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| Jan Verhas - Jesus Raising the Widow's Son |
The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2021
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Introit
Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto Thee daily.
For Thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive:
and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.
Psalm. Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, hear me:
for I am poor and needy.
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
Lord, we pray Thee that Thy grace may always go before and follow after us and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
The heathen shall fear the name of the Lord:
and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.
V. When the Lord shall build up Zion:
He shall appear in His glory. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: He is their Help and their Shield. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Power of Faith and Prayer
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
Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior
Prayers and Announcements
- In therapy - Randy Anderson, Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader.
- Ongoing - Anita, Zach Engleman's mother.
- In school, Enzo Meyer at Grand Canyon University (100,000 students, 20,000 in Phoenix); Andrea Anderson is in regular school at age 4.
- Today's broadcast is the Logitech web camera and the NYC mike.
- Also, Callie and her parents, and C.
- The I AM Sermons will start arriving this week.
- The address list is being organized with the email list.
- Buckeye birthday this week.
KJV Ephesians 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power [dynamis, dynamite, Holy Spirit] that worketh [energy, efficacy] in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
KJV Luke 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst send Thy Son to be made flesh, that by His death He might atone for our sins and deliver us from eternal death: We pray Thee, confirm in our hearts the hope that our Lord Jesus Christ, who with but a word raised the widow's son, in like manner will raise us on the last day, and grant us eternal life: 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.
The Power of Faith and Prayer
Background
The setting for Ephesians is Paul locked up in prison during the reign of Nero, where Christians were openly persecuted and blamed for the fire which Nero probably started to promote urban renewal. Prisons were horrible and gave anyone there the stigma of being a criminal who deserved to be locked up and treated poorly.
This letter should remind people to read Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress when the have a chance. Bunyan was imprisoned for the crime of not registering as official clergy. He was assailed with doubts because conforming to the King would have set him free. Breaking the rules could have cost him his life, such as when he stepped out and visited members of this congregation and his family. He wrote his famous book, which has had 2002 editions, the latest ones coming from our little church.
KJV Ephesians 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Ephesus was the mother church of Christianity. Paul spent more time there than anywhere else. Unlike Paul's other letters than we have, this one does not deal with problems in the congregation. Revelation says that Ephesus lost their first love, and Luther said, "Now they have the Turks." That is the short version of the history of that city.
Paul's concern was that people would feel associated with his condemned status, but he wanted to tell them that his prison sentence was their glory. The cross is a positive sign that the Gospel is at work. Nominal (in name only) church leaders have gone out of their way to silence anything taught or published in our little congregation. Publications have been blocked. College students have been ordered not to read our blog, which has been banned and shadow-banned, decreasing the reads. Having a classroom of 1,000 people a day is still pretty good.
The anti-Gospel gains praise and admiration for pleasing people with material gain, with showy spectacles, with applause from almost everyone. I walked out of the most "successful" parish in Moline when I was 16. The minister was a Church Growther way ahead of his time. He had a Florida tan year around. He spoke (for a big fee) at all the big events around town. His services were packed from the first pew to the last, the first pew saved for late comers like the Jacksons. The youth groups earned points to go on fancy trips. Even though they had two lady pastors at the end, the church closed and no one even wanted the building. One of my classmates criticized me for not liking the Church Growther pastor. I said, "No, I appreciate him for making me into a Lutheran."
Sixty years after, I realize how Rev. Church Growther spread his toxins by example and helped all the Lutheran synods to follow him off the cliff, taking his disciples who make disciples off the cliff, like the Garasene flock. McGavran (Understanding Church Growth) was a liberal in the same Disciples of Christ denomination as the Moline minister. Likewise, Robert Schulller blossomed and disintegrated for his version.
This is true of American Protestant Christianity in general.
The message of God's Word is to take up our cross daily and follow Him, not to look for ways to please our Father Below, who is always anxious to take us away from the facts and the Promises of the Gospel.
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
The Apostle Paul realized and taught that bearing the cross is glory and never to be avoided or rejected. This attitude stunned the crowds who came to see Christians tortured and killed. Persecutions continued before and during the Reformation, and they are widespread in Africa today. Where the Christian Faith is most active, the persecutions are most vicious.
But we also have the quiet, managed, engineered persecutions in America.
- The KJV is derided by clergy and especially the professors and sect leaders.
- False stories about the Apostolic (Majority) Text are spread.
- Seminarians and pastors are made to feel foolish for even mentioning the KJV, though it remains the most read English Bible.
- Church professors and leaders make fun of Luther and his writings, but they also sold ridiculous trinkets for the Reformation's 500th anniversary.
- "Lutheran" publishing houses promote everything except the Biblical wisdom of the Reformation.
- The visible Church pursues every fad and folly and is ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Church leaders are horrified by faithful members and pastors while they protect and defend criminal clergy, alcoholic and adulterous leaders.
Is it a secret that those pretending to be "conservative" Lutherans are overjoyed by the posturing, trappings, and deluxe clothing of the Church of Rome?
Every person rejected, dismissed, or insulted by the apostate clergy is blessed by two (2) Beatitudes -
KJV Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
The glory of God is to reward us with spiritual riches, great benefits, and miracles. The Word itself is a constant source of benefits and miracles, keeping us in the Faith and helping us at all times. We often do not realize God at work until later and we wonder how something happened, which looked so bad and ended up so good and favorable. That leads us to praise and thank God, which gives us stability in the midst of chaos. We live in a country burdened by corruption, foolishness, and homage to Satan himself. Yet Jesus Christ dwells in our hearts by faith. Romans 5 teaches that clearly - faith is access to grace, so the faithless and apostates have not grace and tumble about in darkness, not light. We are strengthened by the Spirit - that is - by the Word. There are many supposed Christians who have the "Spirit" but not the Word - just their own impulses. There are thousands of Scriptural eggheads (not just the seminary professors and "consultants") who have the Word (as an academic tool) and not the Spirit (no faith).
It is a terrible dark and gloomy place to be without faith, and no one wants to take it away more than Satan. To paraphrase Luther, If Satan has a thousand weapons against us, the Spirit in the Word has 100,000 to clobber Satan.
This is leading up to miracles, emphasized especially in the last two verses.
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
The saints (the holy) are all those who believe in Jesus Christ. We share that fellowship with Christians, an invisible army (the brand-names do not count for or against). As I have said before, when I talk to a mixed group, the unbelievers scowl and fold their arms in opposition to "inerrancy" or some other word toxic to them. The believers nod in a positive way and show their interest and listen.
The fulness of God means knowing and experiencing God's mercy, forgiveness, and love in the midst of hardship and difficulties.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power [dynamis, dynamite, Holy Spirit] that worketh [energy, efficacy] in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
The unlimited blessings of God are emphasized by Paul in this hyperbole - exceeding abundantly. Whatever we can pray for or hope for, God can do far more than the best we can expect. And we have the spiritual understanding to know this is true, according to the power (related to the Holy Spirit in the Word) which is always energetic - effective - in us. The Word/Spirit is so abundant in us, as proven by the Word/Spirit/rain and snow analogy in Isaiah 55.
- His Word never returns empty (just like the rain and snow)
- It always has an effect, just like the rain and snow.
- It always prospers God's will, just like the rain and snow.
Some people pray for the life of a little baby. There is no reason to hope, but there is faith and constant prayer. It is a miracle. The baby lives. But wait, there's more. She is very healthy and strong in time and has more talent than anyone could hope for.
Paul assures us that our prayers are answered beyond what we can imagine or hope for. That is how God works, but faith and prayer go together. It is not ringing the bell for the butler, as we see on TV, but always being ready to pray in faith and to be an example to the family in specific prayers. |
| "Tuition discount at Fuller Seminary. Whee! Invite the Lutherans. They will love it in WELS, LCMS, ELS, ELCA!" |
