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.
Amazon Prime offered "free" one of their films, which was based on the memoir The Tender Bar, which was suggested reading when I took journalism classes online. I do not recommend the movie, which is poorly organized and slapped together. The author is working on Prince Harry's autobiography.
J. R. Moehringer is the Prince Harry ghost - you read it here first. I enjoyed the sections of his book where his mother said he had to go to Harvard or Yale, though his father was missing and they lived just above the poverty level.
Some of his bookstore friends said "Harvard is where someone knows everything about something. Yale is where they know something about everything."
The book friends said, "Yale is your biggest fear? Then you must battle that. Your fears ultimately define you."
That is why I always enjoy hanging around compulsive, life-long readers. Ranger Bob is one. All my friends are readers.
The movie skips the part about the JR graduating from a Scottsdale high school, not a run-down ghetto school. However, I understand his Long Island school is in a nest of highly valued public schools with the wealthy seeking houses there to benefit their children's education.
As most know, Scottsdale is one of the rich cities in the Phoenix cluster, so that high school was probably a good place from which to apply for a Yale education.
Nevertheless, JR's mother was the energy and strength behind accomplishing the impossible. He also benefited from his grandfather's stash of fascinating books and his own innate love of books.
I interviewed future Yale undergrads, who were all exceptionally educated and qualified to attend - but not all the qualified would be accepted. I got to write up whether they were future leaders or not. They all graduated from the private schools of St. Louis, so JR was up against tremendous odds in his application. Given his success in attending Yale, he was prepared for a career in writing.
I doubt whether the digital toy generation, which is 100% deployed in schools, will develop adequate thinkers or writers in the future. When I taught in a tiny Christian college, I was the only teacher to forbid all digital toys in class - and I had permission to hand the gadgets to the dean. The cries of pain were not from Juliet's apparent death in Shakespeare, but from the loss of their tweets, photos, and videos in class.
Several students said, "You stuck to your standards. You were the only teacher who did, and we had to listen." My class rosters were filled the moment they were posted, so the Gameboy faction had no power over me.
When the readers and writers of this generation go to their reward, there will be substance left in in literature, science, history, geography, and religious studies. We can see that now, where seminaries reject the Biblical languages and promote fraudulent Biblical texts. The seminaries want to blend Christianity with Eastern religion, just as their heroes Westcott-Hort did.
I thought Hort was the big Quack in that duo. No, Westcott was deep into teach resurrection as faith, not fact, and the Incarnation really being the god in every single person. He adored Hinduism and helped set up an institute in India to promote his ideas.
The ESV-RSV-NRSV-NIV Bibles, sold for profit and promoted by the Lutherans, are all based upon the cobbled together Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament text.
The problem is, there are not enough faithful clergy to learn this, teach this, and fight for the truth.
The Confession of Sins The Absolution The Introit p. 16
The Introit
Worship Him, all ye His angels:
Zion heard and was glad.
The daughters of Judah rejoiced:
because of Thy judgments, O Lord.
Psalm. The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice:
let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle
The 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. The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice:
let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord! Praise be to Thee, O Christ! The Nicene Creed p. 22
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 #45Now the Hour of Worship
Prayers and Announcements
The roses are for - January 27th - the anniversary of Gary and Alicia Meyer.
For those suffering from the difficulties of the lockdowns, job threats, anxiety, and depression.
Guy Johnson, retired police officer, Pastor Jackson's friend since grade school, hospitalized, ICU.
Doctor's care - Pastor Shrader, Pastor K, Dr. Lito Cruz.
Our elected President and his supporters, our military justice system.
KJV Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
KJV Matthew 8:1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Third Sunday After Epiphany
O almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all dangers and necessities stretch forth Thy mighty hand, to defend us against our enemies; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
This mint is called Bee Balm for some reason.
The Word Creates and Builds Faith
KJV Matthew 8:1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
Here is an example of the Word creating faith. This leper was present to hear the Sermon on the Mount, and the words of Jesus filled this tortured man with faith in Jesus as divine. The leper's faith is revealed in his struggle to reach Jesus and to worship Him as God. As an outcast having nothing but rejection and avoidance, the leper understood more than modern Biblical critics, who deny this is a an actual sermon. But this disabled and tormented man believed in the Savior and said in humility - "If you will, you can cleanse me from this disease."
This is far from the modern fad of "name it and claim it," where people are instructed that they can have anything they want if they just tell God what they want and when they want it, like ordering from a menu. This shows lack of faith, not faith in Him. It sets people up for disappointment and unbelief.
It is far better to trust God's will than our own, because God can see the future far in advance and knows what lies ahead.
3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
People fuss about the ways in which Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. Details matter. Jesus touched someone who was untouchable and utterly shunned and avoided, for fear of the disease. What better lesson than to stop for this leper, with crowds surging around as they left, after the Sermon, Jesus touching the very man who repulsed them
We can imagine a wide expanse around Jesus and the leper as they pressed to move as far as possible away from the untouchable. Even more people witnessed this because of the stage they set for fear of leprosy. A similar effect works today, if a child covers his mouth and a parent says "Let us through - he is sick to his stomach." Crowds will part and space will open up instantly.
The miraculous cure was immediately visible. The worst kind of disfigurement or weakness or disability changed into health. Jesus cured the leper with assurance - I will - and with the Word - Be clean.
Is this different from the Confession of Sin and Absolution? Not at all. In humility we confess our sins and Christ Himself - delegating to the worship leader - speaks the Gospel Word of forgiveness.
4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
People miss the connection between the healing and going to the Temple. The temptation for the healed man is to stop along the way, go to friends, talk about the healing, and so forth. Who could resist? The leper was commanded to head to the Temple as a witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ and give the leaders an opportunity to believe in Him. Many different clear Gospel messages and warning were aimed at official Judaism, to give them the chance to know the Promises of the Old Testament were being fulfilled in their time.
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
I know how this feels. A best friend, from all the way back to grade school, is in the ICU on a ventilator. The centurion is a Roman officer, there because the country is now a part of the Roman Empire. He addressed Jesus as Lord, even though he has great power as a Roman officer in control of professional soldiers .
7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
Jesus, knowing the mind of the centurion, offered to come to the man's villa and heal the servant. Thus the Promise is already given, and sincere faith is the response given.
8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
Once again, the humble attitude is expressed first. He is not worthy to have Jesus inside of his house, which is just the opposite of using his house as a symbol of power and wealth. Jesus does not need to be nearby, because the officer knows the meaning of command. The word of the centurion is law. No matter what he orders, it will be done by the men under his command. That is still true today. Unlike any other organization, the military operates by command, from the top down. Knowing Jesus is divine, the officer trusts the power of the divine command, the Word which so many neglect or despise today.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Like the Canaanite woman, this officer serves as a contrast, total trust in Jesus when Pharisaical Judaism rejected Him. The most likely ones to honor the Gospel Promises were resistant, but the outsiders were sincere believers.
That is true today, where the official, ruling Lutheran officials are the most likely to gather at Fuller Seminary, Purpose-Driven Drive, Willow Creek, and Andy Stanley's Babtist Church- and yet they are the least likely to know or like or read Luther.
The Biblical and text scholars of today, if gathered in a great conference, would be mostly Unitarian at best, and very likely to favor Hinduism over Christianity.
11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This passage isthe truth of that era and ours. Those expected to follow the Scriptures are the most allergic to them, now that Christianity is established everywhere. Those who suffer real persecution value the Gospel the most.
13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
We cannot measure God's actions by the latest reports, news, predictions, experiences. We can carry out the divine plan, honoring what He has created in us (our special offices, duties) and for us - the basics of Scripture, worship, prayer, and healthy living.
Society truths have to be measured against Scriptural truths. Many times the official claims of the moment are little more than crowd control, the management rather than the truth of the news. We have that truth before us in the traditional Scriptures, translation (singular), text (singular), hymns, worship, and supplemental books.
