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The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2020
https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
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 Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Lord, we pray Thee that Thy grace may always go before and follow after us and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and GradualThe 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
Another Look at Disaster
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
Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior
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
Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior
Prayers and Announcements
- Randy Anderson, Andrea's father, is cleared for surgical treatment of his leg. Christina Jackson has great blood tests. Pastor Jim Shrader and Kermit Way are continuing medical treatment.
- Ongoing cancer treatment - Christina Jackson, Mary Howell.
- Pastor K and Doc Lito Cruz - dealing with diabetes.
- Jeshra Palangyos is still having seizures.
- Prayers are requested for Gavin, a friend of our church, who had sudden grand mal seizures; Joan Scott, Diane Popp's daughter, who is recovering from a heart attack and stents placed.
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| Norma A. Boeckler's artwork |
KJV Ephesians 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
KJV Luke 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst send Thy Son to be made flesh, that by His death He might atone for our sins and deliver us from eternal death: We pray Thee, confirm in our hearts the hope that our Lord Jesus Christ, who with but a word raised the widow's son, in like manner will raise us on the last day, and grant us eternal life: 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.
Background, Gospel Lesson, Luke 7:11-17
Rationalism is not just an old and forgotten philosophy, but lives on as a current, raging one, always reducing God's Creation to a series of normal changes - so no one is offended. I heard a seminary professor in Canada say, "What is disease? It is dis-ease (an emotional difficulty)." So it is all in our heads? This definition comes in handy for those wolves in sheep's clothing who define miracles in the Gospels as examples of people who were so overjoyed that they no longer had this dis-ease. People find many ways to turn miracles into non-miracles. Jesus saw the distress of the widow and raised her son with His powerful Word. Since every element, plant, animal, human, stars and planets came into being only through this Word, it must be very powerful.
Scholars say the Bible uses mytho-poetic terminology to explain great events or matters beyond our comprehension. I would say, "Yes, but so do the scientists." Astronomers say that in a black hole star, the density is so great that a teaspoon weighs as much as a mountain." No one stops to say, "How many black hole stars have been sampled with a teaspoon?" So there is awe in the description but not awe for the Creator. Many astronomers are believers. Many medical doctors are, too. When I sold a booklet through the mail, about writing for Christian publications. Most responses came from women, but the men who asked for the booklet were MDs. All of them.
Another Look at Disaster
KJV Luke 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.
The opening of this miracle names the town where the miracle took place, plus the crowd that followed Him and the disciples. The witnesses were many and the ones who continued as believers were the bedrock of the future Church, eye-witnesses of the power of Jesus' Word.
There are three examples of Jesus raising someone from the dead, which no one expected - the widow's son, the young girl, and Lazarus - whose dramatic exit from the grave precipitated the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Christ. As great as the other examples were, the raising of Lazarus was the most dramatic because of his position and the time spent at his funeral.
12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
This woman has met with a double-grief. She lost her husband, which made her life precarious. As Luther noted, she still had a son to protect and house her, a blessing she took for granted. Some will say, "Her attitude is not recorded," and that is true. Luther relied on his experience with many people and his own fallibility, which can be summed up as lack of thankfulness. In general, people are not thankful for how God has blessed them, so they concentrate on what they want but do not have.
This verse is packed with details - and Luke is known for that. She is a widow and this is her only son. That means she will be looked down upon as someone rejected or cursed by God. She might not be alone, having daughters, but she is without a wage-earner and protector now. The city people are there to accompany the coffin, to provide some comfort. But they are also there to witness this miracle. How many were expecting this? None.
Even when Jesus came as a great friend to the departed Lazarus, no one expected that friendship to be expressed as raising the man from the dead. They warned Jesus not to go near the tomb, because "he stinks."
How many times we are just bystanders and God turns disasters into miracles?
Lenski, Luke p. 397
The situation that Jesus encountered is sketched
effectively so as to 'let us feel the full pathos of the
scene. Jesus, the Prince of Life, here meets death,
carrying away his helpless prey. Looked at thus, the
scene becomes dramatic in a supreme way. The city
was walled and was entered through a great portal in
the wall. The aorist means that Jesus drew near, and
the following imperfect that the dead man was in the
act of being carried out. Jesus and his great following
stopped, and the large funeral procession came toward
him and then also stopped. The imperfect pictures how
the dead man was carried out.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
We know it was not by chance that Jesus was there with His disciples, a crowd following, and now a crowd behind the sorrowing funeral procession. This is entirely one-sided. Jesus came to her because of His compassion.
The word for compassion is based upon the name for the internal organs. We use a Latin word (com-passion) for the Greek base (guts). We know the feeling. We see a scene or hear a story and we feel it immediately in our body. We groan from the emotional pain. We may be too stunned to cry, but cry later. We tense up as if fighting something or go slack as if all energy has gone away. My wife laughs at me because seeing a person on a trapeze can make my hands sweat profusely. It is not the falling that strikes me, but the landing.
Her life is all dark and heavy-laden now, but Jesus came to her, not for her worthiness but for her need. Jesus comes to people now in their distress, when the normal blessings seemed ripped away. Jesus comes through the Spirit's divine energy in the Word, teaching and preaching, through the visible Word of Holy Communion. Trouble makes us eager for whatever the Word says.
14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
As Lenski observed, Jesus first comforted the widow, then immediately touched the bier (the body wrapped for burial, two poles with bands for carrying the body, Lenski) which stopped the procession. The Son of God said, "Young man, I say, Arise!"
Jesus, the Logos, the Word, raised the young man from the dead with a simple but powerful three-fold command,
- Young man,
- I say,
- Arise!
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| Norma A. Boeckler's artwork |
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23. But the dead will not be raised to life so quickly. The Word of God is of course preached to us, the goodness of God and whatever is given us through Christ; but this is not yet sufficient, this is only first touching the coffin. The voice of Christ in the heart must also be added, that we may believe the Word, that it is really as we preach. The youth does not immediately arise after he is touched, but when the Lord spoke: “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise!” This voice stirred the heart and caused the dead to rise to life. When I in like manner hear the Word, and allow human traditions to move me, men still bear me ever on and I ever remain in distress, it helps me little. I must besides the external sermon also hear this voice in the heart: “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise:” that is, I must believe this sermon, cleave to it with my heart, trust in it, and let neither sin, death, devil, nor hell draw me from it.
24. Thus we have two sermons. One lays the hand on the bier. This does not yet accomplish anything. But the other, when the hand is laid on the coffin and the voice follows in the heart, this accomplishes all. The first proclaims to us the works of Christ, how they are done for us and given to us. But when the voice is heard in the heart, then the one who was before dead begins to speak and to confess the faith with his mouth which he believes and feels in his heart. That is, when the heart believes, the work of love follows, namely, that you speak, that is, preach to others and thank God for the blessing and faith he has shown and given unto you.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
Luke is quite vivid, and we know he was careful with details. The first part of the miracle is the young man sitting up and talking. The second part is important too - Jesus gave the son back to his mother. As Lenski observed, in the same way God gives to us in so many ways.
16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
At first the crowd was sorrowful and quiet because of the solemn occasion. But God was in their midst! The significance of that was beyond description. It was a sign of the Messiah coming with the power of God. And they lifted to a new reality, because the entire world was changing at that point. The Roman Empire seemed to be at its peak but was spiraling down. Christianity consisted of believers scattered here and there in a corner of the Empire.
26. This is said on to-day’s Gospel, in which we see how God helps and saves us, moved by pure grace and loving-kindness, without any merit or worthiness whatever on our part, yea, before we seek or request help from him. God grant that we may believe this!
Disasters always look bad at first, because they mean loss of health, loss of life, loss of income, loss of friends and family. For many it is like running into a wall that was not there.
Job's Comforters, scattered all over the planet, are eager to identify the cause and blame the individual. No one knows who is a member of the Job's Comforter clan until the disaster strikes. They are quite sure it was the individual's fault. If he or she would confess the sin, that would be a good start.
If the difficulty is only viewed as a difficulty, it is indeed a heavy burden, made worse by our thoughts and by the goading of others. But that problem is also a path to God's wisdom. Nothing makes us more appreciative than a serious need. How could this be?
God teaches us through the Scriptures, and there is no better Teacher than the Holy Spirit at work in the Word. It leads us to say, "God may solve this and take it away, or provide many kinds of help. But this crisis will open my eyes to what is already a blessing delivered to me, just as Jesus gave the son back to his mother."
God lets us be miracle-watchers. We can pray for those people going through a crisis, and the odds are, miracles will develop beyond all hope. If the big one does not happen, the others will.
God is working these miracles all the time, even to unbelievers, even to those who will never comprehend them.
But it is good to remember the basic phase use for miracle - "to perform a sign from God." Miracle is so commonly used, even as a salad dressing, that we can forget the literal meaning - God has stepped into this disaster and has shown that only He can accomplish this.
But God reigns over all the universe. He does not obey orders snapped at him. If we fix the time, manner, and outcome, it is not God at work but God obedient to us. He shows those people, like the Church Growth clowns, that He can do the opposite, even hand over the opposite of the demands as another sign - a sign of His wrath.
The Gospel enters our hearts and fills us with love, joy, peace, and all the fruits of the Spirit. The mammon-worshiper see nothing but misery and glory in their shame. Believers know that the Word will accomplish everything at the end.
John 5
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
