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| The video of the Exaudi service is linked here. |
Exaudi, The Sunday after the Ascension, 2021
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The melodies are linked in the hymn name.
The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.
The Hymn #548 My Inmost Heart Now Raises - Winkworth translation
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Hear (Exaudi), O Lord, when I cry with my voice: Hallelujah!
When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face,
my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek:
Hide not Thy face from me. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Psalm. The Lord is my Light and my Salvation:
whom shall I fear?
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Almighty, everlasting God, make us to have always a devout will
toward Thee and to serve Thy Majesty with a pure heart;
through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. God reigneth over the heathen:
God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness. Hallelujah!
V. I will not leave you comfortless:
I go, and I will come again to you, and your heart shall rejoice.
Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #523 Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me?
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #523 Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me?
The Oracles of God
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 #657 Beautiful Savior
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 #657 Beautiful Savior
In Our Prayers
- Pastor Jim Shrader, and his wife Christ.
- Those in treatment and recovering - Christina Jackson, Mary and Lorie Howell.
- Our expansion into worship and teaching videos.
- Please pray for brothers, those with diabetes.
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| Graphic by Norma A. Boeckler |
1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
Prayer
Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks unto Thee, that through Thy Holy Spirit Thou hast appointed us to bear witness of Thy dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: We beseech Thee, inasmuch as the world cannot endure such testimony, and persecutes us in every way, grant us courage and comfort, that we may not be offended because of the cross, but continue steadfastly in Thy testimony, and be found always among those who know Thee and Thy Son, until we 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.
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| The Pantheon in Rome. Did it honor all gods? Scholars are divided. |
The Oracles of God
Introductory, 1 Peter 4:7
The oracles of God means the Word of God itself, not some variation or special interpretation that will appeal to those with itching ears. We can see why so many began following the charismatic trends in the last 50 years, because the religious leaders denied the Scriptures and inserted their own activism and rationalistic denials. Having a minister believe in miracles was - a miracle! So some thought of themselves as God's own mouthpieces, issuing oracles like the Oracle of Delphi - who needed a prophet to interpret her euphoric ravings. The Oracles of God mean adhering to the Scriptures not inventing new ideas as direct from the Holy Spirit. As Lenski expressed it, reading the Scriptures as a declaration of fact, revealed by God, not to be argued over and changed by human trends and whims.
The problem is even greater today, because the social activists have spawned a counter-movement, which involves appealing to entertainment and personal needs. That devolves into questions about what the Bible means, and have no answers since the primacy and authority of God's revelations are forgotten and misused.
Lenski, 1 Peter, p. 198, on the Oracles of God
It is an extravagant idea to understand this to mean that “a Christian is to consider that the words
flowing from his mouth are all charismatic, be they
doctrine, prophecy, or speaking with tongues, produced
by God, not originating with men.” Were all Christians inspired? The idea that Peter is referring only
to the services as Paul does in I Cor. 14:26, etc., is
unwarranted. He refers to the common, daily talk of
any and of all Christians, of women as well as of men;
this is always to be helpful and is thus to be governed
by What God has told us.
11 ει τις λαλει ως λογια θεου ει τις διακονει ως εξ ισχυος ης χορηγει ο θεος ινα εν πασιν δοξαζηται ο θεος δια ιησου χριστου ω εστιν η δοξα και το κρατος εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων αμην
1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
The final stage - "the end of all things" began with the public ministry of Christ and His urging the disciples to go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The final stage meant the entire Gospel had been revealed and the witnesses of the Resurrection (including Paul) had the message and means to carry the Good News throughout the Roman Empire.
For example, the Roman Empire of the West ended (but did not evaporate) around 450 AD. The Christian Greek part of the Empire lasted until 1453 and collapsed into Turkey, Istanbul the capital's new name. Both parts of the Roman Empire, East and West, received the Gospel. The fall of Constantinople meant the trade routes were diminished and people sought a new way to reach the Spice Islands and Chinese silks. That led to the travels across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to capture new trade routes, gold, and rare goods, but they found America instead and the Gospel came here in various forms.
The final stage of Christianity has been slow and painful in many ways, but it has set people free from human and child sacrifice and slavery, though evil people want to go back to paganism and gladly worship their master, Satan.
So we can "the end of all things" as a mistake (as the rationalists do, living from the Bible and hating its meaning) or as the finishing work of the Holy Trinity in giving all nations the Gospel. It is similar to how we feel at the end of our lifetimes, concentrating on what is important. Telos does not mean the end is here, but that the short time frame makes us focus on what is important.
When Ranger Bob scoffed at our little, old mini-van, I said, "I don't need a 4-wheel dive pickup truck to bring dogfood back from Walmart."
9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Strange as it may seem, there are many who never show any hospitality. That was how Jesus urged the disciples to move from town to town, enjoying the custom of hospitality and sharing the Gospel. In the apostolic church, that should have prevailed as well, but getting established can mean taking many things for granted. "Good stewards" refers to those who manage and organize what God has given them to do, each person having different spiritual gifts.
I remember one reader writing to say, "You should be emphasizing the KJV and The Lutheran Hymnal." I did not realize how the rejecting of both was leaving people stranded with bad hymnals and bad pseudo-translations of corrupted texts.
Now that is expressed on our banner and in other ways as well. One idea can make an enormous difference just as a lever placed in the right place can move the world.
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| "Give me a lever long enough and I can move the world." |
Christianity is different - in the results not just happening once but in many ways over dozens of generations, races, and locations.
11 If any man [solemnly] speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
11 ει τις λαλει [solemnly speak, not just talk] ως λογια θεου ει τις διακονει ως εξ ισχυος ης χορηγει ο θεος ινα εν πασιν δοξαζηται ο θεος δια ιησου χριστου ω εστιν η δοξα και το κρατος εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων αμην
This is where the established, visible Church is lacking today. The Writings of God are the Scriptures, God's will and wisdom revealed in the Old and New Testaments.
This verb for speaking means to solemnly speak, which is used when Jesus was teaching or issuing a warning. It does not mean just talking, as when Jesus said, "I am thirsty." The solemn declarations show that this is especially important to listen and to remember.
The error of the past is starting with a verse, a part of a verse, or a word, and attaching a long freight train full of ancient church sayings, dogmatic books, and convention votes, skipping from one to another. That is canon law in the Church of Rome and "what we taught you" at seminary - both far from the Scriptures and not exactly God's will - often against God's will.
That is why I loathe the the dogmatic Scrabble (TM) games played with Biblical words. They take one and use that to jump into one dogmatic statement after another, going far from the Oracles of God, the actual Scriptures.
One example is - "There is no Trinity in the Bible," in spite of hundreds of passages where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are grouped together.
The word Trinity was coined as a shortcut to mean (all believe from the Bible about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Or - to read something from the Scripture and downplay the miracle and say, "I don't believe that can happen." (So we call it a miracle.) Or - "God does not work that way. There is reasonable explanation." (Yes, one of God's miracles.) Or - "We are too sophisticated to believe that. (Sophist, yes, but one must believe as a child not as a sophist.)
The minister, professor, or layman who speaks against the revealed Word of God is actively hardening his own heart and blinding himself to the Scriptures. That cannot end well. Luther did that in learning Medieval dogmatics, but his supervisor and the Scriptures separated him from those errors. The lessons he learned so well as a Medieval monk served him well in countering those errors with the Word of God.
Turkish conquest gave Luther and the world the Greek New Testament. The invasion of Europe by the Turks gave the Lutheran church time to establish roots.
Miracles? or just good luck?
The only certainty we have in life is the Scriptures.
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