Yes, I did not turn on the sound at first. Start where I am talking on the cell phone.
Vimeo Player:
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Righteous art Thou, O Lord: and upright are Thy judgments.
Deal with Thy servant: according to Thy mercy.
Psalm. Blessed are the undefiled in the way:
who walk in the Law of the Lord.
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
Lord, we beseech Thee, grant Thy people grace to withstand the temptations
of the devil and with pure hearts and minds to follow Thee, the only God;
through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord:
and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.
V. By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made:
and all the host of them by the Breath of His mouth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 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
Love Controls All Law
8. By faith I call Thy holy Table
The testament of Thy deep love;
For, lo, thereby I now am able
To see how love Thy heart doth move.
9. What higher gift can we inherit?
It is faith's bond and solid base;
It is the strength of heart and spirit,
The covenant of hope and grace.
10. This feast is manna, wealth abounding
Unto the poor, to weak ones power,
To angels joy, to hell confounding,
And life for us in death's dark hour.
11. Thy body, given for me, O Savior,
Thy blood which Thou for me didst shed,
These are my life and strength forever,
By them my hungry soul is fed.
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 # 361 O Jesus, King
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 # 361 O Jesus, King
In Our Prayers
- Pastor K and others dealing with diabetes, Kermit and Maria Way, Randy Anderson. Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris, Callie's family and C.
- Brett and Amy Meyer celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary on October 7th.
- Pastor Jackson's birthday is this Saturday.
- The new I AM Sermons book is just starting to get around. It needs some adjustments in format.
KJV Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
KJV Luke 14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer him again to these things. 7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, 8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; 9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father: We beseech Thee so to guide and direct us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not exalt ourselves, but humbly fear Thee, with our whole hearts hear and keep Thy word, and hallow the Lord's day, that we also may be hallowed by Thy word; help us, first, to place our hope and confidence in Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who alone is our righteousness and Redeemer, and, then, so to amend and better our lives in accordance with Thy word, that we may avoid all offenses and finally obtain eternal salvation, through Thy grace in Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God. world without end. Amen.
Love Controls All Law
Background
There are favorite passages used in the historic pericopes (Epistle and Gospel selections) and others where most people will wonder, Why this particular passage?
Luther complained a bit about certain selections and questioned how they were chosen and why. There are many different sets, but this one, I believe, is the oldest. In comparison, many Christian groups do not specify the readings at all. The relatively new three-year lectionary came from the Church of Rome, and the ELCA-LCMS-Others took to it like ants around the kitchen sink.
The key issue is teaching what the Word of God is teaching, not using the selections as a springboard for religious novelties. An ELCA professor was touted in the news for earning her PhD at a Jesuit university for her research on the Holy Spirit. I was interested, so I read her comments. She mentioned Luther! and went on to say that the Paraclete (Comforter, Advocate) in the Gospel of John is a Person who advocates for justice - the old Social Gospel theme of making the road to Jericho safe - and dancing around who the Good Samaritan is (Hint - He is not a radical Leftist.)
KJV Luke 14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.
Jesus was always a target of the opposition, because He taught the righteousness of faith in Him, not the righteousness of works. As Luther wrote in the sermon posted today from the Lenker set, there are two points to this healing miracle. One is well known and used throughout the Bible. The other is unique to this passage.
The universal teaching of the Bible is that Jesus is our Savior, who is presented to us in such a way to teach us to believe in Him, His gracious forgiveness, and His desire to help us in every way possible. That is the lesson of the Good Samaritan (Jesus), a lesson so powerful that apostates, who have fallen from the Faith, take great pains to deny this truth. As one person wrote in - "I have never heard the Good Samaritan parable taught this way." Indeed - that is the darkened state in which we live.
Whatever is offered today as Biblical teaching is mostly the opposite of the Scriptures, backed up by 100 years of official opposition to the Bible's message. Great teachers of the Bible - Loy, Lenski, Leupold, Luther, Chemnitz, Melanchthon - are buried under an avalanche of ponderous, enormous, piles of speculation, available for $40, $50, and up. I spent $130 on the two-volume "commentary" on Mark from the LCMS. The current Biblical "scholars" are today's Pharisees, enemies of Jesus Christ, lying in wait for a chance to attack the Gospel and replace it with their illusions.
2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
My personal belief is that this man was known in the early church - a certain man. From the context we know that he heard of Jesus and his miraculous healings. If you have had contact or your own experience with long-standing disease. you know what a trial it is to suffer from pain, misery, and weakness of that disorder. I have a mentioned a little boy born so fragile that no one was allowed to kiss him because of his rare, but well known genetic disorder.
This man with dropsy had faith in Jesus because of the stories told about Him. That is stated in the Fourth Gospel as the reason for the miracles. "If you do not believe in Me, at least believe in the miracles." That is also declared in Romans 10, reflecting on Isaiah 53 - faith comes from "hearing the Report" - the Report being the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. (Apostate "scholars" and clergy assure people that Isaiah 53 has nothing to do with Jesus.
All-Important
The man with dropsy did not present his credentials for being healed. He was not asking for a reward for his virtue but only relief from his painful disease.
Internal pain is just as bad as external symptoms. Luther pointed out that emotional distress is far more painful and does not earn sympathy, more often it invites scorn and hardness. A person wrote me to say she has so much anxiety that she can barely get her academic work done, and that builds up to the point of quitting. We can easily become obsessed with problems, so great that we can hardly bear them - and that is purely internal, but not so easily dismissed with slogans.
That is most important with marriage, because two become one and opposites attract. There must be contrition (sorrow for sins) on both sides, and gracious forgiveness on both sides. That is how the fruits of the Spirit (the results of faith in Jesus) grow and flourish. When people want fresh roses, as if they are taking from my bank account, I say, "The more we cut, the more we have. Take as many as you want. Even more will blossom." Note that harvesting roses increases the strength of the plant, the vigor of the roots, and the number of flowers. In the same way, regular confession and forgiveness lead to the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
This is the part Luther identified as unique - the emphasis of love over the Law. That does not mean it is taught here and nowhere else, but that it is clearly expressed and revealed there so we have no excuse to bypass what the Good Shepherd teaches, or what the Good Samaritan exemplifies.
The Mosaic Law is very clear - there is to be no work on the Sabbath.
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer him again to these things.
Jesus challenged them about their own practices. They would not let their own animals suffer and die on the Sabbath, so they said nothing.
Some would say, The Law is the Law, and that is the message of the Old Testament. However, when Moses led the people for 40 years out in the desert, there were no circumcisions. Nothing is said against Moses, even though circumcision began with Abraham, many centuries before.
Likewise, when David entered the Temple with his men, they ate the bread which was consecrated for the priests alone. They were starving, so David broke the ceremonial law, so that love was served rather than the Law.
This is known in rabbinic lore as well. In a time of persecution for being Jews, they are allowed to skip all kosher laws and signs of Judaism but not the 10 Commandments. Many things are so distinctive that they serve well to unify Jews, such as kosher foods. However, love is greater. Jewish and Muslim food practices are so close than they eat together at various universities, including Yale.
Jesus also offered the parable about sitting in seats of honor, which relates to love over the Law. Then, as now, there were customs about honoring various people and their dignity. It is quite common for clergy and academics to hold themselves seriously and even imperiously (like Emperors) in their work, with power over everything. They will scowl and use their nastiness to oppress others.
I knew someone like that who was prone to use his power to intimidate people. When I saw him giving me the stink-eye in the hallway, I smiled at him, greeted him by name, and continued walking. That was not what he wanted.
I have known professors and clergy with titles who imagined they could violate the Scriptures - any rules, right and wrong - because of their titles. There are endless examples. Paul said we should live with others in peace, as far as we can. I like the subordination (as far as we can) because that is quite difficult with some people. However, God uses those people for the good, even when we do not see the blessings at the moment.
23. Therefore the Lord said to his disciples when they disputed as to who should be the greatest among them: “The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them, and they that have authority over them are called Benefactors. But ye shall not be so; but he that is the greater among you, let him become as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve,” Luke 22:25-27. He then speaks of himself as an illustration, asking: “For which is the greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat! But I am in the midst of you as he that serveth.”
And in another place, Matthew 20:26-28, he said: “Whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister; and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
And in another place, Matthew 20:26-28, he said: “Whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister; and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The best way of life, as Jesus Himself showed us, is to serve rather than to rule. He was nothing but perfection and love, yet He took upon Himself our sins.
