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| By Norma A. Boeckler |
The Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 2019
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
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
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Jesus Weeping over Jerusalem
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 #447 Fight the Good Fight
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 #447 Fight the Good Fight
In Our Prayers
- Andrea, whose eyes will need careful, patient help.
- Carl Roper, who is being treated for more occurrences.
- Christina Jackson, great blood results and blood sugar, antibiotics treat the infection - no surgery.
- Elizabeth Mior - has cancer. She is the mother of two small children.
- Those looking for work and a better income.
- Glen Kotten hopes to visit the Phippines. The English mission booklet is going to press this week.
- Our country's leaders as justice is served to the criminals and traitors. Over 60,000 indictments.
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| By Norma A. Boeckler |
KJV 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
KJV Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. 47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
Tenth Sunday After Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Holy Ghost hast revealed unto us the gospel of Thy Son, Jesus Christ: We beseech Thee so to quicken our hearts that we may sincerely receive Thy word, and not make light of it, or hear it without fruit, as did Thy people, the unbelieving Jews, but that we may fear Thee and daily grow in faith in Thy mercy, and finally obtain eternal salvation, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Luther’s Sermon on Luke 19:41-48 - End Times
Background for the Sermon, Luke Luke 19:41ff, Jesus Weeping over the City of Jerusalem
We are fortunate to have both Jesus' prediction of Jerusalem's fall and an eye-witness to the events. Josephus managed to get himself out of trouble with the Romans, by predicting who would become Emperor next. He ingratiated himself with the Roman rulers, became a citizen, and wrote a history of the Jewish wars.
Laying siege to a city meant surrounding it, cutting off all commerce, and looking for a surrender. Jerusalem refused, so the city was savagely attacked and laid waste. The survivors were sold into slavery around the world, because selling so many in the same place meant driving down the price.
The Bible has many references to the End Times, such as Mark 13. Two things are not in the Scriptures - the exact date, and the notion of a rapture. Since people are always fascinated by what is new, there is an endless pursuit of the date and denominations devoted to a rapture, that is, people being raised to heaven while serving as bus drivers, airplane pilots, etc.
The discussions of the End Times in the Bible are a warning to everyone, to watch and pray, because the Second Coming can happen at any time.
Jesus Weeping over Jerusalem
KJV Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
The Word of God reveals the truth, which is why Luther called the Bible "the Book of the Holy Spirit." For some it is merely a jumping off point for their creative philosophies. people are more attracted to the words of the Bible (even when twisted) than to a bold, alien body of thought snatched out of nowhere, or pagan religions, or the occult.
Every so often I pursue a pseudo-Christian cult which began with a charismatic leader, prophesies, and a small empire. They build up a following until they are self-sustaining religions. All their "truths" are snatched from the Bible in little phrases, which is why Calvinism is fertile ground for pseudo-Christian cults - like Adventism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church Growth, and Objective Justification. The thicker the fleece, the softer and more helpful the advice, the better the wolf inside is hidden and fed mutton.
This passage reveals Jesus sorrowing over Jerusalem, much as He did at the grave of Lazarus, His friend. That seems odd at first glance, but Jesus was considering the agony of His friend's death and the tortures He would face, not the least the weakness of faith among His disciples. Jesus would rise from a similar carved grave, but the path to the Resurrection would be far more agonizing. He trembled with emotion and wept, at Lazarus grave too.
Any faithful minister will have the same kind of reaction when the true Gospel is preached. He knows that some will believe, others will react hatefully and try to destroy everything. Those who already believe falsehoods will be especially energized against the Gospel. Others are completely indifferent, which a quiet kind of rebellion - and a far more effective one.
If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
The name of Jerusalem is ironic, because it is a compound word meaning place (jeru) of peace (salem). The city was built up against the mountains and was almost impossible to defeat with its high walls. An underground water source made the city almost impervious to attack.
What began the war was the early success of the Zealots. They were able to defeat the small Roman garrison, so they thought they had won the war. Rome never lost a war (except against Arminius the Hun, aka Herman the German, honored in New Ulm). Thinking they could cause the Messiah to arrive, the Zealots instead brought destruction upon their ancient city. Their faith was in violent revolt rather than in the true Messiah, who was crucified.
The Christians who prospered in Jerusalem were persecuted and killed, effectively driving the rest out - which saved them from this revolt.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
The rationalists are unhappy that this is exactly what happened. The walls of Jerusalem were so intimidating that the Romans used circumvallation instead. Using their soldiers and slave labor, they surrounded the city with walls, preventing anyone from entering with food or weapons, keeping the enormous population fearful of starvation, which happened next, followed by cannibalism. The details are too horrible to reproduce. Of course, the strong stole food from the weak.
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Rumors of gold hidden in Herod's Temple led the soldiers to destroy the building in order to find it. They also decided many people swallowed gold and cut them open looking for it.
Not one stone was left on another, and the Temple remains the same to this day. Nearby is the Muslim temple, and the friction continues.
The carnage was so great that Rome sold the survivors into slavery and they were deported around the world to keep the value of each slave relatively high. So little did they matter they were like almonds and fruit dumped in ditches in California when the crop is too great.
Like Luther - Lessons for Today
I was going to use the Epistle because this lesson is so familiar, but we are on the cusp of vast changes.
Some of us were reading about sex trafficking among the elite over a year ago. Now the names of Nxium (Raniere) and Epstein are familiar and hog the headlines. They have not even started on the "modeling-photography" of Rachel Chandler, who is 100 times worse, connected with Hollywood and Europe.
These three agencies of evil are connected with powerful politicians, royalty, and the richest people in the world. As one reader knows well, the Franklin case is an old one very few have even heard about.
The uniting force behind these three is Satanism, or pagan worship and child sacrifice. Practices harken back to Moloch, symbolized by the owl (Epstein Island and Bohemian Grove). That is the general audience rating of what is happening, and it also involves a vast commerce in human slavery where the Wall plays a large part in reducing it.
When people find out the full details (and I do not have them), they will be sick to their stomachs. And yet, the prosecutions are just starting to have an effect. Much more will be coming out, I am sure. The extreme violence is a way of keeping the truth from the headlines.
This international evil has developed because of a lust for wealth, power, and privilege. Too many have been corrupted, blackmailed, or bribed to keep the operations going. Vice never suffers from recession, so there is always enormous power to push it forward.
Here is one mild example - The students at one private college tend to be short on cash, because they spend theirs at nearby casinos. That was not possible 50 years ago, and that extra cash pays for a lot and finds its way in the wrong pockets, if anyone has looked at the history of gambling.
America has lost much of its strength because of a loss of faith in the Scriptures. The Word can be taught again, but that will be a struggle. Those who call themselves "conservatives" or "orthodox" are glad to align themselves with anti-Scriptural trends, from the bad Biblical translations to the marketing of the Gospel. I always thought "marketing the Gospel" was a way of saying - We are so stupid and crass - but it was commended in the WELS magazine.
The Love of Money Is the Root of All Evil
1 Timothy 6:10 King James Version (KJV)For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
The warning passes into Jesus Cleansing the Temple, which is a metaphor for the greed, avarice, and cunning of the modern churches.
The same Lutheran churches that decry Thrivent's support of abortion also proudly display their plaques showing they participate in the marketing of the same company. This is a wonderful example the stupidity of greed. The congregation is enrolled and given a pile of rules to follow. They can have a little bit of money if they thank the company in their bulletin and newsletter and prove it by sending copies. The company will even match the loot gathered in the Junk for Jesus Sale.
Thrivent gets in return a list of all the members and their addresses and phone numbers. Those leads are expensive outside of Lutherdom. (Think the Glengarry Leads in the famous film.) Nothing is better than a set of leads and this promise over the phone, "Our company supports your synod and your congregation. In fact, your pastor owns our policies and investments." (My facts may differ from current practice because I have shunned them for 30 years.)
Yes, the "conservative" synods get money the same way, but they get to conspire with Thrivent about how to spend it. Our member Brett Meyer exposed Thrivent's support of abortion. Five years later, some LCMS pastors discovered the same thing. A dust-up lasting a few weeks, and it was forgotten,.
If someone can bribe entire synods into looking the other way about abortion on demand, what does that say about "the love of money is the root of all evil"?
The same money-coveting is behind all the schemes to make a congregation attractive to others, to build up the membership and increase the salaries and perks of the team - I mean - staff. Lutherans have sold their birth-rite, not for gold, or even lentil soup, but for the distinct honor and great privilege of collapsing like a meringue left on a sunny windowsill.
Where does the Bible say that God will honor and bless the practices of pagans? Instead, in Deuteronomy, there are two paths - life and blessings.
- death and destruction.
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| By Norma A. Boeckler |
47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
This selection has three parts. In this last part, the animosity toward Jesus is described, but the religious leaders could not find a way to stop Him, because all the people wanted to hear what Jesus taught.
That should encourage anyone who doubts his ability to reach others with the Gospel. We are all inadequate if all we have to offer is ourselves. No one is equal to the task, so that is why the self-reliant genius false teachers do so well and find themselves on the ash-heap of their own self-destruction. They are like the fools who try something on video to make themselves famous and rich, only giving away their ability to harm themselves when everything goes wrong.
We are completely inadequate, but the Word of God is the Voice and Will of the Savior in reaching people, either to confirm their faith in Him or to establish trust in His saving grace.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
17 ου γαρ απεστειλεν ο θεος τον υιον αυτου εις τον κοσμον ινα κρινη τον κοσμον αλλ ινα σωθη ο κοσμος δι αυτου
18 ο πιστευων εις αυτον ου κρινεται ο δε μη πιστευων ηδη κεκριται οτι μη πεπιστευκεν εις το ονομα του μονογενους υιου του θεου
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| By Norma A. Boeckler |
