Ash Wednesday, 2022

Ash Wednesday, 2022, 7 PM Central

 

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

 

Vimeo Player will be here:

 

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central Time

 

The Hymn #552           Abide with Me 

            

The Order of Vespers                                                p. 41

The Psalmody               Psalm 1                              p. 123

The Lections                 Joel 2:12-19

Matthew 6:16-2

 

The Sermon Hymn #578   Lord, While For All Mankind We Pray        

 

The Sermon –   Glad Hearts, Mercy and Love

The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                       p. 45

 

The Hymn #654        Now the Day Is Over      

    

Prayers and Announcements

• More work was done for improving the hymns.
• Last Sunday was bad for all Internet services live.
• Our services can be viewed afterwards on YouTube and Facebook. More RESI work tomorrow and Friday.
• Mary Howell - clear scans, praise God.
• Medical care - Doc Lito, Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Pastor K, Norma Boeckler.
• The new KJV book should be in production this weekend.

There are two alternatives, because the service is converted afterwards and placed on YouTube here

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNy45SdFhJMGCyiygBHI1Xg

and also a little slower, about 30 minutes after the service and Bible study are done - on Facebook below -

https://www.facebook.com/BethanyLutheranWorship

 

KJV Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? 18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. 19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

 

KJV Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Glad Hearts, Mercy and Love

KJV Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

We cannot doubt that Jesus knew how to poke fun at people who put on a show but do not mean it. I read about the eternal "look" of the Jesuits, painted like long, dreary shadows. They were so intent on putting on their pious faces while doing evil.

This is often the case for those who want to impress others but have no motive except to appear outwardly pious. The Gospel is quite different, because God shows us our sinful natures, our weaknesses, and teaches us about His grace through Jesus Christ.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 

This is part of the long sermon we call the Sermon on the Mount. Each section is concise and yet is full of details and images for us to remember. Jesus teaches us in stories and images, which are so easy to remember and call up in our minds.

One seminarian in Canada like to wear a poncho all the time, and he did so with great gravity, no light-heartedness. He led a procession to the chapel altar, wearing that. Later, at lunch, because he still had it on, I said, "So you are still wearing your liturgical garments?" He did not smile. Later, he led the future pope up at their convention and wore the same melancholy (but full of pride) Jesuit look.

If people are going to fast, they should do it privately and otherwise show a happy and bright face. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. KJV Proverbs 17:22. Looking for rewards on earth and booking them like deposits in a heavenly bank - that is human nature rather than God's will.

There is a fuss at a Missouri college, doubtless because big gifts have allowed them to go their own way and ignore their Biblical traditions. Likewise, WELS is bragging about their Schwan gifts (down to the penny), doubtless proud because they absolved the unrepentant Marvin Schwan for his shenanigans.

Everything looks great with the best scenery, lighting, and makeup, until the outwardly is gone and substance remains - just the opposition of the intention.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

This is a vital passage, which is why we hear it every Ash Wednesday. Our nature is is accumulate treasures on earth and to think of them being our security and comfort, or perhaps the joy we anticipated for the future - that deam-whatever. 

I put on a long face and Ranger Bob said, "What's wrong?" I said "My Porsche is sinking in the ocean, in that ship full of cars, and they cannot stop the fires." He began laughing. Some wrote, "Those cars are worth diving down for - they are instant treasures."

No, the real treasures are Christian friendships, mutual help, sharing the joy of our neighbors and relationships. There is more security in a reliable friend than in all the man-made security devices and plans on earth. 

The Scriptures are the treasures because they come from God, work God's will, and last forever. The word "treasures" is used in the Book of Concord several times (6 or more) as another way of saying "God's Gospel Promises." 

Where are we apart from the Gospel Promises and Blessings of God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ? And where are we without the clear, and everlasting Word energized by the Holy Spirit?

The unrepentant sinner can feel like he is carrying a terrible load when he does not know God's Creation, humanity's problems, and the grace of Jesus Christ. When we are relieved of a great physical burden, or financial burden, nothing compares to the relief of knowing and experience the relief of forgiveness, complete and full, paid for by Jesus Christ.

Knowing that grace, because the Word teaches us, we can never be too anxious, weighed down, or afraid. Most of the things we worry about never happen. Some are real but many are invented by manipulators and marketing mavens. 

We should be honest about feeling weighed down and look at it frankly. Some are overworked. Some are in poor health from bad habits, not even knowing the cause. But there is nothing more energizing than feeling God's strength and the fact of drowning our sins in the ocean of His grace - gone forever. 

We like that Christmas morning joy of anticipating only the best under the shedding pine tree. And that is ours when we look at God's blessings, confess our sins, and rejoice in the Gospel of the Savior.

A joyful life gives joy to others, and that spreads because it is the Fruit of the Spirit.

No Edit Left Behind - The King James Version: Apostolic Texts, Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations,

I enjoy finishing a book, though the editing yields more mistakes. The entire rowdy lot can never be tracked down and fixed. 

This is the current PDF of The King James Version: Apostolilc Texts, Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations.

I have a tactic for finding lost objects, and that fits editing. I can never recover something I have lost, unless I give up looking and no longer have it on my mind. Then - and only then - I see the lost object glittering and shimmering before my eyes, as if hidden before in some kind of time warp.

It is fun to open the newly printed book, but each time, the very page opened has a typo. The "not looking for it" tactic works, though it inflicts pain and regret when the printing is done.

 It is so wonderful to have Norma A. Boeckler creating the covers and illustrations.

The PDF Is Available - Please Send Corrections by This Thursday

Please email corrections of (linked PDF):

The King James Version - Apostolic Texts, Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Hereticial Translations.

My email is greg.jackson.edlp@gmail.com

Just send the wrong word or phrase, and I will find it with control-f.

Nobody needs to try to edit the whole book. Pick a chapter or 10 pages. Every effort helps.

 Norma A. Boeckler designed the covers
and the graphics inside.

Two Alternatives to the Live Broadcast

At least two households have trouble getting the live worship service via Vimeo and the same might be true of RESI (going live soon). The new broadcasts assume more bandwidth than Ustream, so the new guys assume a raging torrent of 1s and 0s rather than shallow crick. (That is "creek" up north where people talk funny.)

There are two alternatives, because the service is converted afterwards and placed on YouTube here

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNy45SdFhJMGCyiygBHI1Xg

and also a little slower, about 30 minutes after the service and Bible study are done - on Facebook below -

https://www.facebook.com/BethanyLutheranWorship

 We had Chris Shrader, Pastor Jim Shrader, and Glen Kotten with us for one service last year. 

CPH Catalogue - One-Stop Shopping for All Your ELCA and Roman Catholic Needs

 

The less Lutherans know about the Scriptures, the more they promote the Apocrypha. ELDONA was offering video tapes on the Apocrypha when they were teaching Justification Without Faith. Where did they learn that false doctrine? Most of the clergy and the self-appointed bishop studied at Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne. 

Did I say CPH was a Seminex hotbed? How about the Gospel commentary on Mark that claims Codex Vaticanus as its anchor, its heart and soul!

Sinaiticus and Vaticanus - Aleph and B - do not agree with each other at all and have no descendants. 

Here is some math for the LCMS/WELS Biblical departments. I have often seen dates for Vaticanus and Sinaiticus around 450 AD. How did they exist for over a thousand years without leaving any copies? In fact, how did Sinaiticus exist for so many centuries and retain its white supple leather form?

One more - how did the monks at St. Catherine's conclude that they could throw away those precious Sinaiticus leather pages to be burned - just to warm up the library?

Spotlight on Westcott-Hort as the Mother of All Deceptions - Who Benefits?

Aland and Aland did little more than repeat the Westcott-Hort GNT. "It's too late to turn back now, I believe, I believe, I believe I'm falling in love."

One scholar, not even 100% Traditional Text, has nevertheless cooked the goose of Westcott and Hort for handing everyone a finished Greek New Testament with no citation of sources. 

                                    +++

Citation - 

Alfred Martin, "A Critical Examination of the Westcott-Hort Textual Theory, Which Bible? edited by David Otis Fuller, 1995. 

Fuller's books are easily found on Alibris.com by searching on the titles.  

They are also on Amazon at new prices and sometimes used prices. Another source is Biblio.

+++

Let us put it this way. If someone publishes 

1. a dissertation or 
2. a formal essay proving a concept or 
3. a medical study with a conclusion, 

there must be actual evidence to support the argument.

Westcott (first a professor, then a bishop) worked with Hort (a professor) for decades, so they printed their finished Greek New Testament secretly - for the KJV Revision group only - a decade before the formal release, which was the moment the Revised KJV came out.

The Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament never had a critical apparatus at the bottom of each page until the 1950s, long after the men were dead and buried. That was their dissertation with no footnotes, no references, just overweening pride. (Do post-humus references count? How did the living know what the two dead men intended?)

So they were saying - with their apostate cheerleaders -  during the decades when Biblical proof was on trial - "This is the real New Testament, without all the sentimental additions cooked up by the Church many centuries later."

They published their theories separately, and text scholars eventually realized that there was no connection between the strutting, phony theories and the actual evidence. 

Most likely, the text scholars knew it was wiser to ride the Wescott-Hort wave than to question what the truly advanced, free-thinking, apostates argued. Moreover, it is much more fun to attack and generate publicity than to say, "God really did preserve His Word, against all heretics."

Early and Continuous Corruption - Roman Catholic

From Jerome (400 AD) on, the Catholic Church has waged a war against the text of the Bible. To this day, their emphasis has been on the infallibility and power of the Pope and the need to sort out the "unclear passages" in the Scriptures.

Do not be surprised - the WELS sect has the same attitude. When a pastor needs to wiggle out of a definite question about the Scriptures, he will say, "That is a gre-e-e-e-e-e-y area of Scriptures." In other words, he takes the Roman Catholic position that the Word of God is incomplete and unclear. It is a good thing WELS came along to clarify things. Yes, the WELS pastors are infallible but their Bible is unclear.

Missouri pastors are far better trained. They turn their eyebrows into tortured caterpillars and say, "Scholar are divided." That covers everything and reveals nothing.

The Church of Rome has always been part of the American Bible Society, with joint publishing, etc. The United Bible Societies are even more subordinated to Rome. I understand than a Jesuit Cardinal was the senior manager of the Greek New Testament at one point. 

If the Papacy loved the Bible, why did the popes keep Vaticanus (B) tucked away for centuries? Tischendorf, the pope's favorite sock puppet, only had a brief time to glance at it and publish a rave review.

Tischendorf, a nominal Lutheran, with more self-serving lies than a carnival barker, established the double source of Sinaiticus (Aleph, which was clearly a recently manufactured fake) and Vaticanus (which had no more credibility than Sinaiticus.

The Amen Chorus is world-wide now and affects the Bibles in your own church. When you buy from NPH (WELS) or CPH (LCMS) or Fortress (ELCA), you are buying Sinaiticus-Vaticanus. They will let you buy the KJV and allow TLH to be bought, but they promote the latest lame lying Bibles and the worst hymnals ever (until the next Calvinist litter is born).

They fit the saying, "This is not a book to be read lightly, but thrown hard against the wall." 

Fuhrman's Disease Proof Your Child - And Maybe Your Inner Child

Disease Proof Your Child

I found another Fuhrman book - Disease Proof Your Child. The title evokes recent memories of mothers handing their children McDonalds french fries to keep them soothed in the car. 

When I slogged vegetables at Walmart, the biggest laughs among us were the technicolor cereal aisle - air-puffed sugar confections - and the tiny air-puffed balls of sweetness for babies in their section, so they could grow into Count Chocula.

Merge the Dracula theme with fake chocolate and sugar. Mmmmm.

Furhman makes a good argument for starting children with highly nutritious greens, fruits, vegetables, and nuts instead of sugary, salty, and fat foods. 

I see so many morbidly obese young children that it makes me groan. Children are normally high energy, so how much sugar and fat are being consumed to keep them roly-poly before first grade?

Yes, I had access to desserts as a child, but my parents were always urging vegetables on us. My mother fell for cow's milk "building strong bones and muscles." The Dairy Council gave teachers beautiful color posters about all the high fat, high protein foods we should eat, diminishing the use of vegetables, fruits, and nuts.

Calcium is easily obtained from greens, without the salt, sugar, and fat. We got our milk at elementary school too. We paid our milk money for that each week. Once a year we got chocolate milk - and we loved it. 

Fuhrman argues that children will love the good foods they are offered. No secret - the worst garbage (salt, fat, sugar) is found in the form of prepared food ready to microwave or grab from the fast-food window.

I can testify that eating greens and beans has eliminated most of my desire for desserts and junk food. Apples and oranges are my new dessert, about four portions a day. Spinach is shockingly delicious and satisfying in a huge bowl with walnuts, a bit of dressing, flax seed, and blueberries - three blood pressure reducers marked in blue.

We all have different tastes, and beans vary widely. I favor the more flavored types, though they may have more sugar and salt. I have always liked lima beans so I bought some cans for a lunch or supper. Soup is good to blend with vegetables and mushrooms.

I am getting better at getting ingredients cooked to the right temperature. Ice cold mushrooms do not taste right in warmed vegetable soup. Frozen peas warm up fast in the soup, so I look for other frozen ingredients, like the green pepper and onions frozen together. There are also pearl onions and other combinations.

Am I disease proof? I dropped to my lowest weight since we had a President from California. My blood pressure dropped to normal and I stopped the calcium channel blocker. My blood sugar is probably near normal, so I wait for the A1C in March. 

Yes, I fell off the no-dessert wagon a total of four days in two months. I eat some fast food with Sassy, but buy no colas with or without sugar. 

This is not a diet but a big and welcome change in habits. I reduced meat to three times a week, no milk or milk products, no eggs, no fish. I have had a little cheese on toast but it made my head pound each time, which I consider a salt alert. Pizza? - not even thought about, though I love Chicago pizza.

 Fuhrman was an Olympic skater. So far, I like the heart book the best - concise and clear.

 The End of Heart Disease. The used copies are generally very inexpensive, because they were not read much and were left in the estate.

Spiritual Blindness Exemplified - Bible Bucks for Dummified Devotees

 Herman Otten got into the Bible business with the AAT, or Beck Bible, which has the same errors as the NIV - such as the true ending of Mark being doubted. Like all those who set aside the KJV, Otten promoted Objective Justification - not Justification by Faith, the Chief Article.

I ignored daily or hourly Christianbook.com emails, and even tried to stop and block them. However, they had a sale on KJVs with a big discount and no shipping. $8 each. With 11 point fonts, they are easy to read. They are not as gigantic as the ones with the Very Large fonts, but also not limited by Lilliputian size and the need for a battery-powered magnifying glass that lights up tiny store and prescription labels.

Notice that the Little Three Bible Paraphrases (ESV, RSV, NIV) are cheaply made and often higher priced. Bibles are business. The new ones have to pay rebates to the store (illegal but made honest with "shelf rental" fees). Your ESV-RSV-NIV Bible may generate higher fees, a great incentive to feature boy, girl, teen, newly-wed, mother, combat soldier versions.

Let me illustrate with one teeny-tiny selling book bought by a writer. He finds out that 250 copies will cost as much from the printer as 500 copies or even 1000 copies. He may order 5,000 copies, as Cascione did, and rue the day. Once free copies are given away, 4,967 copies are left to sell. The individual writer has a big bill and no place left in the house for storage.

But the Bible seller will always have good sales and can remainder the leftovers, like the NIV Las Vegas edition. I should be in marketing.

I look at a Bible at the WM and see a bit of money for paper and ink, everything else in that book as profit. That is also why synods bring out new, worse hymnals - because volume sales cancel the original cost and becomes pure profit. "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow." That is a hymn too - not just a slogan at ELCA-WELS-LCMS publishing headquarters. 

Why do they cooperate on everything but hymnals? "Benjies" is the answer. It is all about the Benjamin Franklins.

They Blinded Me with Greenbacks!

Old Man Jeske had to publish an article on the blatant errors in the "classic" NIV. I remember him going over that in his Old Testament class. He also enjoyed his trip to Israel. The students were impressed that he got to help on the NIV, but the list of helpers was longer than Paul Kelm's gimmicks. I wondered if he had any influence, especially when looking those little errors in the old NIV, which only grew worse in the new ones. The NIV has more face-lifts than Celine Dione, and with worse results, too. The same is true for the red National Council of Churches' ESV and RSV. 

The ESV is a little more Calvinist than the RSV, though I wonder how much more damage can be done to either paraphrase. The superior attitude broached - "I use the ESV, not the NIV" - is more like comparing road kill for supper. Don't gag - I know a WELS pastor who bragged about saving money that way.

No matter what the Bible bucks do to seduce the synods and pastors, the KJV still has the best text (Majority, Traditional, Byzantine, Stephanus, Ecclesiastical) while the rest keep making changes to call their snip, clip, copy and paste jigsaw puzzles "the earliest, best, most scientific" - so perfect that they change their Greek text annually. And what do they have? The Nestle-Aland-UBS is almost the same as the Westcott-Hort and the fraudulent Westcott-Hort has been exposed as a bunch of text theories easily refuted.

Fun with Frozen Food for Wildlife

 

 A squirrel on a garbage barrel will try to knock down birds with his paws, like King Kong, but the birds are too many.

 The kind of corn is priced so high, the farmers can buy new John Deere tractors.

Needless to say, the grocery stores love to sell over-priced bird and squirrel food. The prices are often outrageous and the quality is usually low. I try to keep it economical but found another source in the store - frozen food.

In my quest for health food I have spent more time with frozen foods (not prepared) and canned goods (soup as a base for vegetarian lunches, beans and more beans).

I look for frozen mushrooms and the green pepper onion mix. Then I spotted frozen blueberries in a package for $2. Later I bought a frozen package of blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries - three kinds I can eat but not digest. 

Both berry packages won rave reviews with squirrels and birds. The favored birds - like cardinals and bluejays - are also berry eaters. However, every creature gets some. Animals are much more sharing than humans.

My greatest fun was cutting older oranges up and placing them where the orange glow would attract critters. Baltimore Oriole? I doubt that.

Later I saw a creature at the far end of the backyard. Orange flashed. What could it be? My new-improved eyes could make out a large squirrel with a half-orange in his mouth. He stopped high up on a tree, not on branches but the trunk. He ate the fruit furiously, to make sure no one else got it. I added a few more today, and I am sure they will become part of many diets.

 I eat blueberries too, for lower blood pressure.
I used to give the extras to the critters - and I still do - but I appreciate this delightful medicine with no side effects except blue fingertips.

Wescott-Hort Published Their Greek New Testament Secretly - With No Source Material to Support the Radical Readings.Everyone Was Expected To Agree with the Conclusions - No Proof.Scholars Were Total Fools, QED - Today's ESV, NIV, RSV etc.

 These men were close friends for decades, but neither one was a believing Christian or scholar.

The so-called scientific attitude created Westcott and Hort, so their blunders might have easily been repeated by others. Tischendorf helped the cause earlier by having the same attitude - highlight the extraordinary claims - "Oldest Bibles in the World," Sinaiticus and Vaticanus - and let people enjoy the thrill.

Tischendorf's lies about Sinaiticus and Vaticanus suggest a lifetime of deception, self-adulation, and misrepresentation.

The Westcott-Hort method provides the "best possible Greek NT text" without any kind of proof except their insistence on it. Now people realize that all their theories are empty and without substance. The juggernaut has moved forward, so no one dare question the great and might squads who favor W-H, defend them, and attack any questions about their work.

Simply put, their Greek text of Mark starts by omitting "the Son of God" in Mark 1:1 and eliminates the Resurrection of Christ by erasing Mark 16:9ff. 

Yes, I know that the elimination of "the Son of God" did not make it into English...so far, but the original omission stands to this day in Greek.  And we all know that the ending of Mark - 16:-9-20 - floats up and down and often has no break or only a hint of one. Nevertheless, the great and wise know that their W-H Greek New Testament begins by denying the divine Sonship of Christ and eliminates His Resurrection. 

There are many ways to soften the blow, but the LCMS, no less than ELCA and WELS, is keen to equivocate about every detail and perhaps respond by declaring critics "backwoods rednecks with no edumakation," the last word fitting their humor.

Lutherans thought they were fighting a Holy War when they took on Seminex, Jungkuntz, and his Metropolitan Community Church. The Seminex faction dug in, like 17 year cicadas, happy to come out and reproduce. And they have!

Seminex now controls the LCMS, ELS, Calvinist News, LutherQuislings, WELS, and the ALPB Ovaltine Forum. Ask if any those leaders tolerate the Tischendorf-Westcott-Hort Bibles. Then add the CLC (sic), and ELDONA to the list. 

The job is complete - all of them caved in to the jigsaw puzzle Greek texts from hither and yon (the Vatican - B - and a known forgery - Aleph). 

 My father (silhouette) helped build the Wharton Field House as a laborer. My mother is holding my older brother and sister. I am on the way.

Picture this - Wharton Field House in Moline, one of the largest still in the Midwest. My father helped build it - and it seats 7,000 people. Let's take that many people, each holding a token of the Majority (Traditional or Byzantine) Text witnesses. That can include translations, lectionaries, etc., so the total is often listed at 7,000. 

On the center court, put five beautiful, distracting cheerleaders - to sit on folding chairs, each holding a token for each witness to the Sinaiticus-Vaticanus faction. 

Someone runs out of the locker room and yells, "What about Codex Alexandria?" Another yells back, "Shush, the Four Gospels are Majority Text in Codex Alexandria. It's bad enough already. Be quiet!"

A couple of professors come out, stricken by the beauty of the young cheerleaders and declare -

"The 7,000 Majority Text witnesses lose  to the Oldest and Best Examples of the Greek New Testament. Let us all thank God that one man, Count Tischendorf, university drop-out, gave us this treasure. And thank Stalin's memory for his generous offer to sell Sinaiticus to England."

Quinquagesima, 2022.

 

Bethany Lutheran Church 

10 AM Central Time 

Vimeo

Lyrics from the Bethany Hymn Blog are embedded in the hymn numbers.

The melody is linked in the hymn title.

The Hymn #27                    O Bless the Lord                    

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Be Thou my strong Rock: for an house of defense to save me.

Thou art my Rock and my Fortress: therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me and guide me.

Psalm. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in Thy righteousness.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers and, having set us free from the bonds of sin, defend us from all evil; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual  

V. Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed Thy people: the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

Tract. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands: serve the Lord with gladness.

V. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving.

V. Know ye that the Lord, He is God.

V. It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves: we are His people and the sheep of his pasture.

     

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #148      Lord Jesus Christ, My Life

 The Biblical Concept of Love

The Hymn #311        Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior                           

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 #657                 Beautiful Savior 

Prayers and Announcements

• Treatment and recovery - Mary Howell's scan was clear!
• Medical issues - Callie and her mother Peggie; C.  Pastor Jim Shrader and his wife Chris; Doc Lito; Pastor K; Norma Boeckler.
• The new KJV book is completed; readers are welcome to view the PDF and offer corrections.
• Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, 7 PM.
• 

The Epistle. 1 Corinthians 13

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The Gospel. St. Luke 18:31-43

Luke 18 31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.

32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:

33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

The Biblical Concept of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

Love (agape) is the first fruit of the Spirit, so we can see that love is not something generated by us but by the Gospel Word, conveyed by the Spirit.

We have denatured that word so much that it is used for every possible product. QVC set a record by escalating from "love, love, love" to "love, love, love, love, love." Or Dean Martin - "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore."

So the Apostles words, which are from the Holy Spirit, tell us the nature of love as God teaches us, not as man distorts. Back in the 19th century, people used love as an excuse for tolerating false doctrine. It was not loving to stick to Biblical doctrine, but it was loving to accept all kinds of attacks on the Bible as God's unique an infallible revelation.

One pastor was called "Loveless Leonard" because he insisted on following the Scriptures and Confessions. He also had a large, healthy congregation. 

Love as a fruit of the Spirit is correctly seen as a product of the Gospel, which means that all other measures are empty and void of meaning. For example, I collect photos of enormous, empty churches because something went wrong and the proof of its glory had become a paradox - the "largest church in our denomination" - empty and abandoned.

Verse 1 tells me - No matter what I brag about, if I do not have love as a response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nothing matters. As many know, the meaning of this love - agape - is self-giving, the love of God the Father for God the Son, the love of Jesus Christ for His flock.

This is easily expressed and noticed with the love of a mother for her children, even for children not her own. I went to an elementary school where the teachers routinely spoke of their students as "my children." These teachers had a great concern for the future of their children often maintained that connection far into their adult lives. I hear from those who had my mother as a teacher - "She literally saved my life." - and I know the same about other teachers of that era. I know what they did to keep their classrooms interesting for 9 months, too. Without prompting they decorated the room for every event and season.

Mothers of their own children are so disposed to care for them that a loveless mother is difficult to comprehend, though it happens.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Paul was addressing those who flaunted their superiority in the church, comparing their excellent with others who might lack various qualities. Corinth was always in turmoil, and this was one of the reasons. One would claim superiority about this or that, and that would lead to conflict and alienation. Lacking self-giving love, the fruit of faith in Jesus Christ, the member is nothing. So Paul was really handing humility out to the congregation. 

Luther:

Paul’s purpose in this chapter is to silence and humble haughty Christians, particularly teachers and preachers. The Gospel gives much knowledge of God and of Christ, and conveys many wonderful gifts, as Paul recounts in Romans 12 and in 1 Corinthians 12. He tells us some have the gift of speaking, some of teaching, some of Scripture exposition; others of ruling; and so on. With Christians are great riches of spiritual knowledge, great treasures in the way of spiritual gifts. Manifest to all is the meaning of God, Christ, conscience, the present and the future life, and similar things. But there are to be found few indeed who make the right use of such gifts and knowledge; who humble themselves to serve others, according to the dictates of love. Each seeks his own honor and advantage, desiring to gain preferment and precedence over others.

I have often told people that the greatest problem is the bullying done by clergy and professors, trying to be top dog instead of being faithful to the Word.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

We know the rich who make their virtues known by being named on buildings. Their activities flaunt their lawlessness and they let everyone know their importance. One such person had his name chiseled off the building at Fuller Seminary, because he was so lawless as a professor of psychology. The outward signs are not to be compared to or equal to what the Spirit does in the Gospel.

That is our great blessing, to experience God's Spirit at work in the Gospel. All comparisons then are related directly to Jesus and how He conducted Himself in His earthly ministry. He did not tolerate false doctrine and defied His opponents to deal with Him. His miracles only made them angrier.

But Jesus was just the opposite of His opponents. He welcomed, the poor, the needy, and the outcasts. That was - and is - just the opposite of vainglory.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

These are great negative statements defining what we should avoid. So much of what is discussed now are the examples of people being obnoxious, self-centered, quick to anger, seeing evil in everything yet rejoicing in what is bad or destructive.

This is what gave the Christian Faith so much peace in the earliest days, and had an influence on the rich nobles of the Roman Empire. Persecution did not result in war. They were peaceful and humble, trusting in God and seeing Christ as the example. All the virtues expressed are a reflection of Jesus Himself. 

 

 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

A Christ-like love describes the Christian life, being mature in looking to Jesus as the answer.