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| Norma A. Boeckler |
The Third Sunday after Trinity, 2021
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Hymn #575 Before the Lord We Bow - Francis Scott Key
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Turn Thee unto me and have mercy upon me: for I am desolate and afflicted.
Look upon mine affliction and my pain: and forgive all my sins.
Psalm. Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul: O my God, I trust in Thee, let me not be ashamed.
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
O God, the Protector of all that trust in Thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, increase and multiply upon us Thy mercy that, Thou being our Ruler and Guide, we may so pass through things temporal that we finally lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
Cast thy burden upon the Lord: and He shall sustain
thee.
V. I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me: He
hath delivered my soul in peace. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. I will love Thee, O Lord my Strength: the Lord is my
Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer. Hallelujah!
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
The Gentle Shepherd, Son of the Father
The Communion Hymn #310 Thy Table I Approach - Loy Translation
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 #49 Almighty God Thy Word Is Cast
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 #49 Almighty God Thy Word Is Cast
In Our Prayers
- Test and PET Scan - Christina Jackson.
- Medical issues - Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Kermit Way.
- The Bible Book is available - Printed book, Kindle, and free PDF. Printed books should start arrived at the end of June.
KJV 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
KJV Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Third Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we all like sheep have gone astray, having suffered ourselves to be led away from the right path by Satan and our own sinful flesh: We beseech Thee graciously to forgive us all our sins for the sake of Thy Son, Jesus Christ; and quicken our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may abide in Thy word, and in true repentance and a steadfast faith continue in Thy Church unto the end, and obtain eternal salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end Amen.
The Gentle Shepherd, Son of the Father
Background for the Gospel, Luke 15
Someone was asked, what book of the Bible would you save if that is all you could have. He answered, "Luke," which puzzled people. He went on to say, "Luke 15 is the whole Bible in one chapter." Luke 15 begins with the lost sheep and the lost coin, both serving as introductions introductions to the Prodigal Son.
The three parables are impossible to resist. We can identify with the characters in different ways. Losing an animal - horrible feeling, great joy when found. Losing a something valuable, going from dread to joy. Losing someone from rejection or spite or the rebellion of youth, much greater pain and joy. Many families have gone through strife because of the constraints of the Wuhan Flu epidemic. We should pray for them too.
These parables are great because Jesus teaches so much in a few words.
KJV Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth (welcomes!) sinners, and eateth with them.
Lenski, page 793
This chapter and the next one are Luke’s two immortal parable chapters which are filled (with the
exception of one brief section) with parables, none of
which have found a place in the other Gospels, the
entire group being arranged in an obviously natural
order, in the order in which Jesus spoke them.
The parables are special because they can be read and studied for years, yet they never get worn or tired if we pay attention to them. A typical short story is not like that, not even close.
The setting of these parable is the fact of tax collectors (publicans) and obvious sinners drawing near to Jesus and taking solace in His words and gracious attitude. This reminds me of Luther's observation in the sermon, that He was the kindest of persons to everyone, unless they fought against His purpose and God's truth.
We can see the results now, since the apostates have shown their disdain for faith in Jesus and spend all their energy on pet theories, political legislation, building the institutions up, and condemning those who question them.
The Bible has one purpose - to teach faith in Jesus and in doing so, to give access to God's grace (Romans 5:2) - forgiveness of sin and eternal life. To go against that single purpose is a terrible blasphemy, replacing God's grace with man-made laws, the righteousness of works.
Faith in Jesus is the ultimate good, because Jesus Himself had faith and still has faith, due to the two Natures in Him, human and divine. One one side is the will of God the Father to forgive and save people, which can only happen through the gift of God the Son. On the other - man's fascination with himself.
Man says, "Look at the roads we built, the temples we remodeled, the plans we have made to create a better world. Look at how righteous we are. Many people stand in our way, but we will show them our power and virtue."
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
People tend to be especially sympathetic about animals, not just pets, but any animal, even risking their lives to save one in danger. The thought of a harmless sheep being lost and dying of hunger, an injury, and then a predator - that gets to most people, especially those who raise animals. And then we realize - we are that sheep. We got lost. We did not find our way home, we were found through His agents and through the Means of Grace.
The shepherd, who is Christ, seeks out the lost one until He finds it. Jesus comes to us through the Scriptures and through people teaching us the Scriptures. The Gospel Word sets up the meeting place between us and Jesus. People are involved in this, and so are study materials, broadcasts, books, and leaflets. Simply put, the Holy Spirit conveys Jesus to us through the Word.
Romans 5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
This comparison is perfect because the lost animal is still weak and afraid, injured and hungry. I was in a public place when one person went around saying John 3:16 and handing out a pamphlet. That is like saying to the sheep, "Cheer up!"
This does not match CFW Walther's lame comparison - "faith is a withered hand grasping the message." Jesus has the sheep being carried home. Walther has everyone making an effort on their side - the definition of synergism. He was not alone.
In this story we can certainly picture the Shepherd rejoicing, carrying home the frightened sheep, and saying, "Rejoice with Me! I have found the sheep that was lost!"
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
The response to Jesus and to those who believe in Him is pickle-faced, so Jesus compares that to the angels rejoicing in heaven. The Pharisees need no repentance, so there is no rejoicing.
This is suggestive of the relatively small number who believe and those who repent later in life. The outward appearance is not to be judged, often described as God not being a "respecter of persons." That was modernized by a friend as
"looking over their tax return."
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
This is not piece about women but all people who lose something. We (our neighbors and friends) have had a string of stories about lost keys, wallets, and other objects. This is more of an urban comparison. We are not out in the wilds herding sheep but taking care of our little plots of land.
People continue to prove my maxim that lost objects are only found when not looking for them. This poor lady does everything she can to find the coin. My worst loss (in the house) was the most mysterious, because I looked everywhere except the footrest near me. The sweaty search and the rejoicing are definitely easy to recall.
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
At the very least, this prepared the audience of Pharisees for the tug between their fellow pickle-faces and the Gospel. The time would come when some of them would leave their colleagues and become Christians. The rejoicing in heaven would be great comfort when former friends turned against them. It is also a welcome from Christ who is always there for the weak and stricken, those who hunger and thirst for the righteousness of faith.
Another comparison comes from the Prodigal Son, because it emphasizes repentance, forgiveness, and the self-righteousness of the elder brother. The parables need to be studied as a whole because each one teaches one or two points, while some try to fit their systematic theology books into one parable.
Modernists Wrecked the Parables - Or Tried To
When people ask why things are so bad, the answer is - because there must be a cross to bear with the Gospel. So many take it hard that Christianity is the religion, and this religion presents Jesus as the Son of God, Savior. His mission was to teach people to believe in Him - and His Father - through His sermons and miracles.
Every effort was made to challenge Him and to silence Him. Mockery and accusations were frequent. When all the tactics failed, they used the ultimate answer - a hideous death marked by the jeers of the crowds and religious leaders.
Persecution followed from that time on. Today we now have active persecution and suppression in the USA. In the world there are many campaigns to exterminate Christians. We can look at it as how great the evil is, or how great a threat Christianity poses.
