Nadia and HerChurch Circle the Drain: The Icha-peek for Late Night Readers

 I thought about using or only linking the latest from Nadia Bolts-Tattoos, but it was so foul-mouthed that linking it was an act of profanity, so I did not.

"As Priestess Witch for herchurch, Christine offers magical gifts to share and enhance the support and development of herchurch. The monthly astrological reading provides guidance from the stars and is a favorite among many. Together we honor the natural cycles of the year, the Solstices and Equinoxes, and thank the Earth for her bounty. Small group gatherings provide inspiration and direct our attention to instinct and intuition helping us to discover ways to connect to the divinity of nature and thereby the Divine."

https://www.herchurch.org/priestexx

How many years ago did I write about HerChurch and post photos? A dozen years ago!

==

Someone added a few details, to illustrate a point.

Making Idols of Canaanite goddess, Is that Still Okay, ELCA Leadership?

by Exposing the ELCA on Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 10:28pm

Exposing the ELCA has highlighted Ebenezer Lutheran Church/“her church” in San Francisco in the past (read here on page 6 and here).  This ELCA church is famous for goddess worship, praying the goddess rosary, praying to “Sophia” and “Mother,” as well as the use of female pronouns for the god they worship.  The ELCA has taken no action to stop these practices/beliefs.  We could only conclude that goddess worship is an acceptable practice in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Now we have an actual statement from ELCA leadership about the teachings of this San Francisco Lutheran Church.  Bishop Michael Burk of ELCA Southeastern Iowa Synod spoke with Ebenezer Lutheran Church’s  Bishop from the Sierra Pacific Synod (in August 2010).  Bishop Burk had questions about reports he had heard of non-orthodox practices happening at the church. Here is his account of that conversation,

“After visiting with the bishop and with another synod staff member who knows the congregation and the pastor well, there is an acknowledgement that this congregation ‘pushes around the edges’ on matters that make some of us uncomfortable. Things like what they refer to this ‘rosary’ are seen by many to be outside the bounds, but don't rise to level of anything in the disciplinary arena. Speaking explicitly about the pastor and regular worship experience there, when folks have ‘dropped in unannounced’ they have experienced preaching that is decidedly within Lutheran orthodoxy and worship that is familiar and done with integrity. It was said that this small congregation is serving the local community very well, especially when it comes to reaching out to the local community.”  (read here, go to comment 6)

We have now learned that Ebenezer Lutheran Church is offering women an interesting “spiritual retreat.”  The church website says,

“Celebrate ‘She Who Is’
Encounter the Divine Feminine
with body, mind and spirit”

At this spiritual retreat you will experience -

“Sacred Re-imaging, rituals and work(play)shops, sacred sounds, altar building, meditation with the Cosmic Mother, Christian Feminist stories, beach walks, free time and relaxing with beauty that is around, among and within!”

The experience will include presentations on -

“God/dess Around Us
Language of the Goddess – Pr. Boorn (ELCA pastor)

God/dess Within Us
Connecting with God/dess – J. Dancer

God/dess Beyond Us
Spirit Shrines – Linda Roberts”

The Retreat gets even more interesting unfortunately.  Ebenezer Lutheran Church’s website tells an attendee’s retreat experience where we read,

“Pastor Stacy reminded us of some of the discounted feminine images of God in the Old Testament—probably none of which were the products of female imaginations—and invited us to form our own images in clay of Asherah, the mother goddess of the Canaanites familiar to early Jewish inhabitants of Canaan. I am no artist. Warming and working the clay with my hands, I wondered whether my goddess would look anything like the photograph of an Asherah figure Stacy provided as a possible starting point . . .”

“The next project, led by Kathryn Wagner, was to make a mandala, a circular, meditative image of the self . . .”

“On the shore of Monterey Bay, on Saturday night and Sunday morning, all ten of us prayed the Goddess rosary [some beaded their own Goddess Rosary that afternoon] beside a cross erected of driftwood and draped with seaweed. Stacy called us to remember the sea as the primal water from which life emerged, to think of it as the amniotic fluid of our mother's wombs . . .”  (Read here) http://www.herchurch.org/id10.html

One could write five articles on the non-orthodox, troubling, and heretical statements written about this "spiritual retreat."  But we will just focus on "Asherah."

The image of Asherah, that ELCA pastor Stacy Boorn had the women on the retreat make, is a false god.  As was mentioned above, Asherah is "the mother goddess of the Canaanites" that God continually told the Israelites to stay away from.  Scripture speaks of Asherah and Asherah poles extensively and none of it is positive.  Here is one verse (see more verses at end of this article) -

Deuteronomy 12:3 - Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.

I would be interested in hearing from ELCA headquarters and the synod bishops as to whether this new documented information of "herchurch" making idols of a false god (one the Bible specifically mentions and which is forbidden in scripture) is still considered acceptable practices for ELCA members.  As you can read in the Bible verses below, it is not acceptable to God. 

If making idols and the worship of false gods does not warrant expulsion, I don’t know what does.  ELCA inaction here = acceptance/approval.

---------

More of what God’s Word says about Asherah/Asherah poles - 

Judges 3:7 - The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

1 Kings 14:15 - And the LORD will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they aroused the LORD’s anger by making Asherah poles.

1 Kings 16:33 - Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.

2 Kings 17:16 - They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal.

Deuteronomy 7:5 - This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.

***

GJ - Notice that DP Doug Englebrecht sent the District VP to investigate The CORE and found exactly the same Lutheran orthodoxy! Twas practically Adolph Hoenecke come to life again.

Readers - HerChurch is a picture of WELS in the future.

No one thought HerChurch could happen when I published about this topic in 1987. Now the same people who ignored the warnings are shocked that it did happen - with their synod's blessing. My classmate from Yale, with a PhD in NT studies, blessed it as well. Now he is an ELCA seminary president.

The problem is with corrupt officials who seem to be spineless shiver-sisters, until someone dares to question the conduct of their office. Then, as Luther wrote, they are ready to tear up trees with their bare hands.

Or as Proverbs says, it is easier to rob a she-bear of her cubs than to encounter a fool in his folly. Prov. 17:12.

 Nadia allegedly had Covid. She may have visited HerChurch, but she started her own wackadoodle congregation and later was called by ELCA to do more of the same "as a witness."

Must Do That Morning Post

There is nothing quite so alarming or charming as a morning visit to the ALPB Online Diss 'n Cussing Board. 

Today's threads included the number of members in each synod, plus their number of congregations. Every since 1970, all of them have decreased by gigantic amounts. 

ELCA gets all its failures in one lump, because the LCA, ALC, and Seminex groups merged in 1987. They went from 5.3 baptized members to 1/3 fewer members. 

Missouri since 1970 has lost a similar number. 

The ELS has already published its epitaph. They will be only a footnote in history books in one generation. I wonder why Justification without Faith, their cause for leaving the Big Norwegians, never caught on. Now they can join their fragments with ELCA, which is also a fan of Universalism.

WELS' two sacraments, the stink-eye and the shun, have worked well in purifying the ranks so the leaders all come from a few DNA matches. Marrying a Name (as they call it in WELS) is like wedding the boss' daughter, a sure prediction of future promotions and alcoholism. This is discussed in excited tones: "He married a Hagedorn! Do you know who they are? A Hagedorn helped start the synod!"

I am amused, drinking pour-over coffee, that so many clergy at ALPB can write so much without addressing the basics of Biblical, Lutheran doctrine. They are all sociologists who enjoy going over the potential reason why their synods - and ALPB - have been sinking in numbers, closing schools, and still flogging the cause and effect from their Fuller Seminary educations.

The Church of Rome also talks about grace, and like their Lutheran counterparts, silences the concept of faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

If we have access to God's grace only through faith in Jesus the Savior, as Paul teaches in Romans 5:2, there is no grace at all in the leadership of the synods, whether they are Roman or nominal Lutheran.

KJV Romans 5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Mid-Week Lenten Service, 7 PM Central

This is the link for the saved service, so I am erasing the player.

Mid-Week Lenten Vespers, 2022

 

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

 

 

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central StandardTime

 

 

 

The Hymn #159                    Go to Dark Gethsemane        
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody   Psalm 23                                       p. 128
The Lections                            The Passion History

                                                                   

The Sermon Hymn #149           Come to Calvary's Holy Mountain

 

The Sermon –   I AM the Door

 
The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymns #552              Abide with Me

 

 

Prayers and Announcements

·         Greater knowledge of Luther’s works and faithful translations; i.e., the KJV is the English (Tyndale) version of Luther’s German Bible. They established their modern languages in England and Germany by virtue of the power of their work. Nobody ever admits this about the KJV, that it comes from Luther via Tyndale who died for translating the Scriptures from Hebrew and Greek into English. 

• The KJV book has arrived, and so has the camera.
• Happy Birthday, Sarah Buck.
• Prayers for Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Callie and her mother Peggy, C., those with long-term illnesses.

I AM the Door

John 10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

So many love the next I AM sermon, about the Good Shepherd, that it is relatively easy to overlook this one. This is quite powerful, but offends the wealthy, lazy, global elite who want one world, one “faith”, one ruler. This I AM the Door is repulsive to the ecumenical movement, which was the beginning of the National (Federal) Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches (left-wing) which absorbed and digested the more conservative World Missionary Council, so the latter no longer exists.

John 10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

This comparison is based upon the common knowledge of raising sheep at that time, which also connects to the Passover Lamb from the Exodus. We have very little of this in our culture now, but it was a major part of Biblical Judaism. Sheep from various flocks or one flock were kept in pens for safety. They were a valuable commodity (part of Australia’s “Waltzing Matilda” national song) and objects of predators, human and lupine.

We think of modern doors, but this door was an opening in the pen guarded by the so that only the shepherd could enter. This is the foundation for the shepherd section that follows. The one who climbs over the fence is clearly a thief, a robber. The shepherd comes in the one door.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

The typical shepherd, which they all knew about, was recognized by the guard at the door or opening and allowed in. The sheep all know the voice of their shepherd. He goes out before them and leads them, very much like Psalm 23. This chapter is central to the entire Bible, which is recognized today in stained glass windows and art.

When I have to go to an appointment, Sassy stays home and is quiet, but when I arrive, she barks sharply from the inside and comes to the door to complete her guard duties for the moment. Sassy is very willful on our walks, but she follows me and responds to my voice, especially when I get firm. She asks permission to meet people and to go a different way (sometimes tricking me into another route as she pivots and grins).

As everyone knows, pastor is Latin for shepherd, and it is a good title since all ordained ministers are men who are subordinate to the Good Shepherd. Just as sheep follow the voice and the walk of the shepherd, so believers follow only the voice of the
Good Shepherd.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

This verse is especially important, because there is a direct relationship between the true believers and the true pastor. When the leader is false, the believers flee instead of compromising. They know the voice of the Shepherd and run from strangers. We see this carried out in reverse where Joel Osteen refused, years ago, to say that Jesus is the only way of salvation (hint – Gospel of John and everywhere else). He admitted he was an evil shepherd, with no consequences. Likewise, Rev. Andy Stanley (a favorite in the Wisconsin Synod – Ski, Glende, Parlow and 5 more of them going to one expensive conference and worshiping with Stanley – so cool.) Stanley denounced the “Jesus of ancient documents” in favor of his “Jesus for today.”

“The Christian faith doesn’t rise and fall on the accuracy of 66 ancient documents. It rises and falls on the identity of a single individual: Jesus of Nazareth.” Andy Stanley, WELS mentor and hero. Christian Post, https://www.christianpost.com/voices/andy-stanleys-tweet-about-the-bible-is-seductive-and-harmful.html

This is the argument used by false prophets, who make it possible to invent a new Messiah according to their wishes. It is certainly a pity that people flock – or rather bleet – rushing to such heretics. But it was predicted in letters to Timothy, that people will pile up false teachers to teach what their itching ears want to hear.

6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Although they did not understand this parable at first, it was remembered via the Holy
Spirit to be recorded in the Fourth Gospel, passed down to us through the Majority or Traditional/Byzantine Text.  Jesus is the One Entrance to salvation, which we see vividly described in Romans 5:2 – faith in Christ is access to God’s grace. There  is one way – faith – not access to universal grace without even knowing there is a door (WELS-LCMS-ELCA position).

Jesus is the door of salvation, the only way to enter. So strange that people try to teach otherwise, but do not listen to His voice. This shows how resisting the truth makes us unable to see and hear the truth, no matter how smart we appear to be. The great and wise of today do not know how to view Jesus as a child does. No, they are sophisticated and highly education experts.

Jesus came that we might have life in abundance, the lead to I AM the Good Shepherd.

Many Major Health Problems Are Alleviated by Good Food Habits

 Only one plate?

Having excess weight can cause many different health problems, which accelerate with age:

1. Heart
2. Blood pressure
3. Diabetes.

Our society has changed from one where vegetables are a major part of our diets to a minor part, replaced by snack food, fast food, and just plain awful food.

Here is a list of foods and flavors I use for cooked vegetables, not necessarily all at once:

Beans, kidney and chickpeas (garbanza)

Mushrooms

Asparagus

Peas

Green beans

Onions and green peppers

Tomato paste

Broccoli

Sweet potatoes

Mixed vegetables

Black pepper

Tabasco sauce

V-8 juice.

The funtastic part is the way God has placed essential nutrients in various ways among those plant foods. 

I thought, "I better have the multi-vitamin every day. Where else will I get zinc?" The answer is in vegetables and nuts, but I take the multi-vitamin anyway:

Pumpkin seeds

Chickpeas aka garbanzo beans

Cashew nuts

Mushrooms

Spinach

Oatmeal

Peas

Asparagus.

This can be repeated with variations in edible plants with calcium, potassium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and other nutrients. The mix of vegetables in a sauce pan means a host of beneficial ingredients will combine with a much higher fiber count and hunger satisfaction. 

Kitty - "I dare ya."

 "I'm fixin' to change my habits."

That replaces the bloat of an ancient Roman style feast. They used an instrument tickling their throats to make room for more feasting. Don't laugh or gag - anorexia is a serious problem among young women in competitive colleges like Notre Dame.

Soluble and insoluble fiber benefit our complete digestion. Sugar and fats give us instant satisfaction and weight gain. Food fiber gives us

better and slower digestion, satisfaction, and fat burning. Leafy greens and beans, nuts and fruits prevent the urge to eat a chocolate cake as a quick substitute. People find that omitting the high fat, high sugar, and white foods - rice, potatoes, ice cream, white flour - will cut back and almost eliminate the cravings thereof. So a plant-based habit of eating will be fat-burning naturally, without any super-expensive, hyped, magic pills in a jar.

Vegetables are not only delicious and satisfying, but dirt cheap. People without herds of rabbits and squirrels can raise many vegetables easily. Vegetables at the store cost relatively little, especially when factored in with the cost of medical care for eating-related disorders.

Reminder - Read ChurchMouse - Linked on the Left (But Not Leftist) Column

 I thought I improved on his ChurchMouse graphic, but he must have decided otherwise.

He is always worth reading for the British Christian conservative perspective.

He has told me that I send a lot of readers his way.

Then they are blessed by his contributions.

 

Breaking News - The King James Version Is on the Delivery Trucks, Some Have Arrived. Not Mine! The First To Order Will Be Last.

 Engagement photo - Christina had back surgery while in college. She found the doctor and had the surgery, which was much rougher in those days. She wore a body cast until her back healed.

We had quite a rain, and more is coming. The new roses are putting out their leaves and the daffodils keep blooming. 

The King James Version: Apostolic Texts, Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations is now in print and a few ordered copies are just starting to arrive. 

As you might have guessed, the second part of the new version is far more revealing about the fraud involved in Tischendorf's Codex Sinaiticus and the Vatican's modestly named Codex Vaticanus. A handful of fraudulent New Testament texts (with those two as stars) were promoted by Westcott and Hort in the secretive and dishonest ten years leading to the KJV Revision. 

The Majority Text has 5,000+ witnesses that agree with each other about 99% of the time. Fallible humans - even those with computers, gimlet-eyed friends, and spell-checker - make mistakes. 

According to Burdon, Sinaiticus and Vaticanus disagree 40% of the time. Moreover, they have honest origin and no descendants. You, like, phonies, forgeries, expensive tricks.

When I get my KJV, I will stop the printing and Kindles of The Bible Book.

Pastor Herman Otten was brave enough to challenge Concordia St. Louis on their Seminexy favoritism toward the bad, heretical NT texts. I doubt whether Cub Editor Hale has the guts to suggest that St. Louis and Ft. Wayne are no more toxic than the ELCA seminaries and the Vatican itself.

 A Calvinist - Woods - wrote this explanatory note, as if that makes OJ and SJ less repulsive a rejection of the Chief Article of Christianity.

PS - I will let you know when Hale publishes a review of The King James Version. He gets each new book but has not recovered from his trampling of The Path To Justification.

Rev. Andy Stanley - A Favorite Theologian in WELS - Another Bible Butcher. “The Christian faith doesn’t rise and fall on the accuracy of 66 ancient documents. It rises and falls on the identity of a single individual: Jesus of Nazareth.”

 Andy Stanley proudly posed with Ski.

 Ski, Bishop Katie, and WELS pastors worshiped with Stanley at a conference.

Christian Post ^ | 03/21/2022 | Mark Creech

Posted on 3/21/2022, 10:37:27 PM by SeekAndFind

The recent now-deleted tweet by Andy Stanley, son of famed pastor emeritus Charles Stanley of the First Baptist Church, Atlanta, reads:

“The Christian faith doesn’t rise and fall on the accuracy of 66 ancient documents. It rises and falls on the identity of a single individual: Jesus of Nazareth.”

Stanley’s tweet was taken from a sermon he preached on March 6 at Browns Bridge Church in Cumming, Georgia.

When first reading the tweet on social media, I was saddened and sickened. This kind of statement was all too familiar to me. I had often heard it made by the moderates and liberals who were in control of the Southern Baptist Convention back in the '80s. I had defended the faith against this kind of approach to the Scriptures in the Baptist Associations where I had served — a time when my support for the Bible as divine and totally without error was in the minority and marginalized.

This kind of doctrinal error is what conservatives worked and sacrificed to save the Southern Baptist Convention from and succeeded. Moreover, other denominations that embraced what Stanley was teaching ended up on the trash heap of spiritual impotence or blatant apostasy.

It was, therefore, quite painful for me to hear a prominent preacher with the considerable influence of Stanley, one who has affirmed his own belief in inerrancy, declare something so contrary to that affirmation.

A Babtist pastor refused to believe Stanley said this, asked for it in writing, and then dismissed it.

 WELS Fox Valley Churches sponsored Ski's 
special message to kids.

 Ski's statistics in  a very wealthy suburb, Round Rock in Texas.

Big Storm Rolling Through

 Joe Pye Weed is still dormant.

We had a little rain before, just when we needed it. Then this storm moved in from the West, fairly weak all day. Now it is booming overhead like the finale of a July 4th celebration. 

I clipped the older blooms on the daffodils, to let the bulb grow better and not let them try to build a seed from the flower. They will produce new bulbs until they have to be dug up and separated to let even more grow.

I figure the earthworms are just as happy about this long rain - thunderous then dripping - as I am. They were doing Olympic jumps out of the bag, tiny threads ready to turn into patriarchs and matriarchs. They handle both roles. 

Roses love being rained on. They are much more demanding of water than most people think. 

The Military Gardening Group had a long discussion on how to deal with the tiny Japanese beetles (unlike the more popular June bugs). I have found no natural solutions, though many natural solutions are sold.

I am looking forward to the unusual daffodils blooming. I will post photographs.

Summing Up Some Nutritional Stories

 Hardened Dairy Queen managers let their toddler enjoy some DQ during a photo op. It was the beginning of his tragic addiction to ice cream too. DQ is a gateway drug!

Several of us have been discussing nutrition, especially since I send out Joel Fuhrman books that I find for 3 or 4 dollars (hardback!).

Here are some of my conclusions -

1. Most of the special tablets aiming a curing or improving something are very expensive versions of a single ingredient in vegetables, fruit, and nuts. 
2. One multi-vitamin a day is good and inexpensive, because we may not get all those ingredients on a regular basis.
3. The get-fat group includes desserts, milk, butter, cheese,  eggs, and meat. They are also relatively expensive. 
4. The alternative is to fill up on leafy greens and beans, which are very high in nutrition, quite inexpensive, and delicious when the get-fat foods are downgraded to minor roles (but typically dominate in the Standard American Diet).
5. The named diet plans - Keto, Mediterranean, Opti-fast, Scarsdale, high protein - are expensive and unbalanced, leading to drastic reduction in weight and awesome gains afterwards.
6. Fish is very expensive for getting Omega 3 oil when it is found (without toxins) in nuts and flax seed. If anyone has belched fish oil...it is a warning against its dubious origins.
7. Desserts are ready-made, so good at quelling hunger pangs, but quick for weight gains - in fats and sugars used - both quick to make their mark on the waist.

 An award for making donuts! His name has been removed to protect his family from potential lawsuits.

 

Seriously, there are many long-term diseases we can address with the simple foods our parents and grandparents grew up on.

Oculi, The Third Sunday in Lent, 2022.

Oculi Sunday, The Third Sunday in Lent, 2022

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Standard Time

Link Here Vimeo Service :

After the service, a link will be below this. The link works best with older Internet and computer systems.

Link

The Hymn #175      When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord: 

for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn Thee unto me and have mercy upon me: 

for I am desolate and afflicted.

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

We beseech Thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of Thy humble servants and stretch forth

the right hand of Thy majesty to be our defense 

against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ, 

Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual             Ephesians 5:1-9
The Gospel                                 Luke 11:14-28
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #524         In Thee Lord Have I Put My Trust (alt tune #177)

Real Opposition to the Gospel

The Hymn #315:1-5          I Come O Savior To Thy Table

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 #568                  We Praise Thee O God        

    

Alternate tune for this hymn #177

Prayers and Announcements

• Treatment and recovery - Kermit Way, Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Peggy and her daughter Callie, C.
• Pray for our country and DEP Trump. 
• Wednesdays - Vespers at 7 PM, Understanding Luther's Galatians - PDF, Chapter 4.

Norma A. Boeckler

KJV Ephesians 5:1 

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

KJV Luke 11:14 

And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Before Abraham Was, I AM

 

KJV John 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

KJV John 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

This dialogue is the battle between two kingdoms – Truth, the Kingdom of Grace, and Lies, the Kingdom of Satan. Jesus the Son of God, the Creating Word (John 1:3), is the one and only message of forgiveness and salvation. One is either within the Kingdom of God by faith, or the Kingdom of Satan by denying the Truth, compromising the Truth, and cleverly forging a joint partnership of Truth and Satan’s lies.

The first part, Truth, is easy, in one sense, and yet denied by many who carry on as great leaders and examples of Christ Himself. They want to make people Happy Campers so they speak the Name of the Jesus often, but they subtly deny the cross and say “Follow us, not Him.” The compromisers are those who call themselves Biblical scholars and use that position to tell people “the Scriptures are not really the direct revelation of God, and they can tell people how to sort out the kernel of truth (which is their own doctrine) while denying the complete counsel of God. Paul wrote -

Acts 20: 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Paul gave a perfect description of Protestantism from the 1800s on,

·         looking for a better Bible for “today’s believers,”

·         taking over Christian education to make it more modern and harmonious with Evolution, the new religion

·         teaching “spirit guides,” expelling faithful ministers, installing their favorite false teachers.

47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Antagonism toward God’s Word is a perfect test for whether people follow Jesus Christ or deny Him. Once a pastor, professor, or bishop has driven away the believers, those remaining will only listen to falsehood. They will bristle at the sound of sound (healthy) doctrine, as James wrote – “They believe but their hides bristle.” (KJV James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.) That is why someone can be godly outwardly, even more than others, with smells and bells, fishhats and large sticks to carry, and yet inwardly and deviously deny the Word of the Gospel. If the equipment is primary, the Gospel is secondary.

48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

Jesus clearly angered the opposition, because they insulted Him twice over – as a Samaritan and as a devil. Some might see the Parable of the Good Samaritan in this. That was the worst personal insult because of ages of similar but different interpretations of the Old Testament. The Samaritan in that parable is Jesus, not a social activist who would “make the road to Jericho safe” (a Social Gospel pivot). The worst insult is the one assigned to that parable, the role of Jesus as the despised one who helps others in their dire need.

The worst barb for the opposition is “If a man keep (or guard) my saying, he shall never see death.” Knowing what is in their hearts, Jesus aims for the center, and they respond.

Abraham Rejoiced

53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

By exciting the Pharisees, Jesus helped the truth to come out in the open, for others to hear– first in His own declarations and secondly in the opposition giving away what they really thought, their disbelief in the Messiah, even though His countless miracles told the population otherwise.

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

What many miss, after watching The Ten Commandments movie too many times, is the place of Abraham in the New Testament. He is the Father of Faith, based on Genesis 15:6 and the tremendous narrative in Genesis. Paul’s argument for Justification by Faith alone, is based on Abraham being justified, forgiven, through faith “that it might be by grace.”

Logic – The Fallacy of Emphasis

The subtle serpents of today will allow Justification by Faith, but only when they phrase it their way, which is called a fallacy of emphasis. It works this way – Someone says, “I thought it was going to rain.” They are looking at a cloudburst through the window. “You THOUGHT it was going to rain” suggests it was a stupid idea. “YOU thought it was going to rain” is blaming.

 

So the modern serpents use the right words but imply the wrong meaning when they say “Justified by Grace, through faith” which ca-a-a-a-a-an be understood correctly (WELS) but scholars are divided (“we want to confuse you about the truth”). The fallacy is that everyone is Justified by Grace (WELS, LCMS youth leader, Valleskey, Bivens, Brenner, Harrison) and they believe this universal absolution.

The opponents knew that Jesus was divine by His miracles, and they imagined that they could distract the crowd with another fake shock of amazement.

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.

This is where we see that Jesus confesses Himself to be God, the Angel of the Lord, speaking from the Burning Bush in Exodus 3. The Name of God is I AM. The Son of God is the One they seek to kill, because they fear the response of the Roman legions and the loss of all their perks and privileges. When the LCA and later the ELCA were formed, the Old Guard was kept in place a few years, to keep the peace, and then booted out with tear-stained nostalgia and praises shoveled down to their Father Below.

This is what the Gospel of John wants to convey - the battle between Truth and Against-Truth. The first is unified. The second is divided into many different forms but ends up with the same goals and so-called victories.

When we pray to Jesus and through Jesus, naming Him, we are speaking to God Himself. He is the Light of the World, the one Truth that illuminates all of man’s wisdom and tests whether some concept is God’s Truth or a mirage.

59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

The reaction proves the accuracy of Jesus’ words. His Two Natures are revealed in His humanity, His appearance as an ordinary man, and His ability to pass through the angry mob because it was not yet His time. If we deny His ability to be in the elements of Holy Communion, we deny His ability to pass through the crowds (more than once), enter the barred door (twice), and leave the tomb without needing angels to roll the stone away.

The segment of I AM teaching reveals the truth of Jesus as the face and voice of God, and our forgiveness and salvation come from that power.