Invocavit, The First Sunday in Lent, 2021
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
O Lord, mercifully hear our prayer and stretch forth
the right hand of Thy majesty to defend us from them that rise up against us;
through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual The Gospel
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 #154 Alas and Did My Savior
Prayers and Announcements
- Treatment and recovery - Christina Jackson, Pastor Jim Shrader, Lori Howell.
- Pray for our country and duly elected President as the major trials continue.
- Thanksgiving - Mary Howell's PET scan was clear - no cancer.
- Wednesdays are Vespers at 7 PM, covering one chapter of Understanding Luther's Galatians each time. Chapter 2 is next.
KJV 2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
KJV Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
First Sunday In Lent
Lord God, heavenly Father, inasmuch as the adversary doth continually afflict us, and as a roaring lion doth walk about, seeking to devour us: We beseech Thee for the sake of the suffering and death of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, to help us by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and to strengthen our hearts by Thy word, that our enemy may not prevail over us, but that we may evermore abide in Thy grace, and be preserved unto everlasting life; through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Christ the Model of Temptation
Background - Fasting, Etc
Many Scripture lessons have a lot to do with addressing future problems in Christianity. In the Middle Ages, for example. fasting and other acts of self-denial were promoted as instruments of grace and holiness, earning forgiveness of sin. Jesus said directly in Matthew 6 that people should not go around parading their fasting and suffering in the name of holiness, to gain attention and praise from others. That was one of many ways in which to impress others, and it turned into bragging and idolatry.
When something is worthwhile in private, such as a form of self-denial, Satan quickly turns it into a public spectacle. Next the difficulties are faked or made dangerous, improving the crowd appeal.
The temptation of Christ in the desert teaches us about His sacrifice for our gain and not how to act holy or mandate customs that must be followed. Whatever hardship we may endure because of the Gospel, we know - He was there before us and He is there with us.
KJV Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Before He began His public ministry, Jesus journeyed into the desert (wilderness - literally a dry place), led by the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of enduring temptation by Satan.
As I have noted before, many people take one part of the Gospel lesson and make that the only teaching, because it appeals to them. This reading certainly presents the Savior as the example for all Christians in how we face temptation. It became a jest in the 19th century that every Life of Jesus book was really a self-portrait of the author! That is similar to artists who painted pictures of Jesus which looked just like the suffering painter. So these Life of Jesus books intrigued people because they wanted to know about Jesus, all the facts, but they were led astray by the agenda of the so-called scholars. The book authors left His divinity behind and only wrote about His humanity - His human nature.
Jesus fasting in the wilderness is a parallel to Moses doing the same, for 40 days, before the giving of the Ten Commandments. As John's Gospel says, "The Law came through Moses, grace and truth through Jesus Christ." Moses is the partial picture. The Ten Commandments codify God's natural law - He commands what is good for us. When the First Table is neglected, our souls are starved; when the Second Table (about our human relationships) is ignored, everyone is damaged by the lawlessness. But alas, no one can keep the Ten Commandments. Moses was a partial representation, foreshadowing Christ. Only though Christ could the Law be fulfilled perfectly in His innocent death for our sins.
Many people get caught up in the institutional side of churches, clergy and laity alike. Then they concentrate on loving or hating the institution. The issue is what is being taught. The farther from the truth, the worse the damage. I was telling one member about the discussions on the Internet, where clergy and laity ask, "How are the Masons doing? How are other denominations holding up? How can we measure this and learn from the figures on the charts?" They do not even mention the Word being taught. If the Gospel is weak or absent, what do the figures matter?
This is temptation by the devil, so that includes all kinds of trials - some involving our bodies, others involving our thoughts and feelings. The temptation in the desert emphasizes the human nature in Christ, which is our closest connection to Him - He had the same experiences and trials as we do - and yet was without sin.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
As we all know, everything changes when we are hungry for food. We lose energy and get grumpy. We push other matters to the side and think about what we might eat. The largest Walmart in the state is 1 mile from our house. A few days ago the bread aisle was completely lacking in bread. People were worried that the cold and snow, bringing the town to a halt, would mean empty shelves - so they emptied the bread aisle. If you have ever worked in re-stocking, it does not take much for crowds to empty the shelves, based on elemental fears.
A shortage means a lot of food becomes very tasty and appealing. So the tempter approached Jesus with the idea of turning stones into bread. You can smell it now, if you have ever baked bread - that combination of grain and leaven/yeast. And it is satisfying.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
3. The Scriptures present to us two kinds of true fasting: one, by which we try to bring the flesh into subjection to the spirit, of which St. Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians 6:5: “ In labors, in watchings, in fastings.” The other is that which we must bear patiently, and yet receive willingly because of our need and poverty, of which St. Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 4:11: “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst,” and Christ in Matthew 9:15: “When the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then will they fast.” This kind of fasting Christ teaches us here while in the wilderness alone without anything to eat, and while he suffers his penury without murmuring. The first kind of fasting, one can end whenever he wills, and can satisfy it by food; but the other kind we must observe and bear until God himself changes it and satisfies us. Hence it is much more precious than the first, because it moves in greater faith.
The involuntary fasts - for us - would mean those times when doing the right thing cost us income, security, housing, and friendships. There are moments when the faithful person looks back and asks, "How did I lose so much and how can it be replaced, at least partially?"
The denominational head have no trouble getting rid of someone and no qualms about harboring a felon-pastor. They have no conscience. But once they have done this, overtly or covertly, the victim is left in a bad place. "Oh, clergy friends were part of this? How convenient for them. The ones who wanted free books, free lodging, and so forth?" So that keeps clergy silent and docile, because once the eject button has been powered up, it is only a matter of time.
One minister came to my house to tell me he privately mentioned to his supervisor that he was against women clergy, long ago when that was being debated a bit. His supervisor said, "You are out of the ministry. You cannot stay." The minister said, "I won't discuss it with anyone. I will stay quiet." The supervisor said, "No, that is your position and you must leave the denomination." So that was it, and he found a place in another denomination. But in an era where the denomination owns the retirement and medical plan and the path to another position, the threat hangs over the clergy and that is why they mistakenly remain silent.
And there are many circumstances when a sudden change in the economy leaves the family devoid of income and security. They did not volunteer but simply got caught in the disaster of the moment. It is tough to endure, and the more people involved, the more difficult it is. We saw that when there was a deliberate take-down of all online schools for 8 years, and that was my main income.
We borrowed a joke from The Joys of Yiddish. "I know God will provide, but will He provide until He provides?" At the end of the temptations, the angels minister to Jesus, not that He needed it, as Luther says, but to remind us of God's angels helping us in similar circumstances. Even so, we should be quick to serve as angels for others when they need a boost, a coat, a supply of food, a loan or a gift.
The greater form of fasting is to use that as a spiritual discipline. That has been a custom in Christianity but it has also been abused. Someone told me it "had to be done," and I took that as a legalistic requirement, the Law - not self-discipline.
If our priority is food - that is, the comforts of the body - then the Word is going to be neglected. If the priority is the Word of God, then God will provided and may allow us to suffer temporary loss and insecurity for a time.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
This is not only a temptation for Jesus but also for us. Divine power is always there to rescue and heal us. In many cases we have seen that take place with others and we have experienced safety from harm in a split second. That does not mean that we demand God must prove His love and power at all times to keep us as believers.
The daring of many videos suggests that people thought the laws of gravitation were suspended for many people, but the results show otherwise.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
This is a clever turn - Jesus was led by the Spirit to face temptations, but He admonished Satan not to tempt God. So this seems aimed more at Satan than at Jesus, but this applies both ways. Satan, knowing the Scriptures better than we do, uses part of them to divide and to destroy. Because the Word of God is powerful, false teaching is also powerful in twisting and obscuring it.
That is the old logical claim, "If God is all powerful, why not demand He heal you and restore your good fortunes?" If He does not, then He is not all-powerful. They blind themselves, then try to blind others.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
This is the most successful temptation, not for Jesus but for man. It is good to dwell on what that could have meant for Him, since it would have avoided the cross and the betrayals and denials. So we should not only dwell on His sacrificial ministry but also include what He gave up in advance.
Man is not so strong. So many vast temples have been built, mostly for the glory of man. They often have this history - used to be the largest church in the nation, or - the largest in the denomination. And they are empty. They glorified a man up to a point and dissolved.
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| Sometimes a church sign aches to be Photoshopped. |
The issue remains - we have a lot of temptations, and they pull at us as long as we are alive. However, the Savior is with us on our lifelong journey. Nothing we experience is alien to Him. We only follow where He has already gone. Whatever our temptations are, His were greater.
