ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
The Confession of Sins The Absolution The Introit p. 16
Remember, O Lord, Thy tender mercies and Thy loving-kindnesses: for they have been ever of old.
Let not mine enemies triumph over me: God of Israel, deliver us out of all our troubles.
Psalm. Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul: O my God, I trust in Thee; let me not be ashamed.
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
O God, who seest that of ourselves we have no strength, keep us both outwardly and inwardly that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
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 # 50Lord Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing
Prayers and Announcements
Medical care - Pastor Jim Shrader, Christ Shrader, Doc Lito, Pastor K, Callie and her mother Peggy, and C.
Wednesday, 7 PM - MidWeek Lenten service,
Thank you for the donation of the Cambridge Lectern KJV Bible. One year anniversary.
KJV 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God,even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
KJV Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Second Sunday In Lent
Lord God, heavenly Father, grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that He may strengthen our hearts and confirm our faith and hope in Thy grace and mercy, so that, although we have reason to fear because of our conscience, our sin, and our unworthiness, we may nevertheless, with the woman of Canaan, hold fast to Thy grace, and in every trial and temptation find Thee a very present help and refuge, 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.
I AM the Light of the World
KJV Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
KJV John 8: 12 Then
spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 13
The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy
record is not true. 14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record
of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go;
but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. 15 Ye judge after the
flesh; I judge no man. 16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not
alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17 It is also written in your law,
that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am one that bear witness of myself,
and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. 19 Then said they unto him,
Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye
had known me, ye should have known my Father also. 20 These words spake Jesus
in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for
his hour was not yet come.
We should view the Gospel of John as the fulfillment and the commentary on the Books of Moses. When we see the obvious parallels, the more subtle ones become clearer. In this case, the statement - I AM the Light of the Word - takes us back to the beginning of time. Believe or not, one "lifelong Lutheran" was shocked that the Son existed from eternity. This reference to Creation makes that clear, and the chapter builds upon that.
As Luther observed, God created light before the sun, moon, and the stars. Thus light is first of all that truth belonging to God and the Son is that light. As spectacular as the creation of the universe is, calling forth the Light is even greater. Every step of the Creation, each 24 hour day, shows the Son as the Logos (John 1, interpreting Genesis 1) executing the commands of God the Father.
The nit-picking nannies of fake scholarship want to find differences and contradictions everywhere, but this is another example of the Father and Son in perfect harmony with the Holy Spirit witnessing.
The emphasis on I AM is not minor but major as the rest of the chapter shows. Jesus declared His divinity to the Jewish opponents, and their opposition is clearly stated in the Fourth Gospel.
I AM the Light of the world
God teaches us here that there is only one Truth, just as the Bible, as the Trinitarian revelation, is the one true Book, which is not judged by any book and judges all book. I have tell some Biblical students - "No, this man is not the last word in what the Bible says, the Bible is the last word. One passage illuminates another, and we are continuously learning. The Holy Spirit is the professor, teaching through the Word."
The experts would have us thing there are many truths, many perspectives. They long to fuse all religions together. The often overlooked part of Westcott-Hort has been overlooked. He was deeply involved in teaching that Christianity and Hinduism should be one religion, together, that the Incarnation would be complete when every person on earth was someone in every person (not through faith).
As many atheist world religion professors have proven, there is no way to integrate darkness and light, except to have even more darkness.
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Lenski noted that following the Light means the Light is moving. Jesus reveals the truth as we move through life. We can see what a difference that makes when we rely on His Truth as the Light of the world. Darkness seems to loom all around us, but light eliminates darkness. The smallest light will show what is in a darkened room.
KJV Psalm 119:105 Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
We have this constant reminder, when we use a lamp to find our way (or our keys or wallet or part from the computer) in the darkness. The everyday use of light in darkness reminds us that Jesus as the divine Word lights our path.
The Canaanite Woman
Some people like to portray this Gospel text for today, this miracle of healing as Jesus being mean. He does not listen. His disciples urge Him to act! - Send her away with a miracle!
He seems to try hard to insult the woman by using the term "dogs."
But this is really a miracle about faith in spite of all our emotions, fears, and rational judgements. First of all, her faith is so great that she as a pagan approaches the Jewish Messiah, because she has heard the Report (Isaiah 53, Romans 10) and believes.
Second, her faith is revealed in how she persists in view of Jesus' total silence, a silence so great that the disciples want her gone, dismissed with the miracle she wishes.
Third, her faith is shown in that Jesus rebuffs her with words that could be taken as insulting, just as people say to Christians, "Where is your Jesus now? Why does He treat ministers and members so badly? Look at us!" Some of those taunters are busy in many congregations, where the insults smart the most.
Finally, her faith is shown in her being willing to accept anything that Jesus will offer. She may be a dog, but "even the little pet dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the Master's table."
Jesus played the foil so that this woman's faith, which He knew by divine intuition, would be revealed outwardly and recorded for all time. This pagan turned believer through the Gospel Word is our example in remaining full of trust in Christ, no matter how:
God seems to be silent.
God seems absent for a long time.
God lets us take insulting abuse and worse...
This is the key example of faith in Jesus resulting in blessings, rejoicing - even in the crumbs that fall from the Master's table.
