow lane.
The children that are so difficult to handle are soon adults with children remarkably like their parents. Neighbors change. Our little street has changed in the few years we have been here.
Difficulties also pass, although they can be a terrible burden at the moment. Some never go away, but God takes our heart away from them.
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?
Basic to human nature is not knowing and yet wanting to know. My three best teachers about the Scriptures (Yale Divinity, replaced by dolts) had the same message - certainty is in the text, not in the theories. We had to know the mostly liberal theories, but that was background reading.
Many laity and clergy run around after the Biblical books that present a theory, often not new, that explains everything. Then the text is background reading, superficially used. One can have an enormous library and very little spiritual knowledge, in fact little knowledge that sticks. Contradictions and confusion do that to the memory.
In contrast, if the text is primary and all-important, that is remembered and the books about the Bible fade in importance. Just be glad you do not have to recite the many theories I learned before YDS.
Some are thinking - "I am so glad I did not have alien views forced on me by various dictators of doctrine." But you did and still do. The denominations have a system to teach, often against the Scriptures, and tell clergy and laity to judge the Word by the system, not the system by the Word.
But first, a word from our sponsor, the Holy Spirit -
The "conservative" Lutherans teach against Luther at their seminaries, their headquarters, and their publishing houses. But they sell Luther trinkets for the 500th Anniversary.
There are traditional, good rules for understanding the Word of God. They are good because they are derived from the Word and do not replace the Word with their own human reason.
Good, Traditional Rules of the Christian Church
- Scripture interprets Scripture.
- The clear passages interpret the darker passages.
- The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and without contradiction.
In contrast, various denominations - from wacko Leftist to supposedly conservative - enforce rules against the Word of God and excommunicate those who do not obey. That is just as true of the Fundamentalists as it is of the Church of Rome.
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?
But we, like sheep, and no better than the disciples, are impatient and prone to wander. We should certainly see them as a mirror of our faults, not as bad examples - just good mirrors.
They did not go to Him but questioned this saying among themselves. Nevertheless, Jesus already knew their thoughts and brought that up to them.
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.
Jesus intercepted their thoughts with the parable of child birth. We can look all over, and though we know how difficult labor can be, there is nothing so fun as seeing a young mother with her child. At the time of labor, it is all-consuming and seems never to end.
When we feel completely knocked down, it is a similar feeling - though labor is by far the greatest and best example of this. When things look black, they are very oppressive and the tiniest details and work is slowed by a heaviness of spirit. And then we see criminals, false teachers, and con artists go about their work with cheerfulness of spirit, great energy, and confidence.
Note that one big factor for the disciples is that they did not take their confusion to Jesus.
This is an important detail - and should be dominant in all hearts - the Word brings us to Jesus - and Jesus to us.
Our poor little brains, though a marvel, are nothing compared to the power of the Word of God, which arranges a meeting between us and the Savior at any time, any place.
Labor brings fear - as it should - and so does uncertainty, a fear that can multiply all our woes. The opposite of fear is faith, and the Scriptures repeatedly say to us - Do not be afraid but believe in Him - remember the Promises. We can invoke the Word through our memories, by hearing it spoken to us, by reading it.
The experience of difficulty should always teach us, as this lesson does, "It is only a little while."
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.
So if the Word teaches everything, why have books and sermons. The sermon is the primary work of the Christian Church, because so much is in each verse that speaking them and explaining them well is a benefit and blessing to everyone, including the minister.
32. Therefore, let us continue to hear Christ and learn to understand his language, that we judge not according to our feelings, as if comfort were lost forever and sorrow had no end. That you feel and think thus, he says, I know very well; but still listen to what I say to you and learn only this word modicum, a little while. Sorrow must also be felt, but it shall not harm you, besides it shall not last long. Even by this the sorrow is already sugar-coated and tempered. Later, when the “little while” has passed and triumphed, then one feels what Christ says: “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” Then the true joy of the heart commences and the soul sings an eternal Hallelujah, and Christ is Risen — a joy which will in the life beyond be perfect, without a defect and without an end.
33. Notice that the articles of our faith, both on the death and the resurrection of Christ, are thus set before us in this Gospel, and how the same must be put to practice by us. learned, and exercised in our deeds and our experiences, and not only heard with the ears and spoken with the mouth. Also, that we thus feel it, and such power works in us that both body and soul thereby become changed; that is, Christ dies in us and we also die in him. That is a great change, from life to death. However, then I must cleave firmly by faith to the words Christ says, “A little while,” and not only hear, but also take to heart the truth that trial will not last forever, but there will be a change from death to life when Christ again rises and lives in me and I become alive in him. Then the words shall come true, “I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you,” etc. For this meeting every Christian should be prepared whenever he is called for it; for he must experience something of it either in life or at the hour of death; so that he will then be reminded of this saying of Christ and let nothing tear this comfort out of his heart. Amen.
33. Notice that the articles of our faith, both on the death and the resurrection of Christ, are thus set before us in this Gospel, and how the same must be put to practice by us. learned, and exercised in our deeds and our experiences, and not only heard with the ears and spoken with the mouth. Also, that we thus feel it, and such power works in us that both body and soul thereby become changed; that is, Christ dies in us and we also die in him. That is a great change, from life to death. However, then I must cleave firmly by faith to the words Christ says, “A little while,” and not only hear, but also take to heart the truth that trial will not last forever, but there will be a change from death to life when Christ again rises and lives in me and I become alive in him. Then the words shall come true, “I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you,” etc. For this meeting every Christian should be prepared whenever he is called for it; for he must experience something of it either in life or at the hour of death; so that he will then be reminded of this saying of Christ and let nothing tear this comfort out of his heart. Amen.
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